The Marriage Pass by Briana Cole is very well-written contemporary romance.

Shantae offers her husband, Dr. Dorian Graham, what could be the ‘best gift ever’. At first he’s reluctant to accept but finally gives in. Let’s just say it’s ‘the gift that keeps on giving’.

The story starts a little slowly, but picks up, and ends with a bang. The plot is fresh and twists unexpectedly. The characters are well-rounded with complete backstories. The Marriage Pass is a 3.5 rounded to 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to all readers of contemporary romance.

My thanks to Kensington Books, Dafina, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.

When a couple take a unique approach to salvaging their marriage, they find they bit off more than they can chew. Briana Cole is the queen of dramatic relationships. THE MARRIAGE PASS follows couple Dr. Dorian Graham and his wife, Shantae as they try to navigate a successful union that meets both of their needs. The question is, are they able to live with the consequences of their decision.

Fans of reality television will enjoy this book! It was a messy wild ride. The secondary characters had drama of their own that kept the plot moving. An entertaining read!

This book was exactly the type of wild ride I expect from this author. Dorian gets a hall pass from his wife but mind you he had cheated on her ever since they got together. He just now decided not to cheat by having sex with other women since they got married but it's only been a year. Like Dorian was just a man who thought he was too smart to get in trouble and he got caught up. All I'm going to say is hurt people hurt people! I really enjoyed this book.

This book will have you feeling every emotion. I wanted to shake, cry and get angry (well, maybe I did all of those.) This def. kept me interested and I heard that there will be a sequel. Umm, yes please. This author is awesome.

Great read! Looking forward to reading more by this author! I highly recommend this book and author to all!

I dived into this book expecting that it is a romance with sexy scenes. There weren't even enough erotic scenes! Even if a scene even started as erotic, was handled too badly and was ended up before even being sexy, if that makes sense? It was like the author tried to make it erotic, but failed. This was basically a messy read with cheating trope. The first person narrative from a fuckboy didn't work well. And the mystery part was there only to do nothing! Neither the romance, nor the mystery was strong enough to make this read enjoyable.

I am constantly frustrated with Dorian, how he cheated on his wife. And the excuses he made to himself about cheating. And then he justifies his actions by saying that he still loved his wife? Sorry, but I couldn't like him till the last page. It was really messy and the synopsis really was misleading.

Please check The Marriage Pass, Dr. Dorian Graham, wife grants him a Hall Pass for First anniversary you will be shock to find out what happens next. This book blew my mind like riding a Roller Coaster and that ending will have you hang on edge of a building love it can't wait for more.

The Marriage Pass by Briana Cole is another page turner. It's a quick read with a crazy twist that readers are sure to enjoy. I featured the book as Book of the Day across all my Black Fiction Addiction social media platforms.

Briana Cole is a new to me author and after reading The Marriage Pass, it won’t be the last. This book was full of drama! Dorian and Shantae are married. Shantae gives Dorian a hall pass as a gift for their first anniversary. He uses it with her sister, Reagan. Naturally, drama ensues. Dorian was a horrible husband even before all the drama began. He steadily cheated on Shantae while they were dating and then had the nerve to make her sign a prenup. His mother didn’t like her and he never really stood up for Shantae. Personally, there was no way that I would have even married him at all. But even with as unlikeable as Dorian was, I could not put this book down. I had to find out what was going to happen next. The twist ending was not surprising, but I still didn’t see it coming. I can’t wait for the next book! Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a messy with a capital M! Fans of reality shows that come on Bravo and VH-1 will probably enjoy this book very much. It was a nice escape, but not really my cup of tea.

Although Dr. Dorian Graham and his wife, Shantae have been together since college, they've only been married for a year, and are having issues. On their anniversary, Shantae gives Dorian a Marriage pass, no questions asked, and the woman he chooses happens to be Shantae's younger sister, Reagan. If you think that's twisted and messy, just wait until you get further into the story. Although I have read books by the author before, this book shocked me. My jaw dropped pretty much throughout the story. This was a well written and very good book. This author has a fan for life

I received a copy of the book via Kensington Publishers and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review

"The Marriage Pass," by Briana Cole was soooo phenomenally good!! It took me through a vast array of feels. I read it in one day.
"The Marriage Pass" is the phrase what happens in the dark will come to the light personified.

