Tear You Apart

by Megan Hart

Their passion will consume everything–and everyone–in its path...

I'm on a train.

I don't know which stop I got on at; I only know the train is going fast and the world outside becomes a blur. I should get off, but I don't. The universe is playing a cosmic joke on me. Here I had my life—a good life with everything a woman could want—and suddenly, there is something more I didn't know I could have. A chance for me to be satisfied and content and maybe even on occasion deliriously, amazingly, exuberantly fulfilled.

So this is where I am, on a train that's out of control, and I am not just a passenger. I'm the one shoveling the furnace full of coal to keep it going fast and faster.

If I could make myself believe it all happened by chance and I couldn't help it, that I've been swept away, that it's not my fault, that it's fate...would that be easier? The truth is, I didn't know I was looking for this until I found Will, but I must've been, all this time. And now it is not random, it is not fate, it is not being swept away.

This is my choice. And I don't know how to stop.

Or even if I want to.

Genres: Romance, Erotica, Contemporary Romance, Adult, Erotic Romance, Contemporary, Fiction

298 pages, Paperback

First published August 27, 2013

About the author

Megan Hart has written in almost every genre of romantic fiction, including historical, contemporary, romantic suspense, romantic comedy, futuristic, fantasy and perhaps most notably, erotic. She also writes non-erotic fantasy and science fiction, as well as continuing to occasionally dabble in horror.

--from the author's website

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

For Megan Hart, the nutritionist, click here

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 THOUSAND TORN-APART AND FOREVER-CHANGED STARS!!!!!!



I am forever changed from this book. I have A LOT to say, so I hope I don’t talk your eyes off.

Synesthesia = A neurological condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second.



When he says my name, I see it in shimmering shades of blue and green and gray. When he says my name, I see summer. I see the ocean.



The sounds of grief and pleasure can be so much the same. Am I crying or coming?



You never know how thirsty you are until someone offers you something to drink.




Reading Megan Hart is like breathing…if breathing involved wanting to slit your wrists.

She makes me feel beauty.

She makes me feel.



Her writing is orgasmic, but not in the tear-your-clothes-off way. I’m turned on by the actual words, not by what she is telling me with her words, although she can write some of the hottest stuff I’ve ever read. And I don’t even see it coming (pun intended). I can be reading one of her books and all of the sudden, I need to change my panties…just from reading.

You know how a genius sees the world differently…that’s Megan Hart. This book is her Mona Lisa, her Theory of Relativity.

My Elisabeth:

The word love has always tasted like the scent of fresh ink and soft paper to me.



My Will:

He gives me a slow smile, sweeter than the extra sugar I added to my coffee. His smile is the kiss of ocean spray and the keening cry of gulls.



Yes, this book is uber sad, but it is equally uber hot…

I want to rub the head of my cock back and forth over your clit until you’re dripping wet for me. Back and forth, so slow it makes you crazy. I want to tease you until you beg me to fuck you.

I want to eat him up like a peach until the juice drips down my hand and wrist and arm and I lick it all away.

LOTS of Additional Thoughts

Marriage. There is so much to that one word. It can become stale in the blink of an eye, and you don’t even know it. The process of looking for the sugar can drive you insane.

If marriage is compromise and working together, sometimes it’s also just biting the fuck out of your tongue to keep yourself from ending it all over a basket of laundry.



If you’re married or you’ve ever been married, you know it can become stale. This book highlights ALL of that. It talks about what everyone is afraid to talk about….in a beautiful way. Unsatisfying sex in marriage. Unsatisfying marriage. Women’s insecurities of being too old, too fat to satisfy their husbands sexually. Being afraid to leave because you’ve been with this person for so damn long. Questioning whether you really want to leave or if you’re just unhappy. When you’re husband doesn’t listen. When both of you stop trying.



Infidelity. Aren’t we all susceptible to it? Many readers refuse to read about it. I COMPLETELY understand having hard limits as a reader. I personally don’t mind reading about infidelity. This book made me look at my husband and tell him I love him more, and it made me want to do nice things for him…not because I feel guilty or because I feel like I “should,” but because I feel like I…should. I want to do nice things for him. It’s easy to forget after being married for a while.



I felt what Elisabeth was feeling. It was real. And it made me think of my own marriage and the little things that I take for granted.

When I wasn’t reading the book, I would get mad at Elisabeth, but as soon as I went back to reading, all of my anger went away because of how real Elisabeth’s story is.



You take this thing you want and you put it in a box and you close the lid. And you hold the box close to your heart, which is where it wants to go, and you pretend it doesn’t kill you every time you feel yourself breathe.




I know I didn’t actually talk about the plot of the book, but it’s so simple that there wasn’t much to say. There are more feels in this book than actual plot. I didn’t mind this because with Megan Hart, I can just sit back and enjoy the ride…and slit my wrists. What can I say? I’m a masochist.

I would like to thank the Gif Creator for creating gifs because I literally could not express myself in this review without them.

BUDDY READ WITH MY GIRL, IRENE!



I effing love Megan Hart!

[Ash Wednesday · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS

The kindest thing you can do for someone you love is to never tell them how much they have broken your heart.

I don't think I've ever NOT wanted to review a book as much as this.

I feel vastly inept and out of my depth to give any opinion of merit about this one. There will be other readers who'd be more eloquent on this subject matter. Readers I'm hell bent to find and force to give this story better justice than I ever can. But for the moment, just be aware that I'm wincing over the words I'm laying to paper because I feel very much like a poser reviewing this book.

Because I have never been married and this is about a forty-five year old woman cheating on her husband of twenty-two years.

I do not condone infidelity but cheating in books has never been a deal breaker for me, so long as the argument for committing it will have enough weight and sense. Because these issues, when given the proper treatment, are never really as simple as yes and no, good and bad. And this one made all the right arguments and asked all the right questions for me to sympathize with the heroine. Because for me she was a good mother, a good friend and until that fateful day when she woke up from the dream that was her life, she was a good wife. One that makes me yearn for that overrated happiness for her, despite her shortcomings.

Happiness is overrated. Maybe we are not built for it. Maybe the best we can hope for is to be... Content. To be resigned. To muddle through life and be grateful for the good, and work through the bad. Maybe that is what I will have for the rest of my life, this good life to which I am resigned, to which I am grateful.

This was unrelentingly gritty and unapologetic in its honesty, vividly painting marital dystopia. The gruesome details of what lays beyond "til death do us part" brought in sharp focus. Infidelity doesn't come arbitrarily here, it is borne from the staleness routine brings. The slow painful death of romance giving way to dirty dishes in the sink, arguments over laundry, the dripping faucet and the ugliness comfort and complacency ushers to the bedroom and beyond.

It's like a cautionary tale for the newly engaged and a horror story for the newlyweds.

I was pleasantly surprised with the conventions this story bucked. I liked that Elisabeth and Will are both in their forties, old enough to recognize the error and gravity of their actions. I find it interesting that between the two of them, Will was the reluctant participant, the one who doesn't want to be THAT man, the one who breaks up a family, instead settling to be the OTHER man, the one who sleeps with a married woman in secret (a debatable lesser or greater evil, surely). But what I truly appreciated was that they are not just two people willfully committing adultery, they are two fully formed characters that make you ache for them when they are together as much as when they are apart.

