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To Have and To Hold #8
Hold Fast Till Dawn
Jenny loved Larry's sun-bleached hair, his dazzling smile, his love for the sea--and his love for her and their children. Their marriage of fifteen years was as solid as the rock-hard muscles that enveloped her in the most intimate embrace each night. Nothing could shake it.
Nothing, perhaps, except the arrival of an Oriental beauty from Larry's past. Ky tempts Larry with torrid memories, torments him with ancient guilt, and sends him and Jenny spinning into a vortex of whirlwind emotions. Suddenly the foundations that had felt so stable, so sure, are threatened with rumblings of doubt and discord...
Nothing, perhaps, except the arrival of an Oriental beauty from Larry's past. Ky tempts Larry with torrid memories, torments him with ancient guilt, and sends him and Jenny spinning into a vortex of whirlwind emotions. Suddenly the foundations that had felt so stable, so sure, are threatened with rumblings of doubt and discord...
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First published January 1, 1987
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November 27, 2021
I had this on my own Not to Read list, but read it anyway. Will I ever learn?
The husband is horrible and an idiot man-child. He’s besotted with his wife one day and the evil OW the next.
He cheats on his girlfriend in college and doesn’t tell her. Flips out when she tells him she’s pregnant, and completely caves to her insufferable seduction when she slithers back for him after 19 years. A true evil woman, the fact he has a wife and two children is no obstacle. In fact, the kids are just two more victims to pull into her glittering web.
This was depressing and nauseating, and the heroine holds firm for all of about five minutes.
She takes him back. Other reviews have more details, but I don’t have the stomach to go over them.
Alternate Ending:
After a short reconciliation, the heroine decides to take a page from Tammy Wynette and gets a D-I-V-O-R-C-E. She puts aside her Yankee aversion to makeup and gets the makeover the man at the beginning of the book talks about and is gorgeous. She and her befuddled Professor-boss go to England where the Professor takes off his glasses and stands up straight and is handsome as all get out just like a plain secretary of yore that takes off her glasses and shakes out her hair. The Professor just happens to be heir to an earldom. The heroine and her two kids leave the ex-husband behind who is now blind from the syphilis the other woman gave him. Too bad the evil OW is already dead as he now has no one to take care of him but his mother who tells him, “I told you so” until he's deaf as well as blind.
The husband is horrible and an idiot man-child. He’s besotted with his wife one day and the evil OW the next.
He cheats on his girlfriend in college and doesn’t tell her. Flips out when she tells him she’s pregnant, and completely caves to her insufferable seduction when she slithers back for him after 19 years. A true evil woman, the fact he has a wife and two children is no obstacle. In fact, the kids are just two more victims to pull into her glittering web.
This was depressing and nauseating, and the heroine holds firm for all of about five minutes.
She takes him back. Other reviews have more details, but I don’t have the stomach to go over them.
Alternate Ending:
After a short reconciliation, the heroine decides to take a page from Tammy Wynette and gets a D-I-V-O-R-C-E. She puts aside her Yankee aversion to makeup and gets the makeover the man at the beginning of the book talks about and is gorgeous. She and her befuddled Professor-boss go to England where the Professor takes off his glasses and stands up straight and is handsome as all get out just like a plain secretary of yore that takes off her glasses and shakes out her hair. The Professor just happens to be heir to an earldom. The heroine and her two kids leave the ex-husband behind who is now blind from the syphilis the other woman gave him. Too bad the evil OW is already dead as he now has no one to take care of him but his mother who tells him, “I told you so” until he's deaf as well as blind.
January 17, 2025
SPOILERS
THE PAST
Larry and Ky were friends through high school.
At some point they became lovers and were inseparable.
Larry was a handsome, clever young man.
Ky was of mixed race. Her father was American and her mother Japanese.
Ky was gorgeous, an oriental walking sensation. An enchantress and Larry was proud to be with her.
The two attended colleges in different states after high school.
On the second year of college, Larry had dated a few other girls at college but hadn't mentioned it to Ky. He had enjoyed a little taste of freedom and had decided to tell Ky that he wanted to date other girls openly, without breaking off anything between them, but to have some space before they finally settled down.
Before he got a chance to tell her, she announced that she was pregnant.
He freaked. He did not want to get married, did not want the responsibility and did not want to lose the freedom he was enjoying at college.
Ky left. Had an illegal abortion and ghosted him.
He was mad that she did something so monstrous to his baby.
He had accepted the fact that he wanted out, but he regretted that he never got the chance to tell her he was sorry.
FOUR YEARS LATER
Larry got his degree in accounting and returned back to his parent's house.
His mother suggested that he invite the new girl next door, 21 year old Jenny, to a dance.
That's how Larry discovered the amazing depths of Jenny's personality.
He fell for her and she for him.
She was tall, had an amazing body and was pretty, sweet and quiet.
Four months later he asked her to marry him.
FIFTEEN YEARS LATER-THE PRESENT
So Larry was married to Jenny for the last fifteen years.
They lived in Boston.
Being married to Jenny was fun. He loved, desired, admired and needed her.
She was very clever and had a brilliant academic career.
She was a superb mother to his teen son and pre-teen daughter, and was an amazing cook and homemaker.
They had the perfect, happy, relationship and family.
One day Larry's partner briefed him on a new, big account from a business in Texas.
The name of the business owner was Ky Kayle.
For nineteen years, Larry had avoided thinking about Ky for it made him feel like a cad.
He did not want to hurt Jenny so he decided to find a reason to be out of town on the day of Ky's arrival in Boston.
At the end he could not avoid her.
She stayed an extra day and visited him at his office.
She looked breathtaking and exotic.
They talked and somehow, she made his very neat and tidy life, sound dull.
He never thought so before.
She told him that she could not have any children after the abortion and accused him of turning his back on her, making him feel guilty.
She told him that they always belonged to each other, even now.
Larry knew he was in trouble.
Larry's mood changed for the worst after that meeting that kept from Jenny.
What could he say? "Ky dropped into my office, she's so beautiful it took my breath away and reawaken every vestige of longing?"
A week later, Larry's jovial disposition was restored, but not for long.
Ky returned back for "business reasons ".
He and Ky had a three hour lunch together at a restaurant.
Larry brought Ky home to meet the family, he even gave her a tour of the house.
She enchanted his children.
Jenny had never experienced a sensation of such complete fear and apprehension.
They were talking about the past and Jenny felt left out and ignored.
Larry seemed bewitched by her.
The next day Ky left for Dallas and Jenny knew that Larry drove her to the airport even though he denied it.
Larry was distant after that.
He hadn't smoked in fifteen years, but Ky smoked so he joined her and he'd continued the companionable practice since.
It made him feel closer to Ky but he had the sensation of slowly slipping into moral decay.
He believed in marital fidelity and truthfulness and honour, and in the last few weeks, he had lusted after another woman, lied to his wife and tried to figure out how he could get away with seeing more of Ky.
He would go home very late at night because he stayed at the office talking to Ky on the phone.
His thoughts:
"He ached for Ky, thought about her every minute, got aroused simply remembering their goodbye kiss at the airport.
A time crunch had taken place, wiping out nineteen years of space and catapulting him right back into the same pervasive web of desire that had engulfed him in the sexual years of his youth.
Much as he wanted to stay faithful to Jenny, he knew that the only thing keeping him away from Ky was the span of miles between Boston and Dallas.
And now she was to travel back to Boston again.
Until ky reappeared, he'd thought he had everything he wanted. "
He had told Jenny so many lies that had lost track.
Almost everything Jenny suspected was true, and yet her suspicions made him furious.
He wanted to yell at her "Don't rain on my parade!"
Sometimes the desire to be back to the warmth of his happy family life was overwhelming.
The next moment the desire to take up a new life with Ky was equally overwhelming.
Larry took Jenny to a restaurant. There he told her that Ky hit him hard and he did not know if he still loved her.
He had no intention of severing their marriage but he wanted her to give him some time to work it out.
He couldn't just turn his back on Ky again, he had to at least resolve things between them.
"What does that mean, Larry? To stand back silently and wait for you to make up your mind which one of us you want? Or do you figure on having both?"
"Jenny, l am so fouled up. I can't promise you anything because l don't have control over my actions.
I won't be unfaithful, at least not in the physical sense. Give me time to dig my way out.
Jenny, you are wonderful and beautiful and have a spine made of iron.
Please, don't leave me. I am so screwed up, but l need you Jenny. I need you. "
Larry picked up Ky from the airport.
In her hotel room they started making out, as they had agreed on the phone that this time they were going to get intimate.
At same point: '..a picture of Jenny's sweet face juxtaposed itself between him and the body he held. Soft brown doe eyes interposed themselves in place of the slanted black ones.
He stopped and shook his head, disoriented, shaken. He couldn't do it."
Ky told him that all those years ago, she got pregnant on purpose.
She knew he was slipping away from her.
He told her that it would have worked, if she just hung in a little longer.
"Will it work this time if l hung in?"
"Ky, l have a wife and a family. Didn't you take that into consideration?"
"Can you possibly have with Jenny what you have with me?"
"I don’t want to discuss Jenny with you. She is my wife, and l owe her my loyalty. "
"Do you want me to go away?"
"Of course l don't want you to go away. "
That night at home, Jenny asked him if he'd been with Ky that night in any way.
He said yes.
"Then please sleep in the other room. "
Larry's meetings with Ky had continued and even his teenage son was disgusted by his father.
