Lies/ TM Logan/ 418 pgs

This is the story of Joe, a happily married father of one, who is driving home with his young son when they spot his wife's car. On a whim, Joe follows her. To a hotel. Where she is seen meeting and arguing with her best friend's husband, Ben. Joe then confronts Ben in the parking garage and his life begins to unravel from there. Ben ends up disappearing and it looks like he's setting Joe up for murder and gaslighting him in every way possible. This is a very readable book that moves right along. While I liked it, I didn't love it because there were times when I really wished Joe would wise up and stop being so naive. In addition, at the end two of the characters seem to do a complete 180 in terms of personality which made the ending highly doubtful.

The Last Mrs. Parrish/ Liv Constantine/ 393 pgs

The premise of this story is quite intriguing. Amber is a mid-twenties woman living outside of New York City. She hints that she's on the run from something she did back in Missouri but currently she is focused on becoming the next Mrs. Jackson Parrish. The first obstacle to this goal is that Jackson, a wealthy businessman, is already happily married with two children. Amber has things all planned out though. She does her research and insinuates herself into the life of the current Mrs. Parrish, Daphne, and soon she's manipulating her new friend in all sorts of ways. I found the first half of this book on the boring side, which is surprising considering what I've described above. The problem is that Amber does not meet any other obstacles along the way. Everything is smooth sailing. Even when one of Daphne's friends discovers that Amber isn't her real name, Amber is able to talk her way out of the problem. The second half of the book, told from Daphne's point of view, is much more exciting and the book races to a wild conclusion. I was left feeling a little skeptical about how "happy" this ending would be for the character, but in all in all it was satisfying.

The Marriage Pact/ Michelle Richmond / 414 pgs

With The Marriage Pact, I probably should have paid more attention to the blurb. If I had, I probably wouldn't have read it, which in the end would have been best. Jake and Alice are a newly married couple in their mid to late thirties. They are invited to join the Marriage Pact, an exclusive "club" whose purpose is to make sure people stay married and stay happy. At first glance this seems like an okay premise but the Pact goes to such extreme lengths (monitoring, kidnapping, incarceration, torture) to achieve its goal that I just couldn't take it seriously. No one cares this much about another couple's marriage. The story is told in first person from Jake's point of view and while he wasn't an unlikable character, he also didn't seem very realistic. We also only got his view of Alice, which made her seem distant and again unrealistic. There is a twist at the end which some readers might like but the very end of the book is ambiguous, which many readers won't like.

A Beautiful, Terrible Thing: a Memoir of Marriage and Betrayal/Jen Waite/260 pgs.

Jen Waite thought she had found her soul mate when she met Marco. It isn't until early in their marriage, and the birth of their daughter, that Jen discovers that Marco isn't being honest with her--to say the least. This is Jen's journey through her marriage to a psychopath--and the steps she takes to get her life back on track. It's an interesting read.

The Spindle Chair / Shellie Arnold / 300 pgs

The book was well-written and had a compelling story of a couple, Laurie and Pierce, who has to cope with a particularly hard miscarriage that almost took Laurie's life. Laurie becomes pregnant again, and her already distant husband, who is a pastor, becomes more distant as he deals with all the fear he has over the new pregnancy. Meanwhile, new memories of Pierce's life before he was adopted resurfaces, making an already tenuous relationship even more strained. So, the story is about some heavy marital issues, not so much about romance.

Nevertheless, it's a beautiful and hard story to read. I would recommend it with some tissues on hand.

Lies You Wanted to Hear/James Whitfield Thomson/404 pgs.

Lucy and Matt meet on a blind date. Lucy is from a dysfunctional, yet wealthy family: her mother is alcoholic, and her father is unfaithful. Matt has been raised by his mother, a single parent, and is a police officer. Matt falls for Lucy--head over heels-- and they eventually marry and have children. It's when Lucy's past catches up with her in the form of ex-boyfriend, Griffin, that the marriage totally unravels. The book is told in alternating chapters in Lucy's and Matt's voices. It's like watching a train wreck--you want to turn away, but you just have to see how it ends! Recommended!

Behave/ Andromeda Romano-Lax/ 391 pages

Behave is Andromeda Romano-Lax's fictionalized biography of Rosalie Rayner partner and wife of behaviorist John Watson.  Both participated in a controversial experiment conducted on infants.  Their goal was to demonstrate how a baby can be conditioned to fear much like Pavlov's dog.  Later they wrote the 'definitive' book of child rearing based on the flawed principles of the experiment.  The book begins with Rosalie attending Vassar and ready to make her mark on the world.  When Rosalie drops out of a special class in support of her friend, it's the first glimmer that  maybe her decision making skills are flawed.  She goes on to marry John Watson after a brief affair and eventually realizes that her two children are now the experiment.  The book is interesting, but it is easy to see where things are going to go.  It's a little bit of a let down to know you're reading about two people who effected the lives of many children through their book, but the story has been fictionalized.  Overall it's a fluffy read of a deep topic.

The Last Original Wife/Dorothea Benton Frank/352 pages

Leslie and Wesley, known to all as Les and Wes, are still on their first marriage. Death and divorce ended their friends' marriages, and the husbands replaced the first wives with much younger versions  (the Barbies as Les calls them) within months. Wes' loud and abusive nature makes him less of a prize than one would think. Their adult children seem to lack motivation and financial stability. An accident resulting in injury on a vacation and the subsequent discovery of bank statements showing untold wealth have Les fleeing back to her childhood home in Charleston for an extended visit to her brother while she sorts out her life.

An engrossing novel that deals with what do you do when you realize you are unhappy and have no one to blame but yourself.

Saving Grace/Jane Green/346 pages

Grace and Ted Chapman seem like the perfect literary couple, but looks can be deceiving. Ted is a famous best-selling author whose books aren't selling much anymore. His moods and demands are legendary in the publishing world, but only Grace knows how intimidating he can be. Thank goodness for their assistant Ellen who keeps everything organized and running properly, giving Ted little reason to throw a tantrum. Problem is, Ellen must leave to take care of her ailing mother in Florida. Grace fears what happens when she fails, as she most likely will, to keep Ted happy and on an even keel. Then Beth appears, as if out of nowhere, and she is the answer to Grace's prayers. Beth is even more organized than Ellen, but she makes Grace uneasy. When Beth starts dressing like Grace and taking her place at events, Grace's normal unflappable reserve leaves her. Soon, Beth is on the run, heading back to England to get her life back in order.

At first, I thought this would be focusing on an emotionally abusive husband, but the story soon became more about the devious assistant and her plan to take Grace's place. Somehow, the assistant seems to tame Ted quickly which makes me ask the question: is he really as abusive as he seems at first or was Grace just too timid? The ending is somewhat unsatisfactory if you like judgement or at least closure.

Scarlet Thread / Francine Rivers 462 p.

Sierra Madrid seems to have the happy life-- married, two children, nice home in their hometown. Then her husband, Alex, comes home and says he is taking a new job where he can fully use his talents. Sierra is a homebody. She moves but with loads of resentment. Alex never discussed this move. Alex seems to miss her concerns about money. This new company is young. He's going for all the perks, big house, top interior designer, and private schools for the children. The family starts to fall apart, she and her husband separate, and divorce is eminent. She comes to read her ancestor's diary and study the ancestor's quilt with scarlet thread. Mary Kathryn, too, had to move against her will with her husband. Sierra has several personal revelations that drive her to changes as she moves towards faith and redemption. Rivers works scenes that seem so authentic. A worthwhile Christian fiction read, one that bears re-reading.