***3.5 stars***

🔪Genre: Domestic thriller

📝Short Summary:
From the outside, Holly Bancroft’s marriage to Zac, an OBGYN seemed perfect. But after the birth of their daughter Jolene, things took a turn. Zac became controlling and mentally abusive. When a young woman is found murdered, and Zac becomes the primary suspect, he pleads with Holly to be his alibi, and in return, he will keep her deepest darkest secret. Will Holly stand by her husband or, will she use this opportunity as a way out?

💭Thoughts:
Thank you @netgalley, @CareyBaldwin, and @bookouture for this ARC. This thriller took me by surprise with the many twists and turns. It reminded me a lot of The Wife Between Us by Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks because both books explored the complexities of a “perfect marriage” or so we think. Although there were some moments where I disagreed with some of Holly’s choices, I loved how brave she was and how far she was willing to go to protect her daughter Jolene. The ending was a little unrealistic but oh my did it shock me. I didn’t see it coming from a mile away.

😍There were a few plot holes that left me with some questions but overall, it was a great book. Read this if you’re looking for more domestic thrillers.

When I first started reading this book, I thought it was just another book that had been done to death: terrible husband makes wife question her sanity. But I was pleasantly surprised when I read that Holly finally wised up to her husband's lies. I was rooting for her to be able to leave him, and I did not see the twist ending eith Tamara coming at all. So overall I enjoyed it.

I had such high hopes for this one as I really like domestic thrillers but it was just far to slow paced and uneventful. I felt for the majority of the book there was nothing gripping going on. The blurb gives the impression there are some great revelations but if anything they are underwhelming. When the storyline did pick up I found it very unbelievable and was a little all over the place and for a finish I just couldn’t wait to be done with it. As for the characters I absolutely despised Zack with a passion and Holly wasn’t much better. There were very few likeable characters. The outcome was a welcome surprise but it was a little to late to salvage the experience to get there. I liked the authors style of weaving the story together to bring to a close. I enjoyed the narration and found her engaging but overall this book just didn’t work for me which I was really disappointed about as its a storyline that had such potential and I know there are a lot of reviews that would contradict me but unfortunately that’s my experience.

2.5/5 🌟🌟/🌟

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this ARC thats due to be published on the 11th of Feb.

A gripping book with lots of twists and turns. The main protagonist is constantly naïve which was abit frustrating however the development of Zach's character makes it so easy to absolutely despise him. Secrets, murder and lies, this is a thriller that keeps turning the pages till the very end.

Oh my goodness, I absolutely loved this book! The characters were really intense and I just loved reading this storyline. Excellent writing and I am excited to read another novel by Carey Baldwin!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. This was the first book I've read by Baldwin but I am pleased to say it was a winner for me and would buy more from the Author!

Loved the synopsis and glad it didn't disappoint.
I thought it was paced well and kept me guessing. Great plot twists and expert character and world building. I mean I really do hate Zach haha!

Would highly recommend!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving the the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

I enjoyed this, it was a little slow paced but enjoyable nonetheless.

I would recommend it if you enjoy thrillers.

Holly Bancroft has the perfect marriage to Zach. He is an obstetrician and very wealthy. He does however like things done a certain way - his way! Holly is massively pregnant with their first child, Jolene, when she commits a minor infraction and pays a heavy price. Oh Zach doesn’t hit her but the hospital scene in the birthing suite is difficult to read.

Anyway mother and baby are fine and return home and then the gaslighting seems to start. Zach is constantly undermining her and contradicting her and telling she still has ‘baby brain’. She tries to be a good wife but it is clear that Zach is hoarding all her little odd behaviours to weaponise when it suits him. Unfortunately Holly confided a big secret to him just before the wedding. She did a bad thing when she was 16 and, no, I’m not saying what it is.

Eventually Holly realises that Zach could be quite dangerous and she needs to get out to protect Jolene but - oh no, Zach will not let her go and he drags out all his little weapons to demonstrate that she will never get custody.

So far so good. I read this in nearly one sitting. I know it’s a familiar story but it was well written and Holly was so relatable and not a pushover so I admired her for that. Zach was the typical entitled male with money and prestige. But Holly has a plan and that was the fun part. I enjoyed that part of the book a lot. It was looking like a strong 4 star read. But I’m sorry to say it fell down towards the end. It was just too much! The book went from believable to fantastical very quickly and, while I know it’s fiction, the ending just did not seem plausible. Oh it was very exciting and dramatic so if you like a quick and satisfying domestic thriller this could be one for you.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the arc of this book to provide my honest feedback on.

This is a first time reading one of this authors work. The writing was well down, and the story was quick and to the point. I enjoyed the setting, lack of repetition of things, the characters, and the overall plot and thriller aspect. I felt there was a little left to be desired in the Russell department, like that wasn’t really needed and/or resolved but otherwise I enjoyed the story and it was a quick read. Will definitely read more by this author.

