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Rome:
I fell in love with Abby when I was sixteen years old. Now, ten years later, I have a wife I love more than life itself, a five-year-old son, plus a baby on the way. I also have a drinking problem and one night I pass out after a party at the clubhouse... and wake up next to another woman. I'm horrified by what I've done. Abby tries to forgive me, but it's just too much for her to bear. I can't blame her for leaving me. I broke her heart. I broke us. I destroyed the best part of me, and now I have to watch the love of my life starting over... with someone else.
Abby:
I fell in love with Rome when I was fourteen years old. Now, ten years later, I have a husband I love more than life itself, a five-year-old son, plus a baby on the way. I also have a problem... my husband had a drunken one-night stand. He's horrified by what he's done. I try to forgive him, but it's just too much for me to bear. I have no choice but to leave. He broke my heart. He broke us. He destroyed our family, and now I have to figure out how to start over.. .without the love of my life.
Author's Note:
I know some readers may not enjoy storylines involving infidelity between the main characters. For that reason, this book was written as a complete standalone story and can be skipped, if desired, without missing any of the underlying story arcs that will be woven through the rest of the series. Your mental well-being is important, so if infidelity or alcohol abuse are topics which are disturbing for you, please skip this story, and pick up with the 5th Circle Guardians in the next book. Book 1 in this series featured Rome's twin brother, Jagger. While it is not strictly necessary to read Jagger first, it would make for a more enjoyable reading experience, as you will get a more complete sense of who Rome and Abby are as a couple, and how happy and committed they were until it all ended. The 5th Circle Guardians aren't a hard-core, 1% club, but they do have their own code of conduct that they live by. They live hard, love harder, and know that rules, laws, and hearts are bound to be broken along the way. This book is intended for mature audiences due to language, explicit scenes, and some violence.
I fell in love with Abby when I was sixteen years old. Now, ten years later, I have a wife I love more than life itself, a five-year-old son, plus a baby on the way. I also have a drinking problem and one night I pass out after a party at the clubhouse... and wake up next to another woman. I'm horrified by what I've done. Abby tries to forgive me, but it's just too much for her to bear. I can't blame her for leaving me. I broke her heart. I broke us. I destroyed the best part of me, and now I have to watch the love of my life starting over... with someone else.
Abby:
I fell in love with Rome when I was fourteen years old. Now, ten years later, I have a husband I love more than life itself, a five-year-old son, plus a baby on the way. I also have a problem... my husband had a drunken one-night stand. He's horrified by what he's done. I try to forgive him, but it's just too much for me to bear. I have no choice but to leave. He broke my heart. He broke us. He destroyed our family, and now I have to figure out how to start over.. .without the love of my life.
Author's Note:
I know some readers may not enjoy storylines involving infidelity between the main characters. For that reason, this book was written as a complete standalone story and can be skipped, if desired, without missing any of the underlying story arcs that will be woven through the rest of the series. Your mental well-being is important, so if infidelity or alcohol abuse are topics which are disturbing for you, please skip this story, and pick up with the 5th Circle Guardians in the next book. Book 1 in this series featured Rome's twin brother, Jagger. While it is not strictly necessary to read Jagger first, it would make for a more enjoyable reading experience, as you will get a more complete sense of who Rome and Abby are as a couple, and how happy and committed they were until it all ended. The 5th Circle Guardians aren't a hard-core, 1% club, but they do have their own code of conduct that they live by. They live hard, love harder, and know that rules, laws, and hearts are bound to be broken along the way. This book is intended for mature audiences due to language, explicit scenes, and some violence.
439 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 8, 2024
371 people are currently reading
246 people want to read
About the author
E.K. Hart
10 books60 followersI've been an avid reader since I was a little girl. When I was nine years old, I cried buckets after reading Bridge to Terabithia, which led to an intense love of books that rip my heart out before putting me back together again.
I can vividly remember 12-year-old me discovering my grandmother's Harlequin Romances, which I snuck out of her room to read. I also vividly remember getting caught by my mother, who had already told 12-year-old me that I was too young to read those books. I was grounded for a month, but my love of romance books was born.
Since then, I've gone on to devour books from many genres but I always come back to romances. Whether they are sweet and funny, or dark and angsty, I love them all.
Born and raised in the Midwestern US, I've been married for over thirty years, and am the mother of two incredible people. When I'm not reading or writing, you can most likely find me browsing through antique stores or eating chocolate.
Connect with me!
https://www.linktr.ee/e.k.hart
Hang out with me in my Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/60493...
Follow me on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@author_ekhart
Or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e.k.hartaut...
Happy reading!
I can vividly remember 12-year-old me discovering my grandmother's Harlequin Romances, which I snuck out of her room to read. I also vividly remember getting caught by my mother, who had already told 12-year-old me that I was too young to read those books. I was grounded for a month, but my love of romance books was born.
Since then, I've gone on to devour books from many genres but I always come back to romances. Whether they are sweet and funny, or dark and angsty, I love them all.
Born and raised in the Midwestern US, I've been married for over thirty years, and am the mother of two incredible people. When I'm not reading or writing, you can most likely find me browsing through antique stores or eating chocolate.
Connect with me!
https://www.linktr.ee/e.k.hart
Hang out with me in my Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/60493...
Follow me on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@author_ekhart
Or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e.k.hartaut...
Happy reading!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
March 9, 2024
No. The book is well written and has a very good grovel, but there’s the fuggin double standard that I hated.
The hero has known the heroine since she was 14 and he “always loved her and knew he would have married”. But since he’s older and a biker and she can’t have sex yet, he has sex for years with club girls, which thing she knows and she’s hurt a lot.
I hated this more than the cheating. They get married anyway because when she’s legal and dating one guy he acts like dog in the manger and scares the guy away and decides he’s now has his fill of club pu**y and he’s ready to marry.
Sadly he has a drinking problem and even if the heroine begs him to stop, he doesn’t do the right thing that is to go to a therapist and solve this issue. Annnnddd eventually he ends completely drunk having a bj from a club girl, thinking she was the heroine. He’s an addict. He’s got a problem. But of course the heroine is fed up and decides to divorce him. Oh did I mention that when he cheated she was 8 months pregnant? They divorce, even if he tries to change her mind and he goes to therapy. She tries to move on but hey, why should she fall in love with a good man, a respectable and honorable one when she can have rotten d**k hero instead? So, after a couple of months they’re are back together and all is well.
It was ok the addiction problem, it’s real, it’s well done, the therapy was ok and it was even ok for him to reach that breaking point since when people have mental issues they don’t immediately accept they have a problem, it usually happens when they completely ruin they own lives, so I wasn’t disappointed by his behavior. He needed to reach that point.
So it wasn’t that thing that made me rate one star.
It was the double standard.
In this time and age, writing a contemporary romance, it’s not possible to write of a heroine who never even dated one guy because the hero wouldn’t let anyone near her while he fugged around like there was no tomorrow, then when they are divorced, she has a couple of sad bj with two men that she doesn’t even like, no sex, no other men, so in the end she has been only with that first class hoe of a hero. This. Is. Unacceptable. Chauvinist and discriminatory. I feel like I am in the 40s and not in 2024. She should have had some good sex with some good men. She should have dated when she was a teenager just as he did. And when she told him she knew he had ow and if it was true that he loved her he should have been contented with staying with her without sex until she was of age, there was nothing else to say or to do. To me he was out. Sadly she thinks he’s so good that she takes him back.
Sorry, it would have been good if, at least, he had been celibate after falling in love with her as a teenager. He’s celibate after the divorce, but she was quite celibate too. Oh, another good and nice thing. Since she didn’t know that he was keeping every boy from dating her, maybe with threats, when she was a teenager, she thought she was unattractive and since she’s curvy she always thought she was overweight and not good enough. So nice. And, cherry on the top, his road name is Romeo, he told her it was because his brothers knew he was in love with her and couldn’t have her, but she heard some club girl say that it was because he was the ultimate manwhore. How charming. Just the man you can love for life. I don’t care if he changed. The damage he did for years to her and her self esteem is more than every apology he can give. I’m sorry but I couldn’t even feel the angst. After all, she did marry him even if she knew he had sex with everything that move for all the years he professed to be in love with her. So, she deserves what she got. A cheating, self centered and unapologetic azzhole.
