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To Be Loved #3

Because This Is Forever

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The decision that tore them apart...

Former hopeless romantic, Mia Trent, is crushed when the love of her life, Nate McArthur, reveals that he doesn't want to get married--or have children. But it's too late. Mia is already pregnant and her dream of "happily ever after" is sharply put to an end when she decides to keep her pregnancy a secret, refusing to force him into a life he doesn't want.

The compromise that made them a family...

Five years later, Mia must reach out to Nate for help or risk losing her home and shelter for their son. Stunned and outraged by the sudden news of his child, Nate proposes a give him the summer to get to know his son and he'll save her home. Yet with Mia back in his life, Nate isn't willing to lose her--or their son--again. What starts off as a temporary arrangement soon becomes a chance at rediscovery and becoming a family. Only Nate must convince his jaded dreamer that his love for her is true...and will last now and forever.

185 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 10, 2013

73 people are currently reading
652 people want to read

About the author

Lena Hart

93 books323 followers
Lena Hart is an author of sensual romances with alpha heroes and smart, sexy heroines. She's a proud member of Romance Writers of America, busy writing more happily ever afters. A Florida-native, Lena currently lives in New York City with her two calico kitties, Duchess and Daisy. When she is not writing, she's reading, researching, or conferring with her muse.

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5 stars
175 (29%)
4 stars
210 (35%)
3 stars
160 (26%)
2 stars
40 (6%)
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10 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
Profile Image for Camy.
1,661 reviews49 followers
February 16, 2016
I didn't like it. This didn't work for me. It was too saccharine and goody, flat and without depth or dimension.

I didn't like the soft, sweet, smooshy, vanilla sex that was shown while being told that Mia and Nate were wild in bed.

I didn't like the prose, which was basic, and I didn't like the mechanics, which held too many errors. Example: fairing for faring.

I didn't like any of the family dynamics but especially didn't like the contradictions. Mia's mother was characterised as being judgmental and without understanding then there's a 180 shift and suddenly she's the perfect mama. Mia's sister, Leah, is destructive, nasty, selfish and harbours dislike for Mia but then they're best buds. What? Be consistent.

I did t like how weepy and spineless Mia was and I especially didn't like that she didn't have more ambition than landing her man and taking care of her family. What happened to law school?

I didn't like how eager and prideless Mia was; happy to be noticed and to take whatever she could get with Nate.

I didn't like the interracial dynamics in here and the "golden children".

I didn't like this fairy-tale-like book that purported to turn fairy tales on its head.
Profile Image for Romance Novels in Color.
347 reviews247 followers
December 11, 2013
I have a soft spot for love stories when the hero and heroine are from different social circles. And yes, there is one person who doesn’t want to see the relationship blossom. Failure to discuss certain aspects of their relationship prior to investing a substantial amount of time, forces the heroine to make a decision she felt was warranted.

The old saying “opposites attract” kept replaying as the story of Mia Trent and Nat McArthur unfolded. Mia grew up in a loving home; she watched her mom work two and three jobs to make ends meet when her father walked out on them. Despite her mother’s lack of trust in men, Mia held on to her desire of happily ever after. For Nat, his parents might have been able to give him the world but love wasn’t one of them.

It’s natural imagining growing old with the person you conceived another life with, but Mia’s happily ever after is short lived when she finds out Nat never plans to marry nor have children. Nat being the strong-willed person that he is, walked away without finding out the why’s to Mia’s question.

On the brink of homelessness, Mia decided to make the one call she dreaded for five years. When Nat realized it was Mia calling without her saying a word, I thought his responses would have been more out of annoyance. I was wrong. As they conversed he used sweet endearments as if they were still enjoying each other’s company. Those feelings were short lived when the past resurfaced.

I applaud the author for not giving readers the same outcome with familiar plots. Between Nate’s father with a condescending attitude and Mia’s sister the opportunist, it’s hard to say which one is my least favorite character. There are other relatable scenes besides Mia and Trent’s relationship and the author delivers each one to the fullest.

- Reviewed by LaMona
Profile Image for Mspraise50.
1,597 reviews65 followers
July 29, 2014
Book 1 – Mia and Nate Story

What I loved about this book was Mia was not afraid to let Nate know she loved him even though he struggled to say he loved her back he definitely cared about her very much. You could feel the deep caring for each other in the relationship. With hindsight we could say if Mia had been upfront with Nate instead of asking him hypothetical questions the outcome may have been very different and they would not have had to be parted from each other for those 4 plus years.

