The S Before Ex

Tabloid Scandals #1

by Mira Lyn Kelly

There's one thing even the tabloid hounds haven't managed to dig up about celebrity Ryan he is married! He may be one of America's most desirable men, but his secret wife has just filed for divorce.

Since their separation six years ago, Claire has turned her life upside new business, new friends, new life. But when she sees Ryan to hash out a settlement, her body tells her one thing hasn't changed—he's still the only man who really does it for her. With all other guys guaranteed to be totally meh, she's in last-chance it's either an X-rated fling with her ex, or straight to chastitybelts.com!

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Second Chance, Harlequin Presents, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Second Chance Romance

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

For Mira's latest book news, sign up for her newsletter at http://www.miralynkelly.com/newsletter

Hard core romantic, stress baker, and housekeeper non-extraordinaire, Mira Lyn Kelly is the USA TODAY bestselling author of more than a dozen sizzly love stories with over a million readers worldwide. Growing up in the Chicago area, she earned her degree in Fine Arts from Loyola University and met the love of her life while studying abroad in Rome, Italy… only to discover he’d been living right around the corner from her back home. Having spent her twenties working and playing in the Windy City, she’s now settled with her husband in rural Minnesota, where their four amazing children and two ridiculous dogs provide an excess of action and entertainment. When she isn’t reading, writing, or running the kids around, she loves watching the Chicago Blackhawks and action/adventure movies, blabbing with the girls, and cooking with her husband and friends.

Reviews

[StMargarets · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure how to rate this. Maybe 2.5 stars? I love a good reunion story. The angst was off the charts for the heroine. But let's face it, the hero was a cheating hero who cheats.

After the heroine left him (she was traumatized by the birth of their stillborn baby) the hero didn't try to get her back for quite a while. Then he saw a man coming out of her apartment and he assumed she had moved on, so he moved on. The heroine had nine years of hearing about his sexual exploits in the tabloids while she remained emotionally frozen and celibate.

Never mind the hero never revealed he was still married to these women. What a prince.

So the reunion finally happens when the heroine files for divorce and won't take anything from the hero. The hero wants her to have half of his assets and he wants to work it out together.

Heroine readily agrees (too readily!) They eventually have sex and decide to have a fling for a few weeks. The heroine feels alive again and the hero is in hopes he can move his marriage from the failure column to the success column.

There's more angst to come before their HEA, but I won't spoil. Suffice it to say, I wasn't convinced that this was a love for the ages - at least on the hero's part. They married too young because the h was pregnant and this "failure" gave him a chance to sow some more oats. The heroine was sadly obsessed with the hero - she had only lead a half-existence without him. That sounds romantic, but is that love?

He couldn't bear to have a failure in his past - he never missed her as a person for nine years. I think he was ready to settle down and this was the easiest way for him to feel good about himself.

[Jena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know many will like this book simply because of the angst. However, for me, I couldnt stand the pity-party lovin heroine. Top it off, I didn't buy his love for her when he was only 22 or even later...

SPOILER:

They marry when she's 18 because she's preggers. Shortly thereafter her baby dies and she (rightfully) goes grief-psycho and pushes the hero away. He drowns himself in work and she moves away to school and tell hims she's never coming back. He goes to see her at her school and see's a man coming out of her room and wrongfully thinks she's moved on (misunderstanding) and he feels relieved?!! WTF..... Because he can now safely move on with his life without guilt, she's been so grief stricken, she's pushed him away.

And how well moves on too... with numerous relationships with other women and so on while the pathetic heroine remains celibate for 8 friggin YEARS, because apparently no man on earth moves her...

The first night they make love after the years apart, she pitifully confesses how he was the only one EVER for her, this right after he confesses how many lovers he has had over the years after their break... I just wanted to cringe... The book doesnt get any better, he doesnt even want to kiss and make-up and work on their marriage, no, they're only screwing until their divorce finalizes, and the stupid heroine just goes along.... *rolls eyes*

She gave him up for his own good, he was GLAD when she gave him a reason to move on.... I hated this HP. If this book was written in the 70s I could maybe swallow this plot but what sane women these days would put up with this horse shit..

