Wow ...this book certainly has the power to keep you hooked I couldn’t put it down I was enthralled by each page I turned.
I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy it but boy was I wrong I throughly enjoyed it ...amazing.

When I first started reading this book I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. It seemed too me too far-fetched and unbelievable that two professional people like Jake and Alice could get caught up in ‘The Marriage Pact’. Alice, a lawyer, actually signed a contract to be part of this strange marriage cult and Jake. who worked as a marriage therapist, was also easily swayed to sign on the dotted line.

However, I have to say that I got completely hooked and after the first couple of chapters frantic head scratching, I have to say I didn’t care that the plot was, well, …strange….I loved it!

Jake narrates the story but he did tend to go off on a tangent sometimes, and I found myself desperately wanting him to get back to the plot so I could find out what happens next.

There were times when this book sent cold shivers down my spine and the writing is fluent and compelling.

If you like your books true to life, this might not be for you. If you can get past that, you will find an intensely thought-provoking story about what is required to make a happy marriage.

I found it genuinely hard to put down, it is unique and memorable.

The book was very kindly supplied by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Jake and Alice are newlyweds settling into married life when they get offered a chance to join The Pact. This is a group who instill beliefs on what makes the perfect marriage and should you fail to achieve these there are serious consequences.

This for me was a slow starter then I was flying through it because I was intrigued how it would unfold. Quite an unusual read and not entirely what I was expecting.

I really enjoyed this book, it was different to the normal thriller and suspense books I have read before.
The idea behind The marriage pact is fantastic, many marriages fail and The Pact is there to try and highlight why. The author writes in a way that keeps you hooked and needing to know more. I loved the parts where fact was thrown into fiction, the author uses stats and past experiments to show just how marriage works or in some cases doesn't, this is all narrated by Jake the husband.
The book is clever in highlighting marriage fails and placing them into a creepy suspense thriller. At times I found it creepy and without giving to much away, the coercive and controlling behaviour, in parts of the book were uneasy to read. I also found the plot at times a little weak, for example, why would anyone invite a male they have just met and not spoken to, to their own wedding?. Alice is a lawyer, I find it hard to believe she would sign anything without reading it, especially when the contact came about so suddenly and strangely. These minor points didn't put me off the book at all and I will seek out more from this author, she clearly has a brilliant imagination and intriguing style of writing.
Jake is a likeable character, he is a marriage therapist. He and Alice want nothing more than for their marriage to work, just how far are they prepared to go? Alice is a lawyer and Finnegan is a client at the law firm she works for. She invites him and his wife to her wedding and soon after he introduces them to The Pact. Jake and Alice are then drawn into a world they never could imagine exists in this day and age.

When Jake and Alice are married., a well known aging rock star came to their wedding and gave them the most unusual gift. This gift can guarantee you a perfect marriage, spending time together, sharing thoughtful gifts. But there are some rules that need to be followed, and you’d better follow everyone of them.

A physicological thriller that had me from the beginning; not at all what I expected. A great story and one that had my heart in my chest. Don't like to give the story away, the book blurb tells what you need to know. Kept me up late at night as I wanted to keep reading.

Loved,loved this book. I was eager to start this as soon as it arrived brilliant and gripping which made it a fast novel to read which in its self is disappointing as it finishes way to quick. I would definitely recommend this book and this author to anyone.

Two and a half star rating.
Alice and Jake, a couple of newly weds sign “The Pact” as they thought it would be a bit of harmless fun. It turns out to be a mysterious, sinister group with rules, regulations and punishment if anyone transgresses. The description and start drew me in initially but there were too many details about irrelevant things which interrupted the flow and spoilt what would have been a cracking story. It was an excellent idea and normally this is exactly what I like to read, but sadly I’m just a bit ambivalent about it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine and Michelle Richmond for providing me with a copy of this book.

I found this book very gripping from the first page but also disturbing in a very good way.

there are many reviews out there that tell the plot of this book so I'd like to concentrate on the feeling that I got from reading it.

I found that i could not put this book down and Michelle Richmond had me hooked from the start and has gained another fan. This was the first book that I have read by Michelle and judging by how much I liked it this will not be my last.

Whilst on the rolloercoster of a journey through the story believing and finding my most liked character (as i think most of us do in books) i felt shocked and saddened when I thought I knew what was going to happen, how wrong I was I enjoyed being wrong though as i felt this added to the excitement of the book. This is one of the best books that i have read this year.

Thank you Michelle for this gripping read. I would highly recommend this book if you haven't read it before, I think it is one to get.

The Marriage Pact

Newlyweds Jake and Alice received an enticing wedding gift and decide to join an exclusive group, known only as The Pact...that’s where the fun begins!

I liked the fast pace of the book and the suspense that is built through the story. I did find parts a little far fetched and extreme but if you can get past that, it’s a good read! 3.5 stars from purplebookstand.

I was lucky to receive an advanced copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it.

