Book Review: MY SISTER'S HUSBAND by Nicola Marsh

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

MY SISTER'S HUSBAND 

by 

Nicola Marsh

The sunroom at the back of the house is just as I remember. I can’t taste homemade lemonade or smell oatmeal cookies without thinking of home, of the beautiful cliffs of Martino Bay, and I feel welcomed. But all thoughts of a happy family reunion are destroyed the moment I see him…

He’s as handsome as I remember: broad shoulders, piercing blue eyes, hair the colour of burnt toffee.

The man who once meant the world to me. The reason I fled eleven years ago. I’ve never told anyone the terrible mistake I made that night. The secret we share. I’m still haunted by the crashing waves at the bottom of the cliffs, the blood…

But what is he doing at my sister’s house?

And then I see her. My baby sister. She smiles, she tips her hand so I can see the ring. And his arm slides around her waist, pulling her close…

MY THOUGHTS

MY SISTER’S HUSBAND by Nicola Marsh certainly has some elements of a domestic thriller, but I really did struggle thinking about the book this way because, for me, there wasn’t any real mystery or suspense. It felt more like a family saga, whose lies are exposed and secrets are unravelled over the course of the book. Once I recalibrated my expectations, I enjoyed the book a lot more.

Some sibling relationships are toxic, and Marsh gives us not one, but two such relationships across generations that significantly impact their lives and the lives of those around them. To say their lives come across as soap opera-ish really doesn’t give enough credit to these characters whose lies, actions and manipulations are breath-taking in their audacity.

I feel Marsh has delivered a well-plotted narrative but one that at times is let down by too conveniently delivered revelations or by the apathetic attitudes of some characters. They are the weak links that make me question how decades old secrets were so well guarded.

I enjoyed March’s writing style. It flows well, and is comprehensible; important given the point of view switches with each chapter. I did guess early on what the big twist was – more likely a fluke than any real deduction on my part - but I was content to go along for the ride until I reached the end. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

USA TODAY bestselling author and multi-award winner Nicola Marsh writes feel-good fiction…with a twist.

She has published 70 novels and sold over 8 million copies worldwide.

She currently writes rural romance for Harper Collins Australia, emotional, twisty, domestic suspense for Hachette UK’s Bookouture and Grand Central Publishing USA, and contemporary romance for Penguin Random House’s Berkley imprint in the USA.

She’s a Waldenbooks, Bookscan, Amazon, iBooks and Barnes & Noble bestseller, a RBY (Romantic Book of the Year) and National Readers’ Choice Award winner, and a multi-finalist for a number of awards including the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, Booksellers’ Best, Golden Quill, Laurel Wreath, and More than Magic.

A physiotherapist for thirteen years, she now adores writing full time, raising her two dashing heroes, sharing fine food with family and friends, cheering on her beloved North Melbourne Kangaroos, and curling up with a good book!

https://www.nicolamarsh.com/