All the family's friends and work partners knew about the situation.
It was humiliating for Jenny.
Larry thought he loved Ky. He knew he loved Jenny.
Could he love two women at the same time?
It was their son's 14th birthday and Larry and Jenny took him out on their boat as they had promised.
While at sea, the son got violently ill with abdominal pains, in the middle of a storm that put all their lives at risk.
The boy almost fell overboard, hitting his head.
When they finally managed to reach port, Jenny took the boy to the Hospital while Larry stayed back to secure the boat.
At the Hospital, Jenny was told that the boy had a concussion and was also being prepared for appendectomy.
When Larry arrived at the Hospital, he said something that got Jenny's attention.
He said that he got a chance to make several phone calls, but he only mentioned two people that he called.
At home, Jenny confronted him:
"Several usually means more than two. Did you call her? Did you call your lady love to chat while your son was being operated on and your wife was sitting by herself in a Hospital waiting room?
I want you out of this house, and out of my life.
Go to your oriental original, l don't give a damn.
My children and l don't need you!
He tried to calm her down.
"I don’t want to be reasonable, Larry. After all, Larry, you wanted emotion, didn't you? You wanted a little fire, didn't you? Well, l can do very well without you. Do you hear that clearly?
And don't touch me. Get your Ky stained hands off me. Get out!"
Larry went back to the boat.
He knew the time had come. No more dodging and patting himself on the head, assuring himself that he had to take his time so not to let go of something precious for the second time.
He thought of Ky and none of the usual flood of passion accompanied the thought.
He kept seeing Jenny's anquished face all summer, and he'd turned his back on her pain, because he had been so engrossed by Ky.
He opened his mind to his feelings nineteen years ago, at the time Ky told him they must get married.
He felt trapped and panicked back then. His feelings for Ky had already changed, he did not want to marry her, he remembered now, but to break off the relationship, not temporarily as he thought, but permanently.
When he saw Ky again, he was driven by guilt, regret and yes, chemistry.
He had wanted to marry Jenny. He had been the pursuer. He wanted Jenny.
Jenny had asked him to stay away for two weeks, then they would talk.
When she called him at his office, the secretary said that he was in Dallas.
A day later he came by the house.
"Jenny, l love you!"
"Oh Larry, how can you be so cruel? Can't you at least leave me with some of my dignity intact?"
He told her he wanted another chance. He wanted to repair the damage he'd done to their marriage and her. He said he went to Dallas to tell Ky face to face that it was over and he wanted to do it before he saw Jenny, so she'd know that there were no other options for him.
Jenny said if it was his sence of duty, then she did not want him back, knowing that he wanted to be with someone else.
He told her that she was his life and she was perfection to him.
He said he came face to face with the truth he had never recognised before.
His love for Ky had actually ended twenty years ago.
His time for Ky and him passed.
That's what he had forgotten, buried in his guilt and shame over what had happened back then.
Jenny asked him why he'd married her.
"Jenny, l married you because l love you. Because you made everything in my life richer and fuller.
Because you made me happy. "
"And Ky?"
"Much as a man my age hates to admit that his mother knows best, she summed it up.
Ky was a heldover twenty year old emotion coming back to belt a man approaching his fortieth birthday. "
"I don’t know Larry. Maybe both of us needed to get Ky out of our systems. "
Jenny took him back. I would have kicked him to the curb.
THE PAST
Larry and Ky were friends through high school.
At some point they became lovers and were inseparable.
Larry was a handsome, clever young man.
Ky was of mixed race. Her father was American and her mother Japanese.
Ky was gorgeous, an oriental walking sensation. An enchantress and Larry was proud to be with her.
The two attended colleges in different states after high school.
On the second year of college, Larry had dated a few other girls at college but hadn't mentioned it to Ky. He had enjoyed a little taste of freedom and had decided to tell Ky that he wanted to date other girls openly, without breaking off anything between them, but to have some space before they finally settled down.
Before he got a chance to tell her, she announced that she was pregnant.
He freaked. He did not want to get married, did not want the responsibility and did not want to lose the freedom he was enjoying at college.
Ky left. Had an illegal abortion and ghosted him.
He was mad that she did something so monstrous to his baby.
He had accepted the fact that he wanted out, but he regretted that he never got the chance to tell her he was sorry.
FOUR YEARS LATER
Larry got his degree in accounting and returned back to his parent's house.
His mother suggested that he invite the new girl next door, 21 year old Jenny, to a dance.
That's how Larry discovered the amazing depths of Jenny's personality.
He fell for her and she for him.
She was tall, had an amazing body and was pretty, sweet and quiet.
Four months later he asked her to marry him.
FIFTEEN YEARS LATER-THE PRESENT
So Larry was married to Jenny for the last fifteen years.
They lived in Boston.
Being married to Jenny was fun. He loved, desired, admired and needed her.
She was very clever and had a brilliant academic career.
She was a superb mother to his teen son and pre-teen daughter, and was an amazing cook and homemaker.
They had the perfect, happy, relationship and family.
One day Larry's partner briefed him on a new, big account from a business in Texas.
The name of the business owner was Ky Kayle.
For nineteen years, Larry had avoided thinking about Ky for it made him feel like a cad.
He did not want to hurt Jenny so he decided to find a reason to be out of town on the day of Ky's arrival in Boston.
At the end he could not avoid her.
She stayed an extra day and visited him at his office.
She looked breathtaking and exotic.
They talked and somehow, she made his very neat and tidy life, sound dull.
He never thought so before.
She told him that she could not have any children after the abortion and accused him of turning his back on her, making him feel guilty.
She told him that they always belonged to each other, even now.
Larry knew he was in trouble.
Larry's mood changed for the worst after that meeting that kept from Jenny.
What could he say? "Ky dropped into my office, she's so beautiful it took my breath away and reawaken every vestige of longing?"
A week later, Larry's jovial disposition was restored, but not for long.
Ky returned back for "business reasons ".
He and Ky had a three hour lunch together at a restaurant.
Larry brought Ky home to meet the family, he even gave her a tour of the house.
She enchanted his children.
Jenny had never experienced a sensation of such complete fear and apprehension.
They were talking about the past and Jenny felt left out and ignored.
Larry seemed bewitched by her.
The next day Ky left for Dallas and Jenny knew that Larry drove her to the airport even though he denied it.
Larry was distant after that.
He hadn't smoked in fifteen years, but Ky smoked so he joined her and he'd continued the companionable practice since.
It made him feel closer to Ky but he had the sensation of slowly slipping into moral decay.
He believed in marital fidelity and truthfulness and honour, and in the last few weeks, he had lusted after another woman, lied to his wife and tried to figure out how he could get away with seeing more of Ky.
He would go home very late at night because he stayed at the office talking to Ky on the phone.
His thoughts:
"He ached for Ky, thought about her every minute, got aroused simply remembering their goodbye kiss at the airport.
A time crunch had taken place, wiping out nineteen years of space and catapulting him right back into the same pervasive web of desire that had engulfed him in the sexual years of his youth.
Much as he wanted to stay faithful to Jenny, he knew that the only thing keeping him away from Ky was the span of miles between Boston and Dallas.
And now she was to travel back to Boston again.
Until ky reappeared, he'd thought he had everything he wanted. "
He had told Jenny so many lies that had lost track.
Almost everything Jenny suspected was true, and yet her suspicions made him furious.
He wanted to yell at her "Don't rain on my parade!"
Sometimes the desire to be back to the warmth of his happy family life was overwhelming.
The next moment the desire to take up a new life with Ky was equally overwhelming.
Larry took Jenny to a restaurant. There he told her that Ky hit him hard and he did not know if he still loved her.
He had no intention of severing their marriage but he wanted her to give him some time to work it out.
He couldn't just turn his back on Ky again, he had to at least resolve things between them.
"What does that mean, Larry? To stand back silently and wait for you to make up your mind which one of us you want? Or do you figure on having both?"
"Jenny, l am so fouled up. I can't promise you anything because l don't have control over my actions.
I won't be unfaithful, at least not in the physical sense. Give me time to dig my way out.
Jenny, you are wonderful and beautiful and have a spine made of iron.
Please, don't leave me. I am so screwed up, but l need you Jenny. I need you. "
Larry picked up Ky from the airport.
In her hotel room they started making out, as they had agreed on the phone that this time they were going to get intimate.
At same point: '..a picture of Jenny's sweet face juxtaposed itself between him and the body he held. Soft brown doe eyes interposed themselves in place of the slanted black ones.
He stopped and shook his head, disoriented, shaken. He couldn't do it."
Ky told him that all those years ago, she got pregnant on purpose.
She knew he was slipping away from her.
He told her that it would have worked, if she just hung in a little longer.
"Will it work this time if l hung in?"
"Ky, l have a wife and a family. Didn't you take that into consideration?"
"Can you possibly have with Jenny what you have with me?"
"I don’t want to discuss Jenny with you. She is my wife, and l owe her my loyalty. "
"Do you want me to go away?"
"Of course l don't want you to go away. "
That night at home, Jenny asked him if he'd been with Ky that night in any way.
He said yes.
"Then please sleep in the other room. "
Larry's meetings with Ky had continued and even his teenage son was disgusted by his father.
All the family's friends and work partners knew about the situation.
It was humiliating for Jenny.
Larry thought he loved Ky. He knew he loved Jenny.
Could he love two women at the same time?
