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When Everything Isnt Enough
“When Everything Isn’t Enough” traces the lives of three very disparate souls: David Tanner, who leaves his mother’s broken home and hangs with his drug-dealing cousins; Mia Collins, an only child growing up in the comfortable home of two middle-class parents; and CJ Fields, an orphan who as a child moves from one abusive home to another. Each finds the strength, though, to become financially successful and soon appears to have all that they would ever desire.
Then David discovers he is unable to father children, sending him into a downward spiral of depression as his very definition of what being a man means no longer applies to him. As he grows apart from his wife and high school sweetheart, Mia (née Collins) Tanner, he succumbs to an affair with the 24-year-old daughter of one his company’s largest clients.
Shattered, Mia bounces between forgiveness and anger, uncertain if she ever can resurrect her marriage with the one man who means more to her than anything. Then, one day, she meets a man she only could despise, CJ Fields, yet slowly finds herself more and more attracted to him and eventually has an affair with him, ends up getting pregnant, but isn’t sure of the paternity of the child.
CJ spends his adult life amassing a fortune and using women as his sexual toys, all in a vain attempt to vicariously exert his will over those who caused him so much pain. Soon, though, CJ discovers he has a daughter, and when her mother dies, faces a major decision: Should he become something he believes himself wholly unprepared to be – a father – or let the daughter he never knew enter the very foster care system where he once was abused? Then he meets Mia, a woman who is entirely not his type, and finds himself irresistibly attracted to her.
Then David discovers he is unable to father children, sending him into a downward spiral of depression as his very definition of what being a man means no longer applies to him. As he grows apart from his wife and high school sweetheart, Mia (née Collins) Tanner, he succumbs to an affair with the 24-year-old daughter of one his company’s largest clients.
Shattered, Mia bounces between forgiveness and anger, uncertain if she ever can resurrect her marriage with the one man who means more to her than anything. Then, one day, she meets a man she only could despise, CJ Fields, yet slowly finds herself more and more attracted to him and eventually has an affair with him, ends up getting pregnant, but isn’t sure of the paternity of the child.
CJ spends his adult life amassing a fortune and using women as his sexual toys, all in a vain attempt to vicariously exert his will over those who caused him so much pain. Soon, though, CJ discovers he has a daughter, and when her mother dies, faces a major decision: Should he become something he believes himself wholly unprepared to be – a father – or let the daughter he never knew enter the very foster care system where he once was abused? Then he meets Mia, a woman who is entirely not his type, and finds himself irresistibly attracted to her.
468 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 2, 2013
148 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 11, 2013
Once in a while there is a book that provokes so many emotions I can’t keep up. When Everything Isn’t Enough is just that type of book. I read the story in a matter of a days which is a big feat with the amount of requests I receive on a daily basis not to mention my full time work schedule and family obligations. This story had me at hello, I was pulled in immediately with the author’s compelling writing style. The story follows an adolescent David Tanner through family trouble, x-rated sexual encounters and into the arms of his one true love Mia Collins. The young couple grows together over the years and find themselves living the American Dream. That is until the young couple decides to get pregnant. I must admit I was a bit skeptical with the direction of the story leaning toward male infertility. I wasn’t sure where the author was going to lead me.
I yelled at the characters, I flipped pages with the speed of light and I almost skipped meals to finish it. I don’t like giving spoilers but this book will definitely have you writing the author asking them to hurry up and publish the sequel. I would definitely give this book an A+. My only recommendation would be to reduce the amount of time spent on the younger years to leave more room for the characters as adults. I also thought the dialogue was a bit unrealistic during their teen years would have loved for it to be a bit more youthful.
Overall, this book is a quality read and would be enjoyed by lovers of any genre. This eloquently told tale is a must read and would compliment your reading back log.
I yelled at the characters, I flipped pages with the speed of light and I almost skipped meals to finish it. I don’t like giving spoilers but this book will definitely have you writing the author asking them to hurry up and publish the sequel. I would definitely give this book an A+. My only recommendation would be to reduce the amount of time spent on the younger years to leave more room for the characters as adults. I also thought the dialogue was a bit unrealistic during their teen years would have loved for it to be a bit more youthful.
