A Shattered Marriage follows Julia Williamson, a doting wife who can’t seem to please her domineering husband, Bill. After years of fighting and emotional torment, Julia finally decides it’s time to call it quits. Luckily, she has a supportive friend and a long-lost love to help her through the tough time. But none of them are equipped to handle what’s coming Miss Williamson’s way. Unseen forces are not letting Julia’s soon to be former life go without a fight. Is love worth fighting to the death for?

A Shattered Marriage might be a suspenseful story of fiction, but it is uncanny how relatable Julia’s marriage is. The themes, character development, and story building are spectacular. Santoro has a way of making you feel a whirlwind of emotions when she writes about how manipulative people can be, and how emotionally jarring a betrayal can be. She is not afraid to dig deep and bring up subjects and situations that many women have unfortunately gone through. The arguments between Julia and Bill are fantastically done, they felt chilling true to life. That being said, a trigger warning is necessary for anyone who is sensitive to the subject of emotional abuse.

I thoroughly enjoyed the fast-paced nature of Santoro’s story telling and the vivid nature with which the story unfolded. Despite being fast-paced, every scene happened naturally without feeling rushed. The gradual build-up to the end was intense and satisfying. I’m not sure if the well defined characters are what got me so deeply involved in the story, or if the engrossing storyline is what got me to empathize with the characters, but in either case the two work together to deliver an engrossing romantic thriller.

A Shattered Marriage (His Deadly Betrayal Series Book 1) by C.M. Santoro has zero dull moments in a story that is either building characters up or testing them in some way. This is a great book for fans of prefer a little suspense with their romance story. A riveting start to what is sure to be a stimulating series.

Pages: 170 | ASIN:  B08NF5R8SX