A Marriage of Lies by Amanda McKinney was UNPUTDOWNABLE. Omg. The story captured you from the very beginning. This is my first read by this author and won’t be the last

Thank you Amanda McKinney, Netgalley, and Storm Publishing for approving my ARC request.

A Marriage of Lies tells the story of a serial killer that is brutally killing women in a wealthy neighborhood. We follow homicide Detective, Rowan Velky searching for the serial killer which signature mark is an X carved somewhere on the victim body.

This book is filled with twists and turns, jaw dropping moments that made it impossible to put down. I really recommend it.

A serial killer is brutally killing women in a wealthy neighborhood and homicide Detective Rowan Velky has been assigned to help catch the serial killer. The killer's signature mark is an X carved somewhere on their body.

Rowan is also unhappy in her marriage to her husband Shepherd and finds herself fantasizing about being with her partner, Kellan while they are trying to find the killer.

Now before you think this is going to be a run of the mill thriller about catching a serial killer, you are dead wrong. This book was so much more than that. Filled with twists galore and jaw dropping moments, I could not put it down. I highly recommend this thriller!

I read this over two months ago and I still think about it!

Thank you Netgalley, Storm Publishing and Amanda Mckinney

This is the first book of Amanda McKinney's that Ive read and it really was unputdownable. I pretty much read it within one setting as it's a short medium paced thriller. I found it was probably more plot driven but did have a great mix of character building. There was plenty of believable twists to the narrative and the pay off at the end was great. Im wondering if we might see more of Rowan Velky in future books.

4 stars

I wanted to like this book and was very excited to start.
The beginning was great and I was hooked. But unluckily it was a DNF after 20%, felt like nothing happening and too many details about characters I didn’t need.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a fantastic thriller, it kept me on the edge if my seat through thw whole book! This is a fast paced, need to read the next chapter type book. I loved getting the perspective from each of the characters and how their loves all intertwine. I would have loved to see the ending of the book developed more, but I can't wait to read Amanda's next book. I will definitely be reccoming this book to others.

I read this book in a couple of days. It was that good! It was well written and the story unfolds nicely. This was my first book by this author, and it definitely is not going to be the last. I recommend!

OMG what a brilliant book so hard to put down once I had started it, read it in one sitting!! A thrilling rollercoaster read!

What I loved about this book was the short chapters. Im a huge fan of short chapters. I very much connected to the character of Rowan . I found him to be likeable.

A marriage of lies is a fast romantic thriller. It was a wonderful marriage full of love,respect, a love story that every girl would want. But every couple has lies. Some lies are unforgivable.

Wow! This book by Amanda McKinney, A Marriage of Lies, is proof that a gripping, shocking, and addictive story doesn't need many pages. Rowan Velky, a police detective, is faced with a series of murders marked with an "X." The book keeps you on the edge of your seat with twists and turns, showcasing McKinney's skillful storytelling. Despite its intensity, the main character's treatment of her dog raised concern. Overall, a dramatic and thrilling read!

4.5 stars. Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the review copy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. A great, fun, fast read. My first from this author and I really liked her writing style. Recommend.

A serial killer is on the loose in the small city of Blackwater and Detective Rowan Vylka is in charge of the investigation.
While battling to save her own demons, trying to save her marriage and fighting her unexpected attraction with her younger partner, Rowan must figure out who is killing women in town.
An enjoyable and fast read that kept me on toes, while we deep into Rowan’s past traumas and how they’re affecting her current situation.
First book I read from this author.

Thank you Netgalley.

3 stars

“You are the only reason I get up every morning. You are the only reason I remember to smile.”

Thank you so so much to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for giving me the chance to read A Marriage of Lies! It was my honour to be given the opportunity to read and review this arc :)

“Maybe there is a chance. Things would certainly be easier if we stayed together.”

