I loved this book. I read it in 24 hours while in the strange mixture of feeling rather freaked out but also wanting to know what happens next. There's always a question, especially about Alice. I could not pin her down. The idea and post are amazing. I'm definitely going to check out what else this author has written.

Well this was something different! From the blurb and cover I was expecting a psychological thriller, which it is, but it also has a bit of a sci-fi/dystopian edge to it. Newlyweds Jake and Alice are happily married but searching for something more. Jake was the keener of the two to marry as he seems acutely aware that he’s punching above his weight and consequently is desperate to keep hold of Alice. On impulse Alice, a rock musician turned lawyer, invited a client to the wedding who brought with him a very unusual gift – the opportunity to join The Pact, a cult-like organisation which seeks to preserve the institution of marriage by setting very strict guidelines, all of which are laid out in The Manual, a weighty tome which dictates in forensic details exactly how these Stepford Wives (and Husbands) should live their lives, as well as the terrifying punishments that will be meted out should they transgress.

In a ‘what the hell’ moment they will later come to deeply regret, Jake and Alice sign up to become members and commence on a journey which takes them to hell and back as they try to live by the rules and, when this becomes impossible, to leave the organisation; however it soon becomes very clear that no-one ever leaves the Pact (well not alive anyway!).

Fast paced, cleverly written and weirdly believable in this era of alt-right religious and political dogma, I’m glad I gave this unusual and thought-provoking novel a go.

Ms Richmond writes fluently and creates effective suspense that is sustained over long periods. Her characters are credible and, where appropriate to the plot, likeable so that the reader cares what happens to them as the plot develops. The central plot theme is an interesting and novel device, with some mysterious cult-like group requiring of its members that they commit to very specific and demanding patterns of behaviour designed to sustain and support their marriages. So far, so harmless, but the downside of this laudable aim is that the organisation requires of its members that they commit via a contract to subject themselves to various penalties in the event of failure to comply with the organisation's standards. Less credible aspects of the plot are the suggestion that one of the central characters, a high flying attorney, would not recognise such a contract for what it was. The violence, and the infrastructure needed to inflict it on errant members, also tested the credulity of the reader. But perhaps the most disappointing feature was the way in which a complex story was resolved in a way that failed to do full justice to the cleverly constructed plot. Despite these minor reservations, this was a very good read that will keep you reading longer than you planned - always a good sign!

A very interesting read,about a couple trying to make there marriage work,good read

The premise seemed so good. A young successful couple invited into an elite but shadowy group The Pact. Their membership offers many perks, but also a set of rules to follow....rules designed to not only protect the sanctity of marriage but also to enhance it. But any member (or 'friend') who breaks the rules face dire consequences...

I really struggled with this book. I don't mind far fetched but seriously this plot was put in a super powered catapult and launched way past ridiculous. I just couldn't warm to the main characters.For some reason this book just wasn't for me. The only thing that kept me reading (I almost gave up which I NEVER do) was the hope it would live up to some of its promise. For me it never did. But the writer has a deft turn of phrase which in another story I would have enjoyed.

Thanks to the publisher,author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for an open honest review.

So this book has provided an array of emotions and has made me sit and think hard about what to write in this review. Did I like it? No sure. Did I hate it ? No . I am feeling a bit of a love but not i love feeling about this book.
Does that make this a good book as you question what you really think? I'm not sure about that either.

Jake and Alice marry and a chance meeting,a marriage invitation and a wedding gift lead to a number of consequences that make them question their relationship.
Told form Jakes point of view this exploration of love,marriage and what holds all this together makes you reflect and examine relationships and ask yourself questions. It also makes you shout out loud to the characters!

Jake and Alice join the Pact. A cult like group which focuses upon keeping a marriage fresh,interesting with a man focus on avoiding divorce and staying happily married. In order to do this rules are followed and if they are not there are consequences. These vary but reminded me a lot of the Stamford experiment . Is living life in fear a dictate for a happy marriage?

Jake, despite being a therapist appeared to be quite a paranoid character with little self esteem ,most of the time.
Alice was described as a complex character and she is and you are not clear as to whether her embracing The Pact is a means to many different ends.

This is cleverly written but I did have a lull in the second quarter of the book.Tere seemed to be a lot of description without much purpose and I wanted the book to move on,especially after such a strong start.From 50% in the pace grew again.

The ending is not what you expect and what you are tricked in to thinking will happen.

Clever,varied in pace and infuriating as well as enjoyable. Read for yourself is all I can say.

Remember No one leaves the pact

OMG The Marriage Pact hooked me from the first few pages and I struggled to put it down.
Alice and Jake are given an opportunity to join an exclusive group known as The Pact they both agree as they want their new marriage to work. However all is not as it seems.....
A great psychological thriller that you will enjoy.

A wedding present with a difference, courtesy of a locked box, that when opened contains two pens that are later used to sign the wedding pact-THAT WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU.
Deviation from the pact rules, presents every month, plan joint holiday every three months ,that initially sound reasonable and very loving, turn out to be very authoritarian and downright menacing!Extreme punishments are used that sound like Guantanamo Bay, yet also reminds me of the negative press about the American cult, The Church of Scientology.
At times this is scary and bewildering and full of hostile menace, yet it is an interesting concept in that you have books about raising children and how to care for animals, why not a book or a group of like minded people to help you through any marriage difficulties?
I found this to be well written and fast paced. At times you have to just go with the flow and think that strange things do happen, and be grateful that it is just a story!! I was only disappointed by the ending, so ambiguous, I really wanted to know if Jake and Alice survived it all . I have posted this review on Goodreads.

The Marriage Pact is an intruiging and fascinating read with lots of tension and darkness throughout.
Straight away I was gripped to the pages wanting to know more.
I enjoyed how the author wrote this in such a way that I was constantly surprised and had no idea how the story was going to end. Definitely worth a read. and I will certainly be looking for more of this authors books.

Thank you!

This was like a particularly nasty version of the Stepford Wives ,if some thing sounds too good to be true, you know it probably is and maybe you get what you sign up for but still......I had to read this book having read the blurb on Netgalley I was crossing my fingers that I would be lucky and get a copy, and I am grateful I did.It was a good read and kept me guessing and page turning and kept me up way too late as I wanted to just keep reading another chapter, and then another one, its that sort of book it will grip you and make you want to find out what is going on.Good book well worth a read.

I need to start this review with a warning, do not, I repeat, do not start reading this book when you have lots of other things to do. I had a whole host of tasks which went unfinished at the weekend as I just had to know what happened next in this clever and twisted read.

Alice and Jake receive a mysterious package as a wedding gift from one of Alice’s clients, the locked wooden box is engraved to the lid with two words, The Pact. A few weeks after their wedding they receive a visit from Vivian who unlocks the box and tells them all about The Pact. She describes a community of like-minded people who wish to nurture and help each other build and sustain successful marriages via rules and regulations outlined in The Manual, two copies of which are enclosed in the box. The rules appear to be reasonable and seem to be designed to encourage a healthy relationship. Keen to ensure their marriage is a success Jake and Alice sign up for The Pact.

Initially enthused about The Pact but not taking it enormously seriously they soon realise they’ve got themselves into something very odd and disturbing. Things are compounded when at a quarterly meet up with other members Jake is reunited with an old friend from University who seems to have had a personality transplant since he saw her last; she is timid and seems afraid and is keen to warn him to keep his nose clean.

This is a book full of tension and ominous threat. It starts off slowly, things seem odd, a little weird but nothing too out of the ordinary. A raised eyebrow perhaps at being punished for not buying a monthly gift for your spouse. Then things are ramped up. It’s clear The Pact know things they shouldn’t, but how? Alice’s long working hours are raised as a concern and she is mildly reprimanded, observed and required to undergo counselling. By the time they realise it’s dangerous, it is too late and they are in way over their heads.

The book is written from Jake’s point of view meaning we only ever see Alice through his eyes. She seems to be somewhat of an enigma; she was in a rock band which was moderately successful, she is now rising star at a law firm and despite hers and Jake’s long-term relationship there are still parts of her that are unreachable to Jake and therefore us. I really liked that this technique; as the tension mounts in the book and Alice is taken away (in a very disturbing way) for ‘re-education’ due to a misdemeanour our imaginations go into overdrive thinking about what Alice could be going through.

I really, really enjoyed this book; it was incredibly well written, the characters were fully fleshed out, the plot was clever and quirky, there were twists, suspense and some pretty disturbing events that chilled me. It also made me think, about marriage and what it takes to make it a success, relationships and the use of rules and regulations in modern life. There were parts that felt quite dystopian (although I wouldn’t class it as a dystopian novel at all) and, it felt very creepy and really kept my interest.

On so many levels Jake and Ali e should have known better than to agree to the strange "pact" and all those reasons are played out in this strangely creepy story. If you decide to buy it you will be hugely entertained but it is certainly no light read. Took me a while to decide if I liked it or not but I couldn't help but be intrigued. Such a clever plot with the readers need to find out how far the pact will actually go... we'll read it and you will see it's a long way.