The hero has known the heroine since she was 14 and he “always loved her and knew he would have married”. But since he’s older and a biker and she can’t have sex yet, he has sex for years with club girls, which thing she knows and she’s hurt a lot.
I hated this more than the cheating. They get married anyway because when she’s legal and dating one guy he acts like dog in the manger and scares the guy away and decides he’s now has his fill of club pu**y and he’s ready to marry.
Sadly he has a drinking problem and even if the heroine begs him to stop, he doesn’t do the right thing that is to go to a therapist and solve this issue. Annnnddd eventually he ends completely drunk having a bj from a club girl, thinking she was the heroine. He’s an addict. He’s got a problem. But of course the heroine is fed up and decides to divorce him. Oh did I mention that when he cheated she was 8 months pregnant? They divorce, even if he tries to change her mind and he goes to therapy. She tries to move on but hey, why should she fall in love with a good man, a respectable and honorable one when she can have rotten d**k hero instead? So, after a couple of months they’re are back together and all is well.
It was ok the addiction problem, it’s real, it’s well done, the therapy was ok and it was even ok for him to reach that breaking point since when people have mental issues they don’t immediately accept they have a problem, it usually happens when they completely ruin they own lives, so I wasn’t disappointed by his behavior. He needed to reach that point.
So it wasn’t that thing that made me rate one star.
It was the double standard.
In this time and age, writing a contemporary romance, it’s not possible to write of a heroine who never even dated one guy because the hero wouldn’t let anyone near her while he fugged around like there was no tomorrow, then when they are divorced, she has a couple of sad bj with two men that she doesn’t even like, no sex, no other men, so in the end she has been only with that first class hoe of a hero. This. Is. Unacceptable. Chauvinist and discriminatory. I feel like I am in the 40s and not in 2024. She should have had some good sex with some good men. She should have dated when she was a teenager just as he did. And when she told him she knew he had ow and if it was true that he loved her he should have been contented with staying with her without sex until she was of age, there was nothing else to say or to do. To me he was out. Sadly she thinks he’s so good that she takes him back.
Sorry, it would have been good if, at least, he had been celibate after falling in love with her as a teenager. He’s celibate after the divorce, but she was quite celibate too. Oh, another good and nice thing. Since she didn’t know that he was keeping every boy from dating her, maybe with threats, when she was a teenager, she thought she was unattractive and since she’s curvy she always thought she was overweight and not good enough. So nice. And, cherry on the top, his road name is Romeo, he told her it was because his brothers knew he was in love with her and couldn’t have her, but she heard some club girl say that it was because he was the ultimate manwhore. How charming. Just the man you can love for life. I don’t care if he changed. The damage he did for years to her and her self esteem is more than every apology he can give. I’m sorry but I couldn’t even feel the angst. After all, she did marry him even if she knew he had sex with everything that move for all the years he professed to be in love with her. So, she deserves what she got. A cheating, self centered and unapologetic azzhole.
March 12, 2024
4 Stars
Notes:
✓ I had no problems reading this as a standalone.
✓ Prologue takes place in the past (highschool), told from the H's PoV.
✓ Age difference is 3 years, they met when she was 14, he was 17.
✓ He waits for her to turn 18 before getting romantic.
✓ They marry shortly after; she's pregnant.
✓ Story begins about 6 years later.
✓ He has drinking problems. Sometimes will binge-drink and black-out.
About the infidelity:
Once on-page w/ club "bunny," he's drunk and thinks she's his wife.
I found it all completely convincing. To me, the betrayal was more about him breaking his promise not to drink again and not seeking help for it; less about the infidelity. It was clear he wouldn't have cheated if he hadn't been so drunk. If anything, what I found worse was the cheating before they became a couple. Yeah, they weren't a couple but it still felt like a huge betrayal and very selfish of him. He made sure she was never with anyone, just stayed innocent for him while he was with other women. I think that was his biggest sin. Despite everything, I still believed he was redeemable. I never once doubted his love for her. She was a strong heroine who held him to account and thank goodness for small miracles. It's rare to see that in second chance romance books. She even divorced his ass. The grovel was well done. Not as angsty as I would have preferred, but regardless, I enjoyed this book. It was very straightforward, nothing OTT or unbelievable. There are two epilogues. One year later, and the bonus epilogue is 9 years later. I liked seeing him giving his son relationship advice.
Thank you, Cindy, for the rec! Good one! <3
Kindle Unlimited
Notes:
✓ I had no problems reading this as a standalone.
✓ Prologue takes place in the past (highschool), told from the H's PoV.
✓ Age difference is 3 years, they met when she was 14, he was 17.
✓ He waits for her to turn 18 before getting romantic.
✓ They marry shortly after; she's pregnant.
✓ Story begins about 6 years later.
✓ He has drinking problems. Sometimes will binge-drink and black-out.
About the infidelity:
Once on-page w/ club "bunny," he's drunk and thinks she's his wife.
I found it all completely convincing. To me, the betrayal was more about him breaking his promise not to drink again and not seeking help for it; less about the infidelity. It was clear he wouldn't have cheated if he hadn't been so drunk. If anything, what I found worse was the cheating before they became a couple. Yeah, they weren't a couple but it still felt like a huge betrayal and very selfish of him. He made sure she was never with anyone, just stayed innocent for him while he was with other women. I think that was his biggest sin. Despite everything, I still believed he was redeemable. I never once doubted his love for her. She was a strong heroine who held him to account and thank goodness for small miracles. It's rare to see that in second chance romance books. She even divorced his ass. The grovel was well done. Not as angsty as I would have preferred, but regardless, I enjoyed this book. It was very straightforward, nothing OTT or unbelievable. There are two epilogues. One year later, and the bonus epilogue is 9 years later. I liked seeing him giving his son relationship advice.
Thank you, Cindy, for the rec! Good one! <3
Kindle Unlimited
March 13, 2024
Not safe
Double standards
Cheating
He is celibate
She is not but her v is still frozen, she only give two guys two very depressing BJ. Disappointed because it was adversited as her not being celibate. What is the point of her not celibacy consisting in two BJ she ended up hating? And that it was not pleasureble at all to her. She talks about it at the end like it a sour and painful memory. Her not celibacy is now trauma, yay
His cheating was a BJ, so her not celibacy consisted in two BJ and later they need therapy to be able to reagin that intimacy. So really her goind down on those two men are more a trauma response that later turned in traumatic experiences than anything sexy.
2 starts because i loved the beggining until 60% she was fire responding him about past hurts
Double standards: when they met she was 14 and he was. He fucked around for almost 4 years, until 4 months before her 18th birthday because he saw her after kissing someone on a date. He had sex, he did oral sex and he got BJ, he also participated in threesomes. All the while she had four first dates and kissed 4 boys one time each, the last one, that he sees after she arrives home pos date tried to touch her chest but she felt like she was cheating on the hero and stopped him and felt bad.
Yes, lovely, the best part? He was keeping boys her age away from her, threating them to stay far away.
She suffered a lot because of it, thinking it was because she was not super skinny, she even tried crazy diets. But as soon as he decided to be with her, even with this hurt, she jumped with open arms.
She doesnt understand how he said he loved him since he met her and told a friend he would marry her only 3 days after meeting her but still was with other women when she cant even imagine being with someone. At the beginning when she was younger she thought it was because he was man, now she knows better and knows it was because he was selfish . So here his sexism is adressed and the double standards are treated as such. Wait, it did not last.
Years later after the cheating she still feels bad about her teen years, she throws it at his face. But that is it. The biggest betrayal in my opinion and there is no grovel for that action. He feels bad but there is it.
I decided to read because it was advertised as her not being celibate. It turns out all she did was give two man a blow job, one a random and the other someone she was dating but aside the bj she only kissed. She felt awful afterwards both times. She did not enjoy it, she did not felt pleasure and she did not sleep with anyone else.
