What do you think?
Rate this book
When We Were Married #2
Second Acts
BETRAYAL, DIVORCE AND COURTHOUSE
MAYHEM WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING.
Four words ended their marriage.
In the wake of those four words, the 18-year marriage of Jacksonville Assistant State Attorney William Maitland and University of North Florida Professor Debbie Maitland ends in a painful divorce.
As Volume Two begins, Maitland faces the greatest challenge of his professional life as he must stand against the African American community, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and his own boss in his prosecution of a heroic black cop who killed three men during a home invasion.
AND he must decide whether to undertake a court case he almost certainly cannot win against a cold blooded murderer who beat his ex-wife and his unborn son to death.
AND he must prepare for a possible prosecution of a kingpin in a Mexican drug cartel.
But for their part, the shadowy men in Mexico must decide if they are prepared to take on “The Angel of Death,” as Maitland has become known.
And they will soon find they are challenging a man at whose back stands a deadly criminal organization.
The Colombian Crime cartel is headed by the legendary Old Man. And if they strike at Maitland, the Colombian crime lord has put the Mexicans on notice that he can and will reach into the deserts of Mexico to strike at their heart.
In his personal life, Maitland has transformed himself from the flabby couch potato who lost the love and lust of his wife, Debbie Maitland/Bascomb, to a younger man.
But he now finds himself facing the question of what to do about Aline des-Jardins, the married French woman he has fallen in love with.
Aline has followed him to Jacksonville. He walked away from her once before, because she is married to a French federal prosecutor he considers a friend.
But now that Aline is in Jacksonville, can Maitland send her away again? Can he do the right thing, especially when he isn’t sure anymore what the right thing is?
While Maitland is preoccupied with professional challenges and Aline’s presence, Debbie is finding that beauty is no shield against loneliness and pain.
A woman who has never lacked for male attention, in the wake of her divorce she’s lost a husband and a lover, is estranged from her children, besieged by would-be seducers, and trying to find her footing in a new career.
She’s done what she knows to be the right thing in seeking a life apart from Bill Maitland, but doing the right thing hasn’t protected her from psychosomatic illnesses, nightmares involving a dead aunt, and emotional distress that leads her to the office of empathetic psychiatrist Dr. Ernst Teller.
As she tries to understand why she can’t break the emotional ties to a man she believes left her long before she left him, she finds herself becoming increasingly closer to writer Clint Abbott.
As the world of crime and brutal violence circles closer to their life in Jacksonville, Bill Maitland and Debbie Bascomb are learning that sometimes being divorced and apart can be as painful and confusing as being trapped in an unhappy marriage.
Is it possible to have a Second Act in two lives ripped apart by neglect and obsession and betrayal and lies? Or is it too late to ever go back?
MAYHEM WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING.
Four words ended their marriage.
In the wake of those four words, the 18-year marriage of Jacksonville Assistant State Attorney William Maitland and University of North Florida Professor Debbie Maitland ends in a painful divorce.
As Volume Two begins, Maitland faces the greatest challenge of his professional life as he must stand against the African American community, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and his own boss in his prosecution of a heroic black cop who killed three men during a home invasion.
AND he must decide whether to undertake a court case he almost certainly cannot win against a cold blooded murderer who beat his ex-wife and his unborn son to death.
AND he must prepare for a possible prosecution of a kingpin in a Mexican drug cartel.
But for their part, the shadowy men in Mexico must decide if they are prepared to take on “The Angel of Death,” as Maitland has become known.
And they will soon find they are challenging a man at whose back stands a deadly criminal organization.
The Colombian Crime cartel is headed by the legendary Old Man. And if they strike at Maitland, the Colombian crime lord has put the Mexicans on notice that he can and will reach into the deserts of Mexico to strike at their heart.
In his personal life, Maitland has transformed himself from the flabby couch potato who lost the love and lust of his wife, Debbie Maitland/Bascomb, to a younger man.
But he now finds himself facing the question of what to do about Aline des-Jardins, the married French woman he has fallen in love with.
Aline has followed him to Jacksonville. He walked away from her once before, because she is married to a French federal prosecutor he considers a friend.
But now that Aline is in Jacksonville, can Maitland send her away again? Can he do the right thing, especially when he isn’t sure anymore what the right thing is?
While Maitland is preoccupied with professional challenges and Aline’s presence, Debbie is finding that beauty is no shield against loneliness and pain.
A woman who has never lacked for male attention, in the wake of her divorce she’s lost a husband and a lover, is estranged from her children, besieged by would-be seducers, and trying to find her footing in a new career.
She’s done what she knows to be the right thing in seeking a life apart from Bill Maitland, but doing the right thing hasn’t protected her from psychosomatic illnesses, nightmares involving a dead aunt, and emotional distress that leads her to the office of empathetic psychiatrist Dr. Ernst Teller.
As she tries to understand why she can’t break the emotional ties to a man she believes left her long before she left him, she finds herself becoming increasingly closer to writer Clint Abbott.
As the world of crime and brutal violence circles closer to their life in Jacksonville, Bill Maitland and Debbie Bascomb are learning that sometimes being divorced and apart can be as painful and confusing as being trapped in an unhappy marriage.
Is it possible to have a Second Act in two lives ripped apart by neglect and obsession and betrayal and lies? Or is it too late to ever go back?
- GenresErotica
455 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 16, 2011
46 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Quentin Steele
14 books101 followersDaniel Quentin Steele is a Jacksonville author and native Floridian. A former educator, he has been a journalist and public relations professional. He has covered and reported on crime and cops, courts and trials in several Florida cities. He has worked as a speech writer and political and media consultant. He has had one novel published in the U.S. and Great Britain as well as short stories published in the U.S., Canada, Australia and England.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Read
December 13, 2013hi its the best i read till now
Merged review:
Its great & am waiting for the rest
Merged review:
Its great & am waiting for the rest
June 8, 2023
All but 3 chapters of this book are available on lit... it could be a revised and edited though
Once again the Aline storyline is the best part. quite romantic and slightly tragic. I don't know if I want Bill to reunite with Debbie or Aline more. One because of their history and kids and there's still some love there (although they both keep saying it's over and there's no chance), the other because the romance was good
I skimmed this book for scenes with Debbie, Aline and Myra. Skimmed the whole series truthfully so probably missed some good stuff. But frankly, this story wore out its welcome during the first book.
The relationship with Debbie does improve but it's more teasing.
It still continued to be an addictive read so I would caution people not into the story to think twice before starting it. the entire UNFINISHED series is (595+450+344+292) over 1,600 pages!
This part is available on Lit but the book may be a revised version.
So many highs and lows to this book.
highs
Stupidly addictive reading
Lows
too much courtroom and crime
not enough sex and none of it is really arousing
The revelation of cheating was painful and everything to do with Debbie is painful and doesn't get better until the third book.
The author keeps stringing you along with the reunion storyline.
There's a few wtf items that happen throughout this book.
The lone bright spot of this book, for me, was the romance with Aline. She was refreshing in this depressing book.
Such a disappointing series. Good writer but no conclusion after that many words should be criminal.
Cruise ship part was the best.
Wife's behaviour, their combined poor communication and how she treats him after he saved her at the frst party. Pretty damaged characters, not sure the author can save it.
Once again the Aline storyline is the best part. quite romantic and slightly tragic. I don't know if I want Bill to reunite with Debbie or Aline more. One because of their history and kids and there's still some love there (although they both keep saying it's over and there's no chance), the other because the romance was good
I skimmed this book for scenes with Debbie, Aline and Myra. Skimmed the whole series truthfully so probably missed some good stuff. But frankly, this story wore out its welcome during the first book.
The relationship with Debbie does improve but it's more teasing.
It still continued to be an addictive read so I would caution people not into the story to think twice before starting it. the entire UNFINISHED series is (595+450+344+292) over 1,600 pages!
This part is available on Lit but the book may be a revised version.
So many highs and lows to this book.
highs
Stupidly addictive reading
Lows
too much courtroom and crime
not enough sex and none of it is really arousing
The revelation of cheating was painful and everything to do with Debbie is painful and doesn't get better until the third book.
The author keeps stringing you along with the reunion storyline.
There's a few wtf items that happen throughout this book.
The lone bright spot of this book, for me, was the romance with Aline. She was refreshing in this depressing book.
Such a disappointing series. Good writer but no conclusion after that many words should be criminal.
Cruise ship part was the best.
Wife's behaviour, their combined poor communication and how she treats him after he saved her at the frst party. Pretty damaged characters, not sure the author can save it.
October 6, 2021
I read WWWM #1 several years ago, then I came across another story where Bill Maitland was a character, being intrigued I searched and found there was a whole lot more to this story, I found part two on a free site, then three and four on Amazon I am now hooked on the story, cant wait for part five. the story is diversifying so much that I don't think it will ever end, Sorry Daniel, but I don't think that a million words is going to cut it. I have read most of your other stories but I think this is turning into an epic, Thank you for a good read!
December 24, 2019
Interesting read, I need to get number one to get a better understanding of things, but love all the relationships and interactions between characters. Now I don-t know if the author wants us to be sympathy to the ex (Debbie) or just have us want to strangle the woman. Even so is been a fun read.
February 4, 2023
Excellent drama
Who doesn't enjoy good drama with some angst , sex and love thrown in for good measure? The MC is a regular guy with strong convictions (no pun intended), a fellow who is a bit clueless as to women, thus a regular joe. 5 stars for great entertainment AND some teasing from the author...when does he nail Myra??
Who doesn't enjoy good drama with some angst , sex and love thrown in for good measure? The MC is a regular guy with strong convictions (no pun intended), a fellow who is a bit clueless as to women, thus a regular joe. 5 stars for great entertainment AND some teasing from the author...when does he nail Myra??
April 18, 2017
Just like book 1, I was hooked. On to book 3.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews