Sheryl Browne has done it again!!! I just love her books! I have read her many times!

Always captivating from page one, she has a way with words to keep you turning the pages.

The Marriage Trap didn't disappoint.
Amazing plot with twists, strong storyline, good characters, not boring at all, good from start to end!

If you love secrets, people and things that are not what they seem, suspense, emotions... you must read this book!

5 stars !

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Y'all I just got married and I will admit I was a little nervous to start reading this.... but I am so happy that I did! It was amazing and literally I did not want to stop reading it. Sheryl Browne did phenomenal and I cannot wait until I can read more!

Yes... you will be wrong wrong wrong! You won't know what's coming. This book will definitely have you trying to keep your mouth closed as it will naturally fall open in an act of shock. The characters are so believable, the plot is layered perfectly, and the ending is full of shocking surprises! It's everything a thriller should be!
I haven't read a Sheryl Browne book that I didn't love, read until all hours of the night, and want to hug and throw across the room at the same time! A brilliant author and a super nice person who always interacts on social media with her fans.
If the cover says "written by Sheryl Browne", I am definitely adding it to the front of my TBR pile!

This one of those books that just slams into you out of left field!! It starts off with Karla watching her husband Jason hastily throwing his things into suitcase, preparing to leave her. And as you read, you think, “Another husband, another affair, another marriage broken up.” Well … keep reading!

Nothing is what it seems in this elaborate tangle of lies, secrets, subterfuge and deceit. Told mainly from the alternating points of view of Karla and Jason, but interspersed here and there with a chapter every now and again from Karla’s father Robert and her mother Diane, the storyline moves from past to present as the reader is shown the pieces of the puzzle, and given hints as to how to put them together.

It’s an extremely clever writing method and one that Browne achieves most ably. As well as being psychologically enthralling, it’s also a very interesting look at how some people still hold such importance in social standing and how others see them. The facade is key to their entire existence and if that is to fall then they literally cannot continue with their lives.

This is one of those books where a reviewer can’t give away too much of the actual story – you need to read it for yourself. But the structure and method are excellent, as are the pace and characterisation. Part of what makes it so good is that the protagonists themselves are not the most likeable people, making it even more delicious to know what is about to happen to them: what is going to bring their careful structure come toppling down?

It’s a 5-star read!

On the whole for me this book was predictable and frustrating. I felt no empathy for any of the characters, which is important to me when I read a book.
I wouldn't rule out reading another of this authors books, but I won't be in a hurry to pick one up I'm afraid.

Suspenseful~mystery full of twist and turns. Fast start-----great finish!!!
Recommend for a lazy afternoon read.
Thanks Bookoutoure and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

A quick read that felt like a trap. A strong start and ending...the middle was meh. This would be an okay filler between thrillers.

So I had heard a lot about this author and was very excited to her work. I was hoping for an exciting, psychological read.
Unfortunately, that isn't what I got. The first 75% of the book was so slow and boring that I almost gave up many times. In fact, it took me just over 2 weeks to finish reading this as I kept stopping and starting.
I just kept picking it up and hoped something, anything to happen.
By the time something even remotely interesting happened it was too little too late and I had predicted what was going on.
Thank you Netgalley for my copy

Sheryl Browne does it again. I have loved all her books, and this doesn’t disappoint! One thing that is different in the marriage trap is just how dark she goes this time! Pheweee!
Sad as it is to be witness to the breakdown of a marriage (albeit a fictional one) I still loved just how bad it gets.
Some shock moments, which I enjoyed.
Another great read

What I was expecting...a fabulous thriller! What I read, just missed the mark!

Karla has been married to Jason for over 12 years and have 2 beautiful children. But lately they’ve hit some rocky times. Jason’s business is in deep financial trouble and his pride won’t let him go to his father-in-law for a loan.

To be clear, there’s a lot of history between Jason and his father in law Robert. Robert never approved of Jason, even going out of his way from day one to break up his daughters’ marriage. But this time, he’s pulled out all the stops. And the damage may be beyond repair.

Unfortunately, this book just never got its feet. I was half way through and still wondering what the plot was and when something (anything) was going to happen. By the time any interesting twists were introduced I had already predicted them...and their outcomes.

