Best Laid Plans

Savannah's Best #3

by Maya Alden

I laid a plan to trap her for I'm the predator and she's my prey.

I'm Anson Larue, and this is my truth.

Nova King was once my everything, until she stole from me. Back then, I didn't get a chance to make her pay.

Seven years later, I'm shocked to see Nova in Savannah, working at my buddy's sister's company. She’s hoodwinked all her colleagues, and even her boss refuses to cut ties with her after I reveal her deceit. This time, I'm not letting her get away. I hatch a plan to show the world who she really is.

But Nova is wilier than I gave her credit for, thwarting my every attempt to expose her true nature. Still, my plan is foolproof, and soon, she's behind bars, caught by her own greed.

Things don’t go as planned. I spend time with Nova and find that I'm still in love with her. When my plan bears fruit and I'm faced with concrete evidence of Nova's guilt, I'm conflicted. As more evidence comes to light, I'm forced to confront a haunting I might have been wrong all along, and someone close to me framed Nova—twice.

Best Laid Plans is a billionaire enemies to lovers, revenge romance and

✔️ Second Chance
✔️ Workplace
✔️ Revenge
✔️ Other Woman Drama
✔️ Strong, Resilient Heroine
✔️ Misunderstood & Uncovered
✔️ Betrayal & Grovel
✔️ No Cheating
✔️ Complete Standalone
✔️ Trigger Reference to assault

Genres: Second Chance, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Forced Proximity, Workplace Romance

344 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 31, 2024

About the author

A top 20 Amazon Bestselling Author, Maya Alden pens angsty contemporary romances.

Reviews

[dee☁️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sooo this was bad … really bad .

SPOILERS ‼️
Tw: SA , violence.

This is a second chance “romance” , the hero hates the heroine because he believes that she stole his grandmothers jewelry , which in my opinion is not that bad (she obv didn’t but even if she did)

i didn’t get why he was sooo mad like it’s not that serious and this was SEVEN years later why was he still so mad????

the H called her “bitch , whore” multiple times y’all BECAUSE HE WAS MAD , I kept saying it couldn’t get worse than that but it did…😭😭😭

so he put her in prison where she was beat up and almost raped , and she tells him this when they meet again and HE DID NOT BELIEVE HER he just kept saying that she’s a liar that she’s just a thief… this was very triggering for me , I was so mad that I actually cried .
I don’t care if he believes her later grovels or whatever I just can’t forgive him

I don’t usually rate book if I DNF it before 50% but this book deserves this 1 star.

[Vintage · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why do I do this to myself? Why do I do this to the author and not stay away? This is the fictional equivalent of lemon juice on a paper cut or when you're a kid and a tooth is loose and you can't help wiggling it. Ugh!

Another horrible hero. Racist, sexist, elitist and slut shaming and I mean SLUT SHAMING, and those are his better qualities. His petulant need of revenge, his complete ignorance of the "love of his life, and his blind egotistical love for himself is cringing. At one point, he swans in to terrorize the poor girl some more under the guise that he forgives her. He thinks she stole so he gets her arrested, asks the sherriff to make her pay (and he does), she's almost raped but is beaten up then rescued by an attorney. The H professes innocence that he didn't know all that happened and didn't mean it to happen, but, dude, you're King of the Plantation and she's a half black girl in a small town.

And he doesn't just fail her once, but twice. He believes she stole again and, yuck, what a mess. Other people have expressed their views better than I have. As bad as he is, he's still not as bad as the H in Best Served Cold.

[T from Istria 💛💚]

Sorry I like this author but I cannot like this. Truly nasty, stupid hero.

[Ꭿຖᥲ·♡ ྀི]

The author really needs to look up the definition of 'groveling' cause she clearly doesn't know what that means...

[Jac K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve long wondered if this author is actually a group of writers based on the sheer volume of books that are released each year. I’m seriously thinking it’s a possibility because where the Vintage Romance and Regrettably Yours series felt like a fun ride on the soapy HotMess Express. This series reads like I’m having lunch with someone that’s lecturing me on the importance of adopting a dog from a shelter and driving an electric vehicle when I finally get away from my kids and I just want the pickup line tea.

Not that both aren’t worthy causes… I’m just saying that I don’t think an OTT soapy romance that reads like it came straight out of an 80’s episode of Dallas is the place to constantly work your social justice ideals in. Not only is it annoying because I read to escape from the stress of real life. It’s also frustrating because it doesn’t flow naturally into the dialogue, so you get awkward conversations like this that are constantly pulling me out of the story.

It's not like Georgia is the mecca of tolerance, but Savannah is quite liberal.

They have a diverse set of friends, different races, and socioeconomics statuses. Here you’re either white or black (he’s Hispanic) wealthy or middle class or poor, and everyone stays within their little cliques.

It stuck out and didn't suit with the telenovela level plot and OTT crazy acting prejudiced caricatures or randomly quoting Ghandi about economic systems or Kierkegaard about authenticity and responsibility. I would've much rather had that word count dedicated to the actual plot and put towards some much-needed groveling.

