The Marriage Retreat: A totally unputdownable psychological thriller with a shocking twist
Book Description
My husband saved other people’s marriages. But his secrets will destroy ours… I stand in the mortuary and take a deep breath before identifying the body of the man I’ve been married to for twenty-six years. Victor and I built Serenity Falls, a successful couples’ retreat, together. Honesty and trust were the bedrocks of our marriage, and we helped other couples repair their relationships too. Now my whole world has been turned upside down and I don’t know what to think. A woman lies in a coma, in a stark, white hospital room. She was by Victor’s side when he died. The police have been unable to identify her and I’m forced to confront the painful reality that my own husband was hiding something. My grief is laced with anger. How could he lie to me? But as I begin to uncover the secrets of my husband’s past, I discover the shocking truth about the woman with no name and no memory. And to protect my family, I have to make a choice. A choice that will turn me into a liar, just like Victor. And will end in murder…
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Marriage Retreat' by Laura Elliot.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Laura Elliot, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 17th August 2023.
This is the second book I have read by this author. i have previously read 'After The Wedding' which I would highly recommend.
This novel consists of 69 chapters. The chapters are short in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book started off slowly but like with a rollercoaster that takes its time to get to the peak it was worth it when you hit that point at the top and your taken on a ride of deception, love, revelations, betrayal, heartbreak, secrets, twists, drama and suspense that will have you hooked on until the very end page!! I kept questioning the storyline, myself and the characters throughout the book as you try and work out who the 'no name girl' is, why they are in the car and what secret/s were hidden in Lorraine's marriage. I was completely invested in the storyline and there were countless of times I promised myself one more chapter before bed just to continue reading another and another and before I knew it I had read the whole book in one sitting. Laura's fantastic descriptions and writing skills brought the storyline and the characters to life and i was biting my nails several times wondering what was going to happen next. I absolutely loved the twists and turns and was not expecting the surprises at all so a huge well done to Laura. It gets harder and harder to surprise me after reading so many thrillers but you managed to do just that!! Laura manages to weave the changes in timelines and characters perfectly giving you just the right amount of the picture to keep you hooked without giving too much away too soon! If you love domestic suspense books then you will absolutely love this one!! Another great read from this fantastic author and I'm looking forward to reading her next book!
It is set over/includes multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.
Laura has created a very complex character in our main protagonist Lorraine whose character comes across as strong and realistic. Her character development throughout the book, in both the present and past timelines, was intriguing and I enjoyed getting to learn more about her. She is definitely a complicated character which made me all the more interested in her. I cannot say I was a huge fan of her character but she definitely intrigued me and I enjoyed getting to know more about her. The other main characters we have are Gail and 'No Name Girl', who is the survivor of the car crash. I don't want to say too much about the characters as it is one of those books where you are not sure who you can trust, who can be believed and what is really going on and I don't want to risk giving anything away. I enjoyed reading the perspective of 'No Name Girl' the most as I found it fascinating in regards to the fact that she could not remember her past and I could not wait to find out more. Gail wasn't particularly likeable but regardless of how i felt about them each of the protagonists worked together to make this a fascinating and dark psychological drama where each of their stories weaved together at the perfect times to drip feed the reader just the right amount of information without giving too much away.
Congratulations Laura on yet another great suspense and I look forward to reading more of your books both past and future. Here's to reading more page turner's you make 🥂
Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and the first chapter of Laura's 'The Wife Before Me' which promises to be just as good as this book and I cannot wait to get stuck into it!!!
Overall an unputdownable page turning and dark psychological thriller that will fill you with suspense with an ending that will shock you!!
441 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon, free with kindle unlimited and £10.99 in paperback (at time of review) which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Laura Elliot lives in Malahide, a picturesque, coastal village in Dublin, Ireland. She enjoys writing psychological thrillers and, to date, she has written nine novels: The Thorn Girl, The Wife Before Me, Guilty, Sleep Sister, The Betrayal, Fragile Lies, Stolen Child ( also titled On Your Doorstep) The Prodigal Sister (also titled The Lost Sister) The Silent House and her most recent novel, After The Wedding.
In the UK she is published by Bookouture, Sphere and Avon - and by Grand Central Publishing in the US. Her novels have also been widely translated.
AKA June Considine, she has written twelve books for children and young adults. In her earlier career, she worked as a journalist and magazine editor.
For more details check http://lauraelliotauthor.com/
Author social media
Website: https://www.lauraelliotauthor.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Elliot_Laura
Newsletter sign up: https://www.bookouture.com/laura-elliot
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