Just not the right fit for me. I hope you all have better luck and enjoy!🤗

A buddy read with Susanne!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Sheryl Browne for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review

Sheryl Browne has done it again!!! I love the author’s books since I read my first over three years ago. I thoroughly enjoy the stories she creates as each one is different to the last but all in an everyday situation.
The cast who played out the story I had on my kindle were brilliantly created. I really felt for Karla as the story began, she couldn’t control the way her relationships were changing before her eyes, it seemed the only person she can rely on is her mum. And then there is Jason desperately trying to keep his company afloat. He wants the best for his family but not at any cost. How far will he be pushed?!
I really sooooooo didn’t like Robert Fenton. I didn’t believe a word that trips out of his mouth. He’s one of those men who is out for himself and forget everyone else. There should only be two people in a marriage but this man has made himself a part of Karla’s relationship with her husband. He’s not backwards in coming forwards in sharing his thoughts. He deserves more than a good slap and a tirade of honesty from his family but he is a force to be reckoned with.
Browne quietly tightened the strings of tension as the story developed and Karla’s life crumbled. There was so much eluded to as the book went on that the interwoven story felt like I was walking through a maze unsure what I would find round the next corner but eager to find out what was there waiting for me. The Marriage Trap is a complex domestic thriller that kept me on a twisted path all the way to the last chapter. Loved it!!!!

A very clever story. A gripping read of a family falling apart. Why would Karla and Jason's marriage unravel so badly when they seemed to be so happy. Throw in a despicable father and some terrible secrets which lead to a stunning story.

This book was an average read. I had been expecting more but it was still an ok book.
Writing style and pace were of average quality
An ok book

I wanted to like this book. The first 30% or so was quite good. But it very suddenly turned into an accidental incest storyline - the husband learned he was his wife's half siblings. This theme is getting old. It's the 2nd or 3rd new release I've read with an incest theme. If I wanted to read that, I'd read some old VC Andrews or something.

Honestly, please stop with this plot. Even though the married couple ended up NOT being related in the end - because the wife's mother had an affair - it's not something that makes me want to read a book. I trudged through this one only because I felt like I had to review it.

What a read! Thanks to #netgalley for my ARC, it's not my first Sheryl Browne book I have loved the others I have read and I am delighted to be able to also pop this one into my loved reading shelf! I was sucked into the Karla's and Jason's lives from the beginning and kept turning the pages whilst holding my breath wondering when/if Karla would ever discover just how evil and manipulative her father is. Karla thinks Jason is leaving her for another woman but all is not as it seems. A great read with just the right combination of suspense and intrigue to keep you turning the pages. #sherylbrowne #netgalley #bookcouture #bookstagram #amazon #kindle #tea_sipping_bookworm #litsy #goodreads #themarriagetrap

This book promised twists, and boy did it deliver! I felt like even though it started out in the middle of Jason leaving, it was a bit slow to start. Stick with it though- trust me. It is worth the build up!

Another clever, twisty novel by Sheryl Browne! I have come to rely on this author to deliver engaging stories and she did again with The Marriage Trap. Recommended!

Jason and Karla are experiencing a rough patch in their marriage along with Jason struggling financially with his business. Karla is constantly pressuring her husband to borrow money from her father who Jason can't stand. Karla's father is willing to give him the money but is also harboring a major secret that will wreck Jason and Karla's life.

This one started out strong and had a good premise but it ended up being a miss for me. While there is a lot of drama, deceit, and twists it was a little unbelievable for me to enjoy and it was hard to like any of the characters involved. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this in exchange for my opinion.

Oh boy! This book did my head in!
No, correction...Jason and Karla did my head in!

But Sheryl Browne was on top form in this twisty, twisted domestic thriller that was even more dysfunctional than the last book I read. Where do I even begin to start?

Jason and Karla were a loving couple who have been happily married for twelve years, with two children, Holly and Josh. An aspiring actress when they met, Karla and Jason married soon after she fell pregnant. Now, Jason had his own eCommerce business that was rapidly failing unless he could find an investor to inject some huge funds to save it from ruin. And this is where it began its downward spiral. Karla's father is a self-made wealthy businessman (with more money than sense) and on top of that, is incredibly obnoxious.

Karla had been practically nagging Jason at every opportunity to ask her wealthy father for a loan, but he had refused every time. He couldn't stand the man and didn't relish being indebted to him for the rest of his life. After all, he'd already bought the house they were living in. But it got to the point that Jason could see no other way...and he relented.

The whole convoluted mess then began when her father, in turn, revealed a secret so vile enough to churn any stomach at the mere possibility. It is so dark and so shocking, it never even entered my mind. Jason was left reeling at the revelation, repulsed that her father would stoop so low...but with no choice but to do as Robert wanted. Leave Karla.

But Jason cannot reveal the truth to his wife, knowing that it would surely destroy her. So he says nothing...except to tell her it was over. Remaining in the marital home, he slept in the spare bed and kept things together for the children, while Karla systematically lost the plot.