Overall, this book is a quality read and would be enjoyed by lovers of any genre. This eloquently told tale is a must read and would compliment your reading back log.
April 12, 2014
When Everything is not enough by Ed Wyns
Read 12th April 2014
‘When everything is not enough’ is the story of David Tanner and his wife Mia. It is a book of many themes: infidelity, murder, young love, sorrow and fidelity. The basic story was engaging, the characters strong and appealing, however I am not a lover of erotica; from the beginning to the end, this book suffered from an excess of explicit sex. This was not needed in the story.
I award this book 1 star.
Read 12th April 2014
‘When everything is not enough’ is the story of David Tanner and his wife Mia. It is a book of many themes: infidelity, murder, young love, sorrow and fidelity. The basic story was engaging, the characters strong and appealing, however I am not a lover of erotica; from the beginning to the end, this book suffered from an excess of explicit sex. This was not needed in the story.
I award this book 1 star.
January 4, 2015
This one sounded so interesting from the blurb and I couldn't wait to start it. Let me start off by saying that I was not a big fan of the cover. The main reason would be because I have never been a big fan of putting people on the covers when you can see their faces, not unless you are planning on making the characters look exactly like them. For me it was not my favorite. After finishing the book I looked back at the cover and will say that the people on the cover look NOTHING like I had imagined in my mind as I read, especially the female. But that has nothing to do with what is inside :) but many do judge a book by its cover.
Now let me say that there are things that happen in this book that may be hard for some to read. There is a lot of sex and that to me was not an issue. But there is sex between teens and it does get pretty descriptive and that along with some things that happen to children that is described and may be hard for some to read (molestation, murder, rape) I don't like to give things away, but I think when it comes to some of the things that are in the book that some people should know before starting because they may be a trigger for them. There is also cheating and fidelity issues and I know that there are many people who would rather stay away from books with that in it.
I will have to say that when I started it, I was curious as to where things were going to go. It starts off in the present (2003) but soon changes to the past, when David is a teen (1984). This is going to be where if anyone has a problem with the book will have it I believe. I am by no means into reading about teen sex, but I don't think that this was written with the intent to be a teen erotica story. It is written to explain where David came from. How things were for him growing up and what he went through. Now that being said anyone can say that it could have been left out and that may be so BUT I think that would have taken away from building up his character as well as his relationship with Mia. I think it went well with the story (but there were parts I think could have been less descriptive).
The story starts off in 2 POV's We have Mia's as well as David's. Later in the story we get C.J's. I kind of wonder why we got his POV, but not Nikki's. There is so much backstory for David and Mia and I did enjoy it because I grew up to marry my high school sweetheart so I enjoyed seeing that in a book. I am a big fan of reading a story that has the male POV written by a man. I know that many women write male POV's and it works, but no one can nail it the way a man can. As I read the book and would get David's side of things as well as his cousins I can say that I loved it because it was so dead on (at least I thought it was, so many guys I know think the same way). I even asked my husband a few things and he pretty much said yup, we are guys that's just how we do things. So even if it seems cold, cruel or just like an asshole move at times that is just how some men are, and I believe it worked well in this case.
Now when we end up back at the present time (2003) and things take a turn my heart kind of breaks for David. I said it before but will say it again seeing infidelity along with other issues he has to deal with from a man's POV is so different than other books I have read. We always get the woman's side. Probably because most of the books I have read are written by women, so who can write women best? Women. They know what specific things feel like so they can write it well. I have not read many books that have infidelity from the man's POV. I will say that I'm not a fan of reading about it, but I do get sucked in from time to time and it gets me everytime I do. I wanted to scream, cry, beat and break things. It was pretty hard to read, and that is for personal reasons (probably the reason some won't read them) it can bring back memories of things that one has actually been through.
Now this book touches on things that many would find taboo. I enjoyed the book/ journey. Seeing how a boy who grew up and could have gone down the wrong road, but decided to make something of himself. To do better with his life, just to have things ripped out from under him and make him question who he is as a man. There is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of this one. I am looking forward to the next one. I want to know how things play out and what happens.