"Everyday," I tell him, "you will miss me either a little less or a little more. Until one day you will wake up and realize, you don't miss me at all, or you will find yourself incapable of living without me."
"And then what," Will says. "Then what?"
"Then," I say just before I disconnect, "come and find me."

Elisabeth will probably not be as easy to take for some but for me, she was a very effective heroine. I was never against her. With all the questionable morals of her decisions and seemingly selfish nature of her actions, she was still more a casualty than the actual villain.

***Insert the devastating entirety of Chapter 36 here.***

For all her complexity as a mother, a wife, a lover, a friend, she is consistent in her admirable depth and spine that could only be forged from enduring a marriage that has been waiting to be broken for twenty-two years. She carries the baggage and guilt of her sins on her own, not because she's untrusting, but because she doesn't want to impose the discomfort of her secrets on the people she loves.

This is my first Megan Hart book and I'm thrilled to see she pulls no punches when it comes to simple words strung beautifully in quiet and heavy harmony. The metaphors did get a bit too in-your-face but everywhere else, her words reach across the pages, yanking at those near non-existent heartstrings of mine while I could only read on helplessly.

Some details still didn't add up for me, like Naveen's purpose in the story and Elisabeth's Synesthesia. Was it an excuse for the psychedelic narrative of voices having colors and lights having tastes without coming across pretentious? Was it to best illustrate her long-standing isolation that may have doomed her marriage even before it started? It was an odd piece to the puzzle. Though the last 20% did well in digging its claws deep, I felt the heartbreaking goodbye was a little too drawn out for my tastes.

Impossible as it may seem, with the kind of story this delivered, I liked the bittersweet optimism in how things ended. And I know, I'd probably be alone in that boat.

This got a little too long, I'd perfectly understand if anyone who comes across this review TL:DR'ed this. And I apologize for what I feel are my poor efforts to approximate my feelings towards this story but I fervently encourage everyone to read this book and write a better review.

One that this book better deserves.

"He was my ocean, and I didn't know if I would drown until I learned how well I could swim."

ARC provided by Harlequin MIRA thru NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

[~IreneOust~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say about this book other than it sure does make you think.

Anyone who's been married a while will get this book. The daily patterns we fall into because we get comfortable with things, the sacrifices and choices we make with others in mind, running around taking care of others but forgetting to take care of ourselves in the process ...


"You never know how thirsty you are until someone offers you something to drink."


I know I am the anomaly but I don't believe in monogamy. When I say I don't believe in it, I don't mean I go around and look for people to fuck around with or encourage my husband to go and fuck other women. No. I just don't think it's natural. Do I sympathize with Elizabeth's character? You bet. Do I think she is wrong to do with she did. Absolutely not. There comes a time in everyone's life where one should be selfish enough to say "what about me?".


"But you shouldn't settle. Not when it should be something so special. You should make sure it's what you really, really want. And even then," I say with a small laugh, "you'll probably look back on it in twenty years and wonder what on earth you were thinking."

She turns to me. "Do you?"

"Yes. I'd have picked something different. So you should make sure," I say, looking across the room to where her sister is now twirling in front of the mirror in a fourth cnoice, "to pick something you really really love, at least right now, because that way even when you look back and can't believe you picked it, you'll remember how much you loved it when you did."


Now why do I think Elizabeth isn't talking about dresses in this case? This book is full of fantastic metaphors. Such as the one below which, clearly, isn't just talking about fixing a leaky faucet ...


"The sink drips.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
How many months since I first asked him to fix it? How many times have I suggested we simply call a plumber? "No," Ross always says, affronted by the idea that some how other man could fix what he broke."


Brilliant!


"If there's ever a person who tells you in all their years of marriage they've never wondered what it would be like to walk out, you're talking to a liar."


So true! You have to applaud Elizabeth for going through with her decision and leaving her husband after all and not because of Will but because life is too short to be unhappy.


The ending was bittersweet but I loved it ...


"He was my ocean, and I didn't know if I would drown until I learned how well I could swim."


This was my first book by Megan Hart but I've already purchased and looking forward to reading several others. I am in love with her writing style.


... the kindest thing you can for someone you love is to never tell them how much they have broken your heart."


Cheers!



*** ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ***

[Kim *Mo Chridhe* · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Kat stands quietly in front of the triple mirror, studying her reflection and smoothing the fabric of a simple satin gown in a vintage style. But when I ask her if she wants to buy it, she just shakes her head.

"No, Mom," she says. "I'm not sure about it."

"Then you shouldn't get it."

Kat, face solemn, nods. She smooths her hands down the front again, then gives me a small smile. "It's pretty, right?"

"It's beautiful, honey. Very you." I haven't checked the tag on this one, but what is money for if not to spend? "But you shouldn't settle. Not when it should be something so special. You should make sure it's what you really, really want. And even then," I say with a small laugh, "you'll probably look back on it in twenty years and wonder what on earth you were thinking."

She turns to me. "Do you?"

I think of my own wedding dress. I'd wanted to wear my grandmother's 1940s suit with its padded shoulders and peplum, the sleek skirt. My mother had talked me into a mermaid-style dress, a monstrosity of lace and satin that had never fit quite right no matter how many times we'd had it altered. I haven't looked at my wedding pictures for a long time.

"Yes. I'd have picked something different. So you should make sure," I say, looking across the room to where her sister is now twirling in front of the mirror in a fourth choice, "to pick something you really really love, at least right now, because that way even when you look back and can't believe you picked it, you'll remember how much you loved it when you did."

There are countless elements in a story that give me goosebumps, but one of my favourites is the use of allegories to drive the point home. This book had a handful of those. And they were done really, really well.

Tear You Apart is the story of Elisabeth Amblin, a forty five year old married mother of grown twins. Her girls have long moved out and her husband is constantly away on business trips and social activities with his buddies. At first it's easy to assume that she is that bored wife who is just looking for something to stir up excitement in her monotonous life, but her poor relationship with her husband has been going on for years. They continue to share a bed even though there's nothing left between them.

I don't remember the first day I resented this. I don't remember wondering why all the years I'd made the effort were not reciprocated. Nothing jumped up and bit me or slammed like a door in my face. That's not how it happens. What happens is you get married, you raise your kids, they go off to school, and you look at your spouse and wonder what on earth you're supposed to do with each other now, without all the distractions of having a family to obscure the fact that you have no idea not only who the other is, but who you are yourself.

At her work's art gallery opening in New York, she meets Will, one of the artists. She's instantly drawn to him and the heartbreaking love affair begins. There was hesitation from them both, more so from Will, because he refuses to be the reason for the breakup of a marriage, but Elisabeth assures him that whatever undefined thing they have will remain just that. It's not that simple though. If there was ever a button to turn your feelings on and off whenever appropriate it would've been easy to maintain a strictly sexual relationship, but the heart is an unreliable thing and before you know it, you're unequivocally, emotionally invested.

It's hard to judge Elisabeth when I can't imagine what it is like for her. What do you do when you realize that the love is no longer there? Would it have been easier to keep her marriage vows if she actually liked her husband instead of just tolerating him? What is it exactly that took him away from her? Or her away from him?

In no way do I feel that this book intended to romanticize infidelity. Will represented escape and possibility. It was a realistic portrayal of what I can only assume happen to many long-term couples everywhere. And for the unmarried, it gives you something to think about if you haven't entertained those questions already. Is getting married because you're in love and it's the most logical thing to do a good enough reason? Is it ambitious to look for something beyond contentment?

Reading this was a painful experience, not only because of chapters 21 and 36, but because it was as if Megan Hart took the thoughts out of my subconscious and put them into paper. There is so much raw honesty that socked me in the gut, and I feel ashamed because some truths applied to me. There was also the predominant theme of wanting what you cannot have, which may just be the most heart-shattering hurt of all.

I appreciated that Elisabeth recognized the good in her husband and made realistic choices with carefully thought out consequences. I don't think it could've ended any other way, because Will has as much at stake as Elisabeth. His fears were valid. What happens when the sexual fascination is gone? There's no other option but to choose well. I have so much respect for the course this story took and the thoughts it provoked. This was my first Megan Hart novel, but it definitely won't be my last.

...no matter what happens, I hurt. No matter what I do, there is casualty.

[Vishous · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am speechless....

There are no words to describe this brilliant book! Only the writing style deserves not 5 but 100 stars!!!!! I swear I am in love with this author and I can not wait to read other books by her.

This book... I don't even know how to describe it...

It made me so depressed and so afraid to finish it when I got to around 85% of it, I just had to stop and collect myself and tell myself that I can do it! I can finish this and not be heartbroken in the end! I finished it... And I was heartbroken... And I was depressed... And I just wanted to curl in a ball and cry and cry and cry... I swear that even happy parts of this book made me sad because of the story.

This is erotica at its finest! This is love mindfu@k at its finest! This is real and something that , sadly but true, happens almost every minute around the world! This is something that will tear your heart apart how beautiful it is written even though you will probably want to eat tons of ben&jerry's and cry yourself to exaustion.

[Shanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dear Megan Hart,

I hate you, you write these amazingly tragic stories, that I can’t stop reading, WTF is up with that? And you make my whole weekend suck, but your books are so filled with the raw, real, unbelievably honest, that I can’t not read them! So yes it’s true, though I love your books, I hate you for writing them!

Ok... on to the review

“See,” Will says, “You never know how thirsty you are until someone offers you something to drink.”
“I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.”
Ah this was a love story. One that’s not always happy, not always great, but it was indeed a love story. A story of two people who needed to be with each other because in that moment in time, they were both what each other needed. i have to say that Megan Hart knows how to blur lines of ethics and morality that you thought you were so firm on. But she makes you feel what your protagonist is feeling, hear what she is hearing, remember what she’s remembering, and so when life gets complicated you understand every moment that and every decision that is made. I thought that above all this was a story of the impossible decisions that we have to make sometimes, and how we can decide what we want, and why, and with whom.

If marriage is compromise and working together, sometimes it’s also just biting the fuck out of your tongue to keep yourself from ending it all over a basket of laundry.”
Elizabeth was so tired of being in her marriage it frustrated me. I hated her husband, but truth be told, I don't think he was very different from most guys, I see this as just the typical relationship after being together for all this time, these two are at the point where they start to realize how little they have in common, and what that could mean for them later. I thought that Will and Elizabeth were both coming into a relationship with a lot of battle of scars from previous (and for Elizabeth current) relationship. But they were on fire! So hot, in those stolen moments, I definitely understood the passion just from the words on the page.

“Happiness is overrated. Maybe we are not built for it. Maybe the best we can hope for is to be content. To be resigned. To muddle through life and be grateful for the good, and work through the bad. Maybe that is what I will have for the rest of my life, this good life to which I am resigned, for which I am grateful.”
I absolutely adored the imagery in this book. And I don't just mean the scenes from New York and Philadelphia, I mean the way that Megan Hart added so much imagery by making Elizabeth able to smell people’s personalities. It sounds weird, but this actually added quite a bit to the story. It added an entirely new dimension to the story. Everyone was so different because they smell like different things, that really do match their personalities. It was never over the top, I thought the addition of this element was person.
Overall, this was a fantastic book! I can’t ever pick it up and read it again because it might make me a bit suicidal, but it was still just a brilliant book from Megan Hart, and I’m not the least bit surprised about that.

“Some people live their entire life and never once feel how I felt every time he looked at me. So yes, this hurts, I as id I might die. But I won’t. And somehow, I find a way to let it all go... just let it go. No regrets. No grief. it will always hurt a little, down deep in that secret place, but it’s become a pain I can handle. Besides if it didn’t always hurt, just a little, it wouldn’t mean as much.”

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Today and this week at Badass Book Reviews, Megan Hart is visiting with a short interview, a guest blog post and a giveaway for a signed copy of this book: Badass Book Reviews

********
Megan Hart is known for writing novels that turn people on, induce crying and make people uncomfortable – an interesting combination for books categorized erotica and romance. But readers should not go into a Hart book looking for a story wrapped up in a neat package; and readers should not start a Hart book looking for a happily ever after, hoping for a formulaic romance and a desire to avoid taboos topics. Hart pushes boundaries of what is socially accepted in her novels. She openly tackles topics such as infidelity, monogamy, and promiscuity. So it goes without saying that Hart doesn’t write for every reader. Personally, I really enjoy an author who takes chances and takes on topics that people take for granted should only happen in one way. Couples stay faithful and never have urges to step outside of marriage, right? Falling in love and marrying means always just wanting that one person you are married to, right? Single girls wait for the right guy to come alone to have sex and do not have sex with men they have no emotional attachment to, right? I get why readers of romance/erotica don’t want these topics to be addressed in novels categorized as romance or erotica. What sort of fantasy escape is it to read about such painful topics? Well, it is an interesting one.

I haven’t read the entire Megan Hart backlist, but I have read a few of her books (Tempted, Dirty and her mainstream fiction novel The Favor). Based on my experience with Hart’s writing, it seems that Tear You Apart is unlike her other books. This story is slow to start; the action of the story does not begin until around halfway into the novel. I can see why the story is slow to start. Hart lays down the structure of the story, she painstakingly develops her characters so that when the action starts the development of the story is consistent with the characters we have come to know very well.

Did I like this book? Did I enjoy it? I am not sure. What I can say is this book is incredibly well written. I could not put it down and I am still thinking about the characters in this book. What happens to a marriage after years pass, people change (or only one doesn’t change) and after the kids leave?

“My daughters are long beyond needing that sort of care, and I don’t miss it.”

“My husband still travels, still works long hours, still spends his leisure time in pursuits that have nothing to do with me. And what have I done?”

Hart explores those questions with a character who is unwilling to let her life just fade. So yea, this book involves infidelity by the main character and the consequences that her decision to cheat wreaks on her life – the stress of the lie, the desire to be with her lover over her husband and how the cheating affects the outcome of her affair.

