I really enjoyed the marriage secret, Holly and Zach seem to have the perfect marriage, he's a successful doctor and She s waiting for the birth of their first baby, but not everything is rosy as they make out.
Zach is controlling and although Holly loves him even she is beginning to see through him.
Carey Baldwin has written Zach perfectly, the gradual way he brings Holly down with his coercive ways and the gradual dawning that Holly has that she might be in danger, but never underestimate a mothers love.
The audio Book was brilliantly narrated and really enhanced the story.

I had the opportunity to listen to an early audio of The Marriage Secret by Carey Baldwin and I was hooked! This was my first read by this author but not my last! She had me from the first page and I could not stop listening! Narrated by Stephanie Cannon, I was captivated by Holly’s story. Holly and Zach seemed to have the perfect life. Married, in love and sharing the joy of their first child. But things are never what they seem on the surface.

We learn early on that Holly has a secret. A secret she shared with her husband and he stills loves her. But who is her husband and why does he change so much? Now he is asking for her to lie and uses her past against her. Can she protect her child and find a way out before its too late? A domestic thriller that had me at the edge of my seat with twist and turns every step of the way! I am excited to read more from this author!

Happy reading!

4.5 stars (rounded up to 5 on here)!
I really liked this one! I needed to read a thriller after reading multiple romcoms in a row and this one was the perfect palate cleanser. The first several chapters gave me a Behind Closed Doors vibe and I was immediately sucked in by the story. I read this in one day! I didn’t see the plot twist coming (which is always a plus)! I honestly thought I knew how this would end, but I was way off.

This was a fast paced book that I couldn’t put down. The audiobook had the perfect narrator to keep me drawn in the entire read. If you love a crazy twist, this is definitely the book for you.

While the characters are ugh in this domestic thriller, there are several surprises that kept my interest and overall I enjoyed my morning spent listening to this one.
Holly is living the dream-married to a successful OB/GYN, gorgeous home and expecting her first baby. From the outside everything looks perfect. But on the inside, that’s not the case. Her husband is super controlling and a professional gaslighter. He’s a jerk. But Holly doesn’t see a way out since he made her give up her career when they got married, so she needs him and his finances, and he knows her innermost secret. Then one day, Holly finds out his big secret, she uses it as leverage to get out. Will she succeed?
I listened to this today while I was working and the narrator did a great job of keeping me engaged and wanting to see what would happen next. The characters were pretty unlikeable and there were some typical thriller twists, but overall this was a good, solid read.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this audiobook arc in exchange for my review.

I started this audiobook first thing this morning and could not turn it off. Whew I definitely had some assumptions going in and was convinced I was right. Spoiler I wasn’t.

Loved the narrator, she was wonderful!

5 stars!!!! Once I started this book I could not stop, the storyline grabbed me on page one and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last moment. The plot was unique and kept me guessing - Holly and Zach appear to have the perfect marriage, the have a gorgeous daughter but all is not as it seems. Holly has confessed her deepest and darkest secret to Zach and now he uses that information to control her. I can not recommend this book highly enough, it is gripping and any one who picks this up is in for a wild ride you won’t want to end!!!!!! A special thank you to Carey Baldwin, Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook for me to review.

Holly and Zach appear to have the perfect marriage. Holly feels grateful that she scored someone as perfect as Zach despite her secret past. After the birth of their baby, Zach becomes controlling and uses her secret against her.

This book was full of some pretty gross behaviour like gaslighting, control and manipulation. Within minutes of starting this book, I HATED Zach and I immediately felt angry and extremely uncomfortable.

I would explain Holly as kind of blah. Not memorable in any way but a doting mother nonetheless. Despite her blahness, she was vulnerable after having a newborn and I was totally rooting for her.

This story had my interest from the first page and I couldn’t read it fast enough. I was so confident that I knew the ending. I did figure out the WHO behind it all but the extent of the WHY and the HOW was something that I did not see coming.

In general, I am undecided on how I feel about epilogues. In this instance, however, the epilogue really worked and may have been my favourite part of the book.

The Marriage Secret is available today! Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for Audio for the ALC.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio and Carey Baldwin for an audio ARC in return for an honest review.

"He married me despite my darkest secret. But am I safe now that I know his?"

The Marriage Secret is an intense psychological thriller which brings a whole new meaning to the term 'gas-lighting'. A marriage that has been built on lies, deceit and secrets can only end one way. Some characters you like and some you hate but I suppose that is what the author wants. This is a gripping and slightly creepy thriller. The narrator Stephanie Cannon adds even more tension to this book.

I was definitely swept away by this book but I just truly did not believe the Zach was all that and a bag of chips. I just wasn't getting the vibes from him and couldn't see why all the women wanted him. *barf* And that prevented me from fully enjoying the book. I enjoyed the twists and turns and gasps and shocks but I didn't feel like Zach was worth it and these women were just blah.

Holly is married to Zach, and everything seems to be going perfectly. That is, until Holly finds out she’s pregnant. Zach becomes controlling, manipulative, narcissistic, and mentally abusive. At first, Holly gives excuses for his behavior. Every time she did this, I rolled my eyes. I know as a reader you see more than what one may see in real life. But come on. Stand up for yourself and your daughter! Holly claims she cannot get out of this relationship because Zach knows a devastating secret from Holly’s childhood. When a woman is found dead and Zach is the prime suspect, Holly kicks into motion and tries to figure out how to get her and Jolene, her baby, out of this situation. This is where I started to enjoy the Holly character. At the end, you learn, Holly isn’t the only one in their marriage with secrets. The ending to me was unrealistic but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story.
This was a quick paced domestic psychological thriller that had me turning pages one right after the other. The writing was engaging and there were twists and turns throughout. I devoured this one in only a couple of days and suggest if you like domestic thrillers that you pick up this one too.

❓Are you a fan of domestic thrillers??

💥If you like drama and suspense in books between husband and wife, this book is for you! Baldwin weaves a tightly woven story that will take you on a wild ride from the very beginning. The twists and turns are plentiful and just when you think, I know exactly where this is going and I’ve got this all figured out, 💥 BAM 💥 she makes you throw your phone down in utter disbelief. I literally had whiplash from all the shocking twists and turns and the last one was EPIC!!
💥Like most domestic thrillers, think Verity, The Last Mrs. Parrish, The Wife Between Us, you loathe and despise all of the characters, but you can’t help but being sucked in to your a$$ stories. The same goes for this book! I was immediately roped into all of
Holly and Zach’s problems and therefore their ridiculous drama!
💥This one will have you quickly turning the pages and will get under your skin at times. The emotional and psychological abuse had me pondering the question of: why do people stay in a marriage that is unhealthy??

✨Synopsis✨
Holly and Zach seem to have the perfect marriage. Beautiful home, a newborn baby girl, and great friends. But behind closed doors it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. Zach calls all the shots, twists Holly’s words and stories, and she lets him because he holds her darkest secret.

❤️Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for this advanced print and audio copy.

Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Marriage Secret was a chillingly devious psychological thriller of intimate betrayal, mistrust, mind games, murder, and plot twists aplenty.

Holly is married to a handsome, rich, successful doctor – Zach.

Days before the birth of their daughter Jolene, Holly leaves her shoes on the kitchen floor, instead of putting them away in the closet, causing Zach to trip over them. He vows to punish her, and when she goes into labour he gives her the silent treatment. Holly also suspects him of sabotaging her delivery, resulting in her needing an emergency c-section. But, when she confronts him he denies it, says she’s overreacting, blames her ‘baby brain’ – has an answer, excuse, or comeback for everything.

As things escalate Holly comes to the realisation that Zach is a controlling abuser, and she is not going to stand for it, not now that she has a daughter to protect.

But, Holly has a terrible secret in her past, a secret she confided in Zach on their wedding day, a secret that he threatens to reveal if she tries to leave.

Of course Zach has secrets of his own – many of them.

The Marriage Secret was utterly gripping and intense. It took me a day to listen to because I just couldn’t stop, it was that binge worthy. Okay, so perhaps it was a tad far fetched in places, but I don’t care, I was addicted. It reminded me a little of one of my favourite domestic noir reads from 2017 – The Breakdown by B.A. Paris.

I loved how at the beginning of each chapter you were given a tidbit of information regarding an ‘incident’ {usually involving Zach undermining or gaslighting Holly, or her discovering something disturbing about him) and over the course of the chapter what had occurred would slowly be revealed little by little and it wasn’t until the end of the chapter that you had the whole picture. Being in the dark like that really ramped up the tension and pace. The majority of the novel unfolded through Holly’s eyes, but their was the occasional chapter narrated by someone else, but I’m not going to say who.

The characters were amazing. Holly was a strong woman who didn’t take Zach’s behaviour lying down, even as she struggled to believe what he was capable of. Zach was repulsive, and the most dangerous type of abuser – a clever, manipulative, charming, good-looking one, who ran hot and cold. He’d smother Holly with kindness one minute, and be berating her, or making her feel small the next. And the dialogue – I can’t rave about it enough – the reactions and behaviour were spot-on.

The audio narration was brilliant. Stephanie Cannon used a different voice for each character, so you always knew who was speaking before the dialogue tags came up. The various nuances, and emotions of human speech shone through, and she utterly nailed Zach’s mother, Frances, especially one particular hilarious phone conversation where she’d had a falling out with her friends. In print it wouldn’t have even been that funny, but out loud I couldn’t help laughing with delight over how good it was.

I’ve already bought Carey Baldwin’s previous book, Her First Mistake, because the audio sample at the end of this book has already sucked me in. I’m so happy to have discovered this author and narrator.

I’d like to thank Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, and Carey Baldwin for the e-ARC.

THE MARRIAGE SECRET - CAREY BALDWIN

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Thank you to @netgalley for an ARC of this thriller! It was SO good and had a great TWIST for all those like me who love a great twist.

Holly and Zach seem to have the perfect marriage to the outside world. But Zach marries Holly knowing her biggest secret and then they have a baby and things suddenly change. Zach is not the same man she married.

This one is 100% worth a read!

#bookrecommendations #bookstagram #netgallery #themarriagesecret #careybaldwin #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookmum #bookblogger #bookreview

The Marriage Secret by Carey Baldwin is a great new thriller with a twist I didn’t see coming.
Zack and Holly are married with the new baby. Zach knows Hollys deepest darkest secret and now Holly knows his. With so many secrets, how will this marriage survive?

Where to begin writing a review on this audiobook? So many twists and turns, some you might see coming, some you won’t. The narrator, Stephanie Cannon, had perfect diction and was easy to hear clearly, however I’m not so sure about her use of voices for the male characters. They didn’t spoil the book for me but I found myself cringing a little.

The start subtly portrayed the dynamic of Hollie and Zach’s marriage and at first I thought the story was going to follow the usual formulaic pattern of so many of these types of ‘hidden secret’ novels. This was a mistake on my part and I was soon drawn in, particularly with how Hollie was going to find a resolution or if she even would.

My only criticism with the writing was Hollie’s continued assertion as to why she was doing what she was. It felt as though this was mentioned virtually every chapter and I caught myself a few times mentally saying ‘Yes I know that, you’ve already told me, just get on with it’

This is the first book I have read (listened to) by Carey Baldwin and I’ll be happily adding her to my list of authors to read in future.

The Marriage Secret - Carey Baldwin
Audiobook review

This husband and wife thriller was a book of two halves for me.

Holly is married to highflying Doctor Zach and just about to give birth to their first child. From the outset Zach is clearly a bad husband, his lying and cheating could make Boris Johnson blush. Honestly, I found his character a bit obvious.

Starting out it steers heavily towards gaslighting and coercive control, but didn't fill me with dread like some others in the genre.

As it progresses and Holly's thought turn towards escape it really picks up, the plotting is tight and it really builds through the second half, with plenty of twists and an accelerated pace.
Show Quoted Content

This husband and wife thriller was a book of two halves for me.

Holly is married to highflying Doctor Zach and just about to give birth to their first child. From the outset Zach is clearly a bad husband, his lying and cheating could make Boris Johnson blush. Honestly, I found his character a bit obvious.

Starting out it steers heavily towards gaslighting and coercive control, but didn't fill me with dread like some others in the genre.

As it progresses and Holly's thought turn towards escape it really picks up, the plotting is tight and it really builds through the second half, with plenty of twists and an accelerated pace.

No complaints about the voice acting, always clear who was talking and Holly's character has a sweet voice which helped me warm to her.

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced audiobook copy of The Marriage Secret by Carey Baldwin.

This domestic thriller was a trip! Though the narrator was awesome, within the first hour of the book, I almost turned it off since the wife, Holly, was clearly being portrayed as a woman in a seriously emotionally abusive relationship and completely naive about it. That is one thing that drives me crazy. When the second thing we learn is that Zach has taken their approximate 2 day old baby from Holly without her knowledge so she can "rest" while she is upset about it, SHE LETS IT HAPPEN! No, a mom who has been carrying a baby she craves for 9 months would never let that stand.

However, as the story went along, I did start to really enjoy myself when Holly stopped being so unenlightened about Zach's behavior. The cat and mouse aspect of the story then becomes really interesting and fun.

While for 3/4ths of the novel, I would have given it 3 stars for the annoying wife issue, I really liked the 2nd half and the ending. The ending was enough to fully pick it up to 4 stars. The Marriage Secret has a very satisfying ending, which is what is one of the most important things for me!

I will definitely be interested in reading more from this author.

I loved the twisty turns of this book! The plot is fast paced and takes sharp turns. I really liked the main character, Holly. She is strong and a fierce mother. I definitely did not see the end coming but I love when that happens!

Good read once you get past the start of it.

I wasn't a fan of the narrator but she grew on me. The start of the book is quite hard to digest. The gaslighting and emotional abuse is so strong it made me cringe - which is not a bad thing! but it does calm down and become easier to listen to.

There is a past secret in Hollys life which is overly dangled about, but this is what manipulators and gas lighters do, so its not untrue to the characters personalities.

It certainly needs a trigger warning but all round a good read.