Now let me say that there are things that happen in this book that may be hard for some to read. There is a lot of sex and that to me was not an issue. But there is sex between teens and it does get pretty descriptive and that along with some things that happen to children that is described and may be hard for some to read (molestation, murder, rape) I don't like to give things away, but I think when it comes to some of the things that are in the book that some people should know before starting because they may be a trigger for them. There is also cheating and fidelity issues and I know that there are many people who would rather stay away from books with that in it.
I will have to say that when I started it, I was curious as to where things were going to go. It starts off in the present (2003) but soon changes to the past, when David is a teen (1984). This is going to be where if anyone has a problem with the book will have it I believe. I am by no means into reading about teen sex, but I don't think that this was written with the intent to be a teen erotica story. It is written to explain where David came from. How things were for him growing up and what he went through. Now that being said anyone can say that it could have been left out and that may be so BUT I think that would have taken away from building up his character as well as his relationship with Mia. I think it went well with the story (but there were parts I think could have been less descriptive).
The story starts off in 2 POV's We have Mia's as well as David's. Later in the story we get C.J's. I kind of wonder why we got his POV, but not Nikki's. There is so much backstory for David and Mia and I did enjoy it because I grew up to marry my high school sweetheart so I enjoyed seeing that in a book. I am a big fan of reading a story that has the male POV written by a man. I know that many women write male POV's and it works, but no one can nail it the way a man can. As I read the book and would get David's side of things as well as his cousins I can say that I loved it because it was so dead on (at least I thought it was, so many guys I know think the same way). I even asked my husband a few things and he pretty much said yup, we are guys that's just how we do things. So even if it seems cold, cruel or just like an asshole move at times that is just how some men are, and I believe it worked well in this case.
Now when we end up back at the present time (2003) and things take a turn my heart kind of breaks for David. I said it before but will say it again seeing infidelity along with other issues he has to deal with from a man's POV is so different than other books I have read. We always get the woman's side. Probably because most of the books I have read are written by women, so who can write women best? Women. They know what specific things feel like so they can write it well. I have not read many books that have infidelity from the man's POV. I will say that I'm not a fan of reading about it, but I do get sucked in from time to time and it gets me everytime I do. I wanted to scream, cry, beat and break things. It was pretty hard to read, and that is for personal reasons (probably the reason some won't read them) it can bring back memories of things that one has actually been through.
Now this book touches on things that many would find taboo. I enjoyed the book/ journey. Seeing how a boy who grew up and could have gone down the wrong road, but decided to make something of himself. To do better with his life, just to have things ripped out from under him and make him question who he is as a man. There is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of this one. I am looking forward to the next one. I want to know how things play out and what happens.
December 31, 2013
When Is It Worth Throwing It All Away ?
The first thing I have to say about this book is where the sequel is!! The second thing is for a debut the book was very well written. I truly enjoyed this debut novel by Mr. Wyns and immediately went to his website looking for more when I was done. A few minor technicalities buy they in no way affected the dynamic flow of this story. I was leery at the beginning. It almost appeared to be a teenage erotic story when the author was delivering the background. I actually learned a few things from the kids. However, when the Tanners got married, the author took me on a rollercoaster ride and refused to let me off.
The story starts when David Tanner and Mia Collins were pre teenagers and first met with David throwing rocks at her. David was from a large family where he was raised by his aunts and heavily influenced by his womanizing older cousins. In spite of the sometimes negative influences on the cousins and the passing back and forth between his aunts and mother, David was an amazingly mature and responsible young boy. Unbelievably so. Mia Collins was raised in a two parent family where she was often called on to help with her younger brothers. The two developed a very mature, but disturbing relationship in my opinion. They were too mature for their age and had a vocabulary of highly intelligent adults. I felt the parents did not do enough to guide their decisions and allowed them to operate as adults. I kept my mind open through the explicit and grown up love scenes that the two endured and was uncomfortable with the sexual prowess of David starting at an extremely early age at the urging of his cousins. However, I digressed. The two matriculate to my alma mater of Bethune Cookman - College landing six figure jobs after graduation. They have the whole world in their hands until the ultimate bomb is dropped that turns that world totally upside down.