Then one night by pure chance, Jason struck up a conversation online with Jessie, a nurse in Ireland...and they soon became friends. Jason found himself confiding in Jessie about the situation with Karla without revealing the terrible secret his father-in-law had imparted on him. Their conversations soon morphed into phone conversations, as they exchanged mobile numbers. I thought Jason was treading on dangerous ground here. But little did I know where it would lead...and the twist that it would deliver.

Added to what was already a convoluted mess, Karla continued to battle with the memory of her twin sister's death, wreaking havoc on her sanity. She hated her father, aware that he was at the centre of her pain and that his lecherous womanising contributed to her self-destruction. Now Jason had withdrawn from her and prompted by seeds of doubt planted by her father, Karla discovered her loving husband had been "playing away". So she, in her own twisted form of retaliation, set out to destroy herself in a way I simply failed to understand, given that she had been - up till that point - a loving and devoted mother. I could not understand Karla's unraveling - why she began destroying herself and what she thought it would achieve.

The tale just keeps on unraveling as Karla continues to spiral into a black hole and Jason still keeps quiet. Her mother, Diana, knew the truth but failed to say anything. The family is so dysfunctional with so many secrets and lies I'm surprised they haven't imploded before now. No one in this whole sorry tale, except the children, was particularly likable. Everyone was hell bent on destroying themselves and each other that they never gave a single thought to the children. Although Jason was the only one who did his best to keep it together for Holly and Josh, who clearly didn't understand what was going on with their parents, particularly their mother.

I really didn't see where else this story could possibly go given the destruction everyone was meting out on one another. I already had a suspicion regarding Karla and her father, which proved to be correct, and funnily enough cancelled out the awful secret that kept Jason and Karla apart in the first place! But none of this would amount to anything since no one was talking to each other, except to hurl insults and accusations. It wasn't until Karla had the truth thrust in her face by way of the paper that she decided to confront her parents. Oh, what a tangled web these people weaved...

THE MARRIAGE TRAP is a powerful and emotive read but a very destructive tale of secrets filled with such pain and anguish that I just wanted to knock their heads together. You will find yourself going through a range of emotions just reading it! Part of me wanted to keep reading and the other part wanted to hurry and get it over with because these people were doing my head in!

I will add that THE MARRIAGE TRAP was a slow burn to begin with, as it needed to be to build up to the point where Jason and Karla ultimately found themselves...but hang in there for the fireworks because what a show!

A dark and disturbing plot that is so twisted, THE MARRIAGE TRAP is not for everybody. But don't let that deter you from the author's other brilliant works. In this book, Sheryl Browne pushed the boundaries and tested the limits at writing something so different and much bolder than ever before. It was so dark that its twists were even more delicious.

Again, not a book for everybody. But should you dare to take a chance, check it out. I do recommend it for fans who like the darker and more twisted side of psychological domestic thrillers.

I give it 3.5 stars mainly because the characters all did my head in! lol

I would like to thank #SherylBrowne, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheMarriageTrap in exchange for an honest review.

When I picked this book, I did it with the hope that this would be a "psychological thriller" as mentioned in the description. Sadly, I didn't find it to be as compelling and twisted as I like my psychological thrillers to be. I expect them to blow my mind away, which this did not. I totally saw what was coming and the ending was hardly surprising. This is a domestic thriller at best. That's not to say that this was something short of a good read. It was a decent book with a good number of twists (actually two good twists - one of which I saw coming).

Karla watches silently as her husband Jason hurriedly packs his belongings into a suitcase. She knows that her stillness is unnerving him as she watches his every move from the doorway of their bedroom.
Clothes are screwed up and packed into the case, along with a watch she bought him for his last birthday and his precious laptop. He takes everything from his bedside table. Everything except the framed wedding photo, which now stands alone. Karla strains to see the smiling faces in the photo. If only she knew then what she knows now. ‘I’ve fallen in love with someone else,’ he’d said to her, just moments earlier. The brutality of those words hit Karla hard and she struggled to breathe as she took in each word in turn.

As far as the characters go, the only ones I liked were the kids Holly and Jake and the mother, Diana. The main characters Karla and Jason were infuriatingly dense and their reactions to situations in the book were childish and reckless. They got really predictable halfway through the book. I found Karla's pov to be highly repetitive and extremely dramatic. She completely "loses the plot" midway and it only goes downhill for me from there. Given the story, I don't think the main characters behaved responsibly in any way given their history together. But every human is different and so is their response, so I'm letting that one pass. What the characters lacked in, the plot kind of made up for (maybe?). I liked the one big twist that is revealed halfway through although it wasn't what I'd say makes a psychological thriller. This was a decent one-time read.

Thank you, NetGalley, Bookouture and Sheryl Browne for an arc!