Holly Bancroft appears to be the woman who has everything. A fabulous house and lifestyle, a husband (Zach) who is head of Obs and Gynae at her local hospital, and she's about to give birth to their first child. An unexpected argument appears to be a trivial thing, and she shrugs it off. But after baby Jolene is born, her world turns into a complete nightmare. At first I wasn't sure whether Holly's problems were genuine and Zach was simply being a supportive husband. However, as the book progressed it is clear something is wrong. Zach is a dislikeable character, smooth and charming on the surface but something completely different behind closed doors. He's a devious liar and serially unfaithful and his actions have a purpose.

The story is gripping and difficult to put down. I needed to know whether Holly would manage to break free from this abusive man. Her need to protect baby Jolene and find a new life for them both is central to her fightback. I think I guessed where this was going during the latter part of the read, but there was a twist at the end that took me completely by surprise.

My thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Carey Baldwin for an ARC of The Marriage Secret in exchange for an honest review.

Wow This is a true page turner. I am giving it 4.5 stars I will round it up to 5 stars
It started with a bang. Several plot twist I did and didn't see coming.
This is my first book by Cary Baldwin and I would read another. I don't want to give too much away.
This is a must read. Add it to you list.

Zach and Holly have tons of secrets. You have to read this book to find out what they are.

Holly has the great life. Handsome husband, that loves her, money, good friends and nice things.
Holly had just given birth to a baby girl. When things were starting to get weird.

Zach is a controlling, pathological liar that does things to make Holly look like she's losing her mind.

You have to read it yourself to find out happens. You wont be disappointed.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did
Thank you to Netgalley and Carey Baldwin for the advance reader copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review

Normally I love novels like this but for some reason I couldn’t get into it. I picked it up and put it down so many times that it left me frustrated.

If you are a fan of domestic psychological thrillers, then look no further - you will love this book !!

Zach and Holly appear to have the perfect house, the perfect marriage and now a perfect baby. But all is not as it seems.

On their wedding day Holly shared a secret from her past with Zach. Now he knows her darkest secret will he ever let her go ?

Since giving birth Holly feels as though her relationship with Zach has changed. He seems to want to control every part of her life and she is scared of what he may do if she tries to leave.

Can Holly find happiness with Zach or can she find a way to leave him once and for all !!

This is a great domestic psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked. A really enjoyable book that you will struggle to put down.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

This is probably my favorite book for January . I LOVED it, Very well done with a huge surprise ending. I highly recommend this book. 5 stars, Thank you for the ARC,

A page turner and really easy to get through. I was just in part right couse I was not watching the whole picture. The end was not my kind couse I like people to survive. Her not all were so lucky. But other wise I liked the story, the confusion around the situations.

So we have a husband who cheat and lies. But it is much more then this. He also hide something. Both husband and wife has secrets that are more or less hided from the reader. They are revealed piece by piece.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture pubplishers for this copy in echange of an honest review.

The Marriage Secret by Carey Baldwin

Holly and Zach have the perfect marriage. Everyone envies how attentive Zach is to Holly’s every need, how he wants to hear her voice on an hourly basis to know where she is or what she is doing, how he picks out designer clothes for her. But there are two sides to every story; Zach is controlling and manipulative in every aspect of Holly’s life and now that she can see though his façade she wants out if her marriage and fast but she wants to make sure she has full custody of their little girl.

I loved this book from page one. This book is a fast read that I could not put down until I finished it.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Fast paced thriller! Very quickly I realized I was 50% finished. The book had a great flow to it, kept me entertained and the end had a nice twist that I did not see coming. Great read! Highly recommend!

So, I saw a couple five star reviews and got very excited for this one. And while I do think a lot of people are going to absolutely love this one it just wasn't for me.

I was really struggling to get into it and ended up not finishing it. But I really encourage everyone to read the raving reviews because this book is really getting them.

For me it seemed choppy and it was just too slow for me. And, unfairly, I kept comparing it to The Last Mrs. Parrish and I really didn't like that book.

Thank you so much for Netgalley and Bookouture for giving the the opportunity to read this one though.

*Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Carey Baldwin for the advance reader copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*

4 pathological lying ⭐

When I saw this one was tagged as “An utterly unputdownable psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist” I was super excited, but also, I was like, really? That's tough to live up to.
Unputdownable ~ 3/4 ✔ ~ I mean I do have to sleep and eat and whatnot.
Psychological thriller ~✔✔ ~ undoubtedly was a psychological, page turning thrill ride.
Jaw-dropping twist ~ 3/4 ✔ ~ my jaw is still in it's usual place as I did have the twist figured out, but I enjoyed it all the same.

Holly and Zach's story is full of secrets, lies, betrayal, a controlling husband, and a forgetful wife. Holly is a new mother with a secret. Zach is a prominent OB-GYN with a secret.
You never know what goes on behind closed doors in other peoples marriages, unless, of course, you have friends to confide in. But is that always a good idea?
Holly's number 1 priority is to protect Jolene and she certainly concocted quite the scheme to do so.

My first, but definitely not the last, time reading this author!

TW: cheating

Follow me at www.heatheradoresbooks.com

A very thrilling book! I had so much sympathy for Holly and her situation, I was cheering for her the entire novel. And I was shocked by the twist at the end!

A fast-paced, gripping psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. Would definitely recommend!