It was their son's 14th birthday and Larry and Jenny took him out on their boat as they had promised.
While at sea, the son got violently ill with abdominal pains, in the middle of a storm that put all their lives at risk.
The boy almost fell overboard, hitting his head.
When they finally managed to reach port, Jenny took the boy to the Hospital while Larry stayed back to secure the boat.
At the Hospital, Jenny was told that the boy had a concussion and was also being prepared for appendectomy.
When Larry arrived at the Hospital, he said something that got Jenny's attention.
He said that he got a chance to make several phone calls, but he only mentioned two people that he called.
At home, Jenny confronted him:
"Several usually means more than two. Did you call her? Did you call your lady love to chat while your son was being operated on and your wife was sitting by herself in a Hospital waiting room?
I want you out of this house, and out of my life.
Go to your oriental original, l don't give a damn.
My children and l don't need you!
He tried to calm her down.
"I don’t want to be reasonable, Larry. After all, Larry, you wanted emotion, didn't you? You wanted a little fire, didn't you? Well, l can do very well without you. Do you hear that clearly?
And don't touch me. Get your Ky stained hands off me. Get out!"
Larry went back to the boat.
He knew the time had come. No more dodging and patting himself on the head, assuring himself that he had to take his time so not to let go of something precious for the second time.
He thought of Ky and none of the usual flood of passion accompanied the thought.
He kept seeing Jenny's anquished face all summer, and he'd turned his back on her pain, because he had been so engrossed by Ky.
He opened his mind to his feelings nineteen years ago, at the time Ky told him they must get married.
He felt trapped and panicked back then. His feelings for Ky had already changed, he did not want to marry her, he remembered now, but to break off the relationship, not temporarily as he thought, but permanently.
When he saw Ky again, he was driven by guilt, regret and yes, chemistry.
He had wanted to marry Jenny. He had been the pursuer. He wanted Jenny.
Jenny had asked him to stay away for two weeks, then they would talk.
When she called him at his office, the secretary said that he was in Dallas.
A day later he came by the house.
"Jenny, l love you!"
"Oh Larry, how can you be so cruel? Can't you at least leave me with some of my dignity intact?"
He told her he wanted another chance. He wanted to repair the damage he'd done to their marriage and her. He said he went to Dallas to tell Ky face to face that it was over and he wanted to do it before he saw Jenny, so she'd know that there were no other options for him.
Jenny said if it was his sence of duty, then she did not want him back, knowing that he wanted to be with someone else.
He told her that she was his life and she was perfection to him.
He said he came face to face with the truth he had never recognised before.
His love for Ky had actually ended twenty years ago.
His time for Ky and him passed.
That's what he had forgotten, buried in his guilt and shame over what had happened back then.
Jenny asked him why he'd married her.
"Jenny, l married you because l love you. Because you made everything in my life richer and fuller.
Because you made me happy. "
"And Ky?"
"Much as a man my age hates to admit that his mother knows best, she summed it up.
Ky was a heldover twenty year old emotion coming back to belt a man approaching his fortieth birthday. "
"I don’t know Larry. Maybe both of us needed to get Ky out of our systems. "
Jenny took him back. I would have kicked him to the curb.
November 27, 2021
I read after a look at the reviews, so I was already aware of what to expect from our hero.
He is an asshole who has a wonderful wife and two perfect children, but who when he meets his first girlfriend again ... falls into lust and falls in love again with the ex.
Our hero has no personality whatsoever and lets himself be influenced by the ex in a disgusting way ... he starts smoking again because she smokes !!!!!
He gets worse than a teenager in love for the first time ... he thinks only of her, calls her several times a day, lies to his wife that he is working to go out with her ... He humiliated his wife in public and in front of the friends, giving exclusive attention to the ex and treating her as his partner ... he even took her to their house to meet the children and even gave a tour of the house with her. Kisses at airports and make out session in her hotel room. Only penetration did not happen, but the cheating was done.
His son notices the behavior and asks his mother if his father is in love with the ex.
Everyone notices his behavior. He asks his wife to be patient while he decides which of the two he wants to stay with. What a bastard.
I think our heroine easily accepted him back ... she should have kicked his ass and demanded a divorce.
He is an asshole who has a wonderful wife and two perfect children, but who when he meets his first girlfriend again ... falls into lust and falls in love again with the ex.
Our hero has no personality whatsoever and lets himself be influenced by the ex in a disgusting way ... he starts smoking again because she smokes !!!!!
He gets worse than a teenager in love for the first time ... he thinks only of her, calls her several times a day, lies to his wife that he is working to go out with her ... He humiliated his wife in public and in front of the friends, giving exclusive attention to the ex and treating her as his partner ... he even took her to their house to meet the children and even gave a tour of the house with her. Kisses at airports and make out session in her hotel room. Only penetration did not happen, but the cheating was done.
His son notices the behavior and asks his mother if his father is in love with the ex.
Everyone notices his behavior. He asks his wife to be patient while he decides which of the two he wants to stay with. What a bastard.
I think our heroine easily accepted him back ... she should have kicked his ass and demanded a divorce.
“Sure, I’d love to see her again.”
Larry was very open about everything in his past—everything except Ky Kayle.
Ky had filched from her family wine cellar, had set off for an evening sail to a remote stretch of beach that their crowd often used. It was a night just like this one, that first time they had made love. The first of many.
“She announced, with bubbling, happy, gushing joy… that she was pregnant.”
“Then why aren’t you married to her?” It was a rasping, angry question. He didn’t raise his head. He just kept staring at his tightly clenched hands.
“Because I freaked. I stammered and stuttered and backtracked. I stil remember the joy dissolving and the tears starting. She had assumed that I’d be as delighted as she was.
Ky was in the hospital, in bad shape after an illegal abortion.”
Ky didn’t just love you, she engulfed you.
“Larry, I just hope you realize what a treasure you have in Jenny. Not to mention those two children.”
“Larry?” He jerked upright. Even after all these years, he would know that voice anywhere. He stared, speechless, at the petite figure framed in the doorway. Ky. Something slammed straight into his gut, stopping his breath, shaking his reality.
She was truly breathtaking. The years had refined a young, freshly exotic beauty into an exquisite, perfectly assembled, elegant woman. Her tawny skin still looked unlined and flawless; the black, slightly tilted eyes stil sparkled. Her ebony hair, still long, was pulled to one side and twisted into a sleek braid.
“Ky.” They stood, mere feet apart. He felt the years dropping away, robbing him of their protective shield, felt the rush of familiar longing, of the wild impulse to crush herto him, to dissolve time, to recant all other vows.
Larry finally located his voice, but found it barely usable. “Ky, you look wonderful.” “So do you. Handsomer than ever.”
How was he to discuss Jenny and his children with this old, now-renewed flame of his heart sitting so close, reactivating urges he’d thought forever discarded?
“Do I understand that you had no children?” The black eyes narrowed. “That’s true, I had no children. I will never have any children. I am unable to have children.”
“What now, Larry?” He stepped back sharply, banging his thigh into the corner of the desk. His legs seemed to have lost their strength, and he sank into the chair once more. “Now? There is no now for us, Ky. I’m a happily married man with two children. No matter how much I regret what happened, I can’t erase nineteen years.”
“Oh, Larry, such nonsense. You and I have always belonged to each other. We still do. Anything else is a travesty.”
“Ky dropped into my office today, dear. She’s so beautiful it took my breath away, and she reawakened every vestige of longing that was shoved away into the nooks and crannies of these old bones.”
How would I know? she thought. I don’t know anything about Ky except that my husband was once madly in love with her, got her pregnant, and still, after all these years, can’t see her without getting all upset. “What else do we need to do?”
Why had Larry brought Ky here? He hadn’t warned her of this intrusion. And why couldn’t her own children feel the desolation she felt, sense the feeling of desertion she was suffering?
Ky was saying to her in that low, murmuring tone. “You have a lovely home. Would it be impolite of me to ask for a tour?”
Larry seemed to arch over Ky, like the protective limb of a tree, and she sheltered herself in that protection, looking up at him with a radiant I-need-you expression, making him indispensable to her social success. She exuded a bewitching aura, and every line of Larry’s body, every inch of his countenance, bespoke his enchantment. Jenny felt an overpowering sense of separateness. Larry no longer seemed like her husband.
At what must have been close to midnight, she heard Larry sneaking quietly into the bedroom.
Larry’s responsibility had shifted to Ky. Jenny felt canceled out.
He hadn’t smoked in fifteen years. In fact, he was known to sermonize on the subject to puffing friends. But Ky smoked. Sometime during the three-hour lunch they’d shared on Friday he had joined her, and he’d continued the companionable practice during the wait at the airport. On Monday he had stopped at the drugstore on the way to the office and bought a pack of cigarettes. It made him feel closer to Ky, this carryover indulgence.
in the last few days he had lusted after another woman, lied to his wife, and tried to figure out how he could get away with seeing more of Ky. He was being torn to pieces, and he didn’t know what to do about it.
“Bad boy, I told you to go home and get some sleep when you called at ten. You’ll wear yourself out.”
He ached for Ky, thought about her every minute, got aroused simply remembering their good-bye kiss at the airport.
He was a man possessed. Nothing he did stopped the constant longing, the unbelievable yearning. He called Ky at least once a day, and she often called him. He spent more time in conversation with her than he did with his own wife.