Okay, I wasn’t sure how to feel at first for the two main POVs Rowan and Amber. I remember rooting for them and going through certain feelings when certain twists happened. Of course I ended up not liking a character (is it one of the two, I wonder? heh I’m gonna try my best to not spoil the book for everyone) and I think it was bound to happen. You’re not supposed to like every character and since I love going into books blindly, I think I felt for each character the way the book was intended to at moments in the book.

“If it is autism, he could be low on the spectrum.”

I would’ve rated A Marriage of Lies higher had it been for the ableism in this book. As an AuDHDer (Autism + ADHD), it felt so upsetting to see how grossly misinformed the characters were on the subject. I understand a good amount of the population doesn’t know about autism and look at it with a certain stigmatization, but I believe at least the teacher should have been better informed. I mean the feelings of negativity towards autism is unfortunate, but expected (especially from neurotypicals), but to describe autism as if it were linear? There is no higher or lower sides of autism, autism is like a pizza, with each slice representing an autistic trait and some slices are more complete (like the amount of slice) and some may not exist at all. It is a spectrum, and it’s a little disappointing that the one who is supposed to be one who looks well into autistic children viewed it so linearly. I will give the teacher some credit though. She explained how to deal with their possibly autistic child perfectly. Also, I will say, these aren’t his new needs, he’s had them all his life, it’s new in acknowledgement to the parents.

“‘What if he does have autism?’ A warm heartfelt smile crosses my friend’s face. ‘Then you adapt. He’s still your son, he’s still a beautiful little boy and you will learn how to adapt to his new needs.’”

Okay so aside from the autism speech I have for this book, I liked it! There were twists and we literally start out with a whole confession to the murder! I sound happy with the exclamation point, but it’s more of a surprise that we started off with a bang! I liked it! I don’t have too much to say about the writing aside from the fact that the way it was written was fine and I didn’t hate it. Sorry, I’m not an English major, but I didn’t notice the writing in a way to see the book negatively. I enjoyed the writing and seeing the different POVs, those twists got me so well.

“Such an inappropriate thought at the moment.”

I loved the inclusion of Banjo. As a dog mom (yes, yes, I am one of those people), seeing the way Banjo was treated and how helpful he was very fun to see. I don’t see too many dogs in books and I really appreciated the addition of the meaning of Banjo to the character(s) and what happened at the end.

“I close my eyes and sigh. Money. Sometimes it feels like the entire world revolves around it.”

The one thing I will spoil about this book is how the book ends. It isn’t on a cliffhanger, it isn’t left for the reader to think of and analyze what they think. It has a definitive ending and I really appreciate it.

All in all, I had so much fun reading this book, the twists and turns made A Marriage of Lies keep making me guess what happened and who did it! Thanks again to NetGalley and Storm Publishing!

A compulsive read with a good storyline, however the ending let the story down a bit. a bit forced in places but an overall great beach read.

This book kept me on my toes from beginning to end! Written very well and keeps you engaged throughout.

Thus was a great mystery and thriller. I didn’t expect what happened until you get to know the character’s background and how their childhood influenced the rest of their lives. It was a fast read because it was so intriguing that you couldn’t wait to see what each character was capable of. I loved the ending but won’t give anything away. I look forward to reading more books from this author.

Oh my!!! This Author turns out 5 star reads, this being no exception. Run....don't walk....to get this amazing book!!!
Thank you to Netgalley for providing this digital copy in exchange for a review.

Thank you NetGalley, Amanda McKinney and Storm Publishing

I enjoyed this read!!!
Another book that I could not put down and had to find out how it all ended.
First time for read a book from this author and did not expect the ride.
Twist and turns all over the place.

This book was amazing! I’ve gotten lucky and read a lot of solid thrillers this year. About halfway through I thought I called what was going to happen and then BAM unexpected twist. My heart was broken and I felt so betrayed and then BAM another twist. This book kept me engaged at every turn of the page. I devoured this book in a matter of hours and I’m so grateful to Amanda McKinney and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to receive an e-arc! This was my first by this author, but definitely not my last.