I hate celibate heroines, I hate the one bad sex, in this case two bad BJ too.
I felt like what is the point saying the was not celibate if her experiences will be both awful.
Okay, then when they got back together she apologizes. This is the final nail on the coffin for me. She not only apologizes, he asks her to tell him eveyrthing she did with ow, knowing he has no right, but says the same way she was curious after he cheated and wanted details so her imagination wont run wild, he needs it now. He has no fucking right to ask for anything and she shouldn't have told him anything. But she of course not only tells him.
She apologizes for being with other man, she feels guilty. The worst, she compares she being with others while loving him to him being with others when they met and claiming he loved her. As it was the dame thing! She excuses his double standards, she literally equates her trying to move on after being cheated on to him fucking anyone on a skirt that entered the club while he was preventing her to have any experience at all.
The cheater even has the moment of male pride knowing even after he cheated, he continues to be the only man who has ever been inside her.
I felt like the first 60% of the book that was so good was nulled at the end, by having her apologizing Nd giving him satisfactions and feeling guilty.
Her not enjoying sex is so freaking overdone it only dissapointed me at this point. What make me rage was expecting a non celibate heroine only to be faced with someone who has only ever done the deal with the hero by the end of the book. Cmon why bother adressed the double standards when this book is still full of them. Perpetuating the idea man can fuck and be in love but women can ever only enjoy or even have p in the v sex with the man she loves even after he shattered her heart. Cmon give at least a few orgasms and oral sex to the woman, let the other man do it to her.
Did i tell you he cheated when she was 8 months pregnant?
I felt like the heroine was punished for trying to be with other guys by her conscience, her heart and the author, making it both awful experiences and making her feel guilty about it and later, the worst part, regretting it and apologizing to the hero. It was used as an excuse to make what he did in high school less terrible, he loved her and was with others, she loves him and was with others. But it failed big time. The comparation is unfair, she tried to move on after a divorce bc he cheated and she was not controlling his life and undermining his self eesteem. Her situations is very differently from what he did to her before they started dating. He betrayed her, but her actions now are not about him for her to own him any kind of explatation. I felt like this is how they tried to nule his double standards. Backfired big time because those situations cant me measured by the same escale.
Dissapointed and unfortunately surprised because its 2024 I let my hopes make a rare appearence in a cheating novel. Not again
Its funny how books I raged and gave a low rating like loving violet and love story seems better now, at least there the heroines are truly getting good sex.
Double standards
Cheating
He is celibate
She is not but her v is still frozen, she only give two guys two very depressing BJ. Disappointed because it was adversited as her not being celibate. What is the point of her not celibacy consisting in two BJ she ended up hating? And that it was not pleasureble at all to her. She talks about it at the end like it a sour and painful memory. Her not celibacy is now trauma, yay
His cheating was a BJ, so her not celibacy consisted in two BJ and later they need therapy to be able to reagin that intimacy. So really her goind down on those two men are more a trauma response that later turned in traumatic experiences than anything sexy.
2 starts because i loved the beggining until 60% she was fire responding him about past hurts
Double standards: when they met she was 14 and he was. He fucked around for almost 4 years, until 4 months before her 18th birthday because he saw her after kissing someone on a date. He had sex, he did oral sex and he got BJ, he also participated in threesomes. All the while she had four first dates and kissed 4 boys one time each, the last one, that he sees after she arrives home pos date tried to touch her chest but she felt like she was cheating on the hero and stopped him and felt bad.
Yes, lovely, the best part? He was keeping boys her age away from her, threating them to stay far away.
She suffered a lot because of it, thinking it was because she was not super skinny, she even tried crazy diets. But as soon as he decided to be with her, even with this hurt, she jumped with open arms.
She doesnt understand how he said he loved him since he met her and told a friend he would marry her only 3 days after meeting her but still was with other women when she cant even imagine being with someone. At the beginning when she was younger she thought it was because he was man, now she knows better and knows it was because he was selfish . So here his sexism is adressed and the double standards are treated as such. Wait, it did not last.
Years later after the cheating she still feels bad about her teen years, she throws it at his face. But that is it. The biggest betrayal in my opinion and there is no grovel for that action. He feels bad but there is it.
I decided to read because it was advertised as her not being celibate. It turns out all she did was give two man a blow job, one a random and the other someone she was dating but aside the bj she only kissed. She felt awful afterwards both times. She did not enjoy it, she did not felt pleasure and she did not sleep with anyone else.
I hate celibate heroines, I hate the one bad sex, in this case two bad BJ too.
I felt like what is the point saying the was not celibate if her experiences will be both awful.
Okay, then when they got back together she apologizes. This is the final nail on the coffin for me. She not only apologizes, he asks her to tell him eveyrthing she did with ow, knowing he has no right, but says the same way she was curious after he cheated and wanted details so her imagination wont run wild, he needs it now. He has no fucking right to ask for anything and she shouldn't have told him anything. But she of course not only tells him.
She apologizes for being with other man, she feels guilty. The worst, she compares she being with others while loving him to him being with others when they met and claiming he loved her. As it was the dame thing! She excuses his double standards, she literally equates her trying to move on after being cheated on to him fucking anyone on a skirt that entered the club while he was preventing her to have any experience at all.
The cheater even has the moment of male pride knowing even after he cheated, he continues to be the only man who has ever been inside her.
I felt like the first 60% of the book that was so good was nulled at the end, by having her apologizing Nd giving him satisfactions and feeling guilty.
Her not enjoying sex is so freaking overdone it only dissapointed me at this point. What make me rage was expecting a non celibate heroine only to be faced with someone who has only ever done the deal with the hero by the end of the book. Cmon why bother adressed the double standards when this book is still full of them. Perpetuating the idea man can fuck and be in love but women can ever only enjoy or even have p in the v sex with the man she loves even after he shattered her heart. Cmon give at least a few orgasms and oral sex to the woman, let the other man do it to her.
Did i tell you he cheated when she was 8 months pregnant?
I felt like the heroine was punished for trying to be with other guys by her conscience, her heart and the author, making it both awful experiences and making her feel guilty about it and later, the worst part, regretting it and apologizing to the hero. It was used as an excuse to make what he did in high school less terrible, he loved her and was with others, she loves him and was with others. But it failed big time. The comparation is unfair, she tried to move on after a divorce bc he cheated and she was not controlling his life and undermining his self eesteem. Her situations is very differently from what he did to her before they started dating. He betrayed her, but her actions now are not about him for her to own him any kind of explatation. I felt like this is how they tried to nule his double standards. Backfired big time because those situations cant me measured by the same escale.
Dissapointed and unfortunately surprised because its 2024 I let my hopes make a rare appearence in a cheating novel. Not again
Its funny how books I raged and gave a low rating like loving violet and love story seems better now, at least there the heroines are truly getting good sex.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2024
Romeo married his hs sweetheart. They have a 5yo and a baby girl on the way. Rome- name change explained later in book- and Abby have a great married /Sex life. They are both faithful. Only thing is Rome is a binge drinker. He’s promised to stay away from Alcohol. He breaks hs promise gets drunk and gets a bj. Abby can’t forgive his cheating. This book shows the counseling and family dynamics And grovel.It’s about 150 pages too
Long. A lot of little kid page time etc. I skimmed alot.
Long. A lot of little kid page time etc. I skimmed alot.
March 9, 2024
I’m often asked why I like the cheating trope. So many people don’t like it because they put their personal feelings of never being able to forgive someone for that type of betrayal. However, I love them because, when done right, it offers the most beautiful and difficult character development.
This is probably one of the best redemptions of a MMC in a cheating trope I have ever read.
When the cheating happens, you don’t realize how large that character chasm actually is with Caleb until they start therapy. Goodness, that’s where the real heartbreak of this story lies. You soon learn they both have an incredible amount of growth that needs to be realized before they can even think about addressing the initial betrayal. And damn it, I was rooting for Caleb the whole time. He was a total fuck boy in the past, but the writer does such a good job developing both him and Abby that you know deep down they really belong together. I cried when he received divorce papers, but you knew it had to happen. A lot of times a 3rd act break up is just a lazy way to add a final bit of drama to give a final hurdle to end the book. Not in this one. In fact, the story demanded it.