It was at this point, I totally got it. The light bulb went off as to why the author took us through the childhood and showed us the extreme maturation that was Mia and David. A couple that starts off so perfect and deemed so suitable, had to live happily ever after. Didn’t they? The story was very different than any book I have read, for it tells the story of infidelity not only from a male perspective, but it gives you the real, gut wrenching, tear jerking, kindle throwing in my case truth. I wanted to punch David and Ms. Nikki. She knew exactly what she was doing from day one. However, she tried to act as if she wanted David to work on his marriage. Although I was a little uncomfortable with the teenage erotica, I really enjoyed the book. When I say erotica, I mean erotica. It was not the fumbling and awkward encounters which are normal for teenagers, but David was putting it down at 14 like a grown man. I could not get over that and the fact that Mia’s parents were so okay with this. I loved this perspective on the other hand, because I see a change in parenting today versus when I was growing up. It is a great conversation piece for book club. That is just one topic. There are so many topics that this book touched on that can be a conversation all by itself. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who wants a very well written and different story that had not been told before. Very original!! I give it 4 stars.
Yolanda Maria
"Reviewed for the Sankofa Literary Society. Book provided by author or publisher for review purposes."
The first thing I have to say about this book is where the sequel is!! The second thing is for a debut the book was very well written. I truly enjoyed this debut novel by Mr. Wyns and immediately went to his website looking for more when I was done. A few minor technicalities buy they in no way affected the dynamic flow of this story. I was leery at the beginning. It almost appeared to be a teenage erotic story when the author was delivering the background. I actually learned a few things from the kids. However, when the Tanners got married, the author took me on a rollercoaster ride and refused to let me off.
The story starts when David Tanner and Mia Collins were pre teenagers and first met with David throwing rocks at her. David was from a large family where he was raised by his aunts and heavily influenced by his womanizing older cousins. In spite of the sometimes negative influences on the cousins and the passing back and forth between his aunts and mother, David was an amazingly mature and responsible young boy. Unbelievably so. Mia Collins was raised in a two parent family where she was often called on to help with her younger brothers. The two developed a very mature, but disturbing relationship in my opinion. They were too mature for their age and had a vocabulary of highly intelligent adults. I felt the parents did not do enough to guide their decisions and allowed them to operate as adults. I kept my mind open through the explicit and grown up love scenes that the two endured and was uncomfortable with the sexual prowess of David starting at an extremely early age at the urging of his cousins. However, I digressed. The two matriculate to my alma mater of Bethune Cookman - College landing six figure jobs after graduation. They have the whole world in their hands until the ultimate bomb is dropped that turns that world totally upside down.
It was at this point, I totally got it. The light bulb went off as to why the author took us through the childhood and showed us the extreme maturation that was Mia and David. A couple that starts off so perfect and deemed so suitable, had to live happily ever after. Didn’t they? The story was very different than any book I have read, for it tells the story of infidelity not only from a male perspective, but it gives you the real, gut wrenching, tear jerking, kindle throwing in my case truth. I wanted to punch David and Ms. Nikki. She knew exactly what she was doing from day one. However, she tried to act as if she wanted David to work on his marriage. Although I was a little uncomfortable with the teenage erotica, I really enjoyed the book. When I say erotica, I mean erotica. It was not the fumbling and awkward encounters which are normal for teenagers, but David was putting it down at 14 like a grown man. I could not get over that and the fact that Mia’s parents were so okay with this. I loved this perspective on the other hand, because I see a change in parenting today versus when I was growing up. It is a great conversation piece for book club. That is just one topic. There are so many topics that this book touched on that can be a conversation all by itself. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who wants a very well written and different story that had not been told before. Very original!! I give it 4 stars.
Yolanda Maria
"Reviewed for the Sankofa Literary Society. Book provided by author or publisher for review purposes."
July 3, 2014
I liked this book it was pretty good I liked the story line aside from a lot of sexual scenes. I hope the in the next book that Mia and David are able to work out their problems I really thought that they had a good relationship and were made for each other. I also love the cover of the book. Also I got this book from Gooodreads first-reads.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews