this book shook me to my core

Paper Doll Lina – Robyn Lucas 

Domestic violence, family, marriage, interpersonal relationships, domestic abuse, fiction.

Rating 10/10

Lina is a stay at home mother and housewife with two children and a husband that loves her. Their marriage at the beginning was rocky but they always found their way back to one and other. Recently her husband has been more distant and crueler with his words that belittle and make Lina feel absolutely terrible. He does things without asking her and expects her to be on board with the ideas. Her two children got an idea for a website and decided to go on television to get the website more seen; her husband isn’t supportive. He sees this as her bad idea and that the kids would get bored of their project. However,  her two children are deeply invested as well as she is. He gets mad and says that he wasn’t included in the plans despite her informing him of said plans. She had run into Noah Attoh, a famous movie actor, who helps the website get more coverage as well as being her friend. The two of them spend more time together and she realizes slowly when she reconnects with an old best friend that her husband is toxic and that she needs to get out of the relationship fast and with her children as well. 

Let me tell you I was crying when I was almost done reading this novel. It is not easy to read because domestic abuse is a very serious overseen issue. Lucas shares that aspect with this novel that sometimes domestic abuse isn’t physical but it is verbal and tends to be very nasty. What Lina’s husband was doing was a form of narcissism. People who are narcissists tend to manipulate others into believing their side rather than the victim’s side. They psychologically and emotionally abuse the victim as well as doing intentional things to ensure that the victim stays within reach by all means necessary. Sometimes victims of domestic violence do not get the happy ending or recognition that they are being abused when something terrible happens such as serious injury or even death. That is the reality that Robyn Lucas shares in this novel with these characters and sometimes it’s hard getting out of the toxicness of the relationship. I was so glad that Lina was able to get help that she really needed and the way that things happened was the right kind of justice that was needed. I highly recommend this novel as it goes over a serious topic that needs to be more addressed and there should be more education for domestic abuse of all kinds. This may be fiction but domestic violence and abuse is a very real issue that shouldn’t be taken lightly. 

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this was sweet

Fly Me to the Moon – Kenjiro Hata

Marriage, fantasy, manga, fiction.

Rating 9/10

Nasa was ashamed of his birthname and passionately believed that he will ensure everyone will remember him but not for space stuff. He gets into an accident with a vehicle after he was hit on foot. A mysterious woman appears to rescue him. He wants her to stay but she makes an offer he unknowingly jumps into, marriage. She disappears after he agrees. Time passes by and he hears a knock on his door. It is the mysterious woman wanting to get married.

This was sweet and bizarre, but I loved it. I had not expected to like this manga. I thought I was going to hate it but nonetheless, I love it. I reflect and wish I got the second book of the series. I am curious about what the mystery girl is. The artwork was beautiful, and the writing style was simple. I love this manga. I only wished it were longer. I plan to get more in this series.

copy and paste onto new wife format

The Wife Between Us – Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Interpersonal relationships, love triangles, suspense, marriage, psychological, fiction.

Rating 8/10

Emma is getting married to Richard, someone she fell deeply in love with and he fell for her too. She is taking all the necessary steps to become his wife. Vanessa is recovering from a divorce and trying to get over Richard. Vanessa finds out that Richard has a new wife on the way, and this makes her curious about the new bride of his. Emma gets ready to leave to get married but before doing so she is confronted by Vanessa who tries to warn her about Richard. Emma dismisses until she decides to investigate the incident that Vanessa refers to. After some digging, Emma has an epiphany that his ex-wife isn’t as crazy as she seems. Both meetup to discuss plans of how to confront Richard, but some truths are scarier than a psychotic fiancée, their connection to each other.

I was intrigued by the synopsis and the title of the novel, so I had to buy this book. The plot was very interesting, and the character’s connection is quite fascinating. I wasn’t expecting the novel’s plot to have a darker side in which this does. The character’s intertwined fate and interactions make the novel very thrilling and suspenseful. The chapters are sometimes alternating between perspectives, but the reader has to put the pieces together of whose perspective it is, was it either Emma’s or Vanessa’s perspective. There were enough breadcrumbs to follow along and to see how the story would play out. Overall, I did find this novel very enjoyable.

horrible dates leads to realization!