This was a great read and I enjoyed the story and I loved their son.
Profile Image for Adrienh1.
649 reviews22 followers
October 23, 2013
I loved this story. It is about 2 people who reunite after years of separation and who never stopped loving each other. So sweet...I'm a sucker for mushy romance stories with angst.
Profile Image for Lindsey Gray.
Author 24 books139 followers
November 15, 2013
Relationships are difficult for everyone for one reason or another. For Mia Trent, an unexpected pregnancy and a boyfriend who she realizes is anti-fatherhood and marriage, they are harder than your average liaison.

I am usually not a big fan of a long back story. Hart set this story in motion perfectly with just a few chapters of Mia and Nate's early relationship. I could see right away both perspectives and understood Mia's choice given the information Nate left her with. I was also able to feel Nate's regret over his decisions almost as soon as he made them.

Fast forward five years and the heart of our story begins. Mia is in financial trouble and has run out of options. Her last resort is contacting Nate. Hart creates an unique first meeting between Nate and his son, Mikey, that had my heart racing. We see how volatile Nate's father is early on in the story and I feared Nate's pain of losing Mia might cause him to do something irrational. Hart surprised me by his reaction to his son. Nate was both angry and happy to find he had something he never imagined he wanted.

The development of Mia and Nate's new relationship was natural with its' own set of challenges. Nate's father, Mia's sister, co-workers, and angry ex-employees cause twists and turns for the new family on their road to togetherness.

When I give a story five stars, I really have to sit and think. I look at all the aspects of the story, the narrative, the editing, the plot, and overall structure. In the case of this story, I could not find one thing out of place. I can't wait to read more of Lena Hart's work.

Going into this book, I had not realized this was the third in the series. I did not feel lost at all, so this can be read as a stand alone. Now that I know there are two other books with Cara and Drake's story ("Because You Are Mine") and Sabrina and Jake's story ("Because You Love Me"), I am excited to read them also.

Thank you to Lena Hart and Black Lion Book Tours for providing me with a copy of "Because this is Forever" to participate in the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Rhomy.
304 reviews74 followers
December 1, 2013
4 stars!


I am really happy I read this book. Honestly, I'm pleasantly surprised.
Because this is forever, is the third novel in a series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The story goes around Mia and Nate, and starts with a little background and a few chapters where they were initially dating and when she finds out she is pregnant.

I must admit that I found one thing a little cheesy, especially, taking Mia's mom story into account. I'm talking about the fact that at 24, Mia was a virgin and got pregnant on her first sexual encounter.

Besides that, I only have good things to say about this story. After those few chapters, the story goes forward to the moment when little Mikey is 5 years old. Mia finds herself in a difficult financial situation and as a last resource, she decides to contact Nate. (who doesn's know he is a father)

The way he takes the news, the relationship with his son from the very first moment, it's brilliant.


“I could tell from the beginning, just by the way you talked about him,” her mother said. “And I was really hoping you wouldn‟t get hurt, but men will be men, and you can‟t love a man more than he loves you. He has to love you more, Mia, or else you end up with your heart broken.”
Tears began to flow down her cheeks. That‟s where Mia had made her mistake. She had loved him so much and had fooled herself into thinking he felt the same way.



Cover: gorgeous

Character developent: very good. This is one of those books where I relate to all the characters. I could't take sides. Both of them have valid reason for their actions and the situation is utterly realistic.

Writing: I loved the writing style. Lena makes it simple without being dull or ordinary. Suddenly I realized I was almost at half of the book and it took me just a few hour to finish it!

Plot: interesting and beyond sweet.


Profile Image for Elise Marion.
Author 62 books322 followers
January 20, 2014
This was a solid read that moved along at a good pace. It was my first book by this author and I would read others by her. It was one of those books I was able to read in the course of 24 hours, and it was light and easy. Though it was not perfect, it was sweet and some of the characters really grabbed me.

I actually went into this thinking I wouldn't like it because the first scene put me off. Nate came off as such a jerk and Mia as a spineless crybaby. After awhile, though, Nate won me over. His character was well developed and fleshed out. His interactions with his son, Mikey, were so adorable and the little boy was well written and cute. I did, however, come to like Mia. She was weak and cried too much. Also, I can understand sometimes why a woman would hide a pregnancy from her ex, but in this case Mia was just selfish. I could have been okay with her selfishness if she eventually came to regret it. While she said she regretted it, her apology felt kind of backhanded, and she continued to try to justify her actions, which annoyed me. it didn't matter that Nate didn't want marriage, he had a right to know he had a son. She kept trying to make him the bad guy in all this, when she was the one in the wrong. Nate was honest, she was not.