“Love, when it goes, can sometimes burn to ash. And sometimes it can leave nothing.”

A story like this cannot end with a happy ending. But it does end in the best possible way that is honest to the story and the characters.

“He was my ocean, and I didn’t know if I would drown until I learned how well I could swim.”

Who would like Tear You Apart? Readers who don’t need a happily ever after and readers who are okay with characters making decisions that do not comport with social expectations. If you can get past the cheating and just let the story unfold (albeit slowly), it is a gripping and sexy book.

To read this review and others like it check out Bad Ass Book Reviews

[Noemí (Mysticnox) · Rating 4 out of 5]

No era lo que esperaba cuando lo empecé pero me ha sorprendido para bien. Me ha gustado mucho. Nos habla de sentimientos que no se quieren tener pero que es imposible que no afloren y que hacen ver a la protagonista la vida que lleva y la que en verdad quiere llevar. Además con unos protagonistas maduros, que no es habitual ver en romántica- erótica.

[☾ Dαɴιyα ☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time I read Tear You Apart, I was either too hot or tongue-tied to write what I thought about the book. I'm determined not to let it happen the second time. I'm still not able to give it a proper review, but here are a few of my thoughts on Elisabeth, the story, and the writing style.

Megan Hart's heroines leave an impression. You don't finish a Megan Hart book written from the heroine's perspective, and then write a review focusing on the hero. No, her heroines are the stars. They have strong personalities. Sometimes they can seem a little overbearing even. I may not always find them relatable or what they're going through, but I do always understand them. Like Elisabeth, the heroine of this story. I may not have been able to relate to Elisabeth who was in her forties, had been married for half her life, had two grown-up daughters, and who'd started an affair, but I got her. That's all I want from fictional characters, really. I don't have to like them, though it's always nice when it happens. I don't have to find them relatable, either, but I do want to understand them. And I understood Elisabeth. You don't have to be in her situation for some of the little things from the book to ring true. It was those details that would make me stop and think about what I just read over and over again. I don't think they apply only to marriages, but on any relationship in which two people aren't invested the same.

Most of Megan Hart's books I've read I've found to be stories about women. In those books, I'd meet a heroine, find out about her past, her present, the people in her life, and the relationships she had with them. And sure, one of those relationships was a romantic one. This book was somewhat different. It mostly focused on Elisabeth's relationship with Will. This is a love story. That's what it says at the beginning of Tear You Apart, and it was. Or maybe it was a warning not to expect a romance. Either way, it was beautifully written. It didn't come as a surprise — I've never read a book by this author that wasn't well-written. However, there was something different, something special about this story. Elisabeth's synesthesia is partly the reason for that, but there's more to it. The writing style just makes this book stand out.

This wasn't a romance. It was a love story that ended just right.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Given into this sensation, feel I've run too far
Cannot see beyond emotion, see what the options are
With no faith to trust the notion, I fear I'm losing all control

Kill sweet desire, faith may numb the trial,
But can you run all your life?
Kill sweet desire, truth will make a liar,
You can run but not hide..."

- lyrics from "Desire" by Poets of the Fall

I could quote this entire song to kind of summarize the thematic in sync with Megan Hart's "Tear You Apart." And it's one of my favorite songs because it summarizes the push and pull one feels when they're overtaken by desire - this need to be with someone, whether it may be physical, mental, emotional intimacy of some sort - someone that takes you for a ride that you never want to step off, a high you don't want to come down from.

Let me reveal a bias before I get into my review of this book: I do not like books about cheating relationships. Seriously, I just don't, they just aren't my cuppa. Probably for more reasons than I could name in the length of this review - whether it may be my personal moral code, the relationships I've observed from other people, among others. It's a difficult subject to write about, I realize, because you have an idea that it's not going to end well. Someone is bound to get hurt, possibly multiple people. People within the relationship itself (whether the cheated party or the cheating party) as well as beyond it.

In fiction where cheating relationships are highlighted, there's almost always some trainwreck or emotional curveballs that stories may throw every which way but loose. There's almost always some pandering to one side to make it seem like the relationship should work or that the chosen pairing is somehow desirable to play it up.

That's not what Megan Hart's "Tear You Apart" does, though.

This novel takes the messiness that is one cheating relationship and shows it in a slow burn (probably slower than some people may like, which is why I hesitate on it because this is either going to be a novel that clicks with you, or it doesn't - in terms of pacing). It's an emotional rollercoaster, starting the slow climb, going up, up, up to where you reach the high, and then the rapid descent downward goes faster than you can keep up with, with no time to brace yourself.

Meet Elizabeth - art critic and assistant. She's not the most likable personality, which is a bit of an understatement for me because she's my second least favorite protagonist from all the Hart novels I've perused thus far. But I followed her emotional journey through this book very well, regardless. She meets the charismatic Will at an exhibit and the two start a rather steadily built relationship on the side while Elizabeth's husband, Ross, is away on constant business trips, and her twin daughters are grown and in relationships of their own.

The novel takes you through the sensuous highs of their relationship, and given that Elizabeth has synesthesia, her eye to details was unique to me because she notes an extra bit of detail with respect to sound, taste, and color. This straddled a line between beautiful sensory detail and purple prose - I'll admit in places the description did bog parts of the narrative down, at least in the first part, as did some frequency of the sensual interludes between each other. But I still appreciated reading and learning a bit about Elizabeth's life and relationship details. Were they as engrossing as some of her other works? Not as much, but I did like reading - for example, Elizabeth's relationship and history with Naveen.

It think the point where I really got into this was a bit beyond the 50% mark, when the relationship is in full thrumming, and you start seeing the strain and doubt in the relationship for what it leads to. Between Elizabeth's own internal musings of what would become of her relationship with Will is thrown into doubt, she starts feeling the ache of the stolen moments they have with each other, and some interesting tension points are given with respect to Ross's perception of things.

When I started seeing more of the cracks in Ross and Elizabeth's relationship, that also proved interesting to me because I felt that I saw the points where Elizabeth had truly fallen out of love with him. (The scene where she fixes the sink and he confronts her was rather telling of this.) At the same time, I saw the wear and tear in her relationship with Will. Is he going to be with her? Is he not? What are his obligations? What are her obligations and in these stolen moments, what are they gaining and losing? It's a morality toggle, and it felt realistic without feeling gimmicky. The problem that I foresee with some people picking up this book is that it doesn't completely delve into contrast of emotions that occur with the discovery of a cheating relationship.

Rather, it deals with Elizabeth's own decision to try to break things off only to realize, in several notations, that she can't. It's a drug, it's a physical ache, it's insatiable (and suddenly the Darren Hayes song of the same name pops into my brain). I understood it, I just couldn't completely connect with it. Which is why I didn't feel as much coming out of this novel compared to Hart's other novels. The ending is appropriate to the events that are shown, but I have a feeling this is one that will be hit or miss, alongside the consideration that people may or may not like the characters in this and what they do, or connect with how they feel.

I think "Tear You Apart" has a symbolic quality that matches with its title, because it's not only speaking for the nature of the relationship contained between two people in this novel, but it's also talking about the "tearing apart" from within, and progression towards honesty and truth in establishing your relationships, whether they may be built or broken or somewhere in the far expanse between.

I thought it was decent, but I wish it could've amounted to even more than what it was.

Overall score: 2.5/5 stars

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Harlequin MIRA.

[*P*u*r*p*l*e* Masochist · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is posted on Way Too Hot Books.

"“Love is always real, even when it doesn’t last.” "


Drawing by Zindy S. D. Nielsen.

As all of you are probably more than aware of by now- I'm a masochist reader- meaning I have this "sick perversion" for deeply emotional & tear-your-heart-apart type of stories and Megan Hart is my Queen. Being a masochist reader can be very lonely sometimes, because I know that people usually prefer more cheerful and & fairy-tale-alike stories, so I'm really glad that our newest blog member Beatrix shares the same "perversion" like I do :). After I read Tear You Apart I was set on a mission to make her read smth by my favorite masochist Queen with whose work she wasn't familiar until this book- I know, shame on her ;).

I was so happy when she decided to give M. Hart and this book a chance and started reading it right away...and then came the atypical silence- no word from Beatrix for hours which made me start worrying that she might hate the book and doubt my decision of recommending it to her, because as a reader she's is far from easy to impress and when she doesn't like smth she isn't afraid at all to say it. Fortunately, in the end, my worries were unnecessary.

But enough about us, let us introduce you to this engrossing, emotional & heart-wrenching story.

“The word love has always tasted like the scent of fresh ink and soft paper to me. Like a newly written poem.”

Megan Hart writes the type of stories that IMO you'll either love or hate. It's like- either you get it and get compelled by the story & its characters page by page or you get it, but just don't care. I can understand why there are so many mixed reviews about this book, because just like every other book by M. Hart, this one too dealt with some heavy issues, this time: adultery.

It's a very sensitive subject and I usually avoid books with similar themes, and if this book wasn't written by this particular author, I would have probably never been brave or eager enough to read it, but M. Hart has a way to tell you a story in a way that you can process it from every corner, both ugly & good, and in the end- it's up to you to decide if this is just another book about a woman having affair or there's more to the story than just that and before you already decide not to read it, because of this particular issue, I ask you to be open-minded and to give it a chance, because you might be surprised.

“Jealousy smells like the water in the bottom of a flower vase after the flowers have died.”

For me, there was so much more to this story than the cheating part, especially after getting to know the main character Elisabeth and getting a peek of her everyday life. It's not easy to be a woman. Women have many roles in life- we are sisters, daughters, wives, mothers etc. and it's expected from us to excel in every role, but above all we are also human beings with needs, desires and expectations of our own, and sometimes it's hard to decide which of these roles should come first without losing ourselves in the process.

That's why I could sympathize with Elisabeth. She was a very interesting character. She sees and feels everything around her through smell and taste and it was amazing to see the world through her "special sight." This is one of those don't judge me, if you don't know me stories. The ending, and that last quote were IMO so right. They made me fall with the story even more and I wouldn't change a thing about it. What else to say than- bow to The Queen!!!

“...This is the truth. I have been in love. I have been in lust. I’ve made good choices and bad ones, I have been smart and I’ve been stupid. But I have never in my life felt the way I do now...”


Beatrix' thoughts:

First I'd like to thank to my dear Purple for recommending this book to me, yeah it's true, I haven't read Megan Hart before, and I'm deeply ashamed haha, but that's definitely gonna change after now.
The type of books I enjoy are the raw and emotional ones, and this one falls into that category, as I've said in my review, I liked the writing style the most, how the ordinary emotions are brought into the focus.

So, read our thoughts and tell us what you think of this one!

The well of my heart is a very deep place,
and at the bottom, it's dark.

Oh boy, what a story… Truly, not what I expected. I like this kinds of books: real, raw, emotional stories. This book was really deep. I like the way it’s done, we’re slowly absorbed with the story, I didn’t connect with Elisabeth right away, it took some time, but then I’ve found myself sympathizing with her, understanding her.. Because to me, this is a story about Elisabeth, she’s central here! To be honest, the story itself is nothing original, woman unsatisfied with her life, unfulfilled, cheats on her husband, nothing new, but the way it was written, the way Megan Hart made us care is something special.

And the ending, that did it for me, truly beautiful, I love the way it finished. This was a story about Elisabeth, her finding herself again. And the last sentence in the book illustrates it quite well.

He was my ocean, and I didn't know if I would drown until I learned how well I could swim.

So the biggest reason I liked this book so much is the writing style and the way ordinary emotions are transmitted. I will definitely be reading Megan Hart again, and now I’m going to listen to that Tear You Apart rock opera.

BEATRIX' RATING:
4/5 stars

[Jessy (Jessy's Book Club) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Megan Hart is my favorite author. And this book proves yet again why that is. I always have to prepare myself for her books. They all have a layer of sadness that always has me ugly crying. And while this one has her signature lyrical writing, it did not reduce me to tears like the rest. It did however leave me emotional strung out… but I’m not complaining. See, I expect this from her books. I expect to fall in love with her writing all over again, I expect the story to touch me, and I expect to obsess about the characters. I expect that book hangover.

So, Elisabeth works for her friend Naveen at his gallery in New York. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband of 22 years, Ross. During an art show at the gallery, Elisabeth meets an artist, Will. She is unwittingly drawn into a discussion about his art. And particularly one piece which she does not consider ‘art’. She finds herself drawn to Will and when he asks her out for a cup of coffee, she agrees. Only, it’s at his loft, and the sexual tension is palpable. They embark on an affair. One which is too much too fast, yet feels right.

When he says my name, I see it in shimmering shades of blue and green and gray. Those are not my colors. I’m red and orange and yellow. Brown. My name is autumn moving on toward winter darkness, but not the way Will says it. When he says my name, I see summer. I see the ocean.

Elisabeth has synesthesia – a neurological condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second. Basically, she associates voices to taste and color. Will to her is blue, the ocean. And she loves what he makes her feel, what he makes her see – bursts of light everytime. So she can’t bring herself to feel any remorse about the affair. She’s not in love with Ross anymore and he stopped paying attention to her years ago. What starts out as pure attraction becomes so much more. They want to stop it – it isn’t right. They don’t want to stop it – it feels so right.

I absolutely loved this book. I was yet again immersed into Megan Hart’s writing style. Again, so lyrical, so flawless, it gives you no choice but to be the character. To be Elisabeth and suffer through her decisions and her choices. I’m not sure I can fully explain what her writing does to me. I have rituals before I read any of her books, I have to measure the mood I’m in, because her books demand all my attention and giving them anything but would be a disservice. And everytime, after I’m done, when I’m hating Megan just a little bit because the endings are always… sigh… the endings… anyway, when I’m done, I want to give myself a week before I touch another book. Especially any of her books. My emotions can’t handle two of her books in the same week! Yet when I do pick up another of her books, I berate myself for waiting so long.

But back to the story. I know people who will not like this book because of the cheating element. But I think that would be short sighted. I felt sad, not for Ross, but for the situation Elisabeth found herself in. And I couldn’t help but cheer for her and Will. And every one of their encounters was as steamy as it was heartbreaking. I kept thinking it would be a sad world, one that would not allow these two to be together.

I’m on a train.

I don’t know which stop I got on or where I’ll get off; I only know the train is going, going fast, and the world outside becomes a blur. I’m on a train and I should get off, but I don’t.

The universe is playing a cosmic joke on me. Here I had my life, a good life with everything a woman could need, and suddenly, there is something more I didn’t know I could have or even want.

“Here,” the universe says, “here is a chance for you to not simply be ‘fine’ or ‘all right’ or ‘resigned.’ Here is a chance for you to be satisfied and content and maybe even on occasion deliriously, amazingly, exuberantly happy and full of joy. For you to have everything you didn’t know you needed, but always felt was missing.

It was such a heartfelt story. So full of angst. I felt for them, that they wanted what they couldn’t have. While Elisabeth was trying not to be selfish in her decisions, I understood her, but couldn’t help but be selfish for her. Urge her to embrace the happiness she could find with Will. I did wish for Will’s POV though. There were moments where I wondered what he would be thinking or doing when they weren’t together. And then that end happened… sigh…

This is erotica as it should be… or maybe erotica as I like it to be… 5 stars!

I’d like to thank Harlequin Mira and Netgalley for providing this ARC for my review.

For more reviews go to http://jessysbookclub.wordpress.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/JessysBookClub

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 4 out of 5]

For all too realistic relationships gone sour, Ms. Hart is the Mistress of painful heartaches and love disintegrated. This latest contemporary romance once again causes emotional turmoil for both the protagonist and the reader. Elisabeth is a wife who's children are now almost out of college. Prior to her returning back to work, she spent her life raising two girls and faithfully performing her duty as a housewife. She consistently demonstrated her devotion through numerous acts of service. Greeting her husband at the door when he came home and providing a dinner were all within her language of love. Unfortunately, her husband took it all for granted and sees her as no more than a servant.

This is a very common scenario in real life. Ms. Hart shines a harsh light on the realities of a marriage left unattended. I've known too many friends who's long lasting marriage follows the same path as Elisabeth's. It all comes down to a similar theme - thirst. When a couple is no longer mutually quenching the thirst of each other, they will find someone else to satisfy their need.

"I was thirsty," I tell him. "And you gave me something to drink." (location 1622)

This is what Elisabeth explains to Will when he questions her infidelity. Will is the man who excites her and brings passion back into her life. He desires her and paints colour to combat the dull grayness of her monotonous existence. Perhaps it's his artist skill which appeals to Elisabeth.

The erotic tension and sexiness is very hot as expected from Ms. Hart. She shows a different perspective from the eyes of the betrayer. Yet it is hard for the reader to fault Elisabeth. I'm not fond of cheating stories. Had I known this story involved infidelity, I would have not picked it up. However, the way Ms. Hart presents it, it makes sense and one cannot help but feel pity for Elisabeth. This entire situation also invokes feeling of sorrow and longing rather than anger and disgust.


Classic Ms. Hart, she gives the reader a glimpse of the ending. "Love is always real, even when it doesn't last. (location 2258) After all the soul searching, this story ends in a bittersweet hope. The tale of Elisabeth and Will is unresolved. The reader is left to guess the final outcome. This erotic romance is recommended to lovers who feel taken for granted.

*provided by NetGalley

[Jacqueline's Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 NOT-FOR-ME STARS

There needs to be a huge disclaimer to this book, I did not read the summary prior to accepting the review, therefore I should say this.

I HATE BOOKS WITH CHEATING

With that said, my review will be negative.

This story is about a woman in her forties. She has two grown children and has been married with her husband for over twenty years. She meets Will, a divorced forty something man who shows her interest. This book is about their love affair.

I get what Megan Hart was trying to do. She wanted to write a depressing tale about two broken souls (in a tough situation) use each other for temporary happiness. I just don’t think Megan hit the mark. I didn’t feel the connection between Elisabeth and Will. I am not even sure how after twenty something years, she could just jump into bed with another man so easily.

Elisabeth and Will did not really have a relationship before things get steamy, it was all lust and I guess that kind of confused me. Then on top of that, she was upset with her current marriage. I didn’t even think her marriage was that bad. Yes her husband travelled a lot, doesn’t listen and leaves dirty dishes in the sink, but WHAT HUSBAND DOES NOT DO THAT?

Will photographs for a living and Elisabeth work in an art gallery. They meet up from time to time to have dates and hook ups. They spend their free time, texting and videoing chatting with each other. It’s like they are dating, except she’s married.

The one part I did like is the climatic ending, I thought Megan Hart was going a little dark with the novel and it was interesting to see the relationship going towards a self-destructive path, to me, it felt raw and kind of dirty. I wanted to see that more in the novel I guess.

I think I found Elisabeth a bit annoying and Will not Heroic enough. If I am going to pick up a book with a taboo storyline, I needed something powerful, something dark and by the time I got there, it was a bit too late.

Also, don’t get me on the ending. By the time I finished Tear You Apart I was just done with the whole story and ready to move away from it.

I apologize, but this is why I don’t read books with cheating.

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review

[Dorothy Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

(ARC REVIEW)

The title of this book is very appropriate. This book literally did tear me apart and had me in tears many times. The story is about a woman who is married, seemingly happy, has two kids and for the most part has a job she enjoys... until everything changes. And it changes in a blink of an eye.

This is not a happy ever after story. But, it is a love story. There is no doubt about that.

What I love about Megan Hart's writing is, she always, always keeps it real. This story is very real. It's a situation that anyone can find themselves in, even if they swore that they never would. Even if they beat themselves up with guilt and regret yet cant find it in themselves to stop. It's a real story.

Anyone who has ever found themselves in a situation, as Megan puts it, on a runaway train that they don't want to get off, will completely identify with this heartbreaking tale.

Hands down, without a doubt, this book is a fantastic read! You won't want to miss it.

[-ya · Rating 3 out of 5]

@Ash Thank you for the recommendation:)
~ Buddy read with Amanda:)

This is my first book from this author and it won't be my last! It is beautifully written and I really like her style:)

My appreciation for the storyline was tampered by my own foolish version of what the marriage should be: the union of true partnership bonded by "the good, the bad and the ugly". I failed to connect to the characters and could not feel the love between the LCs. I wanted to sympathize Elizabeth's reason for her infidelity: her dull marriage, and her thirst for just to be heard. I wanted to root for her self discovery in this journey. I wanted to see what the heck was she doing with Naveen, her "very close" long time friend. I was hoping for my heroine coming out strong. These were the setback I felt in the end.

#erotic #depressing sometimes# characters driven # beautifully written

[Hannah]

My. Heart.
The story itself gutted me.
The synaesthesia aspect was probably my favorite aspect of this novel. To a very mild extent I related to that. Certain numbers mean certain colors, and I pair those color-number sets with people, but again nothing like Elisabeth. The imagery that was possible with a narrator with synaesthesia blew me away.

