Well, this was a really interesting premise for a book; I thought it would be a break-away from the usual murder and torture that frequents my reading list...hmmm maybe not! But membership of a club which promises its couples will never divorce seems like a pretty good idea, having that support network to help you through those difficult times; yes I can understand why Jake and Alice found the gift quite appealing to be honest. Though of course things weren't quite so ideal once the acceptance was made.
This is, for want of a better phrase, a page-turner, I found the writing really engaging and it definitely kept calling out for me to finish it. In complete honesty, I wasn't overly thrilled with the ending, but then in fairness, I have no idea just how it could otherwise have been concluded so it's probably not a fair statement to make! It just felt a bit of a disappointment when the rest of the book was so different from the norm. Anyway, I don't think that is something that should put you off The Marriage Pact at all; as I've said it is an exciting read nonetheless.
I did find some of the rule book that members had to follow pretty good actually: the idea of a gift a month; taking regular trips away - it all sounds like something we all should do to ease that complacency that so easily creeps into a marriage. Granted the consequences for not following the rules aren't so attractive, but even then I completely understood Alice's reasoning for staying committed to the pact - it all made perfect sense to me. There were certainly enough surprises and elements of doubt surrounding certain characters to keep me hooked throughout. I will admit that elements of the book brought to mind some movies, but now of course I can't remember what the films were - The Marriage Pact would certainly lend itself pretty well to a movie, though I think the Fatal Attraction age of Michael Douglas would be ideal for Jake for some reason! Anyway...time travel is probably out so I'd better stop that train of thought there.
I really enjoyed The Marriage Pact - it's an exciting roller-coaster of a read which kept me entertained even in the throes of agony that I suffer in the Winter!! Praise indeed!
