The Marriage Secret: An utterly unputdownable psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist
Description
He married me despite my darkest secret. But am I safe now that I know his? From the outside, my marriage to Zach was perfect: dream home, a perfect baby girl and passionate, all-consuming love. When we met, I confessed my darkest secret to him and he never judged me for it. Instead, he vowed to always protect me whatever the cost.
But as I cradle my gorgeous baby, I have to accept that the husband who used to be my everything, has changed. At first it was little things: expecting me to keep to a strict schedule, picking out my clothes for me. Now, he controls every aspect of my life: from how much money I have, to when I leave the house and who I can see. One fateful night, a young woman is found murdered and Zach is a potential suspect. Turning towards me, a look of warmth returning to his eyes, he swears he’s innocent, and I realize there is only one solution. If I agree to be his alibi, he will keep my secret and our daughter can grow up in a loving home. In that moment, I do what any faithful wife would do: I stand by him. But I know deep down, only one of us will make it out of this marriage alive. A completely unputdownable and twist-filled psychological thriller from USA Today bestselling author Carey Baldwin. Fans of The Wife Between Us, The Marriage and Gone Girl will be totally addicted to The Marriage Secret.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Marriage Secret' by Carey Baldwin.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Carey Baldwin, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 11th February 2022.
This is the second book I have read by this author. I have also read 'Her First Mistake' which I would also recommend.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis. I am a fan of Carey and if this book is as good as 'Her First Mistake' it is bound to be a good read. It also stated in the synopsis that this book is 'A completely unputdownable and twist-filled psychological thriller from USA Today bestselling author Carey Baldwin. Fans of The Wife Between Us, The Marriage and Gone Girl will be totally addicted to The Marriage Secret.' I am a huge fan of 'Gone Girl' so am looking forward to see if it lives up to this. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 41 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Arizona, USA 🇺🇸.
This book is written in third person perspective with the main protagonist being Holly Bancroft. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
'The Marriage Secret' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Carey discusses/includes domestic abuse and the death of a child.
WOW!! JUST WOW!!! I WAS MOT EXPECTING THAT EXPLOSIVE ENDING. WHAT A TWIST!!!
This book is very well written and the vivid descriptions completely absorb the reader from beginning to end. The cover and synopsis work well with the storyline.
The storyline is absolutely captivating as well as realistic. Throughout the storyline I kept questioning myself on what I thought was going on and was completely blown out of the water when I discovered who was actually behind what. A huge congratulations is in order to Casey, its getting harder and harder to shock me and just when I thought I had sussed it all out BANG I was completely blind sighted! I enjoyed the first book I read by Carey which was 'Her First Mistake' but I absolutely LOVED this one!!! The storyline was packed full of mystery, suspense, lies, love, friendship, twists and was an excellent psychological thriller. The storyline was quite unique and I would be interested in reading more of Carey's books. It is also quite thought provoking and makes you wonder what you would do in Holly's position. This book brings up the subject of domestic abuse and is extremely well written and researched. So many people think domestic abuse is just physical but so many times it can be mental and hopefully anyone going through that and reads this book will realise and get the help they need. It is so easy for someone not in that position to say to just leave but it is never that easy, especially when a child is involved. A huge congratulations to Carey for tackling this subject and bringing light to the fact that domestic abuse comes in all shapes and sizes.
The characters were strong, well defined and realistic. I really felt for Holly with everything she was going through. Having been in a few relationships that involved domestic abuse in several forms I knew some of what she was going through. There were times I really felt sorry for her especially with everything else that was coming out of the woodwork. She went from being this strong woman who I praised for her strength and determination and then thanks to her husband started doubting herself but I'm so glad she pulled through for herself and her daughter. Do I think that the ending was deserved? Personally yes!!! However it really does make you think throughout the book. I did really feel sorry for Frances who was not only treated badly by her ex husband but also by the son that she adored and as a mother myself my heart really went out to her.
Congratulations Casey on absolutely page turning thriller with an absolutely EXPLOSIVE ending that I would never have seen coming!!! Here's to your next success 🥂!!
Overall a page turning, intriguing psychological thriller that will keep you up late at night with an explosive ending you will never guess.
Genres covered in this book include Psychological Fiction, Thriller, Suspense and Psychological Thriller amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'Girl On The Train', 'Gone Girl' and anyone looking for an action packed psychological thriller with an explosive ending!
309 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
@CareyBaldwin @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
About the author
By day Carey is a dedicated pediatrician. By night she's a USA Today bestselling and award winning author of edgy suspense. In addition to her MD, Carey also holds a PhD in clinical psychology. She loves reading and writing stories that keep you off balance and on the edge of your seat. In her spare time she enjoys hiking and chasing wildflowers.
Author social media
Twitter: @careybaldwin
Instagram: @authorcareybaldwin
Website: https://www.careybaldwin.net/
Buy links:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B09M79VMSKsocial
Apple: http://ow.ly/onLU50HB94c
Kobo: http://ow.ly/4Crc50HB94g
Google: http://ow.ly/L07x50HB94e
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