[Kat at Book Thingo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review to come. Some quick thoughts:
- This is not a romance.
- I'd have given this just 1 star for the WTF ending, but I added another star because it makes the vomit AND the fart lists and, really, Megan Hart writes beautifully no matter how frustrating the story might be.
- I'd like to swap the ending of this book with the ending of Broken.
- This book has nothing to do with apples.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book made me sad for so many reasons. The first was that I do think that often marriage becomes what Elisabeth experienced, where the love isn't there any more, it is just habit. The second reason is I was sad for Elisabeth, herself. I was sad that she felt so alone, that the offer of a glass of juice, a simple kindness never given from her husband, was the catalyst for her cheating. I don't condone cheating at all, but I can see why Elisabeth made some of the choices she did. I would have rather that she realized how unhappy she was and just left Ross. I get why she didn't, it is a big step after so long together, and she didn't want Will to be the reason, if she did leave she needed to leave for herself.

I did find myself hating Elisabeth at different times. I hated her when she gave up Will, told him to find someone else, yet was jealous when he did. Again, I can see both sides to things. I didn't really like Will at that moment either because I thought he was purposely goading Elisabeth, to force her to finally make a real decision.

I sort liked Elisabeth's friendship with Naveen. They had so much history, but I hated how he used her to cover for him. I do wish that Elisabeth could have talked with Naveen, because if anyone could/would understand it would be him.

I loved Elisabeth's advice to her girls. I think her answers were different than what they would have been before this happened to her, but her answers/advice were the right ones.

The last part that I am sad about is the ending. I am sad that Elisabeth finally did what her heart really desired only to be shot down. In my head I don't see her in this sad spot for long, because I know she will find what her rock represents.

[Janey · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 bittersweet stars

ARC supplied by Harlequin via NetGalley in return for an honest review

I am suitably stunned having read this astounding book. I'm trying my best to construct a review without revealing too much.

"You never know how thirsty you are until someone offers you something to drink."

We meet 45 year old Elisabeth, married to Ross for over 20 years. They have twin girls, who are about to finish college and head out into the big, wide world.

Elisabeth works at an art gallery owned by her friend, Naveen, whom she has known since college. She meets Will at an art exhibition held there and is instantly drawn to him.

The syllables of my name float between us...a murmur of blue, green and gold.

The subject matter is not for everyone, and I don't condone her behaviour, but recognise the warning signs and can certainly empathise with the situation Elisabeth found within her marriage.

Elisabeth becomes consumed with the thought of attentive Will, and battles with her guilty conscience. Ever the deep thinker, and guided by her heightened perception, she constantly reviews, revisits and revises her actions and the impact on those around her.

Megan Hart's writing is unique. Her expression of Elisabeth's thoughts, feelings and senses was exquisite. I was hooked to the beauty of her prose, and felt, felt entirely. This was my first Megan Hart book, and most certainly won't be my last..heartbreakenly beautiful!

Everything with him has been a list of nevers...

[Bookphenomena (Micky) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I really got drawn into this read, it was addicting to a point. The desperate story, characters were definitely interesting but I can’t say that I liked them. I can say I couldn’t stand Ross. The culmination wasn’t unexpected to me probably because I know why my friends recommended it but I wanted more depth, everything played out in the last 40% a bit to quickly for me. I guess I wanted a bit more depth. A clever and daring storyline.

[Tez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how Megan Hart's books for Harlequin Spice/Mira are erotic FICTION, not erotic ROMANCE. (And yes, there is a difference.) They feel refreshingly real, with flawed characters that don't always get what they want, but when they do it comes with a heavy price that may not be worth it. I love this, because hell knows I hate being patronised by books wherein everyone lives happily ever after and the condescending message is that if you're not loved, your life is not worth living. But I digress.

And while I solidly enjoyed Tear You Apart (four stars), I do have some quibbles.

The cover copy. The summary. Whatever you call it, this is on the back cover (or inner flap of a hardcover), and describes what the book is about. Except in the book's case, it farking doesn't. Because instead of...I don't know, telling us about the freaking story, there's some vague thing about being on a train and unable to stop, or not wanting to stop. Turns out that's an edited extract from Chapter 21, I think.

But that's kind of forgivable, because the cover image lets us know what's up: an apple and a ring, aka symbols of forbidden fruit and infidelity. Aka cheating on a spouse. So why didn't they just bloody say so and compose a proper summary? Because a lot of readers don't like cheating in their fiction. Particularly romance readers. Even though this book is clearly labelled as erotic FICTION, not erotic ROMANCE. So, yes, the publisher tried to trick those reluctant readers into reading the book, despite that it has an aspect troubling for them.

Not cool, Harlequin. Just be up-front and honest; we'll respect you more.

Tear You Apart is told from the point of view of Elisabeth Amblin, assistant at an art gallery. She meets photographer Will, and very quickly they're rooting. Even though she's already married. She doesn't have the balls to leave her husband, though - Ross isn't abusive or anything; he's just inconsiderate. But Elisabeth and Will continue their affair.

But Elisabeth doesn't approve of gallery owner and BFF Naveen cheating on his wife. Yet she encourages her other friend Andrea to cheat on her husband. So basically Elisabeth believes that only women should be allowed to cheat. Which seems a bit sexist.

Only when one of her recently-engaged twin daughters calls off the wedding does Elisabeth have the balls to leave Ross. Which means now she's free to publicly get with Will and live happily ever after. But Will doesn't want to. The end. Which is a happy enough ending for me, because Elisabeth finally does what she's been meaning to do for some time (split from Ross), and gains independence and agency. Romance fans won't like it, but screw them; it's good enough for me.

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

My rating: A++++

5 Bittersweet Stars!!!

This is the first book I’ve ever read by Megan Hart. It freakin’ took my breath away. The characters in this book feel so real.

What I planned when I started this book one evening was just reading a few chapters and falling asleep. Nope, didn’t happen. I faintly recall starting it at 9 o’clock and not stopping until 2 the next morning. It was definitely one of those kind of books.

It’s listed as an erotic romance. What I found it to be was much more. It’s deep. It’s twisted. It’s everything that’s not supposed to be in a story but is. It’s an emotional roller coaster that will have you thinking: “What the hell?” and the next moment have you tear up.

*Note: If you dislike reading about two people having an affair you will not like this story. *


The story is the heroines POV. Elisabeth is one of those kind of characters that simply pull you in from the beginning and having you want to know everything about her before the second chapter. She’s human. She makes mistakes. I love the fact that Ms. Hart lets you see how much the character battles out her decisions and how raw and believable the story is.

Elisabeth is married with two grown daughters and works for her best friend. Her life always looks perfect from the outside.

Then she meets him. Will Roberts is handsome and off limits. He’s everything that a woman could want... if she happened to be single. Then eventually she looks at him or he looks at her and all reason flies out the window. The moment comes when they finally gave into temptation & passion and all the consequences that come with it and it was all my heart could do not to beat out of my chest.

I was completely engaged from the first word until the last. Ms. Hart’s talents sparkle. This book is incredibly well written. I am so glad I had the chance to review it. The story absolutely consumed me... heart, mind and soul.

