AMAZING!! Such a wild ride! What a different take on a domestic thriller! I loved the premise of this book. I felt it brought a fresh idea to the genre of domestic thrillers.

This book was so intense and twisted. It was full of drama, suspense, lies, betrayal, murder, mystery, and great twists. Emotions ran high while reading this one. This was my first book by this author, and I LOVED it. The author writes the main character, Detective rowan Velky, in a way that we get to really know her. She's relatable and likeable. There was so much depth given to her character. There are multiple POVs in this story, but they are all easy to follow and provide depth that helps pull the story all together. I found myself invested in all of the characters and how this story would play out.

This story was fast paced. It grabbed you from the beginning and kept you engrossed until the end. It started with a bang and just kept on banging until the last word! The ending was NOT what I was thinking or expecting at all! many reviews say they wanted more in the ending, but I thought it wrapped up perfectly for everything that happened up to the ending. I truly enjoyed this book, and will be exploring her other books.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Marriage of Lies by Amanda McKinney
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

A psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes. Amanda is a master as twists and turns and keeping you guessing. She left lots of little clues from the very beginning in this one that I picked up on quite early - but had many red herrings thrown in along the way. The way she writes and her characters just really pull you in to the story and make you feel like you are living it. I picked this book up and read it in two sittings, as with every book I’ve read of Amanda’s they grip you and I have to be forced to put them down.

Highly recommend for anyone who loves thrillers, detective crimes, domestic storyline’s & murder mysteries.

So many twists and lies in this story that I found it confusing to keep up with them all . But I had to race to finish it to see how it all played out.
Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC

There are actually a multitude of lies within multiple marriages. This was an enjoyable, twisty thriller that kept my attention from start to finish. Characters are well-developed and I liked the different viewpoints throughout. I thought it all came together well, and like many reviewers, I was invested and by midway I had to know what was going happen...immediately! I'll be visiting more of McKinney's books in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of A Marriage of Lies by Amanda McKinney. This book was jumping all over the place for me. Trying to keep everything sorted out in my mind. Too many secrets and twists here. It was entertaining but I didn't love it. Shocking at times and it kept you guessing. It just didn't grab me. I am not the norm because most rave about this book. So I would still recommend it to others to give it a go. I gave it a 3 star rating.

Rowan Velky is a homicide detective in a small suburb Texas town. After hiring the town heartthrob, Kellan to her team the two detectives suddenly have to solve three women being murdered and their bodies mutilated!

I enjoyed how the story went between the different perspectives. This is a fast-paced book that I did enjoy, but i just didn't love!

Decent read but a little predictable. I think if the prologue had not been included I would have actually liked the book better, because it made me on the edge and looking for clues that I definitely wouldn't have been looking for otherwise.

Detective Rowan Velky is in a troubled marriage. But the two share a very tumultuous past so they are more bonded than it seems on the surface. Rowan is seeing Amber, a therapist who has her own marriage issues and other problems at home. Rowan begins work on a series of grisly murders, with women who are found with large X's over parts of their bodies. How are all of these people connected to the crimes?

This is a compulsively readable thriller, and the storyline is decent. Like I mentioned, I think the prologue does the book a bit of disservice because rather than making the book more intriguing, it actually acted as a spoiler so I was looking for twists throughout. And the last portion of the book with the reveals was not good for me, it was really outlandish and beyond my ability to believe.

Still, if you're looking for an entertaining read, this is a fast paced book that will hit the spot.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the way it was told through alternating points of view. I loved how the two storylines came together in an unexpected way. Great read!

A 3.5 - I've quickly come to rely on Amanda McKinney to deliver a book I want to read in one sitting and that was the case here. Since it was Easter, it made it two sittings. Still glued to the pages.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot - the writing, the characters, the plot, and the pacing were all great. I think it was a perfect blend between domestic suspense and police procedural.

💍 BENEATH THE SURFACE OF EVERY MARRIAGE THERE ARE SECRETS. THIS ONE IS DEADLY….

💍 Pick this up if you like/ don’t mind:
📌 psychological/ domestic thriller
📌 dark/ twisted/ fast paced plot
📌 multiple intertwined storylines
📌 serial killer/ murder mystery ⁉️
📌 short chapters
📌 MC with a traumatic past/ FLAWED characters
📌 multiple POVs
📌 talk about childhood trauma, infidelity, mental illness, lies & betrayal
📌 page turner/ binge worthy read

💍 This was my first book by the author and I devoured it in two sittings. It was an addictive read that kept me guessing till the very end. However I was a bit disappointed by the ending. Yup it was predictable ( perks of reading too many thrillers) and felt rushed but I was more disappointed by how it unfolded. That jaw dropping/ earth shattering element was missing. But that’s my own personal opinion. Other than that this book was a TREAT for thriller lovers.