While I enjoyed the short, quick pace of the book, I felt it should have been just a bit longer considering the drama that went on toward the end. It felt rushed and anticlimactic, and I felt the book either needed to be longer to give it more time to pan out, or it shouldn't have been there. The story was as good without the added element of the possible kidnapping.

Aside from that the author has an easygoing style that was easy to get into. For me the flaws in this book were not with the storytelling but with Mia's character. I think that I would enjoy other books by this author with a heroine with more of a backbone.
Profile Image for Connie.
591 reviews47 followers
October 14, 2014
This was a story of a young woman who got pregnant by her lover. She didn't tell him about the pregnancy because she said that she didn't want to feel like she was trying to trap him because he never wanted a family so she went back home to bore his child and live her life without her love. They meet again years later when circumstances bring them back together.

The story is solid and flows well. It's a sweet story and both MC's made glaring mistakes but they both recognized their mistakes and learned and grew from their experiences. Their road was not always easy with old animosities that arose, but they recognized that and their love continued even through the years that they were apart. The story was good and I'm glad that I read it, but there was something missing, but I'm not quite sure what it is.

I give this story a 3.5. :)
Profile Image for Delaney Diamond.
Author 106 books9,772 followers
February 2, 2014
This was a good, solid read that I read in one day. It had sweetness, humor, and an adorable boy named Mikey who stole the show. This had a secret baby plot (one of my faves) which was believable. Yes, it's true, there's never a good enough reason not to tell the hero he has a child, but it at least has to be plausible, and in this case, it was.

Because This is Forever has a low heat level - a pleasant surprise - and is a story that keeps you turning the pages to see how this couple will work things out so they could become a family.

My favorite line was when Nate told Mia, "Just know that there is nothing I wouldn't do, nothing I wouldn't give up, for you." Nice.

379 reviews6 followers
March 15, 2016
This is a re-read for me, but once you read Mia and Nate's story, you'll understand the reason that I took the time to read this story again. Their beginning is a little rocky, but love always prevails, right? Don't want to spoil the read for future readers, but Mikey is adorable and I almost peed my pants when he asked his mother if the grasshopper scared the Hell out of her. Priceless and so very Hilarious! Kids will say the darnedest things and you kept it real, Lena Hart, lol. Hopefully something new will come from this amazing couple!
Profile Image for aquarius.
40 reviews
February 3, 2014
loved it, loved it, loved it.. Definitely a 5 star read for me

such a cute story.. I loved how possesive Nate was of Mia. And Mickey was just the cutest Kid ever.


My Casting:

Mia:
description

Nate:
description
Profile Image for Whit.
3,663 reviews52 followers
February 5, 2014
Loved it! Mia and Nate lost 5 years together because Nate's parents had such a terrible loveless marriage. Nate didn't even want children because his childhood was so horrible. So when Mia finds herself pregnant, rather than trap Nate in a marriage he does not want, Mia runs away. Now 5 years later, Mia is back. Will Nate forgive Mia for not telling him he has a son or will he reject her once again?
Profile Image for Mstcat.
155 reviews58 followers
October 26, 2013
This was a sweet story about true and lasting love. I liked that the author created mature lead characters that owned up to their mistakes and actually talked and listened to one another. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Profile Image for Anino .
1,069 reviews71 followers
Read
January 1, 2014
I absolutely loved reading this awesome book!

Not only was it captivating, but it was well-paced, and the characters were well-developed.

Other than that, I would have liked to have learned more about Nate's relationship with his Mom.

Giving this one 4.5 stars....

Profile Image for Jacklyn Morales.
94 reviews25 followers
November 27, 2013
It was refreshing, not too dramatic and it was enjoyable... But I have to admit i do enjoy alittle drama lol i would have loved alittle more angst I do so enjoy it. But all in all def a fun and enjoyable read finished it in a few hours.
Profile Image for Natalie.
37 reviews20 followers
August 9, 2016
Nice love story , in how they were able to reconnect
2,343 reviews
October 19, 2016
Good quick read

I liked this book. It was a fast, entertaining read. The plot was predictable, with the unplanned pregnancy, and the Dad's reaction.
Profile Image for Lucretia.
393 reviews
May 12, 2014
I enjoyed this book based on what it was about about I did feel alot was left unanswered but it is what it is....
Profile Image for Rachel.
379 reviews7 followers
August 17, 2018
This was a secret baby novel where I found myself not passing too much judgement on the h for not immediately telling the H that he's a pappy. Nate told Mia that he wasn't going to marry her and that he didn't want children, and of course he tells her this while there's already a bun in the oven. So I couldn't be too irritated with her for keeping her trap shut. I don't know if I personally would have kept a whole pregnancy secret from the man who knocked me up, but well...this ain't about what I would do.