The Marriage Clock – Zara Raheem

Romance, marriage, dates, arranged marriages, suitors, fiction.

Rating 10/10

Leila wants the full Bollywood movie romance rather than having to go through an arranged marriage. When her parents demand that she gets married soon, she tells them to give her time. Leila is given until their thirtieth anniversary to find a proper suitor, which only gives her three months’ time. Her friends help her with finding dates in all sorts of ways. Her mother set her up with a matchmaker. Leila even tried dating websites and speed dating. She even tries to go on more second and third dates to give some prospects a chance. She finds one prospect but later finds out he ghosted her. When her cousin invites her to the wedding, her and her mom go to the wedding. During this time, Leila learns more about herself and what she truly wants. Then her friend calls her up about said prospect that wants to connect. Leila has to decide whether or not she should hold onto cultural expectations or let go of them.

I enjoyed reading this novel a lot. I thought this was really insightful into a culture that considers marriage as a huge part of their life. Marriage traditions are always interesting to learn about especially other cultures and their marriage traditions. Especially in the modern era of dating scene versus traditional Indian marriages that are typically arranged with the parents of the persons they want to have a marriage with. The parents always want what is best for their child and do whatever research is needed to see that their child is being taken care of. I saw that age was a huge factor that typically Indians get married at a younger age and if someone was over the age bar to get married, there was scrutiny and criticism around that person. These are all traditional ideas that exist in the modern age with improvements with the aid of technology. I loved how the protagonist explores her own beliefs as well as her parents to try to decide what she truly wants for herself. In the end she does make a decision, not going to spill because that would be spoiling the ending. I ended up reading this novel within a days’ time. This novel is a one sitting read.

marriage counseling to the rescue!

Love Her or Lose Her – Tessa Bailey

Romance, marriage, life, fiction.

Rating 9/10

The couple, Rosie and Dominic, had been lovers for a long time, married, and living a wonderful life together. Or so they thought after their romance began to fade away into a schedule that felt meaningless. One night, Rosie had enough of this and felt that their marriage was falling apart. She had such big dreams and realized that none came true. Dominic sees that his wife is unhappy and feels that he’s the blame. She signs them up to do marriage counseling. At first, he didn’t want to but as their sessions went on, they both found themselves feeling like their teenage selves. They learned so much and continue to learn more about each other and themselves. Each of them putting into a dream they both desire.

I liked the title of the novel and was expecting this novel to go a different path of storytelling but instead I got something way better than I expected. Never judge a book by its cover nor synopsis. I learned that lesson with this novel. This was so good and well-paced. There wasn’t any rushing as some romance novels have that element. I felt as if I was in their relationship and I tried to pace myself when reading this novel. I couldn’t help it at all. I have to say I love some romances now. This one wasn’t as cheesy as the mainstream ones usually are, which, I prefer my romance straightforward and fresh. Yes, there is a theme of a marriage falling apart but Tessa Bailey took it and freshened it up by adding more to the narrative, making the narrative complex but not so much that the reader is left behind.

He Fights For Love

The Bromance Book Club – Lyssa Kay Adams

Romance, comedy, women, relationships, fiction.

Rating 8/10

Gavin was making love to his wife and afterwards is horrified that she’s faked the orgasms before, and this was the first real one in a long time. He was caught off guard and had reacted in such a way, Thea, kicked him out. Another blow is that she wants a divorce. His buddies invite him into their book club to not just read romance novels they do read but help him understand women more. As well as they decide to guide him into saving his marriage. Thea doesn’t want to give him another chance, but he begs to attempt on her terms. She outlines terms that he has to agree with. He has until Christmas to win her back. Along the way, he learns and wakes up to the truth that he hadn’t seen before and has epiphanies about their marriage.

