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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
Another brilliant tale from this talented writer. Lots of twists and turns and an ending you’ll never guess at. A fast pace belter of a read
The Marriage Betrayal is like liqueur chocolate. You think you know what you’ve picked, but the scrumptious flavours melting on your tongue take you by surprise. The first layer is sweet. It takes its time and tickles your taste buds. The second part is crunchy, it plays with your teeth, it adds an edge before releasing the explosive and unexpected cherry, bittersweet and irresistible.
Faye and her brother-in-law Tom have planned a surprise birthday trip for her husband. Right away, I knew something would go wrong. When will people learn that surprises are NOT a good idea??? I am not a fan of them, and Tom seemed to share my opinion, according to his behavior when they reached his childhood village. What was supposed to be a relaxing time with their son Dylan, Jake’s sister Lainy, and her daughters, didn’t raise the excitation and joy expected.
Within the first pages, the place itself became part of the family. Settling in an old house full of shadows and creaking sounds opened the doors to a disturbing feeling. I couldn’t pinpoint what was off, but I didn’t feel comfortable! One chapter and I was already questioning everything. Why did Jake and Lainy looked as if they’d rather be at the dentist than where they’d grown up? Why had Faye chosen this place? What was going on??
It is extremely difficult to foresee what you will find in any novel by Shalini Boland and once again, I was pulled in by an invisible hand. The author’s addictive writing filled with mystery had my undivided attention.
The slow beginning allowed me to get to know the main characters. I joined them on their little trip, feeling the uneasiness, the tension, and the missed opportunity of a good family time. To an external eye, the family might have looked normal, spending quality time away from London, but the siblings’ reaction to the vacation erased the good intentions behind it. The situation gets worse when people start recognizing them, adding more strain on everyone. What could have happened there for Jake and Lainy to feel so strongly about being here?? I wasn’t shocked to hear them decide to leave, but not without Tom and Dylan enjoying a father-son moment. When they failed to come back from their morning adventure, my stomach churned. After having played with my mind, Shalini Boland was going for my feelings! The pace sped up from this point on, and there was no more time to think about the past! Or so I thought…
Now and Then chapters began to draw a picture, dark and full of promises. I knew something big was coming. What I didn’t know was that more than one ‘What???’ moment was slowly making their way to me! When an anonymous narrator sprang from the pages to give us creepy and somehow threatening short chapters, I devoured each word, knowing it would all make sense in the end.
What do you do when your husband and son disappear in a small place surrounded by cliffs and filled with unfriendly people? What goes through a mother’s mind when she feels responsible for everything that’s happening? How do family dynamics change in such a difficult situation?
I felt secrets hiding behind doors, bushes, words… Yet I couldn’t figure out what to make of the pieces I was handed!
I can’t and won’t reveal anything else about the plot, but let me tell you one thing. There is nothing a woman won’t do to protect those she loves. When the stars began to align and the truth came out, I was overly excited. I had seen nothing coming! I had grown attached to Faye, I had forged opinions on everyone… And Shalini Boland just threw it all away. I had to reassess what I thought I knew, and it’s an exercise I love!
The Marriage Betrayal is a splendid two-faced thriller beautifully written by a stunning author who isn’t afraid to lead you to the edge of the cliff, for better or for worse!
Faye and her brother-in-law Tom have planned a surprise birthday trip for her husband. Right away, I knew something would go wrong. When will people learn that surprises are NOT a good idea??? I am not a fan of them, and Tom seemed to share my opinion, according to his behavior when they reached his childhood village. What was supposed to be a relaxing time with their son Dylan, Jake’s sister Lainy, and her daughters, didn’t raise the excitation and joy expected.
Within the first pages, the place itself became part of the family. Settling in an old house full of shadows and creaking sounds opened the doors to a disturbing feeling. I couldn’t pinpoint what was off, but I didn’t feel comfortable! One chapter and I was already questioning everything. Why did Jake and Lainy looked as if they’d rather be at the dentist than where they’d grown up? Why had Faye chosen this place? What was going on??
It is extremely difficult to foresee what you will find in any novel by Shalini Boland and once again, I was pulled in by an invisible hand. The author’s addictive writing filled with mystery had my undivided attention.