[Fre06 Begum · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn’t get over the fact he slept with other women whist he was still married! She off course stayed true to him even knowing he was sleeping with other women. She made too many excuses for him when the simple truth was he DID COMMIT ADULTERY and as he admitted he felt no guilt just relief that he could get on with his life. He was no hero and she was truly weak for letting him get away with his cowardly behaviour!

[Nicola Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sorry to say this is my first Mira Lyn Kelly read but won't be my last!

This is a passionate reunion story, filled with emotion and poignancy and sizzle. Loads of sizzle!

Ryan and Claire are finalising their divorce, but through mutual disclosures and building trust they grow closer.

I loved the practicality of this novel. No trite or miracle endings.
Just two people working hard to find their way back to one another.

[Dominique F · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know. A lot of people didn’t love this one. A lot of people felt Ryan didn’t care and wasn’t invested.

I love spoilers before I read. I’m a read the last page first kind of person.

And honestly I really liked this. I loveeeee me some cheating scandalous grovel stuff. And this was pretty good.

I’m not sure why soooo many reviews (to the point where I wasn’t going to read this) said he totally did not love her or want her. He literally wanted her the second he saw her again and all throughout. He was jealous and possessive and Defn had the feels.
Mon fact he was the one who kept going back after her.

Dahlias part as the OW gave us like a page of angst tht I thought could have been made into a longer situation since I love that sht but it was a good fast “oh shtttt….wait oh word….ok no doubt” situation lol IYKYK

But yeah. I liked this. I liked Ryan. Clare was cool. She Defn fixed her self after the great separation lol

Enjoy this book. I did

[Booklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful Heart-wrenching

This one had me glued from page 1 till the last,loved Claire-Ryan these two loved each other deeply were happy then tragedy struck and everything came crashing down,Claire was emotionally broken Ryan tried to reach her but she kept pushing him and then finally she left,still Ryan did'nt give up on their marriage but the phone call along with a misunderstanding which led Ryan on conclusion that Claire has moved on and he also moves on but the truth something else

Now its been 9 years and Claire has filed for divorce but she does'nt wants anything from him but Ryan is adamant on not letting Claire off the hook this time,Ryan comes to meet Claire to discuss the settlement,from here we see how Ryan-Claire both face their past demons

Both have their share of guilt,pain,heart-breaks and fears along with some secrets that Claire has kept and not to forget Ryan's ex with whom he has on/off relation from past 2 years,as we go through the story we get to know what Ryan went through along with Claire when they lost their child,Ryan has never talked about it with anyone

One scene that made me like a baby was at Claire's office when a boy comes and Claire is playing with him Ryan remembers that day in hospital when he held his son and his hands are in that position,this scene touched my heart

Overall this is a wonderful read,this one is on my keepers list
This is the first book for me by this author,definitely not the last
Recommend it

[Saly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. Claire and Ryan got married when they were too young, Claire was eighteen and she made Ryan her whole world. Her parents abandoned her when she got pregnant and then she lost her baby and her world changed. Something broke in her and she couldn't connect at all so she pushed Ryan away, moved to another place for school and one day called Ryan to say that she wasn't coming back. She did what she felt was right, try to re-build her life while setting Ryan free to live his.

When they meet again, both of them have changed. Claire is now independent and successful and so is Ryan. He comes to her to Rome because of the divorce papers she filed. He feels he owes her and wants her to receive fair settlement so they decide to hash it out what each they didn't count on was the sparks that exist between them.

Then comes the revelations. Ryan moved on because he thought Claire had but she couldn't, not because of Ryan but because of losing her baby. They both decide to explore the sparks between them by starting a temporary affair while they hash things through.

I didn't mind that the hero wasn't celibate because he kept his vows and only broke them when he thought Claire had. Their marriage was indeed over and I did like seeing them find each other when they were more mature and confident.

I would have loved an epilogue for this.

