I hadn’t read any of Sheryl Browne’s books before and since I’m always hunting for new authors, this was a real treat. Who doesn’t love a good psychological thriller, where two complex personalities collide and where there are emotional knots to unravel.

What the book is about:

Four personalities, four points of view. Karla, her husband Jason, and Karla’s parents Diana and Robert. The story starts in the midst of a marriage breakup with occasional glimpses of earlier times explaining how the marriage turned sour. Karla’s pain is unmistakable as she slides into a sequence of events that are not only self-destructive to her marriage and to the relationship she holds dear with her ‘babies,’ but also her reputation at work. Witnessing such a tipping point is sheer torture, as Browne leads her readers down a slippery slope with no hope of recovery. As Jason pursues an enticing on-line interest, the little grey cells in my head began to get the drift.

When we meet Karla, she has probably hit rock bottom and her character is going through the inevitable stages of grief — self-denial being the theme that carries throughout the book — and trying to right a wrong she has no hope of doing on her own. You can’t help feeling for Jason, with or without his faults, and I hoped he would somehow change his mind.

My thoughts:

The ending had thee surprising twists, although there was one I had toyed with earlier. It was later confirmed with powerful backstory of Karla and Sarah, and Michael Kinsella’s background.

The family dynamic was complex. Robert a hardened lothario with a reputation to uphold and a horrible secret he is desperate to keep. The most manipulative of the four, he drove me insane, especially with a motive that would have driven any protagonist over the edge.

Diana, enjoying the lifestyle that goes with being married to a businessman, has a few secrets of her own. I think out of all of the characters in the book, I liked her the best. Guilt-ridden to the end, she continued to demonstrate an inner strength and a sacrificial love for Sarah and Karla. We can all empathize with her situation.

This is a well-written, pacey read, hard to put down and cleverly plotted.

Summary:

When I think of divorce, I often wonder if it’s because the ‘exciting’ part of a person’s character has been stripped away with raising two children and navigating life. That’s why the fairy tales end with ‘they lived happily ever after’ because to go any further would spoil it. There are stress fractures in Karla and Jason’s relationship that need loving reinforcement. But what would happen if they had been allowed to go back in time and bottle the essence of what attracted them to each other in the first place. Could they reclaim some of the excitement and magic they first experienced? Karla demonstrated this in what she did. Without spoilers, you’ll just have to read it.

Thank you to Netgalley, author Sheryl Browne and publisher Bookouture for an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Karla and Jason have been married for twelve years and have two children. Her father is wealthy beyond all dreams, a self-made man, but a philanderer and bully. He wants his own way come what may. He’s absolutely horrible, sleazy and behaves badly throughout this novel, both at work and away from work, even with his family. Talk about odious. This being so his wife no longer loves him, but strangely Karla is held in his thrall. Her Dad has always despised Karla’s choice of husband and this fact is at the very heart of the story. He didn’t want them to marry, he tried to get Karla to abort their first child and he took every opportunity he had to humiliate his unwanted son-in-law.
When Jason’s business begins to fail, Karla begs Jason to accept a rescue from her father. They argue about it constantly and this fact pretty much takes up most of the novel. I found it very tedious because it was so repetitive and obviously going nowhere other than around in unending circles. I felt very frustrated about the lack of moving the story forward and eventually I found Karla’s behaviour towards Jason really unpleasant and questionable. When eventually Jason has had enough of their bickering he reluctantly agrees to go to discuss financing his business with his father-in-law. But the offer on the table for Jason has nothing at all to do with business and out spills the reason for the pent up hatred and determination to break apart the family, irrespective of the damage and hurt it would put his daughter and two small grandchildren through. Jason decides he must leave. It is an impossible situation. Actually we already knew this fact as the novel had divulged this information within the first few pages. However it was now that the novel began to take on a new, more vital and pacier aspect. It was definitely a novel of two parts, and I was so relieved. I wouldn’t call it a psychological thriller though, perhaps more of a family story.
This is a novel about a family crisis, a determined and reprehensible on-going plan to split up a family despite the cost and hurt to blood relatives. It is full of devious actions, lies, deceit, secrecy, tension, lecherous behaviour and revenge. It was nothing like the novel that was showcased. The ending was by far the most dramatic and enjoyable part of the novel. I am glad I continued to read it, this alone made it a worthwhile read.
My favourite character was Jason, who was hard working, loyal and trustworthy. I don’t know how he managed to put up with his wife and in-laws who were definitely self-obsessed. I liked the relationship he had with the children and his gentle and caring nature. The climax of the twists and turns of the story at the very end were unique and unexpectedly thought provoking. This was a really strong feature in the novel, which was well written throughout. I certainly felt the tension and heart-break of Jason and Karla’s unhappy and doomed marriage, but I did wonder why there was such a long time span written into the story plan. It seemed unnecessary. I also thought more about their once close and loving relationship would have been preferable to Karla’s bickering and unsavoury behaviour. It was just too unbelievable.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Bookouture through my membership of NetGalley. I would like to thank them for my copy, sent out to me in return for an honest review. It’s a 2.5*review from me for the reasons that I have already explained.