The slow beginning allowed me to get to know the main characters. I joined them on their little trip, feeling the uneasiness, the tension, and the missed opportunity of a good family time. To an external eye, the family might have looked normal, spending quality time away from London, but the siblings’ reaction to the vacation erased the good intentions behind it. The situation gets worse when people start recognizing them, adding more strain on everyone. What could have happened there for Jake and Lainy to feel so strongly about being here?? I wasn’t shocked to hear them decide to leave, but not without Tom and Dylan enjoying a father-son moment. When they failed to come back from their morning adventure, my stomach churned. After having played with my mind, Shalini Boland was going for my feelings! The pace sped up from this point on, and there was no more time to think about the past! Or so I thought…
Now and Then chapters began to draw a picture, dark and full of promises. I knew something big was coming. What I didn’t know was that more than one ‘What???’ moment was slowly making their way to me! When an anonymous narrator sprang from the pages to give us creepy and somehow threatening short chapters, I devoured each word, knowing it would all make sense in the end.
What do you do when your husband and son disappear in a small place surrounded by cliffs and filled with unfriendly people? What goes through a mother’s mind when she feels responsible for everything that’s happening? How do family dynamics change in such a difficult situation?
I felt secrets hiding behind doors, bushes, words… Yet I couldn’t figure out what to make of the pieces I was handed!
I can’t and won’t reveal anything else about the plot, but let me tell you one thing. There is nothing a woman won’t do to protect those she loves. When the stars began to align and the truth came out, I was overly excited. I had seen nothing coming! I had grown attached to Faye, I had forged opinions on everyone… And Shalini Boland just threw it all away. I had to reassess what I thought I knew, and it’s an exercise I love!
The Marriage Betrayal is a splendid two-faced thriller beautifully written by a stunning author who isn’t afraid to lead you to the edge of the cliff, for better or for worse!
I received this free of charge in exchange for a fair review.
This is not my usual reading genre but after reading the synopsis I really wanted to read it and I am glad I did. It did not disappoint and was a rollercoaster of a story. My emotions were all over and there were lots of twists and turns I didn’t see coming, it kept me hooked until the very last page.
It was well written and the plot moved along at a good pace for the storyline. It left questions and cliffhangers like any good story with clues and red herrings and I didn’t want to put it down. I thought I had worked things out and then it gave me something else to think about and never stop thinking. It was a good, mentally challenging thriller that will leave you drained and relieved (in a good way) when you finish it.
The characters were written so creatively that while many people haven’t experienced this kind of storyline in real life (thankfully) you can still connect with Faye Townsend. I never worked out the actual end until I read it and I love that it kept me hanging on until the end.
When I first started reading the book I did struggle a little to get into it at first and with the swapping of past and present but not so much with the swapping of characters. Given how the story ends, I liked that it gave other characters viewpoints apart from Faye’s and I like that in general we get a bit of other characters history too.
This is the first book I have read by Shalini and I am looking forward to reading the others sat waiting on my tbr pile.
This is not my usual reading genre but after reading the synopsis I really wanted to read it and I am glad I did. It did not disappoint and was a rollercoaster of a story. My emotions were all over and there were lots of twists and turns I didn’t see coming, it kept me hooked until the very last page.
It was well written and the plot moved along at a good pace for the storyline. It left questions and cliffhangers like any good story with clues and red herrings and I didn’t want to put it down. I thought I had worked things out and then it gave me something else to think about and never stop thinking. It was a good, mentally challenging thriller that will leave you drained and relieved (in a good way) when you finish it.
The characters were written so creatively that while many people haven’t experienced this kind of storyline in real life (thankfully) you can still connect with Faye Townsend. I never worked out the actual end until I read it and I love that it kept me hanging on until the end.
When I first started reading the book I did struggle a little to get into it at first and with the swapping of past and present but not so much with the swapping of characters. Given how the story ends, I liked that it gave other characters viewpoints apart from Faye’s and I like that in general we get a bit of other characters history too.