Moving on..
The blurb sets this up; Anson and Nova were in a relationship. He believes she stole from him, and the book opens with them reuniting. He is still FURIOUS we’re talking HULK SMASH and is determined to make her pay.

There’re a few things readers should probably be aware of to determine if they can enjoy this.

🔖 This has several similarities to the last book. Cruel hero with a revenge plan. H and h have similar personalities. The h leading a project with the OW where she tries to make things difficult. Forced proximity “grovel”.
🔖 It’s super soapy. The “villains” shenanigans are way OTT. I love suds, but FYI if you enjoy something more realistic.
🔖This H is very similar to Noah the previous H. He's a JERK, his “crimes” were plentiful, and he too was sort of wimpy with the OW. (he also had a horrible family and friend)
🔖 This is only for readers that enjoy the asshole trope. The drama is high, but you’ll need to squint to see the romance. No swoons in sight, so if you want straight romance or someone you’d like to date in RL… I’d keep looking.

Bottom Line- The ingredients were there, but the execution kept this from being rated higher. The soapboxing repeatedly pulled me out of the story. I’m always down for a fictional asshole but felt his redemption/grovel arc wasn’t balanced. I was also SUPER disappointed with how things were left with Bailey and Alma who appear to have escaped with no consequences at all which is not Ok in my book. Those bitches needed to pay just as the other one. After all the family drama, I felt there should’ve been some discussion on how they would all move forward. How is Nova expected to interact/integrate in that family?

I almost quit with this one, but I LOVED what little I saw from Beau. He’s everything I want in my soapy Hs with his OTT overprotectiveness of those he loves…

Oh, and when you hear about Raymond Carre's untimely demise, act surprised."

Safety- Anson is engaged to Bailey, but they never have sex after he sees Nova again.

[Juniper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quitting at 83%

God why do I do this to myself?? I keep trying with this author knowing every time it’s going to piss me off, give me heartburn, make me want to throw my iPad across the room and question my own sanity. It’s my fault, I do it to myself.

The problem is that I actually love her writing and her story ideas are intriguing. I love the idea of the angst she creates. But every time. Every. Single. Time. She goes too far in making the H a vile bastard and the h a spineless wet paper towel. The “groveling” is NEVER enough for what the h goes through and she always pathetically holds on to her love for the H for NO reason.

Maya Alden must have a kink that makes her think emotionally abusive men are romantic.

Here’s a question I’d like answered by one of her H’s just one time….in every single story the H has a seething hatred of the h for some perceived wrongdoing. He is relentlessly hateful to her. He lets other people abuse her, he always has an OW that he let’s treat her like shit, he throws it in her face that he’s fucking OW…just on and on and on, not even an iota of forgiveness for whatever the h has supposedly done. He wouldn’t even take the time to spit on her if he saw her on fire. But! as soon as he gets his head out of his ass and realizes the h is innocent and he loves her….he immediately begs for forgiveness…demands it even. She has no option to say no and demand a better man. Why?? Why does he deserve forgiveness for the actual hell he put her through when it was NEVER an option for him to offer any kind of kindness or forgiveness to the h?

Ok I’m done with my rant. I hate this author’s books. But I want to love them!! 😫 This is a reminder to myself. It will end this way every single time. Save your time and sanity Juniper, stay away.

Maya Alden, if you read this I’m sorry!! I don’t want to be mean but you’re very good at pulling these emotions from me 😂 We could seriously be BFFs if you would just make your men suffer a little more!! Please! 🙏 🙏 🙏

[NMmomof4 · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Opinion Breakdown
The Good: The potential and premise.

The Not-So-Good: The ending. I know she offered an extended offer if I signed up, but I don't do that 🤷🏻‍♀️

The Bad: The OTT and shallow drama that didn't tap into my feelings at all.

Overall: I'm so frustrated! I love this author's ideas and her blurbs are intriguing for this angst fan, but this is the second flop for me 😔. My GR friends seem to love her works (though I've seen that there are some of you that struggled too) and this seems like it has the right formula for the angst-fest I've been searching for! Sadly it wasn't. It was borderline ridiculous soap opera. Don't get me wrong! I weirdly like OW drama, betrayal, and the morally grey and messy romances -- so that was not the issue. It just simply didn't live up to the potential I thought it had. I'm just not sure this author is for me. Don't take my word for it though and please read other reviews because I've definitely have been in a slump lately especially with the angsty reads...

Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Nova and Anson's story. They were together and then they tragically weren't, so when they reunite on a building project ~7 years later, they both have some heavy baggage they're carrying regarding each other. Anson is set on revenge by making Nova the lead project manager for his build, convinced that she will finally reveal her true self to all the new people in her life that she has fooled. Nova has been suffering from PTSD from the last time Anson hurt her, so she isn't eager to be around him, let alone work with him. There are some big secrets revealed, some mild suspense, some sexy times...and they get a HFN ending.

Point Of View (POV): This alternated between Nova and Anson's POV.

Overall Pace of Story: Not the best. I didn't skim, but I wasn't all that eager to continue at times and I'm honestly surprised I finished it (it took me a while).

Instalove: No, but they still have feelings from their past.