I can’t remember the last time I read a good thriller. Until this. Although truth be told, I’ve never been massively into the thriller genre, not for any particular reason other than I’ve never strayed into in. But after reading the synopsis for this I just knew I needed to read it.

Without having many other thriller books to compare it too, I’ll choose instead to say it’s one of my favourite reads so far this year. I honestly finished it within a few days because I just couldn’t put it down, and when I did put it down, it was all I was thinking about and let me tell you, it’s been a long time since a book has managed to do that. I think for someone who was relatively new to thrillers, it was a great introduction, although I did find it a tad slow at times. There are a few chapters scattered throughout the book that look at Jake and Alice’s relationship before they were married, and honestly, I found these chapters dull and didn’t really feel like they added a lot to the story. So I found myself mostly skim reading these chapters, eager to get back to the good stuff. Boy let me tell you, the good stuff was good. I never knew what was going to happen next and there were multiple times I was shouting at Jake in my head because he was being reckless or stupid and The Pact were bound to find out. It continually had me guessing, which I suppose is a solid indicator of a good thriller.

My only slight let down was that the ending was a tad predictable. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t see it coming until the last few chapters but when I started to guess where it was going, I lost a tiny bit of enthusiasm. A tiny bit. I still found myself engrossed and eager to find out what happened but I was a little sad that I’d figured out what was going to happen. Still, every other twist and turn had me on the edge of my seat and I flew through the book wanting to know what was going to happen. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is new to thrillers or already loves them, this has definitely encouraged me to put some more thrillers onto my TBR list.

This is a really good novel and the story kept me gripped until the end. It's different! Alice a lawyer and Jake a psychologist are the perfect couple and get married. One of their presents is a box with "The Pact" written on it, there are two pens and another smaller box with a message asking them not to open it. The box is from Finnegan, a new friend whom Alice met at her work. On return from their honeymoon, Jake and Alice are visited by Vivian who asks them if they wish to join "The Pact" which is a group of married couples who are highly committed to their marriage. Alice and Jake sign the contract for "The Pact" and are given a manual each to read on the rules of "The Pact". It doesn't take long for Alice to break one of the rules and she is punished by "The Pact"! Have Jake and Alice made a big mistake? Read on!

My favourite genre of books are psychological thrillers and this one really hits the mark. The characters are believable and the premise of the book is one which has lots of potential, and Michelle has done a great job realising this. The Pact is both creepy but believable and I have no hesitation in recommending this book. All in all a great read.

If you like books which are not what you expect, then this is one to read.

The adorable newlywed couple whom we learn are called Jake and Alice. Jake is a Psychologist and Alice is a very successful Attorney. Before the wedding, Alice decides to invite a client from her law firm, a man named Finnegan, to her wedding. Finnegan sends them a gift in a wooden box that can only be opened with a key, but the key is not provided. After the wedding, Vivian, whom I found quite annoying, explains what the rules and regulations of this Pact are to Jake and Alice. They are told that if they join, they can't ever leave and it is a bond for life that cannot be broken. They will become members of an elite society of Friends.

Would you join? Did they Join?

Umm Im not entirely sure what i have just read lol.
It took a bit of getting into but it sucks you in and its a case of curiosity killed the cat! You have to keep reading just to satisfy the curiosity this book throws up.
Its extremely well written even if the plot is a wee bit far fetched, but it will be a book you certainly remember reading for a long time after you finish the last page.
The story is based around newly wed couple Jake and Alice and is told from Jakes point of view.
You hear of people getting terrible wedding presents or weird random wedding gifts but i have to say Jake and Alice's present from one of her clients has to top them all!!
The gift is a beautiful wooden box carved with the words The Pact that is locked with no key. It is an invitation to join an exclusive group for married couples that claims to help you maintain a happy successful marriage for life.
The Pact has rules and these rules must be adhered too at all times or there will be consequences.
Rules such as
Always answer when your spouse calls.
Exchange thoughtful gifts each month.
Plan a trip once per quarter.
Have no secrets from your spouse.
Unfortunately our newly loved up couple they sign the contracted and join The Pact before reading the large copy of rules!
To start off with it is more than they could have hoped for, they are swept away with the glittering world of dinner parties and vacations but they soon realise that they have tied themselves into a cult, a cult that won't let you leave and who's punishments for breaking the rules are a lot more serious than they could ever have imagined.
Alice is the first to break one of the rules just by spending to long at her office and her punishment served is taken for two days into a desert compound that seems to be an abandoned prison.
And thats just the beginning, The Pact has its own judicial system with actual prisons, courts and torture chambers and if even the smallest rule is broken you find yourself in court to be sentenced.
Jake and Alice's lives are soon consumed by The Pact with seemingly no way out.
Can their marriage survive and what will it take to break away and escape from the hell they signed up too.
Definitely a book to put in your tbr pile :-)

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is a wonderful mix of cute, creepy, and downright bizarre. Newlyweds Alice and Jake receive a bizarre wedding gift from a new friend: an invitation to join an elite club with the aim of keeping their marriage from ending in disaster. But do they really know what they’re signing up to?