Dr. Dorian Graham and his wife Shantae were college sweethearts that were married and living their version of happily ever after. Shantae had a high powered career in the banking industry, and Dorian was a successful cosmetic surgeon. After one year of marriage, Shantae decided to spice things up by letting Dorian have a marriage hall pass. You heard me right. A hall pass.....basically one night with no strings to do whatever he pleased. Of course, she got one as well. This night was supposed to strengthen their marriage and allow them both to get any extracurricular relations that would be considered cheating out of the way so they could resume life as normal with no temptation. Sounds perfect right??? NOT!! Opens curtains for drama to take center stage.

Dorian had his reservations, but as a former commitment-phobe and serial cheater, he couldn't let this opportunity pass him by. Especially since Shantae's wild younger sister Reagan had been flirting with him. The old Dorian would have cheated, but newly married Dorian had been turning down all of her advances. This hall pass though could be the one way ticket to guilt free pleasure he needed to get it out of his system. As they say, when things sound too good to be true they are. Dorian will find out the hard way that everything has a cost....especially sleeping with his

This book was thrilling, erotic, and kept me wondering what would happened next. This was my first Briana Cole book, but it won't bemy last. As it was drama on every page turned. But the curveball at the end TOOK ME OUT!! This is truly a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ read. This is a sexy novel with a moral and the best part is it's part one of a new series so these characters are not done with us yet. Even though it's part one of a series, I appreciated that this book could be read as a standalone and didn't leave us on a total cliffhanger like some series installments.

Thanks Netgally and Dafina books for my ARC. This is my humble and honest review.

This book was a mess!! I thought I was getting a romance with sexy steamy bits and a touch of suspense but really this book wasn't any of that. It was just a hot mess that needed to be worked on more than what it was. I am DNFing this one because it really just isn't worth reading.

The Marriage Pass by Briana Cole

Wow! This book takes you on a ride with Dorian, Shantae, and her sister Reagan. The first chapter gives great insight on the sisters' relationships with each other. Shantae and Dorian are approaching their one year anniversary and are still working out what it means to be married to each other. I found myself yelling at Dorian to get it together quick!

Briana 'Cole's writing was relatable. The characters felt real; saying things that you would expect to hear. I felt like I knew them and wanted them to make better choices. The statistics, terms, and discussion question in the back of the book were great finishing touches to help readers understand the dynamics of relationships.

I enjoyed this read.

Loooord this was a messy, mind-fuck rollercoaster.
This was a straight up soap opera, so if you're not into messy, over the top, ridiculous drama, then this whole spectacle is not for you, but I loved every minute of it. 😂
My only qualm is idk how this would/should be marketed. It was sexy, but I wouldn't call it a romance, nor erotica. Maybe a psychological thriller, but all the thrill came from the drama and not from action. Whatever it is, I'm into it lol.

Dorian and Shantae have been together since college, despite his womanizing ways. On the one year anniversary, she decided to gift her husband a “Marriage Pass”, which is free for one night of pleasure, outside the marriage...no questions asked. Dorian decided to use it with her sister Reagan, an unsteady individual, which leads to a world of chaos.

In true @bcoleauthor fashion, there is drama on every page...some more shocking than others, and a trail of clues that will leave you speechless at the end.

I enjoyed this 💎💎💎💎💎 read, and cant wait to hear what everyone else is saying. GO GET THIS BOOK!

Here he'd been content thinking he was content with the stability of marriage. The first taste of something new and fresh, it was as if he had been a starving man all along.

Dr. Dorian Graham and his wife Shantae were college sweethearts that were married and living their version of happily ever after. Shantae had a high powered career in the banking industry, and Dorian was a successful cosmetic surgeon. After one year of marriage, Shantae decided to spice things up by letting Dorian have a marriage hall pass. You heard me right. A hall pass.....basically one night with no strings to do whatever he pleased. Of course, she got one as well. This night was supposed to strengthen their marriage and allow them both to get any extracurricular relations that would be considered cheating out of the way so they could resume life as normal with no temptation. Sounds perfect right???

