This story started off strong. It opens with Det. Rowan Velky confessing to murdering her husband’s mistress. I was intrigued. The primary narrators are Rowan and a woman named Amber, interspersed with a few others. Both Rowan and Amber are having marital trouble and are looking for ways to escape. The murder of a wealthy woman sets off a chain of events that affects both Rowan and Amber personally and professionally. Everything builds nicely until around 65% when the plot falls apart. I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I’ll just say that the way the mystery is resolved is far-fetched. The “big reveals” aren’t tethered to precious plot points, and the ending feels rushed. There are some inconsistencies that bothered me as a teacher who lives in Houston. The story is supposed to be set near Lake Conroe, which is about an hour away from Houston. There is a scene in which the sun is observed setting over a mountain, which isn’t topographically accurate. A subplot involving testing Amber’s young son for a genetic mutation and developmental delays is so far off base it’s almost comical, and Amber and her husband have a knockdown, drag-out fight in front of their six year old child, which feels weird for a therapist concerned for her child’s wellbeing to do. Overall, the resolution to the story feels forced. This book will be available though Kindle Unlimited on March 29. Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the digital ARC in exchange for my review.

Amanda McKinney is again a new author to me and I thoroughly enjoyed this book which I read in a few hours.

Rowan Velky is a police detective who is a Texas resident. There is a murder in a town called Mirror Lakes and Rowan is sent to investigate, she discovers a grisly scene where a young woman has been killed and strangely the victim has the letter X carved on her eyes and she has died from strangulation, what on earth could this mean? Soon after another body is found also with an X carved into her and then a third, Rowan now has her hands full. Rowan is married but this is not currently a stable relationship, loveless and Rowan fears what her husband is up to in his spare time. She works with a partner named Kellan who she very much enjoys working with, they balance each out creating a strong team of two.. Kellan is also a very good looking man, he is the local bachelor with many women wishing they could make him a part of their lives but it seems he only has eyes for one. Rowan is also attending therapy with a psychologist Amber and this creates a side story, eventually these two stories will collide and the author has done an excellent job in tying these together.

I am not going to say any more about the plot as I feel like it is best if you go in blind and then draw your own conclusions regarding the information you are being provided with. What I will say that is everyone is keeping secrets and there is deception coming from all angles. As we approach the end of the book everything is being tied together which is very satisfying, then another twist is thrown at us. Loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this one! The story had multiple POVs, and while they were connected, it wasn't clear how they were connected at first. As the story went on and more pieces came together. The plot was intense and kept me hooked the entire time. The ending was fast paced and I couldn't wait to see how it would all unfold.

A digital copy of this book was provided to me by Thriller Book Lovers Promotions. The opinions are my own and freely given.

This book is told from mainly two POV: Rowan Velky, the detective and Amber, the therapist. Amber is coming to terms with her life with her husband, and through the support of her friend, Emma decides to meet with a lawyer to get a divorce. Rowan finds herself not in love with her husband anymore but can't seem to get a divorce.

Then, a woman is discovered murdered in her home with Xs carved into her eyes, and Rowan and her partner, Kellen Palmer, start to investigate before the FBI swoops in and takes over. Rowan has been seeing Amber at first, it was a mandated appointment, but Rowan decided to stay on longer and talk to Rowan.

This book explores Rowan and her husband Shepherd's time in foster care, a transcript of a child interview with an FBI therapist, and a journal of a patient of Amber's. I love when all pieces that you can't seem to figure out connect, and this is exactly what this book did. From the beginning of the story when Rowan is arrested to the very end.

Review is live on:
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2829768617
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6233034651
https://www.librarything.com/topic/356318#n8449049
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/e1e45bcb-95e8-4679-ae8b-43fc3a4fa515
and will be on instagram @kuhlreads on 3/8/24

Thank you to @thrillerloverbookspromo, Storm Publishing and the author for the #gifted copy of the book.

Publishes March 29, 2024

I HATE LIARS. Don't you? And what would make that worse? A lying husband! This was the perfect read for me after reading a couple of romancy books. I devoured it. If you enjoy detective mysteries this one is for you!

4.5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Damn! What a rollercoaster ride!

This was my first dive with this author and she did not disappoint!

This is my idea of how a psychological thriller should be written. Not only was it twisty, dizzying, and dark, but the interweaving story lines had me guessing all the way to the end. Also, what an incredible cast of characters. I found them all interesting. I was never bored. Throw in the short chapters and you’ve got yourself a winner! I kicked off a star for the same reason as many other reviewers - the ending. Still great, but could’ve been better.

There’s no shortage of thriller delights in this one - secrets, lies, jealousy, and murder - just to name a few. I simply cannot wait to dig into some of McKinney’s other books!

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Amanda McKinney for my advanced copy to read and review.

A Marriage of LIes
by Amanda McKinney
Pub Date: March 29, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
A jaw-dropping, twist-filled emotional rollercoaster of a read for fans of Gone Girl, The Perfect Marriage, and The Girl on the Train.
New author for me but I was not disappointed.
I loved how the story weaved through different perspectives. We have what appears to be completely unrelated stories that all ultimately converge in a shocking twist! Those are my favorite kind of thrillers. I was hoping for a bit more in the ending, however.

I plan to read Amanda McKinney’s series Mad Women next.
4 stars

Thank you @amandamckinneyauthor @thrillerbookloverspromotions @stormpublications for the #free ebook!

