The Marriage Game by Heather Miekstyn: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

Love never fails…supposedly.

Jill and Max’s love story has already been written. After all, they’ve been married for almost 17 years. That means they're meant to be in the “and they lived happily ever after” stage of things…Only, happily ever after isn’t as happy as Jill expected. Instead, Max is working more than he’s home, she’s become her kids’ chauffeur, date night has all but disappeared, and— oh yeah— she has wrinkles, cellulose, and a pelvic floor that seems determined to give out on her. She’s not exactly living sexily ever after either.

Still, Jill is nothing if not a fighter. Determined to get her marriage back on track, she convinces Max to go on a marriage retreat. But when the keynote speaker at the retreat decides their marriage needs some special attention, Jill and Max both balk at the idea, concerned for their public image and offended by her insinuations about the state of their union. Together they hatch a plan to prove just how wrong she is about their marriage: up the PDA, flirt non-stop, and stop fighting.

They’ll only have to play this marriage game for a few days; how hard can it be? Then again, games for two usually end with both players losing their hearts.

The Author

As a child, Heather Miekstyn used to spend hours in her room creating characters, then writing out the first half of their stories before eventually losing steam. Then she discovered the romance genre and realized the key to finishing any good story-a happy ending.

Heather resides in Michigan with her husband, four daughters, and their rambunctious black lab. When she is not writing, she can be found reading, running, or playing Bananagrams. She hopes her books leave you feeling like you’ve just been hugged by a Hallmark movie.

For more information visit her website, www.heathermiekstyn.com or follow her on Instagram @heathermiekstyn

Book Review

The Marriage Game is the third book in the Games for Two series. While I think those who have read the previous books will have a better understanding of the sibling dynamics between Jill and her sisters, I do think this could be enjoyed as a standalone as well. 

Oh my goodness, just when I think that Heather's books can't get any better, she just goes right ahead and proves me wrong! (And I've never been happier to be so.)  This isn't quite your typical romance book though, focusing on Jill and Max- a couple who have been married for nearly seventeen years. Now, I love romance--- I love seeing couple meet and fall in love for the first time. But having been married for 18 years myself, I know that that is not where the real love story ends. There is something about seeing a couple who has been through life together- the good and the bad- find that spark again that I think is even more beautiful. That was certainly true with these two! (Though I do love the few flashbacks that we get throughout as well... that initial meet-cute... so, so good!) Jill is a character that I think so many women can relate to--- a perfectionist who struggles with feeling beautiful after kids and getting older... which only drew me more into her story. Throw in a slightly overzealous counselor at the marriage retreat they're attending and what's not to love? This was a story that had me absolutely laughing out loud... repeatedly. I loved the scheming, I loved the Montana setting, I loved the millennial pop culture references (a Mary-Kate and Ashley AND a Boy Meets World reference in one book--- YES!), I loved the humor... but I also loved the realness and vulnerability of it all too. And of course, everything always points unapologetically back to Jesus... and I absolutely couldn't get enough! This is another top read for me! 

The Marriage Game is a closed-door Christian romance, but does have some innuendo, subtle fade to black/implied intimacy and mention of sex from a Christian perspective/within the context of marriage. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/3GhWK1c