How would I characterise the world that was built, family dynamics, and the flow of the story? Ummm, it's not an attention grabber. There are some parts where things meandered and you're just waiting for the next big thing or argument to take place. I can say I absolutely detested Mia's sister Leah. She was immature, rude, a bitch to Mia, and selfish. Girlfriend had Texas size balls to ask, no DEMAND that Mia's baby daddy write her a check $10,000 so she can start *her* new life in California. And she felt entitled to this money because she lived at home and worked two jobs like countless other people in the world do to make ends meet. That girl was a piece of work but I couldn't understand why Mia felt she had to convince Nate to do that for her sister; he had no obligation to take care of her, hell Leah could barely be cordial to Nate. I get that's her sister and she feels gratitude for Leah stepping up to the plate when Mia was in between jobs, but there's a line and Leah repeatedly stepped over it. The fact she had the nerve not to be grateful Nate was willing to give her half upfront and the rest when she settled, was grating, on top of showing up uninvited to his house and taking up refuge on his couch. SMH.

I was okay with Mia up until around 70% into things. She became this weepy, assumption making chick. Nate asked for her hand but she wanted him to take some time to really be sure marriage was what he wanted since they had not been freely exchanging ILY's and she didn't want their marriage to be one of convenience. So Nate did as she asked, but it still wasn't enough for her. She wanted him to *know*. Pick a struggle, Mia. You can't say you need someone to think about something but then turn around and be in your feelings because they're doing as you suggested.

Nate was all right. He had a lot of daddy issues. Dude needed to pick up a book on nutrition and parenting since he refused to use a shred of common sense about not letting children eat a variation of sugary foods in one setting or having cheesy puffs for breakfast. Other than that, he was a guy blindsided by the fact he had a four year old son and did what he could to adjust and make up for lost time.

The relationship between Mia and Nate didn't inspire any sparks or tension within myself. They essentially picked up where they left off and there was that.

Do I recommend? Sure. If you're in the mood for something a bit more on the fluff side.
Profile Image for Selina Durio.
2,523 reviews12 followers
December 31, 2016
I enjoyed Mia, Nate and Mikey's story better than he others in this series. This installment had a better transition of time and depth of character development than the others. The exploration of the father/son dynamic between Nate/Charles and Nate/Mikey was good. The picnic kidnapping part could have been left out, it brought nothing to the story.
Profile Image for Nancy  L Thompson.
2,158 reviews15 followers
June 19, 2017
Hummmmmmm

Mia, I must say, worked my last nerve. She made herself look like she was exactly what her future father in law thought she was. But other than her being a whinning pain the butt, this wasn't a bad story
Profile Image for Claudia.
247 reviews
June 29, 2017
This story of Nate and Mia and Mikey, was well written. Had a few predictable turns. One big mystery, and some drama. Overall a good read. There were a few grammatical errors, that ground my teeth, but I am satisfied with giving it 4 stars.
5 reviews
January 18, 2018
Enjoyed the book

This book held my attention to the end....I love it....will share the series with anyone who like love stories🍾👶...I enjoy the way she slips the individual characters into each story.


Profile Image for Lesley-gail.
Author 2 books13 followers
September 21, 2020
Always take a chance on a book you will either be pleasantly surprised or be disappointed. Despite the reviews I chose to give this book a chance. I was definitely not disappointed.
Profile Image for Shawntay F.
92 reviews2 followers
September 18, 2017
I'm a bit torn about how to review this book. I did enjoy it but there were some things for me that was a bother. Some parts of the book was slow to read and a little far stretched. Overall, I did enjoy it.
752 reviews8 followers
February 18, 2017
Linda Christiani

I have lots of books to read so I'm late with a lot of reviews but I already knew I was going to enjoy this author her books never has too much conflict where the story gets lost or seems to have unnecessary information true love passion and romance is my motto and lucky me this author feels the same!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews

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