Description:

Your new husband has a shocking secret. Would your mother-in-law kill to protect it?

From the moment I meet my new mother-in-law in her beautiful country house, she makes it clear I’m not welcome. Lilian Fletcher hates me for marrying her precious boy on a golden beach far away from her.

Starting our marriage living in the Fletchers’ family home is a nightmare. Then I discover Seb was married before and his first wife is dead. I wonder why the man I love didn’t tell me the truth. And I wonder what happened to her: the woman who came before me. How did she die?

Lilian’s steely blue gaze follows me everywhere. Then the accidents start to happen, and I know she is behind them. It starts with small things, like a dropped birthday cake, a spilt glass of wine. But then my mother-in-law accuses me of something terrible. This woman is determined to get me out of her son’s life.

Now I wish I’d never met my handsome, clever husband. Or come to this luxurious house that feels more like a prison.

But I have secrets too. And no-one knows who I really am.

Adele’s Review:

The Daughter In Law is the first book by Shalini Boland I’ve read and reviewed, and the story kept me engaged and turning the pages until its dramatic conclusion.

The conflict centers around newlywed Caroline, who is brought by her husband to live with in-laws she’s never met, at their home in rural England. Lillian, the mother-in-law, is cold and unwelcoming. We are drawn further into the story as we empathize with Caroline, who struggles to adapt to the expectations of her new family.

At first, I considered the friction between Lillian and Caroline to be minor misunderstandings that could easily have been avoided. But as I read further into the book, and the motivations of this dysfunctional family unfolded, several sub-plots emerged. Boland does a great job of weaving the plot strings together to explain the behavior of the Fletcher family, with Caroline at the center of its upheaval. The story is then brought to its clever and satisfying conclusion.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5066192754

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BFX32X13