He had told Jenny so many bald-faced lies that he had lost track. It was difficult at times to remember what was true and what wasn’t, or what story he had concocted to cover his bemusement. Worse than any of the rest was the rage he often felt toward her, simply for noticing his preoccupation or for asking him questions he couldn’t answer. Almost everything she suspected was true, and yet her suspicions made him furious. He had not made love to Ky, but if there were sins of intent, there was no doubt of his guilt.
“Jenny, I’m not sure what I’m asking, except that you give me some time to work it out. I can’t just turn my back on her again. I have to at least resolve things between us.”
Ky’s plane was thirty-five minutes late. Larry paced the floor of the terminal, dimly aware of the greetings of other incoming passengers and the people meeting them. His mind was such a jungle that he was incapable of hacking his way through to his own feelings. After what seemed an eternity, Ky’s slender form appeared at the exit. She saw him and waved, easing her way around
“Larry.” She took his hand, teetering on tiptoe to give him a not quite discreet kiss. His fingers grasped hers, his mouth lowering to touch the offered lips. They tasted sweet and inviting, their teasing pressure promising erotic gifts. Larry tore himself from their softness, suddenly conscious of the stares they were attracting.
Dear Lord, instead of concentrating on staying faithful to his wife he was wondering how he would stack up against Ky’s other lovers!
He lowered his lips to hers, pressing them softly, tentatively, then giving in to the raging hunger that consumed him. The pale, faded memory-pictures snapped vividly into focus as every one of his senses responded to the voltage assaulting him in response to the head-to-toe touch of her body rubbing against his.
“Larry, I want you so. I want you to touch every part of me, to kiss me in all the places you used to kiss me.” She was unbuttoning his shirt, tickling his chest with the tips of her nails, her hips subtly gyrating their need. Larry was crazy with desire. He remembered all too clearly the delicious parts of that incomparable body that he had touched, kissed, tantalized. He remembered
Why did you come here after al these years?”
“I never got over you, Larry. I tried to love other men.”
“Can you possibly have with Jenny what you have with me?”
In any way at all, have you been with Ky?” “Yes.” “Then please sleep in the other room.”
Ky was flanked by Christy and Larry, and Rick, rapt with attention, sat next to the imposing athletic figure of the mystery guest, a renowned runner. Jenny was, in every way, cut off from her family.
“Mom?” “Yes, Rick.” “He’s in love with her, isn’t he?”
“Did you call your lady love to chat while your son was being operated on and your wife was sitting by herself in a hospital waiting room?”
“Don’t you touch me! Get your Ky-stained hands off me!”
“I went to Dallas for one day, Jen, to tell Ky face to face that it was over.
April 8, 2019
I believe this is the nadir of cheating husband romances. I don't see anything recoverable in the hero. He's whiny, self-absorbed, and indecisive. The heroine should have fallen to her knees in gratitude for the opportunity to offload him on the OW while claiming a divorce settlement that could have included the marital home, their boat, and a huge chunk of his future earnings for child support. Instead she...oh, let's go to spoilertown.
Loser hero. Doormat wife complicit in her own humiliation. (When your cheater husband is the one saying you have "a spine made of iron," it's a safe bet he's lying.) No grovel.
The cherry on the sundae here is racism. Ky's mother is Japanese, and Larry blames his mother* for separating them because she was racist. "Larry," Jenny protests, "[your uncle] died in a Japanese prison camp. She adored her brother. Of course she'd be prejudiced." (Jenny, while I'm entirely certain Ky could kill a man without flinching, I'm also positive she had nothing to do with WWII prison camps. Stop excusing your m-i-l's racism. Oh, never mind, you're going to call Ky your husband's "Oriental original." Stop excusing your own racism.)
* That's right. It's never manchild Larry's fault.
Loser hero. Doormat wife complicit in her own humiliation. (When your cheater husband is the one saying you have "a spine made of iron," it's a safe bet he's lying.) No grovel.
The cherry on the sundae here is racism. Ky's mother is Japanese, and Larry blames his mother* for separating them because she was racist. "Larry," Jenny protests, "[your uncle] died in a Japanese prison camp. She adored her brother. Of course she'd be prejudiced." (Jenny, while I'm entirely certain Ky could kill a man without flinching, I'm also positive she had nothing to do with WWII prison camps. Stop excusing your m-i-l's racism. Oh, never mind, you're going to call Ky your husband's "Oriental original." Stop excusing your own racism.)
* That's right. It's never manchild Larry's fault.
May 18, 2020
Reeder has an excellent review that covers all the plot points, the racism, the lack of grovel, the utter lack of charm, morals, or self-awareness of the hero. I give it one star for all of those reasons, but I will add one more. This story is boring with pointless descriptions of sailing trips, dinner parties, and the minutia of family meals and carpooling teenagers around.
Make me mad, wring my heart, peddle injustice, but don't bore me.
Make me mad, wring my heart, peddle injustice, but don't bore me.
March 31, 2025
Simple Realistic Honest
I'm in a minority here but I liked this book. A real page turner.
It is an honest, unpretentious take on a husband going through a 'mid life crisis' and cheating on a sweet, loving wife. No hyperbole, no excessive drama, no huge angst but it takes us along on this couple’s journey as they battle through a very unanticipated blast from the past which threatens to unravel their lovingly created life.
“Jennifer, the fit has hit the shan!" as one character says.
Their alternate povs show us how they grow apart from a very happy, very solid couple. They have been married for 15 years with two lovely kids. Then suddenly his teenage gf/first love explodes into their life, completely tearing them apart. As the H simultaneously fights guilt (a past guilt for the ow and a present one for his wife), lust, dissipation, unreasonable anger and life-long morals and principals, the h just watches in silent horror as her life, as she knew it to be, crumbles away.
The ow not only charms her husband, but also her children and also invades her friend circle.
'But there was no real pretense between the two women. The battle lines were drawn. Jenny felt like a lone soldier, armed with a bow and arrow, trying to take aim at an approaching tank.'
I liked how honest, human and relatable their feelings and thoughts were. I can just imagine a RL long-married (but inherently weak, selfish/confused) man going through a mid life crisis/cheating phase just as this guy did, and treat his once beloved wife so callously in the process.
His alternate guilt and bluster also seem very true-to-life. Surprisingly, I even found his unfair and self-serving anger at his wife very human and realistic, and it even made me smile and nod to myself. The author catches all such nuances very well.
He was no real villain but a weak, fallible man who (completely) lost his moorings and turned away from solid grounds to drift away in to an unreal/fantasy ‘exotic’ world.
So read it for all this if you wish and not for romance as we expect it to be.
He behaves abominably and nothing can change that.
Some reviewers didn't find the grovel good enough and that's true. But feeling generous, I can say it was kind of appropriate for the tone of the book, although yes, the ending should always be on a high. An epilogue would have been nice too.
But still an absolutely absorbing read. A well deserved 4 stars!
I'm in a minority here but I liked this book. A real page turner.
It is an honest, unpretentious take on a husband going through a 'mid life crisis' and cheating on a sweet, loving wife. No hyperbole, no excessive drama, no huge angst but it takes us along on this couple’s journey as they battle through a very unanticipated blast from the past which threatens to unravel their lovingly created life.
“Jennifer, the fit has hit the shan!" as one character says.
Their alternate povs show us how they grow apart from a very happy, very solid couple. They have been married for 15 years with two lovely kids. Then suddenly his teenage gf/first love explodes into their life, completely tearing them apart. As the H simultaneously fights guilt (a past guilt for the ow and a present one for his wife), lust, dissipation, unreasonable anger and life-long morals and principals, the h just watches in silent horror as her life, as she knew it to be, crumbles away.
The ow not only charms her husband, but also her children and also invades her friend circle.
'But there was no real pretense between the two women. The battle lines were drawn. Jenny felt like a lone soldier, armed with a bow and arrow, trying to take aim at an approaching tank.'
I liked how honest, human and relatable their feelings and thoughts were. I can just imagine a RL long-married (but inherently weak, selfish/confused) man going through a mid life crisis/cheating phase just as this guy did, and treat his once beloved wife so callously in the process.
His alternate guilt and bluster also seem very true-to-life. Surprisingly, I even found his unfair and self-serving anger at his wife very human and realistic, and it even made me smile and nod to myself. The author catches all such nuances very well.
He was no real villain but a weak, fallible man who (completely) lost his moorings and turned away from solid grounds to drift away in to an unreal/fantasy ‘exotic’ world.
So read it for all this if you wish and not for romance as we expect it to be.
He behaves abominably and nothing can change that.
Some reviewers didn't find the grovel good enough and that's true. But feeling generous, I can say it was kind of appropriate for the tone of the book, although yes, the ending should always be on a high. An epilogue would have been nice too.
But still an absolutely absorbing read. A well deserved 4 stars!
November 2, 2016
I couldn't put the book down and that is why the book gets 3 stars.
I hated Larry. He was a pig, not because he cheated on his wife ( phone sex is still sex, taking someone's nipple in your mouth is still sex and touching someone's p*** is a sexual act even when half the people in our country say it is not) but because of how he treated the poor dog, his wife, his friend. He was a self centered asshole, a dominant character in his life but with KY he was submissive to the core. She knew how to play him.
Jenny was spineless for 99% of the story. Only twice she showed a backbone; when she asked him to sleep in another bedroom after he came home from almost bedding his ex-girlfriend and admitting it and when she finally told him off at the hotel room after their son's accident.