This is the first book I have read by Shalini and I am looking forward to reading the others sat waiting on my tbr pile.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I am a big fan of Shalini Boland's writing so I was thrilled to received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Faye plans a surprise weekend away for herself and her husband and son Dylan to her husband's hometown. What she hopes will be a lovely get away soon turns into one of her worst nightmares as her husband and son go for a walk along the cliffs and don't come back. Faye is understandably frantic and trying to find what has happened to them whilst being under suspicion herself for their disappearance, she starts uncovering some of her husband's secrets and soon learns this family trip away was one of the worst surprises she could have planned. This book gripped me from the first chapter and held my undivided attention until the very end. Shalini delivers some plot twists whilst building suspense until the very end. Another excellent read from this very enjoyable author. #shaliniboland #bookouture #netgalley #goodreads #litsy #tea_sipping_bookworm #amazon #kindle
Brilliant!!! Shalini boland has done it again. Just when you think you can see how the plot unfolds, BAM!!!! ....its all turned upside down.
As with her other books, this was fast paced, gripping and twists and turns galore. Another brilliant read that I can't recommend enough.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
As with her other books, this was fast paced, gripping and twists and turns galore. Another brilliant read that I can't recommend enough.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Bestselling author Shalini Boland returns with an explosive psychological thriller with so many earth-shattering secrets and skeletons in the closet simply dying to reveal themselves. Ms Boland knows exactly how to hold you in a vice-like grip from first page through to the last. It's a quick, easy and thoroughly entertaining thriller and one I loved a lot more than some of the author's previous novels. In The Marriage Betrayal, she seems to have found the perfect formula comprising, intrigue, mystery, deception and secret aplenty. I couldn't tear myself away, and I can guarantee you won't be able to either!
It centres around a missing husband and son, Jake and Dylan who disappear whilst out looking for seals by the coast, and long-buried secrets which led to Jake and his sister Lainey's swift departure from their hometown of Swanage. But do the dark deeds of the past have anything to do with the sudden vanishing act or is it merely a coincidence? This is a cleverly plotted and structured story with so many rapid-fire twists and turns that repeatedly prove your predictions wrong; Boland is massively adept at keeping you guessing. I got a rather large shock at the major surprise at the end and couldn't have predicted it. A super domestic thriller. Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.
It centres around a missing husband and son, Jake and Dylan who disappear whilst out looking for seals by the coast, and long-buried secrets which led to Jake and his sister Lainey's swift departure from their hometown of Swanage. But do the dark deeds of the past have anything to do with the sudden vanishing act or is it merely a coincidence? This is a cleverly plotted and structured story with so many rapid-fire twists and turns that repeatedly prove your predictions wrong; Boland is massively adept at keeping you guessing. I got a rather large shock at the major surprise at the end and couldn't have predicted it. A super domestic thriller. Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.
They say that a mother's bond to her kids is strong, and in The Marriage Betrayal by Shalini Boland this proves to be true. Faye has booked the perfect holiday for her husband Jake's birthday. They pack up their family and travel to Jake's childhood hometown along with his sister and her husband. From the moment they arrive, things with Jake are off. During their vacation a mother's worst nightmare becomes a reality when Jake and their son Dylan go missing.
Faye has shown that she will stop at nothing to be reunited with her family once again. As all psychological thrillers, this one has one hell of a twist. The story bounces back from the past to the present, and we slowly start to see why Jake and his sister aren't excited to be back to their hometown.
The story had me hooked from the start, I was just as confused as others by the twist since I had no clue it was coming. Like Faye, I discovered that her husband was not the person he said he was. I loved the slow build-up of suspense, as we guessed what really happened to Jake and Dylan. All throughout the book, we are given clues as to what might have possibly happened to them.
With all this, I was not overly satisfied with the ending. In my opinion, I felt like we built up the book so much for a grand finale but just felt that the end was rushed. Although it gave us some closure, in the end it just left me wanting more!
*I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Faye has shown that she will stop at nothing to be reunited with her family once again. As all psychological thrillers, this one has one hell of a twist. The story bounces back from the past to the present, and we slowly start to see why Jake and his sister aren't excited to be back to their hometown.
The story had me hooked from the start, I was just as confused as others by the twist since I had no clue it was coming. Like Faye, I discovered that her husband was not the person he said he was. I loved the slow build-up of suspense, as we guessed what really happened to Jake and Dylan. All throughout the book, we are given clues as to what might have possibly happened to them.
With all this, I was not overly satisfied with the ending. In my opinion, I felt like we built up the book so much for a grand finale but just felt that the end was rushed. Although it gave us some closure, in the end it just left me wanting more!
*I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review