The only reason I didn’t give a 5 ⭐️ was there were sprinkles of parts that drug on a tad, and I found my self skimming at times. However, that did not deter my love of this book. I am so happy to have discovered this writer. She will be an auto purchase author for me here on out.
This is probably one of the best redemptions of a MMC in a cheating trope I have ever read.
When the cheating happens, you don’t realize how large that character chasm actually is with Caleb until they start therapy. Goodness, that’s where the real heartbreak of this story lies. You soon learn they both have an incredible amount of growth that needs to be realized before they can even think about addressing the initial betrayal. And damn it, I was rooting for Caleb the whole time. He was a total fuck boy in the past, but the writer does such a good job developing both him and Abby that you know deep down they really belong together. I cried when he received divorce papers, but you knew it had to happen. A lot of times a 3rd act break up is just a lazy way to add a final bit of drama to give a final hurdle to end the book. Not in this one. In fact, the story demanded it.
The only reason I didn’t give a 5 ⭐️ was there were sprinkles of parts that drug on a tad, and I found my self skimming at times. However, that did not deter my love of this book. I am so happy to have discovered this writer. She will be an auto purchase author for me here on out.
Read
April 18, 2024DNF
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May 7, 2024
I hate cheating books which doesn't explain why I read do many. I hate taking the husband back even more., but I bought it in this case.
The H is in an MC-lite gang, and is more an accidental cheater than a callous one but the fallout is the same. H has issues with binge drinking which is a problem that leads to the cheating. He thinks he's with his wife but he's not.
Emotional damage on all sides and eventually the h kicks him out. H says some stupid stuff, the worst was saying it was just a BJ that doesn't go over well AT ALL.
The majority of the book is the H's attempts to reform and delve into what brought him to the place that he ended up betraying the woman he adores. He's had a past, the worst was that he wouldn't date her until she was 18 which he seemed to gave him a free pass on anything with legs. Again, she feels differently.
I bought the redemption because the main focus was on the H trying to do better. The heroine tries to move on and makes an attempt at dating but it doesn't work.
Nice to read a story where the heroine actually makes the H work for forgiveness and then he does.
H is in an MC but this is very minor to the story.
The H is in an MC-lite gang, and is more an accidental cheater than a callous one but the fallout is the same. H has issues with binge drinking which is a problem that leads to the cheating. He thinks he's with his wife but he's not.
Emotional damage on all sides and eventually the h kicks him out. H says some stupid stuff, the worst was saying it was just a BJ that doesn't go over well AT ALL.
The majority of the book is the H's attempts to reform and delve into what brought him to the place that he ended up betraying the woman he adores. He's had a past, the worst was that he wouldn't date her until she was 18 which he seemed to gave him a free pass on anything with legs. Again, she feels differently.
I bought the redemption because the main focus was on the H trying to do better. The heroine tries to move on and makes an attempt at dating but it doesn't work.
Nice to read a story where the heroine actually makes the H work for forgiveness and then he does.
H is in an MC but this is very minor to the story.
March 15, 2024
This one I didn’t mind the cheating because he needed to reach rock bottom and anyway is was BJ and he thought it was her wife (so it was tolerable for me). It just sucks that not only he was affected but also Abby.
I love how the his addictions was written, how Abby didn’t just took him back until he changed. I love a good character arc book and considering this is an MC book I expect a lot of misogynistic and disgusting things to come out but I am so glad I was wrong.
I love this author, will try her other books 💜
I love how the his addictions was written, how Abby didn’t just took him back until he changed. I love a good character arc book and considering this is an MC book I expect a lot of misogynistic and disgusting things to come out but I am so glad I was wrong.
I love this author, will try her other books 💜
avoid
March 15, 2024Self note:
⚠️🚩⚠️🚩⚠️🚩⚠️🚩⚠️ Avoid
H falls in love with h and because she too young he sleeps with OW and wh*res for YEARS!
When she’s legal he’s still with OW, while the h is a v?
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
⚠️🚩⚠️🚩⚠️🚩⚠️🚩⚠️ Avoid
H falls in love with h and because she too young he sleeps with OW and wh*res for YEARS!
When she’s legal he’s still with OW, while the h is a v?
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
March 11, 2024
The cheating trope isn’t for everybody and it took me awhile to want to read anything that involves cheating but I noticed I’d stick to cheating books where there’s good groveling (that’s a must) and reconciliation. Some books I’m disappointed in but others they’re good at the realistic side of cheating and couples working through the betrayal. This was a good book.
Rome fucked up big time. If he wasn’t shit faced drunk he would’ve realized what he was doing and that the woman he was with wasn’t his wife just a stripper that had some of her features and hair color. If he also listened to Abby’s concerns about his drinking and gotten help with it he wouldn’t have ended up in that awful situation. The author did a great job writing both of their perspectives on how they tried to work on their marriage by addressing the betrayal with a therapist. It was angsty, i teared up quite a bit because I felt so much for Abby. Rome wasn’t a bad guy he was obsessed and crazy in love with Abby and his road to redemption was good to read. He held himself accountable and did everything he could to work on himself to be a better man for Abby and their kids.
The second epilogue I loved reading about Rome talking to their now teenage son Ethan about the betrayal because of what happened between him and his girlfriend. Rome gave great advice and he finally got to have a one on one talk about what he did to Abby so Ethan can understand how bad betrayals cut deep and to get him to understand why his girlfriend is feeling the way she is right now. I hope Ethan gets a book! 😄
Rome fucked up big time. If he wasn’t shit faced drunk he would’ve realized what he was doing and that the woman he was with wasn’t his wife just a stripper that had some of her features and hair color. If he also listened to Abby’s concerns about his drinking and gotten help with it he wouldn’t have ended up in that awful situation. The author did a great job writing both of their perspectives on how they tried to work on their marriage by addressing the betrayal with a therapist. It was angsty, i teared up quite a bit because I felt so much for Abby. Rome wasn’t a bad guy he was obsessed and crazy in love with Abby and his road to redemption was good to read. He held himself accountable and did everything he could to work on himself to be a better man for Abby and their kids.
The second epilogue I loved reading about Rome talking to their now teenage son Ethan about the betrayal because of what happened between him and his girlfriend. Rome gave great advice and he finally got to have a one on one talk about what he did to Abby so Ethan can understand how bad betrayals cut deep and to get him to understand why his girlfriend is feeling the way she is right now. I hope Ethan gets a book! 😄
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2024
3.5
A lot of ppl hated this book and I agree his grovel could have been longer
But I loved the idea the author had for this couple and that the hero really took his actions to heart and changed I do love w the heroine try’s to move on from the hero and I think it worked with this particular couple but she could have at least enjoyed her sexuality.. I don’t know why woman have to feel sm guilt abt liking sex especially when you don’t owe anybody anything??
But I still really loved the couple bc I can feel the love the hero had for her and it didn’t feel forced or like he changed over night they had to work on it if they wanted to be together and I appreciate that they went to counseling together bc they had other problems then just him cheating on her once
All in all not a bad cheating romance 💘
A lot of ppl hated this book and I agree his grovel could have been longer
But I loved the idea the author had for this couple and that the hero really took his actions to heart and changed I do love w the heroine try’s to move on from the hero and I think it worked with this particular couple but she could have at least enjoyed her sexuality.. I don’t know why woman have to feel sm guilt abt liking sex especially when you don’t owe anybody anything??
But I still really loved the couple bc I can feel the love the hero had for her and it didn’t feel forced or like he changed over night they had to work on it if they wanted to be together and I appreciate that they went to counseling together bc they had other problems then just him cheating on her once
All in all not a bad cheating romance 💘
March 17, 2024
2.5✨’s
In keeping it short and sweet, I thought the writing could have been tightened up (lots of extraneous details that had me skimming), and the imbalance of the hero’s betrayals to the heroine’s right to enjoy pleasure/happiness separate from him could have been included.