💍 Thanks to NetGalley for the book in exchange of an honest opinion.

Great book that started off fast and kept me on the edge of my seat. Rowan and Shepherd’s interesting dynamic kept me wanting to read more. So many twists, it’s a must read!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

This is the second book I have read by Amanda McKinney and I liked this one more than The Widow of Weeping Pines. I felt like the pacing was on point with short and sweet chapters which I always appreciate. I felt like the characters were well written and relatable. This book haas a lot of twists and will take you on one heck of a ride! I can't wait to see what Amanda writes next. I would HIGHLY recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

Another stunner from Amanda! She left me on the edge of my seat and turning the page needing more. She’s a top author for me and one I’m always waiting for her next book.

Loved this book the story was very entertaining
For my taste I wish it would have been a bit more fast pace but that’s my only criticism. Was well written and just the right amount of character so we do not get lost.
4.5 stars for this

Rowan, our badass detective, steals the show despite her messy marriage to Shepherd. She's got this fear of abandonment from her orphan past, which keeps her clinging to him. Then there's this juicy homicide case she's tackling, with bodies piling up, each marked with an 'X'. Rowan's team, and her flirty partner Kellan were great side characters. Her husband, Shepherd added a whole lot of mystery to the mix, even though we never get into his head. You'd think he'd know better than to keep secrets from his detective wife, but nope, he's sneaking in late, smelling like booze, and keeping us all guessing. It was like a game of cat and mouse between him and Rowan, and I couldn't get enough of their rollercoaster relationship. We’ve also got Amber, the psychologist, who brings another layer to the story. We get a peek into her world too, and turns out, she's dealing with a crumbling marriage just like Rowan. Plus, her son's possibly autistic, adding to her plate.

Despite all the drama, there were still some romantic sparks flying around. Rowan's torn between her love for her hubby and her reluctance to sleep with him, while he's trying to turn up the heat with sexy lingerie. Whereas, Amber's fed up with her hubby's lack of interest in their son. And let's not forget the chemistry crackling between Rowan and her partner Kellan – had me rooting for them big time! The plot-line managed to keep me on my toes with multiple POVs, trying to figure out how everyone's connected. I got most of the twists, although I kicked myself for missing one. But the rushed ending left me hanging– I wanted to see it all unfold, not just be told what happened, and there were some loopholes that bugged me. Still, with short, punchy chapters, this thriller was one hell of a page-turner.

Rowan Velkey isn’t sure she is even in love with her husband anymore, but that doesn’t mean she wants to leave him. They have been together since they found each other as teenagers in a foster home. Their pasts are rife with tragedy and their bond is deep; she cannot understand why he is straying. Does he think she wouldn’t figure it out? She is literally a detective. Sigh.

Now her job is stressing her out as well as three women have turned up dead with an “X” carved on their bodies postmortem. What message is this serial killer trying to send, and can Rowan stop the perpetrator before more turn up dead while also dealing with her own personal mess at home?

Written in fast-paced short chapters, Rowan’s story will suck you in right from the start. She is deeply flawed, but ultimately a character one wants to root for to succeed. Filled with plenty of red herrings, Amanda McKinney does an excellent job with this dark and twisty emotional rollercoaster of a story. A Marriage of Lies will leave readers guessing until the very end.

Tigger Warnings: neglect, child abuse, alcoholism, suicide, eating disorder, dementia

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and of course the author Amanda McKinney for the advanced copy of the book. A Marriage of Lies is out now. All opinions are my own.

This is a psychological thriller where I could not find a stopping place. The suspect was intense from start to finish. There are two sides to the story…..Rowan’s and Amber’s. The plot was intriguing and kept me spellbound. It’s a roller coaster ride with an ending I didn’t see coming. An awesome read.

Fantastic characters throughout and short, snappy chapters that make the book one that you will race through.
Rowan has it all to contend with- marriage on the rocks, therapy sessions and bodies piling up.
As she makes the links the pace accelerates and the motives become more apparent.
Fantastic read!

We follow Detective Rowan as she not only navigates her rocky marriage, but as she investigates the death of a local woman. We also follow Amber, one of the town’s local therapists, who happens to be Detective Rowan’s therapist as well after being assigned to her after an on the job shooting incident. Amber is navigating dealing with a special needs child and her bland marriage. As another couple women are found dead, things get turned over to the FBI. Everyone is hiding secrets in Blackbird Cove. Will Detective Rowan and the Feds figure everything out in time?

3.5/5 stars. Plot was good. Things took a bit of a turn in the last 10% or so of the book. Overall, a quick, entertaining read.


I received an ARC of A Marriage of Lies through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review.