Great thriller - I could not put this book down once I started. Kept me guessing until the last page.
Karla and Jason married 12 years ago after Karla became pregnant. Her father, Robert, tried desperately to convince her to abort the baby and not marry Jason. Fast forward to the present...Jason's company is in financial trouble, and the only hope of saving his family from financial ruin is asking his father in law for help. Upon asking Robert for a loan, Jason learns a terrible truth that has been kept from him and Karla. A truth so horrifying that Jason doesn't know how to handle it any other way than to leave Karla.
As the plot unravels, the lives of all the characters are affected by secrets that each person was forced to keep. These secrets will shatter the lives of everyone involved if they should come to light. Will keeping secrets buried become more important than love and family?
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Truly an awesome psychological thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

Jason announces that he is leaving his wife, Karla, for another woman in the prologue and then we backtrack about 3 months to see how they got to this point.

This one got off to a pretty slow start. I think I was expecting something a little more crazy to play out even though what played out was sort of crazy. I had figured out one of the main twists as soon as that part started so when it was revealed, I wasn’t shocked. Overall a fairly decent read though.

The Marriage Trap, by Sheryl Browne is categorized as a domestic thriller, but like others, I felt it focused mainly on the relationship between the husband and wife, being torn apart by the interference of another person and a lack of communication. I spent much of the book waiting for a huge twist, or some action, but spent a lot of time disliking several characters in the story. It had enough to keep me reading, as I couldn't wait to find out what happens in the end, but it was pretty tame compared to the usual domestic thrillers I read. I give it 3.5 stars, rounded up.

Do you really ever know someone. I mean fully know them, no secrets between them? You think you might know the people in your life, but what if they have a big secret to hide. Something they won't share, not until it's too late.

That is what The Marriage Trap is built on. It is about Karla and Jason, a seemingly happily married couple with two children. Or they were happily married anyway. And then the secret came out...

The story starts off with the ending. Yes, I know that sounds weird but trust me it makes perfect sense. You jump in this story head first with the ending of the marriage between Karla and Jason. How or why is still unknown. But Sheryl Browne takes us on the journey of their failing marriage. How they got to where they are. Is it why so many marriages fail; infidelity? Or is their more at play, something that is rooted in the core of either Karla or Jason or both. Foundations build when they were still young, out of their control, that got them to the position they are in now?

When I started reading I instantaneously felt like I was in their house with them. A fly on the wall of their relationship. The hurt and the anger jumping off the pages as well as the insecurity and the angst of what was to come.
Honestly, I really felt sorry for Karla. She saw her husband leaving her, seemingly for another woman. A reason that breaks up many marriages. Her pain of being cheated on was palpable. And with their two young children in the mix it's obvious there are no winners here.

But, don't judge a book by its cover they say, or in this case, by its first chapter. Because rather early on it's apparent there is more at play here than a spouse looking outside the marital home.
Karla's past and present is dominated by her father. A man that will go to any length to keep his own reputation impeccable. Or at least for the outside world because he's far from perfect (in fact he's an asshole).

As the story progresses it becomes clear that Jason's alleged infidelity is not necessarily the reason the marriage between Karla and Jason is on the rocks. Her father has been against their marriage from day one and while he plays games to meddle in their marriage Karla's past is coming back to haunt her big time. The secret she harbours about her deceased sister Sarah is not something she can share, not even with Jason. She's been trained from childhood to protect someone, but who?

It turns out not only Karla has a secret to keep. Slowly but surely the secrets unravel and just when you think you've figured out all the secrets there's one more to keep you on your toes.

Halfway through the decline of their marriage I find my loyalty leaning more towards Jason. Karla throws a pity party for one and goes off the deep end. But the biggest piece of my heart goes out to Jason and Karla's children who have to endure both their parents breaking down and displaying uncharacteristic behaviour.

This book is full of secrets, lies and ugly personalities. Sheryl Browne did a great job making the reader feel as if they are right there in the homes and lives of the characters. The twists and turns made me not see the complete endgame here and every adult had a secret to keep and their future to protect.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and I would definitely recommend this book. If you're up for a psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat this one is for you.

This enthralling story is the tale of two couples and how a seemingly stable and loving relashionship can be torn apart due to the selfish behaviour and actions of one individual who cares more about making money and preserving their reputation than about the lives and wellbeing of the people around them,including their loved ones. When things go wrong,it's never this person's fault,it's always someone else's or not how they thought things would work out. And this person is not adverse to resorting to a bit of bribery and manipulation to ensure that their secrets and lies remained undisclosed.

The main players in this utterly compelling story of lies,misconceptions,mistakes,infidelities and manipulation are Karla,her husband Jason and their two young children Josh and Holly. Then there is also Karla's parents Diana and Robert.

Not one of these characters (apart from the poor kids) are who they appear to be,they all have hidden secrets and a couple of them were seriously flawed. My favourite character was feisty Diana and I actually cheered out loud and said "you go girl,well done you" at one point during the story. Karla was a complex character who had some serious issues and although I did understand why she reacted the way she did when she suspected that Jason was cheating on her,that doesn't mean I'm am condoning her behaviour and that doesn't mean I found her very likeable. And like Jason,I thought that she seriously needed to open her eyes and see how devious,manipulative and uncaring a certain character really was. Jason did have some redeemable qualities but he also did some really stupid things at times which caused him to go down a bit in my estimations. If Jason and Klara had stopped behaving like immature children and sat down,discussed their feelings and been honest with each other,they might have been able to work through their issues and discovered the truths behind their situation. Poor Josh and Holly behaved with more maturity than their so called parents.

The Marriage Trap is a extremely well written,tightly plotted thriller that had me hooked in from the jaw dropping,chilling opening chapter. The story held me captive throughout,frantically turning the pages,wanting to know how this story was going to end. The conclusion was so intense,I think i actually forgot to breath at one point. Absolutely brilliant book.Very,very highly recommended.

I was excited by the premise of this book as well as others’ review on Netgalley and Goodreads. This book gives a great view of the breakdown of a marriage. Sheryl Browne does an amazing job capturing the pain and recklessness a person feels when someone who is supposed to love them unconditionally begins to seem like a stranger. I do wish there was a little more of Robert and Diana’s past. To me, it seemed as if the interesting aspect of the story was in their past.

I was slightly disappointed by the story. I think I may have had a tough time sympathizing with Karla was because I had figured part of the twist in the middle of the book (Jason and Robert’s meeting), so while I had sympathy for Jason’s predicament, I thought Karla’s handling of the whole situation was a little tedious.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookoutour for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

I read this one in a day. After a rather slow start, the novel picks up and there are a few great twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I enjoyed the different points of view as everyone has their own way of interpreting events and we are able to see different sides to the crumbling marriage and I realized this was not the typical psychological thriller where one of the partners was a scheming, psychopath - instead we see the lengths other people are willing to go to prevent secrets being known, not to protect the innocent but simply to protect themselves.

This is a story about a family falling apart as their web of lies come undone. A woman's father has spent years undermining her relationship with her husband. Finally he reveals a secret that will finally tear them apart.
The characters were well done, story moved along. I had considerable sympathy for them.