I was floored to see how everyone was fine with Larry's behavior and expected it because Ky was a stunning exotic beauty. He was like a clay in her hand. She molded him as she wanted. This was not a case of midlife crises in my opinion even though he was on the cusp of turning 40. He was just powerless when it came to this particular woman. He forgot who he was, what he believed and what he wanted. He thought about having sex with her basically 24/7. The problem didn't start when she came back to his life, it was always there. He allowed her to dictate his life in high school, who to see, what sport to play, what vacation to take, etc She decided after seeing his picture and reading an article about his successful career that she wanted him back and she traveled from Dallas to Boston to hire his firm as her Tax accountant. She cared less that he was happily married, had children and he bowed right from the start.. he forgot who he was. He was an asshole to his wife, an asshole to the poor dog, an asshole to their closest friend. He started smoking a pack a day even though he hated cigarettes and used to lecture against it and was the reason few of his friends stopped the habit but hey Ky was smoking and he could feel closer to her by doing it... He lied through his teeth.. he confessed to himself that majority of the crap coming out of his mouth were lies.... He embarrassed his wife during few gathering by his open display of love, affection and lust for KY and completely ignoring Jenny. He gave KY the power to undermine his wife because of how he talked about her when KY walked to his office knowing well he had avoided seeing her.
“And what about you, Larry? Tel me everything I’ve missed. The rest of college, what your work is like, how your parents are doing, your family.”
“Wow.” He rubbed his hand across his forehead. “Where to start? Okay, at the first of it, I guess. I graduated third in my class.”
“I know.” He swiveled sharply toward her. “How did you know that?” “Did you think I could just forget you?” “I thought you had. You wouldn’t take my calls.” “You didn’t try all that long, did you?” His jaw tightened. Now was the time, right now, to ask the question, but he couldn’t force it out, so he plowed doggedly on. “Well , moving right along, I joined this firm right out of school, am now a partner, and like it very much. I have a house in Wellesley Hills, a forty-foot Bristol, and, by the way, a wife and two children.”.
Ky confessed when questioned that she set him up by getting pregnant when she realized he wasn't calling as much and their relationship has turned cold... Larry was dating other girls at Harvard at the time and was ready to break things off permanently. But did he question her character's integrity and how manipulative she was? What about her admission on wanting him back now and her intention on destroying his wife and kids life? He cared less! He saw someone who was exotic and knew how to dress and use makeup to accentuate what she had to look gorgeous... someone different than his Yankee wife who would only wear bikini when they were on their boat and used minimum makeup and had a scholastic lifestyle and taste in clothing that matched spending most of her time in libraries doing research. Things he appreciated very much in his wife before KY waltzed back in his office and demanded a second chance and for him to dump his wife. Without consulting Larry, Ky had an abortion in a shady clinic when Larry didn't get on his hands and knees and ask for her hand in marriage. Did I mention KY'S dad was a renowned surgeon. It wasn't like she had no understanding of medical world or resources. So the baby was just a tool and when it didn't get the result she wanted, she couldn't wait to get rid of it. Larry called for weeks but KY was punishing him and not answering his calls so he gave up and went ahead with his life. KY wasn't the kind of person to call him at that point because that meant losing power. It backfired and she couldn't have a child but from what I saw, she wasn't interested in a child. She wanted to be the center of attention, she wanted guys to worship the ground she walked on and people like that don't care for children unless they have a purpose.
Ky sure had no problem calling him and initiating phone sex the day after they met in his office which they french kissed and thus setting up a routine. He of course followed her example and was staying in office until 11 pm with the excuse to Jenny" out of blue busy accountant in Summertime" He was calling KY and having phone sex with KY for two straight months whenever she was not in Boston. Larry didn't show an ounce of guilt for his actions but he showed plenty of irritation toward anything and anyone who came between the time he spent with KY physically, via phone or day dreaming about having sex with Ky.
Jenny allowed Larry and KY to get away with murder. She gave her passenger seat to KY when they first met. To me that was telling Ky, you win.. I am a nobody and you can do as you pleased... I won't cause trouble.... The exact thing Jenny did. She allowed Larry to ignore her. She allowed KY to dismiss her. She allowed KY to manipulate her children. She suffered internally but didn't stand up for herself. She allowed Larry to be nasty to their friends so he could get out of their biweekly boat trips on weekends. She allowed Larry and KY to publicly humiliate and embarrass her. She sat there at the restaurant and listening to Larry telling her he can't chose between Ky and his family and she told him she will be there at home, cooking his meal, taking care of the house.. She was the kind of woman I despise. The ones that makes it convenient for the man to cheat. The ones that think displaying emotion, outrage or demanding respect will influence the serenity of their family. I call it Bullshit and as we saw, their son was deeply effected by his father's actions.
What I consider was Jenny worse mistake is the time she who was a very private person and wouldn't even have the light on when making love, allowed Larry to take her on the floor of a boathouse while their friend was just a few steps away knowing what was happening, Larry shoved her panties off, satisfied his need and walked away like she was a trash... Jenny knew very well who was in his mind when he satisfied his urges... she never called him on it.
The two and half weeks they were separated was a joke to me especially considering Jenny was staying in cape's with her son at the hospital after he had a surgery which required his stay for over a week of the two and half week.
Larry didn't lose anything. He was allowed to walk right back into his life like he did nothing wrong. Jenny was so grateful that she even initiated sex in the gazebo in bright daylight!
I think if the children were in college, Larry would have ended his marriage to Jenny via a text after seeing KY in his office. Also, I am not sure if I believe Larry that he ended his relationship with KY. After all he told us what a good pathological liar he has become. He travels a lot, KY travels a lot and as I said he had no power in that relationship. If KY decided to keep him and see him out of town, he would oblige. Larry wasn't the kind of guy I could trust as he had no moral fiber.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2016
pain, angst and all, it was a riveting read. I really wish the ending had lived up to the rest of the book. It was rushed and unsatisfying. The H is not redeemed in my eyes.
March 8, 2024
This is a strange case of a old school book where the hero is a beta male if ever I saw one.
He’s a 39 yo man with a middle age crisis.
He’s married with a nice woman, the heroine, and has a good job and two nice children.
But you know, he’s still hung on his ex gf he dumped when they were younger.
They dated for four years but she was half Japanese, and his mother was not so happy to have a mixed race woman in her family, ahem. Sad but true. The hero though found her irresistible and they had a lot of good sex until she got pregnant and he acted as many students his age do, he run scared. Gf got an abortion that went a bit bad so she got sterile. He was angry because she did it without consulting him, he would have eventually done the right thing and married her but she didn’t wait. They broke up, some time later he met the heroine, fell in love and got married.
Ow is back in town, divorced and aggressive, a real man eater. He’s smitten because let’s be honest, he’s nothing exceptional, an average man, not even that tall, without a lot of attractiveness and he’s flattered that she wants him still.
So he acts like an idiot besotted teenager, escorting her at dinner parties, neglecting his wife and admitting he doesn’t know what he feels for her. The poor heroine is appalled and hurt and she doesn’t know what to do. He’s humiliating her because his interest in ow is so apparent that everyone around him notice and pity the heroine. I would have divorced his sorry azz as soon as he told me he didn’t know what to do. But the heroine stays, until eventually she has enough and she tell him to leave. The hero kisses and makes out with ow once, but he regrets it and doesn’t feel like going further as if what he was doing was not enough of a betrayal.
In the end he understands that he doesn’t love ow but he feels only lust for her and is flattered by her attentions, but what they had ended before her pregnancy at the time, because he didn’t want to marry her while he wanted to marry the heroine.
To me this is only a ton of bs and he’s simply a nasty cheater who found ow more exciting and more beautiful than his wife, but since he’s not 20 anymore he knows that he wants a more sedated and safe thing as the one he has with the heroine.
The sad thing is that he find sex with ow much more exciting than with his wife, since the heroine is described as somehow a prude, who never really initiates sex and wants basically to do it with the lights off, and he also find ow more beautiful than the heroine that is quite a pretty but not exceptional woman.
The heroine was kind of passive. I understand it was many years ago but at that time people could divorce if things didn’t go well in a marriage so I don’t understand why she kept that weak pathetic excuse of a man. The children were somehow disappointing too, they were not at her mother side, only the boy realized later that ow wanted his father but I suppose he was more worried because he could lose his father than for the hurt he was doing to his mother. And the daughter was a self centered girl who was besotted with ow because she was some kind of socialite. Sad and shallow. Poor heroine deserved a hero who was a knight in shining armor, she got the hero though.she must have been very bad in her previous life to have such a bad karma.
He’s a 39 yo man with a middle age crisis.
He’s married with a nice woman, the heroine, and has a good job and two nice children.
But you know, he’s still hung on his ex gf he dumped when they were younger.
They dated for four years but she was half Japanese, and his mother was not so happy to have a mixed race woman in her family, ahem. Sad but true. The hero though found her irresistible and they had a lot of good sex until she got pregnant and he acted as many students his age do, he run scared. Gf got an abortion that went a bit bad so she got sterile. He was angry because she did it without consulting him, he would have eventually done the right thing and married her but she didn’t wait. They broke up, some time later he met the heroine, fell in love and got married.
Ow is back in town, divorced and aggressive, a real man eater. He’s smitten because let’s be honest, he’s nothing exceptional, an average man, not even that tall, without a lot of attractiveness and he’s flattered that she wants him still.
