Review: The Marriage Lie

Book Title: The Marriage Lie
Author: Kimberly Belle
Series: None
Genres: Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Adult Contemporary
Goodreads

Date Read:
Pub Date: 12/27/16

STARS

Iris and Will’s marriage is as close to perfect as it can be: a large house in a nice Atlanta neighborhood, rewarding careers and the excitement of trying for their first baby. But on the morning Will leaves for a business trip to Orlando, Iris’s happy world comes to an abrupt halt. Another plane headed for Seattle has crashed into a field, killing everyone on board, and according to the airline, Will was one of the passengers on this plane.

Grief-stricken and confused, Iris is convinced it all must be a huge misunderstanding. But as time passes and there is still no sign of Will, she reluctantly accepts that he is gone. Still, Iris needs answers. Why did Will lie about where he was going? What is in Seattle? And what else has he lied about? As Iris sets off on a desperate quest to find out what her husband was keeping from her, the answers she receives will shock her to her very core.

This book was the definition of suspense and compulsive reading. I didn’t want to put it down! As this was my first experience with a Kimberly Belle novel, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but my Nana Book Bestie assured me it was a must read and I had to get my hands on it. As always, her recommendation didn’t disappoint and am happy to say I’m the newest member of the K-Belle Fan Club! After a few longer books, I was looking for something to be a quick, thrilling read that I could get through in the blink of an eye, and here it was!

My greatest pleasant surprise was how much I connected with the characters in this story. Usually, when I’m reading psychological suspense, I enjoy the thrilling aspects but feel the character depth and development is lacking; not so here. The characters were diverse in gender, sexuality, and race, but without being so in a pushy, “I’m trying to be diverse” kind of way. I also loved how it felt I was along the journey with Iris; I kept wondering just where we would end up, and while I didn’t feel this book contained a large twist, I was grateful for that. Too many times I’ve entered into a book with my expectations hinged on one shocking moment, and this book was more reliably enjoyable. I found comfort in a “normal” ending as it caused me to focus on the characters and writing style in greater detail.

If you are looking for a quick read that you simply can’t put down, I highly recommend picking up The Marriage Lie. It had all the components of a book to bust your reading slump and get into the groove of enjoying reading again. This is just a personal note, but I would LOVE to see a spin off book featuring Evan Sheffield and his personal journey after the events of TML. Also, I may have a slight book crush on him. Book Boyfriend Evan; it has a nice ring to it. 🙂

*Many thanks to MIRA for providing my copy; it was a pleasure to provide an honest review!