There is so much I want to say about this book but cannot because of spoilers: so I will do my best.

Karla and Jason have been married for some little time and we soon discover that she married him when she found she was pregnant, to the absolute horror of her father (a wealthy businessman). Daddy bought them a house despite Jason’s misgivings. Jason is working hard to grow his own business and spends many hours working whilst Karla herself runs the home and works plus attending to the needs of her husband and children. Jason is tired and stressed which isn’t helped by Karla’s nagging him to accept financial backing from her father. She is unaware that he offered to pay Jason off and leave Karla before they got married although she does know that he wanted to abort their daughter.

Clearly not a happy situation. Things go from bad to worse with the help of her father’s interference and conniving. What we then witness is a destruction of a marriage which isn’t helped by Karla’s behaviour and to be fair Jason’s stupidity, but that doesn’t mean I criticize them (well, perhaps a bit).

Hats off to Ms Browne for her insight and emotive writing, I am thinking in particular of her portrayal of Karla suffering the anguish of loving her husband and thinking she has lost him. She is totally in self-destruct mode and although I was critical of her (relating to the children) I found myself on several occasions just weeping quietly for the raw emotion revealed on the page. Jason? Why are men just so stupid. The children, poor little sausages!.

I have not yet mentioned that I thought that the book was brilliant. Great plot with some good twists and turns, particularly at the end. Thanks for making me cry Ms Browne – my pleasure.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Whoa! This book was a page turner! I like when a book grabs you from the first chapter and this one did just that! Karla and Jason’s marriage is coming to an end. Karla is heartbroken. But to find out how they got there, we go back in time and see each perspective, including Karla’s parents. It’s interesting to read each perspective because it tells a lot about how things can go wrong without communication! I wouldn’t exactly label this book a thriller but I will say it’s filled with secrets, lies and some shocking revelations! It will definitely have you telling yourself just one more chapter!

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Sheryl Browne for the ARC of this book, The Marriage Trap, in exchange for an honest review.
I love the way it was written, from each characters perspective.
This book was definitely a roller coaster of emotions ups and downs and twists and turns.
It seemed everyone had huge secrets that all intertwined. But were all very creepy.
I felt extreme emotions for the children how so much was going on around them.
I also like how it started with the ending.
I couldn't read it fast enough, and actually finished it in 2 days!
This had been my first book read by the Author Sheryl Browne and certainly won't be my last, I like her style.

Karla and her husband Jason are having problems with their marriage and his business is going bust.
Things get so bad that Jason decides to leave home.
A book full of secret, lies and nasty characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love Sheryl Browne's books and always look forwarding to read them.

This is another psychological domestic thriller with nice amount of twists and lies.
Jason and Karla's marriage is in big trouble as Jason is leaving his wife for another woman.

Although the start was a little slow but once the setting was established there is an exciting ride of secrets, lies and betrayals.
Although I expected more from the ending, I enjoyed the book as a whole as it kept me entertained for a few hours.

Thanks Netgalley, Bookouture, and author Sheryl Browne for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this thriller but it just didn’t live up to its promising premise. This book had a plot that just trudged along and really could have been resolved by the main characters having a conversation. The ending was quite a bit odd as well.

Twists and turns, secrets and lies and some not so nice characters !!

Who doesn't like any of those things ?

Secrets have a way of coming to light, to change lives and perspective. Jason and Karla are about to find that out. !! Big time !!

At first I thought the book was slow to start but then I think the author just took her time setting us up for what was to come !!

Didn't get it right !!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review The Marriage Trap !!

This book captivated me from the first page!!

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this book.

What a fabulously delicious book. This book has a fantastic story line, excellent characters and is just unputdownable. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and I enjoyed it immensely.

This was an ok thriller, not quite the mind blowing ending I was hoping for, but it did have a twist.

Karla and Jason’s marriage is in trouble. Jason is leaving Karla for another woman. Their story goes all over the place before its conclusion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book.

What a roller coaster ride of a read! Read this in one day - it was that good. Two marriages, lots of secrets, an undiscussed death and a soul-destroying admission. Who will survive?