So he acts like an idiot besotted teenager, escorting her at dinner parties, neglecting his wife and admitting he doesn’t know what he feels for her. The poor heroine is appalled and hurt and she doesn’t know what to do. He’s humiliating her because his interest in ow is so apparent that everyone around him notice and pity the heroine. I would have divorced his sorry azz as soon as he told me he didn’t know what to do. But the heroine stays, until eventually she has enough and she tell him to leave. The hero kisses and makes out with ow once, but he regrets it and doesn’t feel like going further as if what he was doing was not enough of a betrayal.
In the end he understands that he doesn’t love ow but he feels only lust for her and is flattered by her attentions, but what they had ended before her pregnancy at the time, because he didn’t want to marry her while he wanted to marry the heroine.
To me this is only a ton of bs and he’s simply a nasty cheater who found ow more exciting and more beautiful than his wife, but since he’s not 20 anymore he knows that he wants a more sedated and safe thing as the one he has with the heroine.
The sad thing is that he find sex with ow much more exciting than with his wife, since the heroine is described as somehow a prude, who never really initiates sex and wants basically to do it with the lights off, and he also find ow more beautiful than the heroine that is quite a pretty but not exceptional woman.
The heroine was kind of passive. I understand it was many years ago but at that time people could divorce if things didn’t go well in a marriage so I don’t understand why she kept that weak pathetic excuse of a man. The children were somehow disappointing too, they were not at her mother side, only the boy realized later that ow wanted his father but I suppose he was more worried because he could lose his father than for the hurt he was doing to his mother. And the daughter was a self centered girl who was besotted with ow because she was some kind of socialite. Sad and shallow. Poor heroine deserved a hero who was a knight in shining armor, she got the hero though.she must have been very bad in her previous life to have such a bad karma.
dnf
October 25, 2021I skimmed it, and it was dissatisfying. Would it be better if i'd read it through? Possibly... not
BIG SPOILERS BELOW
But his realization that he loves his wife more than his ex doesn't come till the very end and only after he humiliated his wife by fawning over Ky in front of all their friends, coworkers AND their children.
And that's just not enough for me.
He needed to grovel. He needed to throw her a party to show everyone that he loves his wife.
AND I'm not convinced that he doesn't think Ky is more exciting in bed.
He never actually goes all the way with Ky but he's so tempted I got the feeling he wanted to be tempted. And he does fool around with her. He confides in her over the phone. He's unfaithful in all ways except intercourse.
There's no closure with Ky for the reader. One minute she's weaving her web around Jenny's husband AND her kids, and then she isn't a part of the story again before it ends. Just a brief mention that Larry ended it (off page). He actually visited her in ANOTHER STATE, to end it. So even though the book assures the reader he didn't dip his wick... I think he did. Just to get her out of his system, nudge nudge, wink, wink.
There's no scene of Larry telling Ky to F* off with her manipulative BS. He does barely acknowledge to himself that Ky was manipulative but he never talks about it with Jen.
BIG SPOILERS BELOW
But his realization that he loves his wife more than his ex doesn't come till the very end and only after he humiliated his wife by fawning over Ky in front of all their friends, coworkers AND their children.
And that's just not enough for me.
He needed to grovel. He needed to throw her a party to show everyone that he loves his wife.
AND I'm not convinced that he doesn't think Ky is more exciting in bed.
He never actually goes all the way with Ky but he's so tempted I got the feeling he wanted to be tempted. And he does fool around with her. He confides in her over the phone. He's unfaithful in all ways except intercourse.
There's no closure with Ky for the reader. One minute she's weaving her web around Jenny's husband AND her kids, and then she isn't a part of the story again before it ends. Just a brief mention that Larry ended it (off page). He actually visited her in ANOTHER STATE, to end it. So even though the book assures the reader he didn't dip his wick... I think he did. Just to get her out of his system, nudge nudge, wink, wink.
There's no scene of Larry telling Ky to F* off with her manipulative BS. He does barely acknowledge to himself that Ky was manipulative but he never talks about it with Jen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2011
**EDIT** How could I forget their son, Rick? I only wish there had been a chance for Rick to direct that question about loving Ky to his dad. I seriously think things with Ky would have ended MUCH sooner!!
Freaking idiot. TSTL for sure.
Umm...what a powerful, angsty, quick read. OMGoodness. I felt the pain, confusion, and anger of the heroine and the hero. Of course, the hero was a big old poop head who let his guilt rule his 'nads, but hey, we wouldn't have a book otherwise.
I will say that despite a practical "score," he did not consummate his affair but an affair he did have. I can't say if it was worse or not because I couldn't live with either, but the way the OW manipulated the hero and even one of his two children was just wrong!
I did believe the ending rushed. It did not do justice to the rest of the book, and did he grovel or did I just miss it?
I recommend this book to anyone wanting a nice, full on angst (w/o consummation) cheating book.
Freaking idiot. TSTL for sure.
Umm...what a powerful, angsty, quick read. OMGoodness. I felt the pain, confusion, and anger of the heroine and the hero. Of course, the hero was a big old poop head who let his guilt rule his 'nads, but hey, we wouldn't have a book otherwise.
I will say that despite a practical "score," he did not consummate his affair but an affair he did have. I can't say if it was worse or not because I couldn't live with either, but the way the OW manipulated the hero and even one of his two children was just wrong!
I did believe the ending rushed. It did not do justice to the rest of the book, and did he grovel or did I just miss it?
I recommend this book to anyone wanting a nice, full on angst (w/o consummation) cheating book.
April 19, 2012
This is one of my favourite story-lines, it's angsty and I like to see how the writer can put two people through something like that and still have them come out whole on the other side.
But this book just left me hating Larry.
Despite being blissfully happy with his wife of 19 years, mother of his 2 children, Larry embarks on what feels like a 4 month+ affair with his high school girlfriend, in full knowledge of his wife, all their friends and even their 14 year old son.
At the beginning of the book Larry talks about never wanting to hurt Jenny, and by the end he just doesn't care about Jenny. Even tells her what's going on with him and the o/w and asks his wife to wait for him to make a decision on who he actually loves. The kicker? She says OK.
Wow.
But somehow in the space of the last 20 pages we get a lightening flash realisation (after his son falls off a boat) that the o/w was a simple case of mid-life crises, who he didn't even love in the first place seeing as he dumped her 20 years ago. And just like that, all is forgiven, with no serious harm to their marriage. Yeah right.
But this book just left me hating Larry.
Despite being blissfully happy with his wife of 19 years, mother of his 2 children, Larry embarks on what feels like a 4 month+ affair with his high school girlfriend, in full knowledge of his wife, all their friends and even their 14 year old son.
At the beginning of the book Larry talks about never wanting to hurt Jenny, and by the end he just doesn't care about Jenny. Even tells her what's going on with him and the o/w and asks his wife to wait for him to make a decision on who he actually loves. The kicker? She says OK.
Wow.
But somehow in the space of the last 20 pages we get a lightening flash realisation (after his son falls off a boat) that the o/w was a simple case of mid-life crises, who he didn't even love in the first place seeing as he dumped her 20 years ago. And just like that, all is forgiven, with no serious harm to their marriage. Yeah right.
May 1, 2017
Great angsty marriage in peril story.
This could have been a five star book but the ending felt rushed.
This could have been a five star book but the ending felt rushed.
July 8, 2012
Very Good read,it was full of tension,angsty both Jen and Larry were TSTL,Larry is one stupid weak jerk,he did not redeem in my eyes.Even if he did not get physical with Ky but it was an emotional cheating with kissing involved.My anger only melted a little cause inspite the way Ky tried to lure him he still said "NO,he could'nt do it to Jen,she deserves my loyalty" least he had this much of decency but this did not excuse his emotional affair with Ky.
The ending was really rushed and there was no grovelling which spoiled the book for me.It is a 3 star read for me but giving extra cause the author brought out all the emotions really well-may it be confusion,anger,hurt,pain,disappointment or resentment.The fault for the way their marriage went on rocky patch falls both on Jen-Larry,i firmly believe that any outside person cannot come in between your relation if it is really strong but if the person him/her is successful in coming in between then the fault lies within that two persons who are in the relationship,not with that third person.Every relationship has problems but using that as an excuse to stray-physically or emotionally its unforgivable IMO.
Here Larry was the one confused weak jerk,Ky took full advantage of his confused emotions and manipulated him like a puppet and Jen her fault was she let Larry off the hook inspite of knowing he is lying,she understood what was happening yet when Larry kept on asking for her to wait she gave him that time.
This book played havoc with my emotions,i enjoyed the book very much inspite of rushed ending.Want to read more of this author,started hunting for other books.
Recommend it.
The ending was really rushed and there was no grovelling which spoiled the book for me.It is a 3 star read for me but giving extra cause the author brought out all the emotions really well-may it be confusion,anger,hurt,pain,disappointment or resentment.The fault for the way their marriage went on rocky patch falls both on Jen-Larry,i firmly believe that any outside person cannot come in between your relation if it is really strong but if the person him/her is successful in coming in between then the fault lies within that two persons who are in the relationship,not with that third person.Every relationship has problems but using that as an excuse to stray-physically or emotionally its unforgivable IMO.
Here Larry was the one confused weak jerk,Ky took full advantage of his confused emotions and manipulated him like a puppet and Jen her fault was she let Larry off the hook inspite of knowing he is lying,she understood what was happening yet when Larry kept on asking for her to wait she gave him that time.