The answer, of course, is no. Like most people, Alice and Jake don’t read the small print, and the Pact turns out to be the most peculiar and dangerous group they could ever have imagined.

I loved the twists and turns in this novel. It really doesn’t take the path you expect it to at all! The Pact is a sinister overseer to this whole story, at first constantly in the background and gradually becoming more threatening. I really liked reading how the Pact’s rules got more and more bizarre as our protagonists got deeper into the group.

I do think some of the rules are quite sensible – always answer the phone when your spouse calls (my boyfriend has a habit of not picking up the phone or replying to my texts unless I spam him and it drives me mad!); buy monthly gifts; plan a trip every quarter etc. I do think following those rules makes for a better relationship – and it keeps you in a routine, which I love because personally I’m a stickler for routines – but some of the rules and regulations get a little excessive and actually a bit scary as time goes on. Well done to the author for creating such an excellent sinister, creepy aura in what you expect to be another chick-lit novel.

Newlyweds Alice and Jake are a picture-perfect couple. Alice, once a singer in a well-known rock band, is now a successful lawyer. Jake is a partner in an up-and-coming psychology practice. Their life together holds endless possibilities. After receiving an enticing wedding gift from one of Alice’s prominent clients, they decide to join an exclusive and mysterious group known only as The Pact.


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A really good story that was in put down able at times. It had surprising twists and turns with at times dark but exciting content. The context was gripping with characters that you took to your hear. I was a little disappointed with the ending but this would not stop me recommending the book.

The Marriage Pact by MIchelle Richmond

Alice and Jake are the perfect couple – young, attractive, with fine careers ahead of them. Alice was a singer in a successful rock band but now she’s an up and coming lawyer while Jake is a partner in a growing psychology practice. They’re ready to get married. On the spur of the moment they invite one of Alice’s wealthy clients to the wedding. He loves weddings, he tells them. His gift is unexpected – an offer to join something called the Pact.

The Pact, Alice and Jake learn, is a society of like-minded couples who want nothing more than to achieve the perfect marriage. It lays down a few rules that are designed to bring the couple closer together and every few months everyone gathers at a Pact party to celebrate their marriages and friendships. It all sounds positive and Jake and Alice desperately want their marriage to work. Jake spends much of his time counselling couples on the verge of divorce. He knows better than most that a relationship takes commitment. Perhaps they could do with the help. So, with only a cursory glance at the paperwork, Jake and Alice join the Pact. And so begins a descent into a hell of their own making.

What follows is something from the realms of horror that, as reviewers have noted, has elements in common with The Stepford Wives. For the Pact is nothing but a sinister cult. It might be glamorous on the outside but its core is rotten through and through. The lengthy manual that Jake and Alice are given lays out the code and any infractions are met with punishments of increasing brutality and humiliation. Jake and Alice are trapped and what happens to them is appalling.

The Marriage Pact is undoubtedly one of the most gripping novels I’ve read this year. It’s a rollercoaster ride of suffering for Jake and Alice but it’s a thrilling read for us as time after time we wonder what could possibly happen next. The movement from the beginning to the end is staggering, so much has happened. The members of the Pact are successful members of society and it’s all stripped away before our eyes.

There is a fundamental issue with The Marriage Pact that you have to get past in order to enjoy it. Its premise is completely preposterous and unbelievable. This is compounded by the fact that Alice is a lawyer – why didn’t she read the contract? And the incredible resources that the Pact has in its power are just that – incredible. Everything feels that it is held together purely by compliance and submission. I wanted to shake these silly people from start to finish.

But, if you can get past this as I did, then you’ll have a lot of fun with The Marriage Pact. It’s well-written and there are sections of this novel that were golden to me. These bits, for me, weren’t part of the main plot but to do with Jake’s job as a psychologist. The novel is narrated by Jake and he likes to tell us about his day, giving us facts and figures, for example, about marriage as well as anecdotes about coming to terms with one’s past. I found some of these sections extraordinarily powerful and I actually took some tips away from it! Some of the book’s ideas went far deeper than I was expecting.

I also enjoyed Jake and Alice. It’s easy to feel irritated by Alice but her character is an interesting one and I was desperate for her to wake up. Their relationship, though, feels genuine and I did care what happened to them. The spiral into hell that is The Marriage Pact happens fast and it is very hard to put down. The ending has divided reviewers and I can’t say that it was entirely satisfactory for me but I can’t imagine how else it might have ended so I’m happy enough with it. This is a novel with fine writing and huge energy and heart and within were significant little nuggets of gold which I’ll carry away with me.

I’m delighted to post my review as part of the blog tour to celebrate the publication of The Marriage Pact. For other stops on the tour, do take a look at the poster below.

Great read, kept me hooked and a few tears of relief at the end although was a bit disappointed at their choice as I feel they both fitted the role offered very well indeed. Bit repetitive at times but stuck with it. Highly recommended.