I was expecting something else with the title and was questioning the synopsis. I found myself smiling at the end of the novel. This book is told through third perspective but with the focus on the husband rather than the wife as well as some part of the chapters there are samples of the book that Gavin was reading for the Bromance Book Club. This was heartfelt and made my heart swell. This book addresses some issues that married couples may have had or are working on. Marriage isn’t easy and requires dedication as well as devotion with both partners. I would’ve preferred this novel longer to further explain about Thea’s parents as well as Gavin’s parents to help the plot. With or without that the novel is beyond great.

Yuck

Roomies – Christina Lauren

Marriage, contemporary women, love stories, romance, fiction.  

Rating 3/10

Holland fell for this musician she stumbled upon while taking an adventure from her apartment to the subway. After a nasty fall, its clear that he saved her life. Holland wants to give him a reward, a role in one of her uncle’s play. Unfortunate she learns that he is an illegal immigrant and she thought of a way for him to stay, she decides to marry him and pretend being married, until pretending became reality.

I didn’t really like this novel. It felt too rushed in my opinion as well as a overused trope. Nothing fresh here.

A Thrilling Marriage ;]

The Marriage Pact – Michelle Richmond

Romance, drama, marriage, pacts, cults, thriller, horror, fiction.

When Jake first laid his eyes on Alice, he wanted her for the rest of his life. He wanted to marry her. After proposing to her and marrying her, they got a gift labeled The Pact. Wondering, they message the person who sent the package. Immediately after some deliberation and conversation, they agree that they want their marriage to last forever. What they don’t know about The Pact is that this is practically a cult with too much power. Immediately there is problems, Alice was outfitted with a refocus mechanism and he wants some damn answers. As time progresses, they both fear for their lives.

I thought this book was going to be a romance, but I was happily wrong. This would be considered a thriller because of some of the elements. This novel questioned everything I ever had thought of marriage and I think this book explores the more extreme ways of keeping the marriage working. I had read this book previously and rereading this novel for the second time, I’ve noticed that there is a lot of chapters that can be cut out that doesn’t make sense to the plot line. Overall this is a good novel. I found myself binge reading like I had done the first time reading this novel. I wish there was more books by this author because Michelle Richmond writes beautifully. Each element is balanced out which I prefer a harmony. I would like this to be expanded because I would love to hear other stories that involve The Pact. Like expand on some of the members and their perspectives. Might be just me wanting more. I wouldn’t mind if the author did this in the future.

Scared Of This Book..

The Marriage Pact – Michelle Richmond

Romance, suspense, drama, action, marriage, fiction

Rating 8/10

In this thrilling romance novel, “The Marriage Pact” by Michelle Richmond, it’s focused on marriage. These two adults, Alice and Jake freshly had gotten married got some fears about what happens after the honeymoon. After receiving a suspicious package labeled, THE PACT, both are highly interested and willing to try this out. It seemed easy, abide by simple rules of marriage and read all handbooks that helps the marriage stay happy and prosperous. This society helps it’s members if they see a marriage slightly gets rocky or uneasy. When they join, they start to regret ever joining this society. As they struggle to maintain a happy marriage, they see how dark this society truly is. Members in the THE PACT interfere in their marriage and purposely sabotage for personal interests. Between marriage prisons and demonic “focus” devices create chaos for the newlyweds. Alice and Jake hunt down information to get out of this dark society and succeeds with persuasion.

When I had saw this book at the book store, the title alone caught my attention. Usually I hardly read romance novels ever, but this storyline intrigued me to read more. Given that there are some morbid scenes and very adult like content I would recommend it to mature audiences. It is very fast paced and keep’s one on their toes as they read. I personally love this book but some of the content described such as a marriage prison and a focus mechanism disturb me greatly. Other than that, pretty good.

Richmond, Michelle. The Marriage Pact: a Novel. Penguin Books., 2018