This book played havoc with my emotions,i enjoyed the book very much inspite of rushed ending.Want to read more of this author,started hunting for other books.
Recommend it.
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December 2, 2019The only thing I felt reading this trash was the urge to puke. If that was the point of this excuse for a writer then she succeeded. What a message she wanted to get through this damn bullshit I don't even care to know. I hope she has already retired and stopped wasting time with this misogenous garbage.
November 15, 2017
This would have been a 4 if the ending hadn't been so rushed. This is an oldie but goodie that I wish could have been re-vamped a bit and a new edition issued, but I guess I just dream on. ;-)
October 30, 2012
Extremeeeeeeeeeely deceived by this book!
It had potential, the storyline was attractive, i thought that there would have been lots and lots of tear-wrenching moments, grovelling but apart from anger towards the H, i didn't feel much...
(was there any grovelling between?) The h forgave him too easily and i'm sorry, but the h is stupid.
stupid to allow her husband to lie (and damn, she knew he was lying).
I hate hate hate and hate that it was rushed at the end!!!
It had potential, the storyline was attractive, i thought that there would have been lots and lots of tear-wrenching moments, grovelling but apart from anger towards the H, i didn't feel much...
(was there any grovelling between?) The h forgave him too easily and i'm sorry, but the h is stupid.
stupid to allow her husband to lie (and damn, she knew he was lying).
I hate hate hate and hate that it was rushed at the end!!!
September 21, 2016
The couple have been happily married for a long time, the hero's ex comes back to town and endangeres the marriage. The ow was the hero's childhood gjrlfriend and everyone thought that they would end up together. They broke up with unresolved feelings but the hero moved on and was happy with his wife. When the ow comes back she really goes shamelessly after him and hes confused and tempted. his wife gives him space to get unconfuced. he begins a months long affair with the ow and isnt even discreet about it, his wife, friends and even their son knows that hes behaving badly.
its an incredible angsty book but there was no grovel, she took him back wayyy too easily. the ending was rushed which was sad. but it is a good book.
its an incredible angsty book but there was no grovel, she took him back wayyy too easily. the ending was rushed which was sad. but it is a good book.
July 3, 2015
I wish he had grovelled a bit more...I still can't completely forgive him;(
June 3, 2023
The doormatty-ist of all the doormats, watches on as her husband drools over the OW, with a smile plastered on her face because manners! manners! manners!, lays there while her husband pins her down for a quickie using her body to slake his lust for another women heroine - Hate.
The immoral, cheating, spineless, want my cake and eat it too, going through a mid life crisis, doesn’t even try to pretend he’s not lusting after the OW in front of his wife and mutual friends, poor excuse of a hero - Hate.
The determined barracuda of an OW, with no on page comeuppance - Hate.
This wall-banger of a book - Loathe!
Stay far far away from this read for your own sake!!
The immoral, cheating, spineless, want my cake and eat it too, going through a mid life crisis, doesn’t even try to pretend he’s not lusting after the OW in front of his wife and mutual friends, poor excuse of a hero - Hate.
The determined barracuda of an OW, with no on page comeuppance - Hate.
This wall-banger of a book - Loathe!
Stay far far away from this read for your own sake!!
January 11, 2024
Pretty mellow. But you just get frustrated with the hero...'oh my life is so perfect....let's let a demon from the past try to mess it all up for me'. I think the other woman could have been ramped up a bit more, but oooooffff wooing the heroine's daughter...girl no way! Our hero was just so wishy washy. He loved his wife, they had a great sex life and that just wasn't enough for a few months? Jeez. Really liked the son, he was so protective of his mom's emotions and choose to sympathize with her, unlike her stupid husband. The hero needed to get OUT and wake up was when the other woman admitted she got pregnant on purpose....yeah NO babe....we done. And their break up was on her, and everything she did afterward was on HER. Girl you wrecked your own life and relationship. Glad the hero eventually looked back at his memories and SAW what he truly felt not just the fake nostalgia bs he was phone sexing his dumb old girlfriend with. Not that great or enthralling, but I guess if you like boats and not too much drama, read it.
October 17, 2022
This was written back in 1987 so bare in mind the different type of living. Not many cell phones, computers etc were around. Jenny and Larry have been married for fifteen years when his midlife crises hit. An old girlfriend reappears in his life and now he has second thoughts of his marriage to Jenny and his children. His old flame, aka long time gf, is back and wants him. She has set her eyes on him and marriage or not she will have him. There is emotion infidelity as well of kissing the OW. I was not pleased how this was being written but in the ending I was content. This book will go into my 'love to hate' file of reading material.
November 24, 2019
After years and years of trying to get a copy of this, I got one and for most of it I was sitting on a this is good enough three stars. But the ending was so dissatisfing that I dropped it a star.
Did he have sec with her? How much in those two weeks did he see her. Kiss her? The h didn't ask any of these questions and just let it go. Nah. That frustrated the hell out of me and I dropped it a star.
Did he have sec with her? How much in those two weeks did he see her. Kiss her? The h didn't ask any of these questions and just let it go. Nah. That frustrated the hell out of me and I dropped it a star.
December 20, 2023
God what I would give to go into the book and slap some sense into the h. You’re basically sitting by while another woman makes the move on your man, but too scared to really confront until towards the end. The big confrontation that occurred at the end should have happened when she first found out the OW was making the moves. You knew your husband took the OW to her hotel and spent the day with her and you still had dinner with her and your family?!?!?!? I would have rained pure hell.. gahh!
November 19, 2020
Husband puts wife through the ringer. Has fascination with other woman.
Wife puts up with it. Then finally blasts off. Doesn't last very long though.
Wife puts up with it. Then finally blasts off. Doesn't last very long though.
March 23, 2024
Should’ve ended at Ch11 when she said leave me alone Larry 👋
Didn’t like the weak ass H at all in this
Didn’t like the weak ass H at all in this
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2023
Well, I can't say it was terrible, but this will never be a fav of mine, either. The H, Larry has a very happy marriage with the h, Jenny (his only complaint is that she could be a bit more adventurous when it comes to sex), but then things hit a snag when the OW (his ex-girlfriend, Ky Kayle) reenters his life. They had a troubled history, as he suspected his upper crust parents didn't like that she was half Asian, Ky Kayle was very clingy and possessive, Larry went away to college and started playing around, Ky Kayle tried to baby trap him, Larry didn't want to get tied down, so she had an abortion. (Larry did try to find her, but it was too late.)
Not a pretty story! Actually, Larry's mother wasn't so much prejudiced as concerned, because she knew that underneath that sweet exterior Ky Kayle was a barracuda. When she couldn't trap Larry with her pregnancy, she no longer had any use for the baby and got rid of it ASAP. She apparently chose the backstreet route, when she came from a family with medical connections, and not surprisingly, she ended up unable to have children. She marries an older, wealthy man, divorces him, stats a business that thrives, goes from one affair to another, apparently in a fruitless quest for another Larry, then - 19 years after they parted ways - she wants back in his life (not to mention his bed), and his wife and kids be damned, he belongs to her, always has!! So, she uses a business deal as an excuse, uses her seductive wiles on Larry (as well as putting a guilt trip on him for the past), worms her way into his son and daughter's good graces, makes Jenny feel inferior, and plans to win back her man!
WTF!!!!! Knowing all this, instead of kicking her to the curb, Larry appears to fall under her spell, to the point where he almost cheats on Jenny! (There's a steamy scene where Ky Kayle gets naked, starts taking off Larry's shirt, there's kissing and caressing, but at least he stops it before it goes any further, much to her chagrin.) I always give characters credit for stopping things before they go too far, even though I'm not so thrilled they got themselves into that situation.
Larry lets Ky Kayle get away with too much, because of guilt from the past, unresolved issues, lack of closure, etc. But it went too far when he gets confused about where he really wants to be (WTF!!!!), becomes distant and quick tempered, starts smoking again, after quitting years ago (STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!!!) and expects Jenny to be patient and understanding!
And she is, up to a point, until finally she's had it, and tells him off good! How he could ever be confused is laughable, considering how great a person Jenny was, and how much she loved him. she was real, down-to-earth and loving, while Ky Kayle was a calculating, manipulative, self-centered bitch. (She was also drop dead gorgeous, the type who gives every straight man an erection - and maybe even a few gay ones - so Larry was obviously thinking with the wrong head!)
And any man who sends the beloved family dog outside like an unwelcome pest because Ky Kayle just can't stand dogs, deserves to be sent outside himself....in the freezing rain....with nothing on!!
It takes an emergency involving their teenage son to make Larry come to his senses, and at that point it looked like it might be too late (and he deserved to be shaken up)!
I was more interested in Jenny's work as a research assistant for a professor who was writing a book (this guy had smarts, he saw through Ky Kayle right away), and later the job offer she gets to do research work at a college. More time should have been spent on that instead of endless scenes on the boat, their son learning to navigate, and other stuff that just seemed like filler.
There was also their friends' 18-year-old son, Billy who had the hots for Jenny! I thought something more would come of that, but there was just a moment or two. (Imagine if she was so upset about Larry that she made out with Billy??? That would have been something!!!)
He should have done what a guy in a similar situation did, in another book whose name I forget. I remember that he couldn't make up his mind between his wife and girlfriend (his marriage was troubled, BTW and not because he cheated). Finally, he asked himself a basic question: how would he feel if one of them died? He was honest with himself: if his wife died, he'd feel bad, but life would go on. If his girlfriend died.....he couldn't even go there, life without her was unthinkable! problem solved!!