In keeping it short and sweet, I thought the writing could have been tightened up (lots of extraneous details that had me skimming), and the imbalance of the hero’s betrayals to the heroine’s right to enjoy pleasure/happiness separate from him could have been included.
March 24, 2024
My iPad has eaten my two attempts to review this book.
One more try… short and sweet.
The redemptive arc of this story works. His confession, therapy, separation, divorce, co-parenting, and reconciliation all work.
The in between at times is heavy handed. Alcoholism and binge drinking can’t be the explanation for his bad behavior. Young and dumb can’t explain away the double standards he imposed on them as teenagers—though he does recognize this as the story unfolds.
The use of individual and couples therapy works well, they both grow, learn to accept mistakes, heal and forgive.
One more try… short and sweet.
The redemptive arc of this story works. His confession, therapy, separation, divorce, co-parenting, and reconciliation all work.
The in between at times is heavy handed. Alcoholism and binge drinking can’t be the explanation for his bad behavior. Young and dumb can’t explain away the double standards he imposed on them as teenagers—though he does recognize this as the story unfolds.
The use of individual and couples therapy works well, they both grow, learn to accept mistakes, heal and forgive.
Read
March 16, 2024I was emotionally physically exhausted ..battling my multitude of health issues to the extreme ...So in a bad frame of mind while reading this and I think it poisoned my impressions. So I am not going to rate or review perhaps at some future point I can do a reread.🤔😂
January 25, 2025
You keep finding your voice, baby girl, and I'll listen. I'll try to listen even when you don't speak up, I promise you"
Oh Rome! That is what we truly want in a relationship. Listen and understand
I am not that often surprised by a book, let alone an MC Romance though they are my guilty pleasure. But it becomes the highlight of my day when a book does just that.
In my opinion, I dont think this is a dark romance. This is Romance with a dark theme
I do not think it is an MC romance. It is a romance with an MC member
I do not think it is a cheating romance. It is a romance that deals with the aftermath.
I think I have read two or three cheating books were I was rooting for the male lead to get back with the h and have their HEA.
Rome is one of them
and not because he did not plan on cheating or,at the moment, he did not know he was cheating but because of how he handled it.
I love books where we see "real humans" make mistakes. We are not all good or all bad. We are a mix and it is by our free-well to choose which side we lean towards.
Some mistakes are unredeemable
Others totally are
⚜ rating: 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
⚜Genre: Contemporary Romance
⚜Theme: Second-Chance MC romance
⚜Targeted audience: Adults
⚜Characters: Caleb/Rome, Abby
⚜Representation: side-character disability
⚜ driven: Character driven
⚜Pace: medium
⚜TW: cheating, triggers of trauma, alcoholism, OW drama, double standards
⚜ tropes: betrayal and grovel, young love, claiming, he's celibate she is not
⚜ POV: double first person
⚜ spice 🌶🌶 🌶
⚜standalone: yes, but part of a series
⚜Ending: HEA
⚜Book read: KU
The Plot
though it is set in the MC world, this book focuses more on the drama and romance between Rome and Abby. something that the author clearly stated. And I was there for it all.
I loved that we got a look at how Caleb and Abby met then how their relationship progressed
I loved seeing their marital bless before everything crashed because it helped me feel how much Abby was betrayed and how much angst Rome was in
Stories that begin with the betrayal while showing little of their past life usually fail to make me feel the connection and frankly I don't care much about the characters
I did understand that the act of cheating itself was a sub-problem to the way Rome dismissed Abby's concern of his drinking habits, which lead to his fatal mistake
I also loved the way Hart managed to show us the male's double standard look
which leads me to the characters.
Rome/Caleb
God! I really disliked him in the prologue. The way he took one look at Abby, decided she is his, proceeded to act like it while still sowing his MC oats.
He prevented any boy from approaching Abby, waiting for her to come of age so he could claim her. meanwhile, he did not see anything wrong sleeping with the MC bunnies.
However, my mind changed when the chapters started and we see how much he loves her, and how much dedicated to his family he is. They have a son and a baby on the way but still he worships Abby in every way.
We learn that he has a drinking problem that he dismisses even though Abby clearly showed stated that he should get help. Because of that, one drunk night, he mistakes one of the hangarounds for his wife and let's her give him BJ. When he wakes and sobers up, he realizes how fucked up he is.
And here is the part where I was rooting form him. Not once he concidered hiding what he did from his wife. He did not encourage his brothers to do that also eventhough he knows they would have. He took responsibility, arranged for therapy sessions then confronted Abby.
From there on, everything was about Abby's happiness and emotions
and then the idiot digs his grave even deeper when he throws the "Male Standard" in Abby's face. When she asks him to leave he says, "I can't believe you're throwing everything away, you're throwing us aways, over ONE MISTAKE.....I didn't have sex with her...It was just a blowjob"
The way he belittled her anguish and acted as if she is the one creating problems pushed Abby to ask for divorce.
Abby
I absolutely adore a book with a strong female lead.
I stated before that "strong" does not mean "kick / fight/ bitch"
Abby went through all the emotions.
shocked, anger, shut down, crying, depression
all while 8 month pregnant
but then, she stepped up. She did not wallow whine
She took control of her life
found a job
tried casual hookups
tried dating
I read some reviews that tore her down for not going all the way with the other men. Seriously! She is comming out from the fact that the love of her life and only man she ever was intimate with cheated on her, also she just gave birth and still nursing, but you want her to be comfortable having sex with other men!
besides, if we want to concider Rome having BJ as cheating, then Abby giving BJ is not being cleibate.
otherwise, you are being double standard
the side characters
I loved all the side characters
especially the MCs. They were on Abby's side. Did not side with Rome just because he is a BROTHER. they clearly let him know how wrong he was
I loved Lia. hope she gets a book
Kim, the therapist, was amazing
Oh and the writing was very well done
Oh Rome! That is what we truly want in a relationship. Listen and understand
I am not that often surprised by a book, let alone an MC Romance though they are my guilty pleasure. But it becomes the highlight of my day when a book does just that.
In my opinion, I dont think this is a dark romance. This is Romance with a dark theme
I do not think it is an MC romance. It is a romance with an MC member
I do not think it is a cheating romance. It is a romance that deals with the aftermath.
I think I have read two or three cheating books were I was rooting for the male lead to get back with the h and have their HEA.
Rome is one of them
and not because he did not plan on cheating or,at the moment, he did not know he was cheating but because of how he handled it.
I love books where we see "real humans" make mistakes. We are not all good or all bad. We are a mix and it is by our free-well to choose which side we lean towards.
Some mistakes are unredeemable
Others totally are
⚜ rating: 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
⚜Genre: Contemporary Romance
⚜Theme: Second-Chance MC romance
⚜Targeted audience: Adults
⚜Characters: Caleb/Rome, Abby
⚜Representation: side-character disability
⚜ driven: Character driven
⚜Pace: medium
⚜TW: cheating, triggers of trauma, alcoholism, OW drama, double standards
⚜ tropes: betrayal and grovel, young love, claiming, he's celibate she is not
⚜ POV: double first person
⚜ spice 🌶🌶 🌶
⚜standalone: yes, but part of a series
⚜Ending: HEA
⚜Book read: KU
The Plot
though it is set in the MC world, this book focuses more on the drama and romance between Rome and Abby. something that the author clearly stated. And I was there for it all.
I loved that we got a look at how Caleb and Abby met then how their relationship progressed
I loved seeing their marital bless before everything crashed because it helped me feel how much Abby was betrayed and how much angst Rome was in
Stories that begin with the betrayal while showing little of their past life usually fail to make me feel the connection and frankly I don't care much about the characters
I did understand that the act of cheating itself was a sub-problem to the way Rome dismissed Abby's concern of his drinking habits, which lead to his fatal mistake
I also loved the way Hart managed to show us the male's double standard look
which leads me to the characters.
Rome/Caleb
God! I really disliked him in the prologue. The way he took one look at Abby, decided she is his, proceeded to act like it while still sowing his MC oats.
He prevented any boy from approaching Abby, waiting for her to come of age so he could claim her. meanwhile, he did not see anything wrong sleeping with the MC bunnies.
However, my mind changed when the chapters started and we see how much he loves her, and how much dedicated to his family he is. They have a son and a baby on the way but still he worships Abby in every way.
We learn that he has a drinking problem that he dismisses even though Abby clearly showed stated that he should get help. Because of that, one drunk night, he mistakes one of the hangarounds for his wife and let's her give him BJ. When he wakes and sobers up, he realizes how fucked up he is.
And here is the part where I was rooting form him. Not once he concidered hiding what he did from his wife. He did not encourage his brothers to do that also eventhough he knows they would have. He took responsibility, arranged for therapy sessions then confronted Abby.
From there on, everything was about Abby's happiness and emotions
and then the idiot digs his grave even deeper when he throws the "Male Standard" in Abby's face. When she asks him to leave he says, "I can't believe you're throwing everything away, you're throwing us aways, over ONE MISTAKE.....I didn't have sex with her...It was just a blowjob"
The way he belittled her anguish and acted as if she is the one creating problems pushed Abby to ask for divorce.
Abby
I absolutely adore a book with a strong female lead.
I stated before that "strong" does not mean "kick / fight/ bitch"
Abby went through all the emotions.
shocked, anger, shut down, crying, depression
all while 8 month pregnant
but then, she stepped up. She did not wallow whine
She took control of her life
found a job
tried casual hookups
tried dating
I read some reviews that tore her down for not going all the way with the other men. Seriously! She is comming out from the fact that the love of her life and only man she ever was intimate with cheated on her, also she just gave birth and still nursing, but you want her to be comfortable having sex with other men!
besides, if we want to concider Rome having BJ as cheating, then Abby giving BJ is not being cleibate.
otherwise, you are being double standard
the side characters
I loved all the side characters
especially the MCs. They were on Abby's side. Did not side with Rome just because he is a BROTHER. they clearly let him know how wrong he was
I loved Lia. hope she gets a book
Kim, the therapist, was amazing
Oh and the writing was very well done
May 20, 2024
I gave 5 stars because there was a divorce before the second chance, and it added up to the grovel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2024
I went into this one after a recommendation in a betrayal book group and really enjoyed it. I think it’s a great look at infidelity and it’s aftermath and has some great grovel.
I liked that the author didn’t make the heroine celibate after their split, instead it was the hero, but would have loved it even more if she enjoyed her experiences or didn’t regret them so much. She didn’t owe him any apologies for it.
Heroes are so often not celibate and it’s the norm, but when a heroine does it she has to show regret for some reason. This double standard bugs me.
I liked that the author didn’t make the heroine celibate after their split, instead it was the hero, but would have loved it even more if she enjoyed her experiences or didn’t regret them so much. She didn’t owe him any apologies for it.
Heroes are so often not celibate and it’s the norm, but when a heroine does it she has to show regret for some reason. This double standard bugs me.
April 2, 2024
My rating: 3 1/2 stars
What I loved: I liked how Abby(h) knew she needed to leave Rome for her happiness and got a divorce. Loved how Rome took responsibility for his actions. I loved that they did couples and separate therapy. I also liked how Rome changed his road name after Abby told him how she felt about it. Lastly, I’m happy they both did an std test (it’s rare to see this in books and I’m so glad that the author put this in).
What I didn’t like: I didn’t like how many times Rome said baby girl (It got annoying after awhile). Also the double standards with him wanting to be the only one that had sex with Abby wasn’t cool. Lastly for Abby to apologize for giving two bj’s annoyed me (especially since she wasn’t with Rome at the time).
**Major Spoilers/ Details/Triggers: Cheating, alcoholism. H and h are married. h is pregnant and is due soon and they have a five year old. H is part of an MC. His father is the president and H’s has a twin brother also in the club. H and h met in high school. Unfortunately, H was a junior while the h was a freshman. As soon as the H knew the h was underage he backed off but made sure no one else would date her. H on the other hand kept having sex with other women. H tried to keep that from the h but she knew. When h went on a date with a guy, H told h that she was his and stop messing with other women. H and h got together when she turned 18. h has been worried about the H. In the past the H drank so much that their son found him on the bathroom floor passed out. h told the H that he has a problem with binge drinking and she won’t have her son finding him like that again. H promises the h that he will control himself and not get drunk again and his brothers will hold him accountable. H has been dealing with a lot at his tattoo place with his co-owner, who is also a club brother. When the co-owner gets in trouble having sex with another clubs woman, they tell him he can’t work for a month, making the H work more to cover. Also, H’s mother has been hounding him for money. H’s mom is a druggie. When H was younger he overheard her say that she wish she aborted him and his twin brother when she was talking to the father, he has hated her ever since refusing to have anything to do with her (H never told anyone what he overheard but the h). With everything going on, the H goes to a brother’s birthday party at the club and gets drunk. While drunk the H thinks a stripper at the party is the h and proceeds to kiss her and proceeds to get a bj from her. Stripper also leaves a hickey on his neck. They would have had sex but the H passes out before that can happen. When he wakes up, he realizes that the woman in bed with him is not the h. H’s brother starts banging on his door and when he realizes what his brother did, punches him. This draws a crowd and everyone knows what happened. H goes home and tells the h. The h is devastated and tells him to leave. H leaves and right away calls a therapist and starts to right the wrong he just committed. When the H and h talk he tells her about the therapist and asks her to give him a second chance. h goes and agrees to see the therapist separately as well. They try and work things out but the h has a hard time being near the H without picturing him with the stripper. We find out that the h overheard a couple of club bunnies saying that the stripper looked like her a couple of months before this happened. h never told the H what she heard. H moves back home when he finds out that she will be having the baby that week. After the h has the baby the h asks the H to move back out. H upset and tells her “it was just a bj”. h decides she can’t forgive him and gets a divorce. H at first wants to fight it but after talking with his family signs the papers. During that time H continues to go to therapy for his alcohol problem. h goes to the club one day to drop off a get well gift. While there a club bunny tells the h that the H has been having sex and enjoying himself. That he told them that the ”fat h trapped him”. h runs out and goes to a bar. There the h gives the bartender a bj. H finds out what the bunny said, goes to find the h. H sees the h coming out from the back door. After h throws his words back at him, beats up the bartender. h starts seeing other guy. h gives him a bj but afterwards feels guilty. When h goes away with the guy, she decides that it’s not going to work. During the same time the H finally decides to tell h he wants a second chance when the h comes home. They talk and h decides to give H a second chance. They continue to do therapy and talk through their feelings. h has some triggers but after awhile they are able to work through them. HEA with them getting remarried and two epilogue (one year later and nine years later).
Final thoughts: This was my first book from this author and I will definitely read more. I hope Ethan gets a book.
What I loved: I liked how Abby(h) knew she needed to leave Rome for her happiness and got a divorce. Loved how Rome took responsibility for his actions. I loved that they did couples and separate therapy. I also liked how Rome changed his road name after Abby told him how she felt about it. Lastly, I’m happy they both did an std test (it’s rare to see this in books and I’m so glad that the author put this in).
What I didn’t like: I didn’t like how many times Rome said baby girl (It got annoying after awhile). Also the double standards with him wanting to be the only one that had sex with Abby wasn’t cool. Lastly for Abby to apologize for giving two bj’s annoyed me (especially since she wasn’t with Rome at the time).