What it’s about:

A husband and wife not being truthful to each other. She suspects he’s not being faithful or that something more is at play because he can’t even look her in the eyes. He doesn’t show much interest in her and can’t explain for the hours he’s not around. Is he really that dumb to think she couldn’t figure it out? She’s a detective! And much smarter than he gives her credit for. As she tries to hold her marriage together she also is thrown in the middle of 3 brutal murders. Each victims body tells a gruesome story. She’s not so sure how much more she can take between her job and her husband and before we know it, the tables turn and she is the prime suspect in these murders! This is one twisted ending to a crazy story!

WOW! This one knocked my socks off! I devoured this in one sitting because you know, ya girl needed to know what the heck was happening. I decided I really love books that have dysfunctional marriages. 🤣 It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Let me start with how amazing the characters and cast were. All were perfectly executed and although I had suspicions about some of them there was so much more depth that I hadn’t figured out! This one felt like a wild rollercoaster filled with tangled relationships and dark intentions. This has literally everything I want in a thriller, fast paced, characters that keep me guessing, intertwined lives, with a dynamite plot! I highly recommend this one and the great thing is you don’t have to wait long! If you’re a thriller lover, make sure to add this one to your TBR!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for the book #AMarriageOfLies by #AmandaMcKinney. A marriage of secrets that turns deadly. This book is such a roller coaster ride with murders and lies that I could not put down. I never expected the ending and I highly recommend this book.

The premise of this book grabbed my attention and then after the reading the first chapter, I was all in! What appeared to be a psychological domestic thriller, turned out to be so much more! It’s also a family drama and a police procedural! Each character had a story with some baggage which made for a relatable narrative. Rowan, the main character, was my favorite and reading about her struggles both past and present really added to the depth of her character and added to the intrigue! This was a fast-paced read with electrifying twists! I’m keeping the details vague because I don’t want to even hint at spoilers in this one!

Omg, I LOVED this book! It is so twisted amd tangled. It’s about a Detective that is called to a gruesome murder. Even though her personal life is in shambles and she is battling the demons of her childhood, she throws herself into the case. You do not want to miss this one!

OMG!!!! Thank you, thank you for allowing me to read this mind numbing novel by Amanda McKinney. This book surpassed all of my wildest expectations for it.

This was about not one, but several marriages of lies. The duplicity involved between the people in this upscale town in Texas was mind boggling. The character development was superb and I was totally unprepared for the twists in this book.

I need to find more books by this author. It would be a great book club read!

I saw a couple people I follow on GR give this book 5 stars, so I decided to request the ARC. It definitely did not disappoint. It was so addicting, and I loved the twists, even though I kind of guessed them pretty early on.

Rowan is a detective in a small Texas town. She is in a loveless marriage to Shepard, but also has romantic feelings for her detective-in-training, Kellan. However, when a woman is murdered, it takes precedence in Rowan's life. There are secrets all over the place.

We also get the point of view of Amber, a therapist that is dealing with some developmental issues for her young son. Her marriage seems to be on the rocks as well.

At first, it felt like 2 different stories going on, but I was captivated, wanting to find out how they would be woven together. A great plot with memorable characters. Entertaining until the end!

This is my first book by Amanda McKinney and I really enjoyed it. The multiple POV’s allowed me to see the full picture and yet I was still so surprised by certain things that happened. This falls under the domestic suspense category for me and it was done really well. You could feel the tension and suspicion throughout.

Thank you Net Galley and Storm Publishing for the early access!

This being my first book by Amanda McKinney, I throughly enjoyed it. It was a quick and fast paced read with lots of twist and turns. I loved being able to read different points of views of the characters throughout the book and learning more and more as the chapters went on!

My rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was an enjoyable read which kept me engaged. The story was well-paced and had interesting characters, and McKinney switched between the perspectives of different characters well.

This book was hard to put down. So many twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end. A wife who is a detective begins to suspect that her husband is keeping secrets from her. What she uncovers will change both their marriage and their lives forever.

A great thriller, with lots of twists and turns which had me guessing right to the end. Rowan is a police detective who is assigned a murder case and it becomes clear that a serial killer is one the loose. Great storyline, interesting characters and more than a few surprises! Really enjoyed this novel.

I was looking forward to finishing off February with a cheeky wee domestic thriller. Erm NOPE!!! What I got instead was a police procedural with multiple POV, flashbacks, a serial killer stacking up multiple dead bodies and a mysterious little notebook from an unknown character….! YES PLEASE!!!! 🤩🤩

I hammered through this one, ducking and diving through the twists (one properly walloped me - I was like “wait, what?!”) until everything turned on its head at the end.

I love nothing more than two seemingly separate storylines weaving their way towards each other and ending up in a tangle of secrets, lies, and deceit! This book has LOTS!!!

I can totally see this being a series too.

Thank you Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for the opportunity to read and provide a voluntary review.

4.5 stars rounded up

Well. My head is SPINNING! What a wild a twisty ride that was! This book drew me in from the start, kept me engaged (and guessing!) the whole time and I never wanted it to end! I absolutely loved the writing style and the short chapters. The multiple POVs were great insight into each character and I loved the way everything and everyone tied together. Not to mention, there were multiple twists that I NEVER saw coming.

If you enjoy suspense, jealousy, lies and secrets sprinkled with murder, this one is for you!! Looking forward to reading more by this author 🤗

THANK YOU to Netgalley, Storm Publishing and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!