[Mou: Fae of Heartfelt ARC]

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The heroine Claire is on a much needed vacation and looking forward to the chance to relax. But her bubble is burst when her estranged husband Ryan, the hero, turns up and takes her back so they can discuss a suitable divorce settlement. Claire is determined to move on with her life so she had asked for nothing, but Ryan's sense of duty means that he needs to know he has done right by Claire despite their rather disastrous marriage. As the story progresses we learn about the heartbreaking events that caused their separation and the effects it has had on their lives. Spending time together makes Claire and Ryan realise that they still desire one another, a lot. They begin an affair, labelling it as "closure", but it's not long before their feelings get deeper and issues come up that seem to threaten their tenuous and temporary happiness.

This is a really great book from Mira Lyn Kelly that I enjoyed from the first to the last page. The characters and story have a wonderful blend of fun and and sadness, which really makes the story stand out. The interaction between the characters is written beautifully and the passion is intense. There is enough of the characters backstory and past events to help you understand them but not so much that the book ends up feeling like a flashback episode of a sitcom! I also liked that the author included a few surprises that helped to keep me turning the pages. The ending is simply wonderful!

I definitely recommend this book, another fabulous addition to the RIVA line.


Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....

[Veronica Ticker · Rating 4 out of 5]

When one of your favorite authors writes your favorite trope, you’re thrilled. And I was mostly satisfied. But I think this story deserved to be extended–as it is, it affects the way the reader see the characters.

Which favorite trope, you ask? The estranged couple on the verge of divorce. It’s kind of like second chance, but not really: even separated for several years, the couple still has an inalienable connection. Here the thing is, they still need to reacquaint themselves with each other, as they didn’t keep contact through those years and they changed a lot. But the response to ending what once was is visceral–the divorce can’t be, and they’ll do whatever they can to avoid it, unknowlingly, and each in their own way.

Claire and Ryan married young because of an unexpected pregnancy. While they may have been in love, they mostly did what they had to do. So when tragedy strikes, Claire decides to leave Ryan. But they never divorced. Until present day, when she serves him with the divorce papers: she thinks it’s the last step in rebuilding her life. But Ryan can’t let go. He traps her into a settlement negotiation.

See the title? Claiming a need for closure, they start a physical relationship for as long as it’ll take to distribute their assets. But by spending time together–not always naked–they slowly fall in love with the person the other has become.

So my problem with this is that, since it’s quite a short novel, we don’t see much of the interactions outside the bed–or wherever. Hence the ‘falling in love again’ feels rushed and underdeveloped. Because of the fast pace, you may even doubt they had feelings for each other in the first place. And Ryan appears just controlling, almost abusive. I feel like they really deserved to have their story told from start to finish.

Other less important elements are barely touched upon, like Claire’s relationship with her parents. Sure, they aren’t vital to the love story, but it would have helped with shaping up the characters.

Quickie

- Series: standalone
- Hashtags: #billionaire romance #second chance #estranged couple
- Triggers: child loss, medical condition, cheating (though they’re separated, they’re still married)
- Main couple: Claire Brady & Ryan Brady
- Hotness: 4/5
- Romance: 4/5
- + Claire really had rebuilt her life
- – this story deserved a longer book, some things were rushed

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Claire and Ryan have been estranged for nine years. She has FINALLY served him w/ divorce papers. She gets to read about his exploits in the tabloids, but really he didn’t move on from her until he believed she had moved on first. That is his excuse and he is sticking to it. Claire and Ryan had married young, suffered a tragedy, and when Claire was unable to get past it and Ryan couldn’t deal anymore she went away. When he man’s up he sees another man leaving her place in the early hours and immediately thinks the worst of her. That was all he needed to get off for himself. Now they are back together to work out arrangements in the divorce settlement. He wants to give her SO much more, probably to soothe his guilty conscience, than she wants. So that is their hang-up. They spend time together and find they can’t keep their hands off one another. When Ryan finds out that Claire made a decision w/out giving him all the information he feels betrayed and walks away.

My problems w/ this one are that he doesn’t seem to truly want to be there through the hard times, he finds a way to run and he wants to lay blame at her feet. He believed that Claire would take up w/ OM as though he has no faith in her. The whole conditional love aspect for Claire was brought forth well, but Ryan came across as still a bit of a child. He had been looking for a way out long before he saw OM. He had a couple of long term r/s during their estrangement which implied that Claire wasn’t all that special either. Then, of course, he thinks to lay even more blame on Claire because of her decision in the past and not involving him. But truly why would she when she honestly believed that he only wanted her because of the child. He thinks because he didn’t marry any of his OW that it is a point in his favor – didn’t think bigamy was legal though! Ryan just didn’t want to work through that difficult time in his marriage w/ Claire and he wanted the easy way out. Claire wants to claim that Ryan is so responsible, but when push came to shove Ryan bolted. Sure Ryan admits that he didn’t know how to be a hubby before, but did he know how to be a human being?? He claimed he would have been there for her, but his history shows that he wouldn’t have truly been there. She was treated to a repeat performance of this near the end while Ryan worked out what he needed to do and business came before Claire as well. Ryan was too much of a coward to come after Claire and he couldn’t let go of her completely either.

Also if their marriage such a secret and papers followed him for years wouldn’t they have discovered their r/s before? What about filing for divorce? There would have been documentation of that too. Still wonder if he is so responsible how about those other r/s he had w/ OW?

[KaylaJane · Rating 1 out of 5]

This had to be the worst HP I ever read!

First of all, for a “romance” fictional read, where was the romance? At no point in this story (even at the very end) did I feel as these 2 loved one another or wanted to be together. This is an actual manifest of fictional characters that should never be together.

It starts with H & h meeting in college at age 18 & 22. They are supposedly in love but heroine gets pregnant and Hero decides to do right by her by marrying her since her parents have thrown her out and she is homeless and without support.

Heroine stated that had she not gotten pregnant, their romance would have eventually phased out and they would have parted. Nice.

Then they lose their baby and I don’t believe we ever get any details in terms of how far along in her pregnancy she was before she lost her baby. And as if that wasn’t enough, this author must have had some major anger issues when writing this thing because she was definitely not into romance-type writing mode or liking her characters because she decides to put a hatchet on top of the baby loss by making heroine unable to ever conceive again.

But there is more folks. After they lose the baby, heroine goes into deep depression and she sorta pushes Hero away and of course he does nothing. He was 4 years older than her and all he feels is relief that he doesn’t have to deal with her anymore and what does he do? After heroine leaves to go back to college or something while he focuses on his career, he goes to see her and sees a man coming out of her apartment and immediately thinks she slept with him so he goes out and fucks an OW which releases him to feel no guilt as she supposedly cheated first and begins to live his carefree life of 9 years of whorign around with other women.

He stated that he had 4 sexual relationships. Two with women that her ONS or short flings and 2 that were long term. The last one was with an actress that he was seeing on & off for 2 years and had broken up 4 months prior. Now heroine of course was celibate because she could not feel anything with any OM except of course the douchebag. She also knows about all his affairs as he has done nothing to keep it out of the public eye and even though he knows he is married, it doesn’t stop him from acting like he is a free man.

What pissed me off about this one so much as that heroine said she was never jealous or bothered seeing him all these years with OW. Even when they started to hook up again and his ex came into the picture or discussion a time or two, no jealousy was ever expressed or hurt. What the hell?

Hero BTW feels a tiny bit remorse when he learns that she never slept with anyone else but it is easily forgotten and he NEVER apologizes! Over & over again up until the last few pages he states how much he wants to divorce her and get on with his life. Over & over again we hear of his relief when she walked away.

Then at close to the end, we have a little more shitfest in the form that the OW is pregnant and the kid may be his. He stated that if it turned out the kid was his, then he & heroine would be over for good. How nice of him.

Turns out the kid is not his but he doesn’t ask for a DNA test or anything. He just takes the OW’s word. Heroine sees a picture of him & OW where they are looking affectionally at one another and holding hands and is hurt but also happy for him that he is getting a chance to be a Father. LOL. (BTW, he called OW “sweetheart” and then turned around and called heroine the same which is what we all want to read in our fictional romances).

And the ending? Sucked lemons right along with everything else. Was there a resolution to the baby issue such as a miracle happened and heroine was able to carry a baby after all or talk of adoption, etc? Nope. Nada. The End.

[evieo17 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s great that Ryan and Claire eventually got their HEA but I had a hard time believing Ryan had such a change of heart so fast towards Claire after ignoring her for so long. I was not sympathetic towards him.

[✩ layla ✩ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can’t believe I read this shit.

[Paula Legate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was packed full of emotions. Claire married Ryan when she was very young. The two were in love, the kind of forever lasting love. When Claire had a miscarriage, it tore her to pieces. She closed her self off from the world, and from her husband. Ryan didn't know how to help her. He took her to counseling, but counseling didn't seem to work. She took off, and Ryan as much as he loved her, let her go. 9 years later they come together to finalize the divorce. The chemistry burned hot between the couple. Claire, and Ryan burned up the sheets in a hot affair, in-between talking about who gets what. The love had never left. The two just had to talk about what separated them, and deal with the pain together. Life is not a fairy tale, some pain runs too deep. Can Ryan, and Claire move past the pain, and embrace the love that is felt between them? This book pulled at my heart strings. I really enjoyed this one. This is not one of those fluffy light romance, that has no substance. This book dealt with hard topics, and real pain. It also had real love that was felt between the Hero, and Heroine.

[Fedora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this--I really enjoy stories about reunited lovers and this one was fantastic.

Claire is finally filing for divorce from her estranged husband of six years, Ryan Brady. All he has to do is sign the papers and they'll be free to go their separate ways. But Ryan is not one to shirk his responsibilities or to shy away from taking care of business and follows her to Rome, intent on making sure that Claire agrees to what he considers a fair settlement, which means at least half of his considerable assets.

Once they're forced to spend some time together working on the settlement, they regain a renewed appreciation for each other's other... assets. It becomes quite clear to everyone except the two of them that their chemistry and connection is far from being burned out.

Ms. Kelly did a lovely job with Ryan and Claire--what a pleasure to see them finally able to discuss and come to terms with what caused their separation in the first place and to find their way back to each other again. I'll definitely be looking for more of Ms. Kelly's stories.

[Suzie Quint · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite romance trope (if it counts as a trope) is the couple with a history. That may be because it takes less suspension of disbelief for me than the stories where two people fall in love in about a minute and a half. I think it's also because the couple comes with baggage that creates instant conflict. Here the hero and heroine are forced back into each other's company to try to sort out their divorce. Both have feelings of guilt and conflict as well as a huge dose of the hots for each other.

I've always liked Ms. Kelly's books. So far, there's always at least one scene in each book (usually more) that has me giggling wildly and this book didn't disappoint. These two are so busy telling themselves (and each other) that they can have one last fling while they sort out the property settlement, that they can't see what's so obvious to the reader--that they're kidding to themselves. Great fun.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give this book a higher rating because overall I think the writing and pacing is quite good. However, I didn't enjoy the heroine's inability to get over the loss of her child or the way she pushed her husband away because of it. Yes, I know they were very young and it's possibly a very accurate portrayal of how some people react in that situation. But it's not how I would have acted, and I just couldn't identify with her.

The heroes ambivalence to her pushing him away was more understandable to me, especially since he was so young and inexperienced at handling the emotions of both himself and his distraught wife.

There were other unbelievable aspects to the story, but nothing that isn't common in Harlequin books, so that was no surprise. Overall this is a well written book with some very poignant moments. Recommended for people who like angsty reads and second-chance romances.

[Lu Bielefeld · Rating 2 out of 5]

These stories are becoming all too alike.
Couple suffer a tragedy, separates, the wife remains faithful during 9 years and the husband arranges several women and have relationships exposed in the media.
He does not seek the ex wife during all this time and only when she decides to divorce that he wakes up to the fact that he still loves her. ..
Agree to have an affair to exorcise the past.
Nothing comes out as they imagine and everything ends up as always ... very predictable.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG this is one of my favorites. Couple of months ago I stopped reading it after reading 2 pages for a reason I can't remember and I kept ignoring it since. But yesterday i decided to give it a go and I loved it sooo much. I loved both the H and h . Their relationship was perfect. There was no anger or dark feelings. They cared about each other from the beginning. Ahhhhh i need more books like this one.

[Daisy Daisy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book way more than I did but to be honest I struggled. Both characters got on my nerves for various reasons. Our H was a bit of a man Ho flaunting his relationships all over the tabloids and our h lacked self confidence and pushed her hubs away when she needed him after a terrible tragedy. She really should have divorced his ass when she told him she was never coming back then I wouldn't have had to read all this angst. Why drag it out jeez! Not one of my faves sadly

[Valeen Robertson (Live Thru Books Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazon



A wakeup call in the form of divorce papers finally forces Ryan to realize he's never really gotten closure with his estranged wife, Claire. He's not going to let her go without figuring out their past. He just may not let her go at all...



Whoa boy this one is painful. Poor Claire had to endure not only the pain of their shared tragic loss, but she then had to put up with all the years after of seeing her husband in the tabloids with woman after woman after woman. I really, really felt for her throughout their story, and wanted to shake Ryan! He very luckily had a wife who forgave him, though. I'm not sure I ever did, but I like their story - mostly because I really like Claire. A good study of healing and the regaining of trust, with a lovable heroine, a not so lovable hero, but in the end, a happy ever after.



ARC provided by the author for an honest review.

Review: Live Through Books Blog.

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[Sharon Moritz-rosenthal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary early release e-book prior to release and am voluntarily leaving a review.

In this book we meet Ryan and Claire. They have been separated by nine years and they were last together when she was 18 and he 22. a He is a big deal in the entertainment world and so she has seen him and his exploits in the media. Yes, he has been with many different women, and she quietly stalked him, so she got to see him go from one playmate to the next.

Meanwhile she has gone to college, has a gallery and has excelled in the art world. But she is ready to find someone and settle down and so she wants a divorce. This makes Ryan track her down and try and take care of the details so they can both move on.

Reading this book made me think about the question of when do you think a marriage is over? For some it's when the couple separates, others it's when there is a legal separation. and others is when you actually have a divorce decree. I am not sure where I stand but Ryan over the last six years, didn't just have a night here or there, he claims to have had TWO long term relationships, PLUS TWO short relationships and then there is his latest, Dahlia who he is currently off with and who he broke with only a month before but who he has been with for two years.

In six years, I didn't expect him to not have a fling here or there but if he is in long term relationships then he should have asked for at least a legal separation. I also pity those women because they should not have entered into a long-term relationship with a man not even legally separated.

As Ryan and Claire work on figuring out their divorce they share a committed fling. Will Ryan finally fight for Claire? What secrets does Claire have from Ryan? And why does Dahlia keep calling?

This was a fast read and aside from my personal feelings on Ryan and his relationships. I enjoyed getting to know Claire and Ryan and how they had changed in the last 9 years as they get to know a more mature version of each other.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean...it was OK? I've read worse, but it was a bit of a struggle to get through. The heroine was suffering from trauma relating to two failed pregnancies--one a stillbirth, I think?--and the inability to conceive going forward which put her in relationship limbo for eight+ years. (I don't think she even dated, really? She definitely didn't sleep with anyone...though of course SHE WAS MARRIED THE WHOLE TIME.) The hero was essentially a self-absorbed jerk who never let his "secret" marriage get in the way of new relationships...until he decided he had the hots again for his wife and that they'd sleep together while they spent time (weeks? months? IDK, it seemed to take longer than it should have, but I know nothing about divorce) dividing up their assets to finally call it quits for real. It seemed like this consisted of just him giving her a bunch of his stuff, because I don't remember them talking about him taking any part of her gallery or any other assets of hers. So...?

I don't understand why they stayed married this whole time to begin with. I also don't understand why the hero thought she'd move on and have a family without him WHILE THEY WERE STILL MARRIED. The hero's tendency to make quick assumptions and either write her off entirely (the guy leaving her place when Ryan's stalking her years ago) or start yelling at her (the ring box at the end) would have made me dump his sorry butt long before, but I'm not Claire. Overall, it took too long for them to talk about (and therefore let the readers know) why they were apart in the first place, and their lightning fast reconciliation at the end didn't convince me that *this* time things were going to work out. I need more convincing when it's a second chance romance--a real reason why it's going to work this time when it didn't before--and I don't feel like we got it here.

Rating: 3 stars / C+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

[Floya Miens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Halfway through the story I thought I would give this 3 stars, because this is just not really what I expected from Mira Lyn Kelly. There is relatively much more angst and the wording doesn't feel like other MLK's stories that I've read before. There was a moment when I felt like I was trapped in a story that I didn't really have the desire to finish but I felt like kinda have to because MLK is one of my fave!

However, after bracing myself to get through a few more chapters, I started to appreciate the story more.

This is a heartbreaking story (which I don't really need these days, to be honest) wrapped up in bittersweet phrases and words. I got my emotion tangled with the plot (which I wasn't thrilled about).

I think this is a good story, if you're looking for that kind of bittersweet feeling when reading it. I was just not really in the mood for something like this, but I can appreciate it.

OK, here goes some SPOILERS.

I'm definitely not crazy about Ryan having other relationships while technically still married to Claire. However, reading that Claire only 'mildy irritated' with the situation and how shattered he is when he finds out that there has never been other man for Claire, it helped to ease my resentment.

The ending is too short. I wish to see Ryan grovels more because, in his own words, he failed Claire all those years before.

And what about kids? Both of them wanted family (at least 9 years before) and how come it doesn't come up at the end? Are they adopting? Or are they just going to forgo having kids instead? Any option is fine by me but I think considering that they separated because they lost their child, the issue should've been addressed somehow.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The S before the Ex by Mira Lyn Kelly is a story about love, marriage and second chances as Ryan and Claire take an emotional rollercoaster journey before reaching for a forever love. Ryan and Claire married when they were quite young, allowing a heartbreak and loss to tear them apart. Something broke inside her, and feeling she couldn't connect to Ryan, she pushed him away, moved away to attend school and finally, one day called Ryan to tell him that she wasn't coming back. She did what she thought was right, try to re-build her life while setting Ryan free to live his.

When they meet again nine years later, both of them have changed. Claire is now independent and successful, as is Ryan. He travels to Rome to find her; confronting her about divorce papers she filed. He feels he owes her and wants her to receive a fair settlement. As they attempt to work out a settlement, they did not expect the sparks that still exist between them. Neither of them have gotten over or recovered from what drove them apart; especially not dealing with it together, as a couple.

With the chemistry sparking hot between them they realize that they never stopped loving each other. While talking about a settlement and who gets what, Claire and Ryan enter a sizzling, burn-up the sheets fling. This also forces them to talk about what separated them, dealing with the pain together. Life is not a fairy tale, some pain runs too deep. Only this time Ryan won’t make the same mistake thinking she was fragile and letting her go without a fight. Unfortunate circumstances tore them apart but fate can bring them together once again. Filled with magnetic attraction and sizzling chemistry, I highly recommend The S before the Ex to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[Aminah Ahmad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not 100% sure if this is classed as a marriage in crisis trope? But I love the trope, and after reading this, I'm now wondering why I don't read this kind of thing more often lol.

The MIC kind of trope opens up the plot to so much angst and chemistry between the characters, which is one of the reasons i like it so much. And there were definitely certain points in this where i could feel the chemistry in particular. Which, I was a little surprised about tbh because the other 3 books I've just recently read of Mira's that have been rereleased, didn't have that same vibe for me personally.

I love how the title literally hits the nail on the head in regards to describing the book. Claire and Ryan are trying to sort out all the details relating to their divorce settlement but whilst doing so, they can't deny the chemistry that's still between them.

For Claire's character, I'm glad that her reason for not being with anyone else in between wasn't because she was just waiting for Ryan, and you can understand why she struggled given their history.

Likewise, Ryan not reading too much into Aaron's actions was such a relief because we didn't end up with the stereotypical misunderstood situation plot point.

I do think this could've been fleshed out more to go into more depth and provide more angst, particularly with Claire's situation. However, as this is from a different era of romance writing I get why it didn't. It's another fast and easy read, but definitely hit better than the other 3 like this which I'd just read. Which is why I'd rate it 3.3*.

*ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

*TW: past pregnancy trauma mention

[Destany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book. All views are my own.

This rollercoaster of emotion definitely needed a seatbelt. The angst was off the charts, but maybe our heroine milked that just a little too much. My main issue is the hero is a cheater. A big fat cheater. Marrying young, Ryan and Claire tied the knot because Claire was pregnant. Her family deserted her. Then after their child is stillborn, Claire goes into a depression and Ryan doesn't try to help her, effectively deserting her, too. So Claire leaves. But what's that? They didn't get divorced?

Years later, Ryan sees a man leaving Claire's apartment, and he assumes she's moved on. So what does he do? He gives him a license to go off and sleep with whoever he wants, completely forgetting he's got a wife. Claire takes many years to finally get the spine to file for divorce, and Ryan flips out, tracks her down IN ANOTHER COUNTRY, and forces her "back home" to settle their divorce. Ryan wants to give Claire her "share," but Claire wants nothing. What follows is Ryan forcing Claire to spend time with, and pretty much, date him.

Lots of longing, steam, angst and emotion, in the end it's all fluffy puppies and rainbows, but I'm not convinced Ryan loved Claire. I dunno. Just seemed like he wanted to possess her or something. Claire's pain was eloquently poured onto the page, and her inner turmoil had been in knots. That's why I rated this book the way I did. Claire deserves all the love in the world. I only hope Ryan gives her what she deserves.

[TheLazyCatLady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is kind of a slow-ish burn second chance story. It is a roller-coaster ride through all the emotions. You might need tissues.

Ryan and Claire separated almost a decade ago because of a devestating tragedy when both of them were very young but they are still legally married. They have both moved on with their lives in different ways and they have both had a chance to grow up and mature, and heal.

Claire finally asks Ryan for a divorce. She wants nothing from him. She just wants it over. Now, Ryan doesn't want a divorce but he doesn't know how to just ask. I feel that's kind of silly but whatever. He decides to be difficult so eventually they are forced to be face to face. One thing leads to another and the chemistry that they have always had wins but will they be able to get what they want without more heartbreak?

Mira Lyn Kelly is a fabulous author and she can build a story. There are some fun moments but there are some heart wrenching moments, too. Ryan isn't celibate the entire separation but, I can't really blame him even if I want to and Claire is celibate which I find ridiculous. This may upset some readers. Regardless to what your heart is up to, Ryan's and Claire's hearts are mending, and there will be that perfect HEA that we are all looking for.

Yes. I definitely will recommend this story especially if you are a fan of this author. Even if you aren't, I think you will like it. I am going to give this gem four shiny stars.

[Kelchickbooklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about a book that has your stomach in knots and your heart breaking for Claire and Ryan. Mira Lyn Kelly tells us a story of two souls that married, tragedy hit the both of them and nine years later he seeks her out to finale everything. The only thing is their views on what the final outcome looks like are very different.
Claire files for divorce nine years after she marries Ryan, but they have been separated for almost all those years. Ryan seeks her out to finalize all the assets but she has walls around her. Seeing him now has her in a whirlwind of emotions, some due to the past and others the present. So much heartbreak is still haunting Claire but Ryan is determined to do something about it. Secrets are revealed and emotions are on full alert. Their reunion is sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. We are given both Ryan's and Claire's experiences, feelings and how they dealt with the tragedy that struck both of them. The sad and gut-wrenching scenes lead to heartwarming and happiness at the end. The road that Ryan and Claire took