**Major Spoilers/ Details/Triggers: Cheating, alcoholism. H and h are married. h is pregnant and is due soon and they have a five year old. H is part of an MC. His father is the president and H’s has a twin brother also in the club. H and h met in high school. Unfortunately, H was a junior while the h was a freshman. As soon as the H knew the h was underage he backed off but made sure no one else would date her. H on the other hand kept having sex with other women. H tried to keep that from the h but she knew. When h went on a date with a guy, H told h that she was his and stop messing with other women. H and h got together when she turned 18. h has been worried about the H. In the past the H drank so much that their son found him on the bathroom floor passed out. h told the H that he has a problem with binge drinking and she won’t have her son finding him like that again. H promises the h that he will control himself and not get drunk again and his brothers will hold him accountable. H has been dealing with a lot at his tattoo place with his co-owner, who is also a club brother. When the co-owner gets in trouble having sex with another clubs woman, they tell him he can’t work for a month, making the H work more to cover. Also, H’s mother has been hounding him for money. H’s mom is a druggie. When H was younger he overheard her say that she wish she aborted him and his twin brother when she was talking to the father, he has hated her ever since refusing to have anything to do with her (H never told anyone what he overheard but the h). With everything going on, the H goes to a brother’s birthday party at the club and gets drunk. While drunk the H thinks a stripper at the party is the h and proceeds to kiss her and proceeds to get a bj from her. Stripper also leaves a hickey on his neck. They would have had sex but the H passes out before that can happen. When he wakes up, he realizes that the woman in bed with him is not the h. H’s brother starts banging on his door and when he realizes what his brother did, punches him. This draws a crowd and everyone knows what happened. H goes home and tells the h. The h is devastated and tells him to leave. H leaves and right away calls a therapist and starts to right the wrong he just committed. When the H and h talk he tells her about the therapist and asks her to give him a second chance. h goes and agrees to see the therapist separately as well. They try and work things out but the h has a hard time being near the H without picturing him with the stripper. We find out that the h overheard a couple of club bunnies saying that the stripper looked like her a couple of months before this happened. h never told the H what she heard. H moves back home when he finds out that she will be having the baby that week. After the h has the baby the h asks the H to move back out. H upset and tells her “it was just a bj”. h decides she can’t forgive him and gets a divorce. H at first wants to fight it but after talking with his family signs the papers. During that time H continues to go to therapy for his alcohol problem. h goes to the club one day to drop off a get well gift. While there a club bunny tells the h that the H has been having sex and enjoying himself. That he told them that the ”fat h trapped him”. h runs out and goes to a bar. There the h gives the bartender a bj. H finds out what the bunny said, goes to find the h. H sees the h coming out from the back door. After h throws his words back at him, beats up the bartender. h starts seeing other guy. h gives him a bj but afterwards feels guilty. When h goes away with the guy, she decides that it’s not going to work. During the same time the H finally decides to tell h he wants a second chance when the h comes home. They talk and h decides to give H a second chance. They continue to do therapy and talk through their feelings. h has some triggers but after awhile they are able to work through them. HEA with them getting remarried and two epilogue (one year later and nine years later).
Final thoughts: This was my first book from this author and I will definitely read more. I hope Ethan gets a book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2024
1. I think that if Rome was so drunk he thought the stripper was his wife, he would have been WAY too drunk to get it up for her.
2. Why didn’t Rome tell Abby that the stripper he cheated with had been banned from the clubhouse? Why didn’t he tell her that he’d moved out of his room there until after they had reconciled? It may have given her some peace of mind to know those things.
3. It was a totally useless gesture for Rome to change his road name from “Romeo” to “Rome”. Since everyone knew that “Rome” had been derived from “Romeo” and everyone already called him “Rome” anyway, Abby would be just as triggered by either name. It would only have made sense if he had changed his road name to something completely different.
4. OMG, I f*cking HATE it when books try to make the FMC take some of the blame for the MMC cheating on her. The marriage counselor said to Abby, “… it’s not fair to Rome. You can’t hold him solely accountable for the things that upset you if you don’t tell him how you feel and give him a chance to correct the issue.” That was total bull$hit. Rome KNEW that Abby didn’t like his road name and he admitted that he knew why. He was also aware that Abby knew he had been f*cking other girls. He had every chance to “correct the issue” and he chose not to because he was a selfish a$$hole.
5. Ok, I was loving this book until Abby felt shame for “betraying” Rome by being with Grant and actually APOLOGIZED to Rome and he said that he wasn’t blaming her and wouldn’t hold it against her. Are you f*cking kidding me right now?
6. It really pi$$ed me off when Rome compared the way he felt when Abby was with Grant AFTER THEY WERE DIVORCED to the way Abby felt when he cheated on her while they were married. It also made me really angry when Abby equated her being with Grant with Rome f*cking all those other women while he was supposedly in love with her and waiting to “claim her”.
These last three items brought this book from 4 stars to 3.
2. Why didn’t Rome tell Abby that the stripper he cheated with had been banned from the clubhouse? Why didn’t he tell her that he’d moved out of his room there until after they had reconciled? It may have given her some peace of mind to know those things.
3. It was a totally useless gesture for Rome to change his road name from “Romeo” to “Rome”. Since everyone knew that “Rome” had been derived from “Romeo” and everyone already called him “Rome” anyway, Abby would be just as triggered by either name. It would only have made sense if he had changed his road name to something completely different.
4. OMG, I f*cking HATE it when books try to make the FMC take some of the blame for the MMC cheating on her. The marriage counselor said to Abby, “… it’s not fair to Rome. You can’t hold him solely accountable for the things that upset you if you don’t tell him how you feel and give him a chance to correct the issue.” That was total bull$hit. Rome KNEW that Abby didn’t like his road name and he admitted that he knew why. He was also aware that Abby knew he had been f*cking other girls. He had every chance to “correct the issue” and he chose not to because he was a selfish a$$hole.
5. Ok, I was loving this book until Abby felt shame for “betraying” Rome by being with Grant and actually APOLOGIZED to Rome and he said that he wasn’t blaming her and wouldn’t hold it against her. Are you f*cking kidding me right now?
6. It really pi$$ed me off when Rome compared the way he felt when Abby was with Grant AFTER THEY WERE DIVORCED to the way Abby felt when he cheated on her while they were married. It also made me really angry when Abby equated her being with Grant with Rome f*cking all those other women while he was supposedly in love with her and waiting to “claim her”.
These last three items brought this book from 4 stars to 3.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2024
This book really surprised me w/how much I enjoyed it. I don’t enjoy the cheating trope like I use to, but this book was written really well. I liked how the cheating scene wasn’t graphic, he didn’t have sex, it was a bj, & it was only one time- one moment that Rome regretted immensely. He was stone cold drunk & thought it was his wife. Does it make it right- absolutely not. He knew had a problem w/alcohol & put himself in the position. My heart broke for Abby, being she was pregnant was so much worse, but I was so proud of her. She didn’t become a doormat & just accept Rome’s infidelity. She kicked him out, filed for divorce, & put herself first. I didn’t want to see either w/anyone else, but I was glad to see her try to date. I was especially happy when Rome actually walked in right after she was w/someone. She regretted her actions, but I’m glad she did it & he saw.
I will say that Rome really put the work in & improved himself, got counseling. He always regretted what happened, & it was never a question of how he felt for Abby. He loved her fiercely & really proved himself. These were two people I rooted for f/the start & was so glad to see them get past what happened.
I will say that Rome really put the work in & improved himself, got counseling. He always regretted what happened, & it was never a question of how he felt for Abby. He loved her fiercely & really proved himself. These were two people I rooted for f/the start & was so glad to see them get past what happened.
August 5, 2024
This was ok. Very real life. H and h are in love from high school, but have a 4 yr age gap. Lot's of jealous feelings and betrayals of the heart until they're married when H turns 18 and finds out she's pregnant. 6 yrs later H has a progressed drinking problem to where he gets blind drunk and passes out. Mistook a club whore for his wife and we all know what happens. Lot's of couple therapy and thing's finally brought to the surface by h about H's manwhore ways before they were together, and his road name. Double standards here, and rightfully called out by the h. She wasn't weak or a doormat. She was pretty strong. Even during divorce.
Overall it was an ok story. A little boring in some parts, and I think it could have been shorter. H was forgivable for me. Author doesn't let club whores get away with things here and she gives the h's in her stories a voice with a backbone. Even if they didn't start out that way. Next book is King's book, and it sounds like a angsty read from how the author described it. King's an ass. I'll just put it that way.