***ARC graciously provided by Harlequin Mira via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

[Beatrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

The well of my heart is a very deep place,
and at the bottom, it's dark.

Oh boy, what a story… Truly, not what I expected. I like this kinds of books: real, raw, emotional stories. This book was really deep.

I like the way it’s done, we’re slowly absorbed with the story, I didn’t connect with Elisabeth right away, it took some time, but then I’ve found myself sympathizing with her, understanding her.. Because to me, this is a story about Elisabeth, she’s central here!

To be honest, the story itself is nothing original, woman unsatisfied with her life, unfulfilled, cheats on her husband, nothing new, but the way it was written, the way Megan Hart made us care is something special.

And the ending, that did it for me, truly beautiful, I love the way it finished. Because honestly, I never did feel some sparks between her and Will, to me this was not a true love story between Elisabeth & Will, it was a story about Elisabeth, her finding herself again. And the last sentence in the book illustrates it quite well.

He was my ocean, and I didn't know if I would drown until I learned how well I could swim.

So the biggest reason I liked this book so much is the writing style, the way ordinary emotions are transmitted, I will definitely be reading Megan Hart again, and now I’m going to listen to that Tear You Apart rock opera.

[Kenya Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book just makes me too damn sad. It's Megan Hart so of course it is beautifully written. She just has that way of writing that makes you think so deeply about things, but it was just too sad.

The heroine just depressed the shit out of me, and FOR ME. . .that is HUGE! I love dark erotic romance. . .but this was just more Sad Erotic Romance. She just was depressed, feeling old, and like she'd wasted her life in a marriage that was too me, not bad at all.

I still love Megan Hart's book, but this just isn't my favorite.

[AerinLuvs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was too much for me! Too intense, too sizzling, too emotional, too sad

Overall rating: 5 stars
Hero rating: 4 stars
Heroine rating: 5 stars
Erotic tension rating: 5+ stars
Erotic descriptiveness: 5 stars
Sex frequency: 5
Writing style/ flow: 5 ++++
Denouement: 5 stars

First I was infatuated with Will, and this is who I pictured:


Then I was torn apart by the push pull uncertainty for the second half of the book. Agonizing!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I am a huge fan Megan Hart's writing, and seeing the mixed reviews for this early on, I was a bit nervous. I should never have doubted this book, because I loved every word. Megan Hart has a way of making her characters so real, so rich with emotion, that you can't help but really care about them. And I did...I felt so deeply for what Elisabeth was going through that I actually cried for her. Amazing storytelling! 5 Stars!!!

[Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fue excitante.
No sabía que me gustaban este tipo de dramas, pero la autora y la narración de Betts me conquistaron.
Estuve casi la primera mitad del libro decidiendo si era de mi gusto o no, hasta que algo, una frase, la situación, el deseo, la incertidumbre, los diálogos, lo que no se decía pero lo sentías igualmente como lectora. Lo que uno intuye con naturalidad.
Y me sorprendió. De una buena manera.
Pero hay algo que me confundió, que fue el final, en realidad, no sé si fue decepcionante, pero no esperaba que me dejara con esta sensación de... confusión. De no saber si me gustó o no. Porque creo que fue real y eso lo agradezco, no esperaba un happily ever after, esperaba drama y lo obtuve.
La infidelidad en el matrimonio no es un tópico que leo frecuentemente en los libros, y generalmente comienzo a leer y luego veo de qué va el libro. Y es un tópico delicado, porque es un matrimonio, un contrato, un compromiso, algo mucho más que un polvo casual porque el novio es un imbécil, además de que Betts y Ross tenían hijas, y llega Will, este fotógrafo divorciado, que no es su marido, que es encantador, apuesto, que despierta la curiosidad y el deseo en Betts. Y luego todo se va a la mierda.


No soy de contar de qué va el libro en los reviews y no lo haré.
Pero vuelvo al punto principal: Ese final. Me dejó confundida, algo enojada, llorando, y con la sensación de que nada valió la pena.
¿Significó que nunca nada fue real? ¿O fue sólo cobardía de Betts?
¿O todo fue una mentira? ¿Will? ¿Por qué?

Nunca jamás solucionaré aquel dilema. Y no se supone que un final te deje llena de dudas, a menos que existiera una secuela. La cual no hay.
Me gustó mucho el libro. El final me dejó con la sensación de que algo faltó. Algo más que una reflexión. Un hecho. Un diálogo. Definitivamente odio los finales abiertos. O los amo.
Oh, todo es relativo.
Y es aquel libro que odias o amas. No hay punto intermedio.


P,D: Will, un ser humano interesante y probablemente mi hombre ideal. Complicado, artístico, mayor, egoísta, tormentoso, directo. Me enamoró, caí de una.

[Divas BookBlog · Rating 1 out of 5]

Due to my lack of interest, I decided to put this story aside when I hit 54%. I was really hoping for some sparks, or even a little tension to pop up during the first half of the story.....but I just couldn´t read it to the bitter end. I swear.....I really tried. But this book started out so depressing with nothing remotely pleasant and that stretched through out the first half. It bored me to a point where I just couldn´t take anymore.

I pictured the characters very melancholy and totally unsatisfied with EVERYTHING...In my eyes I saw Elisabeth as a very hard woman with not much to offer, other than seeming depressed. Not an enjoyable character. And for the way she saw things.....I just wasn´t convinced. Not even when it came to the scenes where tension should be spelt in capital letters! I could have understood Elsabeth being unhappy with her marriage and all....I was just expecting her to have some more emotions. To show maybe some or any feelings.

I felt that this book was being forced onto the readers. And at times it seemed that the unimportant things ( such as discribing a complete apartment, including the color and size of every pillow case ) were the authors bigger concern than the actual emotons. There are only so many things that should be put into massive detail.
The writing style from the author didn´t do anythng for me either. It was slow and draggy. I´m not saying the book was God awful.......That wasn´t it. I´m sure there are enough women out there who appreciate the authors style and this book. I didn´t.

The story felt dark and quite dull to me.

I am aware that this review isn´t an actual review since I only read half of the book. But there are just some things that need to be said. I still believe this book deserves a few words, but no rating.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The universe gives us what we need, but not always how we want it."

"Besides, if it didn't always hurt, just a little, it wouldn't mean as much."

This book....my goodness.

There are so many thoughts going on in my head right now, and if I am honest, I had to stare at the closed book for a few moments once I was finished. What just happened? The title is quite fitting, as I feel as if my heart has been freshly torn out of my chest. And yet, at the same time, those last few pages gave me so much hope, as well. Megan Hart, how the hell do you do this time and time again?

Immensely powerful in its words and message, this one definitely will make you think twice about, well, lots of things. It goes well beyond the scope of emotions and relationships (satisfying or not), and quite frankly dives right in to some very complicated and uncomfortable ideas I thought I had about things. This seems to be a recurring theme with her - I think I am confident and sure about my world view, and then I read these amazing books and all of that is shaken up quite soundly.

There is no simple resolution here for the characters as their story and lives unfold. Situations and consequences that seem black and white are anything but.