If Larry had done this, he would have kicked Ky Kayle to the curb ASAP!!!
If you skip this book, it's no great loss.
Not a pretty story! Actually, Larry's mother wasn't so much prejudiced as concerned, because she knew that underneath that sweet exterior Ky Kayle was a barracuda. When she couldn't trap Larry with her pregnancy, she no longer had any use for the baby and got rid of it ASAP. She apparently chose the backstreet route, when she came from a family with medical connections, and not surprisingly, she ended up unable to have children. She marries an older, wealthy man, divorces him, stats a business that thrives, goes from one affair to another, apparently in a fruitless quest for another Larry, then - 19 years after they parted ways - she wants back in his life (not to mention his bed), and his wife and kids be damned, he belongs to her, always has!! So, she uses a business deal as an excuse, uses her seductive wiles on Larry (as well as putting a guilt trip on him for the past), worms her way into his son and daughter's good graces, makes Jenny feel inferior, and plans to win back her man!
WTF!!!!! Knowing all this, instead of kicking her to the curb, Larry appears to fall under her spell, to the point where he almost cheats on Jenny! (There's a steamy scene where Ky Kayle gets naked, starts taking off Larry's shirt, there's kissing and caressing, but at least he stops it before it goes any further, much to her chagrin.) I always give characters credit for stopping things before they go too far, even though I'm not so thrilled they got themselves into that situation.
Larry lets Ky Kayle get away with too much, because of guilt from the past, unresolved issues, lack of closure, etc. But it went too far when he gets confused about where he really wants to be (WTF!!!!), becomes distant and quick tempered, starts smoking again, after quitting years ago (STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!!!) and expects Jenny to be patient and understanding!
And she is, up to a point, until finally she's had it, and tells him off good! How he could ever be confused is laughable, considering how great a person Jenny was, and how much she loved him. she was real, down-to-earth and loving, while Ky Kayle was a calculating, manipulative, self-centered bitch. (She was also drop dead gorgeous, the type who gives every straight man an erection - and maybe even a few gay ones - so Larry was obviously thinking with the wrong head!)
And any man who sends the beloved family dog outside like an unwelcome pest because Ky Kayle just can't stand dogs, deserves to be sent outside himself....in the freezing rain....with nothing on!!
It takes an emergency involving their teenage son to make Larry come to his senses, and at that point it looked like it might be too late (and he deserved to be shaken up)!
I was more interested in Jenny's work as a research assistant for a professor who was writing a book (this guy had smarts, he saw through Ky Kayle right away), and later the job offer she gets to do research work at a college. More time should have been spent on that instead of endless scenes on the boat, their son learning to navigate, and other stuff that just seemed like filler.
There was also their friends' 18-year-old son, Billy who had the hots for Jenny! I thought something more would come of that, but there was just a moment or two. (Imagine if she was so upset about Larry that she made out with Billy??? That would have been something!!!)
He should have done what a guy in a similar situation did, in another book whose name I forget. I remember that he couldn't make up his mind between his wife and girlfriend (his marriage was troubled, BTW and not because he cheated). Finally, he asked himself a basic question: how would he feel if one of them died? He was honest with himself: if his wife died, he'd feel bad, but life would go on. If his girlfriend died.....he couldn't even go there, life without her was unthinkable! problem solved!!
If Larry had done this, he would have kicked Ky Kayle to the curb ASAP!!!
If you skip this book, it's no great loss.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2025
Once again, I am reaching into my vault of books I read and kept while growing up to see if it's still a keeper. This 1983 title was during what I consider the heyday of mass market romances- a great way several bestselling authors of today honed their craft. Harlequins, Silhouettes, Loveswept, Candlelight, Second Chance at Love, Too Have and to Hold... so many different lines to choose from every month!! I suspect it won't hold up to my viewpoint today, but remember it was read when I was probably in 8th grade.
After actually re-reading the book....
There are some great summaries in the reviews, so I am not going into great detail of the story. Jenny and Larry seem to have a great relationship- married 15 years, two children, and cute dog, and just a good life. They get along so well and seem so happy, and this is all disturbed when Larry's ex-girlfriend selects his firm to work with her expanding her business. Suddenly, Jenny is confronted with old doubts about Larry's past relationship with Ky that he never talked about. Things heat up fast between Larry and Ky, as Larry goes through a midlife crisis and starts to embark on an affair as he tries to figure out what he wants in life - Jenny or Ky.
Look, I am not going to justify Larry's actions. He is clearly an ass and I don't get taking him back. But.. I think the author did a good job of showing they had a strong marriage and relationship since the met, so while I might not agree with taking him back, it is something I have seen happen frequently in other marriages. I understood Jenny's feeling about not confronting it head on because it wasn't her way, and it built until it exploded out of her. They tried to talk, and I bought how it went (and trust me, not talking is a pet peeve of mine).
So... I get the bad reviews. However, this was still a strong and emotional read for me. I felt Jenny's feelings, fears and finally anger by the end of the book. I remembered several of the lines in the book, in particular her break down in the end and "keep your Ky-stained hands off me" as she kicked him out. I am not sure if part of my emotional attachment is from my growing up time frame. The 1970s and 80s had so many more stay-at-home moms where family was their world, and divorce wasn't like it is today. The ending was too rushed, her taking him back was too soon, he definately didn't grovel enough... but dam, I still like the book.
After actually re-reading the book....
There are some great summaries in the reviews, so I am not going into great detail of the story. Jenny and Larry seem to have a great relationship- married 15 years, two children, and cute dog, and just a good life. They get along so well and seem so happy, and this is all disturbed when Larry's ex-girlfriend selects his firm to work with her expanding her business. Suddenly, Jenny is confronted with old doubts about Larry's past relationship with Ky that he never talked about. Things heat up fast between Larry and Ky, as Larry goes through a midlife crisis and starts to embark on an affair as he tries to figure out what he wants in life - Jenny or Ky.
Look, I am not going to justify Larry's actions. He is clearly an ass and I don't get taking him back. But.. I think the author did a good job of showing they had a strong marriage and relationship since the met, so while I might not agree with taking him back, it is something I have seen happen frequently in other marriages. I understood Jenny's feeling about not confronting it head on because it wasn't her way, and it built until it exploded out of her. They tried to talk, and I bought how it went (and trust me, not talking is a pet peeve of mine).
So... I get the bad reviews. However, this was still a strong and emotional read for me. I felt Jenny's feelings, fears and finally anger by the end of the book. I remembered several of the lines in the book, in particular her break down in the end and "keep your Ky-stained hands off me" as she kicked him out. I am not sure if part of my emotional attachment is from my growing up time frame. The 1970s and 80s had so many more stay-at-home moms where family was their world, and divorce wasn't like it is today. The ending was too rushed, her taking him back was too soon, he definately didn't grovel enough... but dam, I still like the book.
February 11, 2023
This is one of my favorites.
I know, I know a lot of us hate the cheating/other women trope. So if you're one of them; this book is definitely not for you.
Some twisted little part of me loves the cheating/other woman trope. The drama, the angst, the devastation, the grovel. I should probably be put in a test tube and studied.
This book is exceptionally well written,. It feels real world without any of the typical ridiculous Harley tropes of blackmail, silly wills, or MOC. (Not that I don't love those, I do. I snort that shit like cocaine)
This book is unique in that we also get the H's POV. While I know that's not unprecedented, it's also not common in Harley land, most books being heroinecentric for obvious reasons.
H's ex-girlfriend shows up and hero loses his damn mind. Makes the exotically beautiful ow his priority and has a raging emotional affair. Secret meetings, secret phone calls. Kisses in the airport. While technically they didn't bump uglies they made out while ow was naked. That's all cheating.
Of course the h takes him back to easily. But thems the ropes when you have 192 page limit. (le sigh)
There is a pretty good h smackdown that was real slow in coming, but it is the H's come to Jesus moment.
I know, I know a lot of us hate the cheating/other women trope. So if you're one of them; this book is definitely not for you.
Some twisted little part of me loves the cheating/other woman trope. The drama, the angst, the devastation, the grovel. I should probably be put in a test tube and studied.
This book is exceptionally well written,. It feels real world without any of the typical ridiculous Harley tropes of blackmail, silly wills, or MOC. (Not that I don't love those, I do. I snort that shit like cocaine)
This book is unique in that we also get the H's POV. While I know that's not unprecedented, it's also not common in Harley land, most books being heroinecentric for obvious reasons.
H's ex-girlfriend shows up and hero loses his damn mind. Makes the exotically beautiful ow his priority and has a raging emotional affair. Secret meetings, secret phone calls. Kisses in the airport. While technically they didn't bump uglies they made out while ow was naked. That's all cheating.
Of course the h takes him back to easily. But thems the ropes when you have 192 page limit. (le sigh)
There is a pretty good h smackdown that was real slow in coming, but it is the H's come to Jesus moment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2024
Awesome story of the other woman from hell reeking havoc on a delightful marriage. Sucked me into the vortex of emotion and spitting out my outrage as I read along. Loved the heroine with her grit in keeping herself under control, because that was the only thing holding her family together until the dam burst. The Hero was certainly a smitten asshole who had to wake up, playing both sides of the fence. And his wake up call came. Great story if you like the battle of the other woman from hell.
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