Overall it was an ok story. A little boring in some parts, and I think it could have been shorter. H was forgivable for me. Author doesn't let club whores get away with things here and she gives the h's in her stories a voice with a backbone. Even if they didn't start out that way. Next book is King's book, and it sounds like a angsty read from how the author described it. King's an ass. I'll just put it that way.
July 14, 2025
This was a beautiful story about healing, strength, and reconciliation. The pacing was just right, and even though we don't get to see Rome and Abby fall in love the first time, we get to see them fall into forever this time around. I loved that Abby had a support system when her whole world fell apart. Rome messed up, but he owned it from the get-go and did the work to atone for his mistake AND fix the root problem. It was just absolutely beautiful.
March 9, 2024
3 Star
I read this for a certain aspect. The book spent a lot of time with the counseling of the couple. Not my jam. I skipped a lot. I did like the comparison of a cracked marriage to the Japanese art of kintsugi.
I read this for a certain aspect. The book spent a lot of time with the counseling of the couple. Not my jam. I skipped a lot. I did like the comparison of a cracked marriage to the Japanese art of kintsugi.
March 19, 2024
New author for me. Loved her writing style and loved this book. I was intrigued by the therapy sessions. A refreshing take on a MC story that was about a family struggling to cope with mistakes and broken relationships. Would so recommend this author and book.
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April 25, 2024I won't rate because I skimmed a lot. I'm thinking it's a me issue, but I wasn’t a fan of this herione.
May 19, 2024
Waaaaaay too wordy
March 22, 2024
- cheating trope
- grovel
- marriage in trouble
- soo much angst
this was a very angsty read and the pain was certainly top tier. rome had a drunk BJ with a stripper after getting shit faced at a bar. the moment he wakes up, he finds out that *gasps* it’s not his wife.
there is groveling in this book, but i’m not sure if it would had sufficed for what the fmc has endured and what he has said. perhaps i’m just petty and need that ultra groveling🤣
*mmc is celibate during separation, fmc is not.*
March 25, 2024
Not bad
Started off really good but then seems to just drag on without the drama I love, and honestly the MC seemed a bit to tame and didn't add much to the story at all.
Started off really good but then seems to just drag on without the drama I love, and honestly the MC seemed a bit to tame and didn't add much to the story at all.
March 10, 2024
This is a cheating / grovel book - and I just want to be clear that my low star rating is not for that. I knew about that going into it. I think it's stupid when readers are like "How dare this book have cheating, 1 star!!!" when the book makes that clear in the blurb. So, that's not what that is.
The hero (27) and heroine (24) are married, he's in an MC. He has a drinking problem, but won't admit it. He gets blackout drunk and accidentally cheats on his wife - because he's so drunk, he thinks the OW is her. The rest of the book is them getting marriage therapy for this, dealing with it, her divorcing him, trying to move on, them dealing with their kids, and boring MC stuff. This was all fine. Not great, too much boring plot stuff around it - and also, she should have walked in on him cheating, this had the opportunity for maximum angst and missed it. But, his grovel was alright. I do believe he wouldn't do it again.
My low star rating is because it turns out, their problems weren't just his alcoholism and accidental cheating. It's revealed that he liked her since she was like 14 and he was 17 or 18 - but, he stayed away from her until she was 18. During this time, he was off banging a lot of club girls, and scaring guys away from her. This gave her low self esteem in high school, because she wondered why guys didn't like her. And, she also liked the hero, and heard about him being with OW, so she was sad. This is very interesting and angsty!!! And it's all off-page! We're just TOLD about it in retrospect, not shown it. So, this book had a whole other layer of angsty stuff that he needed to grovel for, but it was handled in a very unsatisfying way.
That part should have either been cut out, since it wasn't properly addressed. Or, this book needed to start much sooner in the timeline, and show us some of that time when she was in high school. His grovel also needed to do more to address that part.
The hero (27) and heroine (24) are married, he's in an MC. He has a drinking problem, but won't admit it. He gets blackout drunk and accidentally cheats on his wife - because he's so drunk, he thinks the OW is her. The rest of the book is them getting marriage therapy for this, dealing with it, her divorcing him, trying to move on, them dealing with their kids, and boring MC stuff. This was all fine. Not great, too much boring plot stuff around it - and also, she should have walked in on him cheating, this had the opportunity for maximum angst and missed it. But, his grovel was alright. I do believe he wouldn't do it again.
My low star rating is because it turns out, their problems weren't just his alcoholism and accidental cheating. It's revealed that he liked her since she was like 14 and he was 17 or 18 - but, he stayed away from her until she was 18. During this time, he was off banging a lot of club girls, and scaring guys away from her. This gave her low self esteem in high school, because she wondered why guys didn't like her. And, she also liked the hero, and heard about him being with OW, so she was sad. This is very interesting and angsty!!! And it's all off-page! We're just TOLD about it in retrospect, not shown it. So, this book had a whole other layer of angsty stuff that he needed to grovel for, but it was handled in a very unsatisfying way.
That part should have either been cut out, since it wasn't properly addressed. Or, this book needed to start much sooner in the timeline, and show us some of that time when she was in high school. His grovel also needed to do more to address that part.
July 28, 2025
3.5 stars
I loved how Caleb/Rome was willing to let Abby go so she could be happy, even if its not with him, but then fought for a second chance. I appreciated that he didn't hold anything that Abby did while they were apart against her. His going to therapy and working on everything that Abby said bothered her was top tier grovel. He didn't just quit drinking and say it was enough, he took responsibility for cheating, made steps to make sure he learned to communicate better (with her and everyone else), held himself accountable for his drinking, and repeatedly showed he was putting Abby first.
I was a little annoyed with Abby at how fast she wanted a divorce. Caleb did mess up and said stuff out of anger but immediately apologized, but she wanted to hold firm and went through with the divorce despite the active therapy and changes Caleb was making. She even admit she still loved and missed him, but was divorcing him on principle it seems. Then she hears one lie out of a clubgirl she doesn't even like or trust and lets her insecurities push her into hooking up with a stranger. A few months later, even dates someone new to move on. She is freshly divorced, after only being with one man her whole life, AND just had a baby. Abby, you need to take a minute before you give yourself and your kids whiplash with all these changes! Abby had a lot of growing up to do, but she did mature and recognize what she was doing was problematic and also unfair. Just when you think she's ready to think things through slowly and responsibly, she immediately jumps back into a relationship with Caleb. LOL
Tropes:
-MC Romance
-Marriage in Trouble
-Cheating
-Second chance
-Betrayal/Grovel
Full Summary with Spoilers:
I loved how Caleb/Rome was willing to let Abby go so she could be happy, even if its not with him, but then fought for a second chance. I appreciated that he didn't hold anything that Abby did while they were apart against her. His going to therapy and working on everything that Abby said bothered her was top tier grovel. He didn't just quit drinking and say it was enough, he took responsibility for cheating, made steps to make sure he learned to communicate better (with her and everyone else), held himself accountable for his drinking, and repeatedly showed he was putting Abby first.
I was a little annoyed with Abby at how fast she wanted a divorce. Caleb did mess up and said stuff out of anger but immediately apologized, but she wanted to hold firm and went through with the divorce despite the active therapy and changes Caleb was making. She even admit she still loved and missed him, but was divorcing him on principle it seems. Then she hears one lie out of a clubgirl she doesn't even like or trust and lets her insecurities push her into hooking up with a stranger. A few months later, even dates someone new to move on. She is freshly divorced, after only being with one man her whole life, AND just had a baby. Abby, you need to take a minute before you give yourself and your kids whiplash with all these changes! Abby had a lot of growing up to do, but she did mature and recognize what she was doing was problematic and also unfair. Just when you think she's ready to think things through slowly and responsibly, she immediately jumps back into a relationship with Caleb. LOL
Tropes:
-MC Romance
-Marriage in Trouble
-Cheating
-Second chance
-Betrayal/Grovel
Full Summary with Spoilers:
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