What an amazingly different book. I don't think I've read anything quite like it. Plot apart, there were a lot of interesting insights into marriage. Wasn't sure how it was going to end but, when I did I thought I was going to be disappointed with a tame ending but it wasn't.....in fact I'm not sure it did end.

I thought this was an excellent psychological thriller. Ok, so the premise of a secret cult-type organisation which uses ridiculously extreme measures to ensure the longevity of marriage was a bit daft, but I found myself totally captivated.

Newlywed protagonists Jake, a therapist, and Alice, once a promising singer but now a lawyer, are invited to join The Pact by Alice's client Finnegan as a wedding gift. What at first seems a bit of fun takes a dark and sinister turn from which they can't escape.

The Marriage Pact was brutal at times but, in my opinion, very original. Jake and Alice were exceptionally well-developed, likeable characters and I couldn't help but feel their despair as they sank deeper and deeper into the clutches of The Pact.

I found myself wanting to read at every opportunity - I needed to know if there was a way out.... if their marriage could survive.

The following is my review.

I'm not sure what to feel about The Marriage Pact. I know I wouldn't want for real, that's for sure!

Jake and Alice are another seemingly perfect couple. Boy there seems to be many of those around. All languid limbs and perfect skins. Can't a main lead ever be short and stocky with a nice face?! Just sayin'!

Anyway they meet, fall in love and do the done thing by getting married. Alice, being a lawyer, invites the enigmatic Finnegan, a famous client (as you do!) just because he mentions that he happens to like weddings. Jake and Alice get married and sure enough top star Finnegan with wife in tow turn up to their rather modest wedding.

Finnegan leaves them an intriguing wedding present in the name of a box. Inside the box the couple learn of The Marriage Pact, an exclusive club for those couples destined for perfection, or at the very least aspire to the perfect marriage. They go along with it and what follows is, well, ridiculous. 'Ridiculous?' I hear you say. Well, yes, for two seemingly intelligent people I couldn't for the love of money understand why they would choose to enter such a pact. In this day and age where everything is at our fingers, especially information and women having choices thrust at them from every angle, kind of goes against why choices are then made for them. 'Follow these rules and you will have the perfect marriage,' but surely everyone's idea of a perfect marriage is theirs and theirs alone?! Am I wrong?

Still, I read on and entered the world of The Marriage Pact aka another cult led by a successful ex female lawyer with her own ideologies that should be put out there to the world. In her esteemed opinion being an expert in all things 'marriage' you understand. Sheep mentality ensues and the rest dear readers is what you can find out for yourselves. I have to say Richmond paints an interesting premise and certainly writes in a way that makes you want to keep reading but I just couldn't get over the stupidity at times of Jake and Alice. Maybe it's just me; it probably is just me.... I'm just not tall and languid enough to aspire to such dizzy heights of perfection. *Looks across at husband* Hhmmmm.

Nevertheless, I got to the end and we're left with a somewhat ambiguous ending. Really? Ok, I guess I'll put on my rose tinted glasses and think .........

And that's where I'll leave it. For something different and that is written well I recommend. If nothing else it's a talking piece and for that alone Richmond has succeeded.

My thanks go out for my reader copy.

Although a promising premise, this novel wasn't really my cup of tea, due solely to the fact that I don't think the intelligent protagonists would have ever opted into the pact in the first place. They seemed to ask almost no questions and didn't think it was weird at all. I liked the writing and characterisation, but feel I would have had to suspend belief whilst reading to actually enjoy it properly. Thanks anyway though!

I enjoyed this book, it was hard to get into at first, but a few chapters in, the pace started picking up. The characters were believable and the storyline was interesting. The love/hate relationship with the pact and the other members and their attitude to Jake and Alice was hard to read without feeling angry on their behalf. I would recommend this book.

Would you do anything to ensure your marriage lasts forever? If so, The Pact may be for you. Alice and Jake are newly weds, and when The Pact is proposed to them, they jump at the chance. After all, who doesn't want their marriage to succeed!? However, some things are too good to be true. Alice and Jake are thrown into a world completely baffling to both them and the reader.

I struggled to put this book down. It's unlike anything I've ever read and has quickly become my favourite read of 2017 so far. Incredible story and writing. 10/10!

I really struggled to get into this book, however, I still did want to read the book to see how everything ended. I didn't expect the ending at all and I am pleased I read to the end to discover it. I imagine if I read this book in a few years time I could enjoy it more.

This was a very thought provoking book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. At first I felt like I was not going to as it seemed to be heavy on the legal texts of the manual. However once I got over that I found that I was very keen to return to it.
Certainly a different slant on a psychological thriller. Very enjoyable.