Dorian had his reservations, but as a former commitment-phobe and serial cheater, he couldn't let this opportunity pass him by. Especially since Shantae's wild younger sister Reagan had been flirting with him. The old Dorian would have cheated, but newly married Dorian had been turning down all of her advances. This hall pass though could be the one way ticket to guilt free pleasure he needed to get it out of his system. As they say, when things sound too good to be true they are. Dorian will find out the hard way that everything has a cost....especially sleeping with his wife's sibling.

Briana Cole never fails to come through with her work. This book was thrilling, erotic, and kept you wondering what would happened next. I read one of her previous works called The Night Before Christmas and I used to recommend that book to everyone because it was also about a married couple using a hall pass and the story was very similar to this one and it was even set during the same time of year. Because I feel like I read this story before from Briana, I took off one star. It definitely would be a 5 star read for someone not familiar with the previous work I referenced. This is a sexy novel with a moral and the best part is it's part one of a new series so these characters are not done with us yet. Even though it's part one of a series, I appreciated that this book could be read as a standalone and didn't leave us on a total cliffhanger like some series installments.

”Forbidden fruit always tasted the sweetest.”

OKAY SO BOOM: This book is WILD AS HELL. I can truly say that I have not read a more intense, suspenseful, messy, erotic thriller in a long while. I liken this to the film A Thin Line Between Love And Hate, in some ways, but on STEROIDS.

Briana Cole will take you on the most tumultuous of rides in The Marriage Pass following the story of Dorian and Shantae who have been married for nearly a year at the opening of the book. Dorian, quite the playboy and cheat is surprised to learn that as a wedding anniversary gift, Shantae is offering him a marriage pass. The pass grants them both a no-questions-asked, all comprising night with whoever they please doing whatever they want, under the guise of strengthening their marriage.

It all seems to be too good to be true yet after some reluctance, Dorian is unable to resist after finding himself lusting after Shantae’s sister after all. Only one night is hardly enough. Reagan and he follow-up with many close encounters leading them into very dangerous territory.

Dorian pissed me off in more ways than one and so did Reagan. But to be fair here, I don’t think the story would have read as well if it weren’t for the Dorian’s of the world that exist in real life.

I knew there was a plot twist coming but I did not at all imagine the way the story panned out. 4.5 stars rounded up easily for the curveball that TOOK ME OUT at the end! All this to say, when you play with fire, you never know how you’ll get burned.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the galley in exchange for an honest review.

Where do I began? Dorian and Shante have been in a relationship and married since their college days. Dorian has not been the best husband. Shante approached him with the idea of the marriage pass. Why? Things go from bad to worse to outlandish. Reagan is Shante’s sister. There are not enough words to describe Reagan. Join Dorian and Shante as they navigate their life via the marriage pass.

This was an ok book until the last chapter and then *bam* the twists it hit me with was a shocker. I don't know what category to put this book in because it is not romance, not really suspense/thriller, so maybe just fiction? Others have said romantic suspense...maybe.

Not many of the characters are likable. Dorian is a cheater, Reagan is a sleaze, and Shante appears weak. I really had a hard time finding anything redeemable about any of the characters except maybe some of the minor characters.

Shante has decided to give Dorian a hall pass for their one year anniversary. At first, he doesn't want to do it, but he has this hardon for her sister, Reagan. Ummm, if I was given a hall pass I would not use it on someone I might see on a regular basis. But, had he not chosen Reagan, the ending wouldn't have happened as it did. Reagan definitely doesn't understand the concept of a one night stand and she continues to come on to Dorian and entice him into continuing a sexual relationship with her. This is not going to end well for anyone, and it doesn't. I won't spoil anything in case you wish to read the book, but everything is a hot mess until the very end, and even then I wondered about Reagan's mental state. I still wonder about her mental state...she is definitely not stable.

While reading this book I wondered where it was possibly going and how it would end. Dorian gets his just rewards (my only "spoiler") and there are some unanswered questions. The sex scenes are somewhat graphic and frequent. Maybe just a little over the top for my personal taste, but I'm sure just the right amount for others.

Overall I am giving this book 3 paws up. The ending was a surprise but looking back, maybe it shouldn't have been. However, there really aren't any clues as to how this will all end up.