H (Hero) rating: 2 stars. Anson. I struggled with him. He was quick to believe lies about the "love of his life" and was a mega a-hole, especially at the beginning. I struggle when the H calls the h names like bitch even though they claim to love them all along.

h (heroine) rating: 3 stars. Nova. She was okay. I felt like she was supposed to be portrayed as this super strong woman, which I got at times, but I also felt like she was a pushover too or at least let her pride get in the way.

Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed - sadly.

Push/Pull: Yes they both push away and I'd say the H is the main pursuer of the relationship

Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- and not so much it takes away from the story.

Descriptive sex: Yes

OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes the H is engaged to OW that causes a lot of issues and there is some mild jealousy of other men with the h, but it isn't encouraged by the h

Sex scene with OW or OM: Yes there is a scene of the H trying to be with his fiancé (oral) after seeing h again, but he ends up pushing her away

Cheating: Yes the H is technically engaged to OW when he reunites with the h and cheating by side characters

Separation: Yes They are separated for ~7 years, and they both had other partners during this time.

Possible Triggers: Yes Attempted rape/assault (off page), criminal activity (side characters - off page), racism (side characters on page), ptsd (h on page), unlawful arrest and intentionally put in cell with known racist sex offender where he attempted to assault the h (off page), unlawful arrest (on page), and attempted murder (on page)

Closure: This ends kind of abruptly with what I would call a HFN ending but I'm sure others would be okay with calling this a HEA because the author offers an extended epilogue (which I didn't do) they get engaged and he bought a house

Safety: This one is probably Not Safe for most safety gang readers

- Does have cheating
- Does have a descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
- Does have both the h and H pushing away
- Does have a separation between the h and H
- Does have abuse
- Does Not have a HEA ending IMO

[Serialbookstarter:Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mmc is too Beta for me,he’s led around by the nose by his Mother,sister and the ow. He’s a gazillionare but gets fooled by his sister and the ow 🤕believing the barely 18 yo fmc stole his grandma’s jewelry. He whines and bellyaches the whole book about the h stealing his grandma’s ring. I’ve never heard more whining by a grown man since my last Maya Alden read. As usual the beginning held promise but The end fizzled out and I skimmed. The sex scenes were boring and the H is whining during sex about the h stealing his g grandmas ring. Dude give it a break. He’s like a broken record. The fmc told you a thousand times she didn’t steal the jewelry.Meanwhile the FMC’s brother figures out who the thief was in a few hours. The H had seven years to figure that shiz out. Loser!

[Serial Romance Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me preface these complaints by saying Alden is my favorite romance author currently. Her books are getting better and better. This book is VERY MUCH worth a read as this author’s storytelling is so talented.


Anson may be the first that I didn’t actually think deserved forgiveness! What he did was just too terrible! I still really enjoyed this book, though. I love how Alden is brave enough to write such deplorable H’s. I appreciate how prolific this author is. She’s on a creative streak! Books scheduled to come out so regularly and of such high caliber is rare!

[Aou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guilty pleasure 🙈

[Tmstprc · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t hate it, but my god, her heroes really are not redeemable.

[Pinky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trigger Warnings:Slut-shaming, military war, death of loved ones, wrongful imprisonment, abandonment, racism, prostitution, parents infidelity, bullying, illegitimate kid isolated, relationship with minor FMC at 17 when MMC was 22, grooming (MMC takes her virginity right when she becomes 18, did other sexual things before she turned 18 so statutory rape), uterine cancer, pancreatitis, sexual assault, suicide watch, panic attacks, physical assault, pedophilia and rape (prisoner raped 15 year old), cheating, gambling addiction, abuse of power

This is the third book in the Savannah’s Best series. While these books read as a stand-alone, I recommend reading the books in order since all the characters appear in each other’s books. The first book is Best of Me and the second is Best Served Cold. This book pissed me off, I hated the MMC Anson and the FMC Nova barely had a backbone. I love Maya Alden’s writing but I hate that the FMC is always in love with the MMC. I hate that the MMCs barely grovel despite there being a huge betrayal. I LOVED the side characters, especially Luna, I cannot wait for her book. I am excited to read Beau’s book next, he was a manwhore in the first book but he was so sweet in this. It was good to see racism being talked about, I love that Maya’s FMCs are POCs. I loved the family and friendship moments but hated the romance.


7 years ago, Nova was madly in love with Anson. But after he thinks she betrays him, he hurts her in the worst possible way. Years later, Anson is now trying to partner up with Nova’s workplace Savannah Lace. When he runs into her, his plan is to destroy her life again.

Now for spoilers


Nova works at the company Savannah Lace where she is now a manager, her boss is Nina. Anson was in the military years ago and was friends with Nina’s brother Valen. Anson carried Valen’s dead body when they were shot. When he sees Nova, he is pissed she is working there. 7 years ago, they used to date and after he believed Nova betrayed him, he ruined her life and left for the military. He thinks that he can tell Nina to fire Nova since he was close to her. Nina was aware that Nova was arrested in the past. When Anson was insulting Nova, Luna cusses him out. I love Luna, in every story, she is defending the FMC and not taking any bullshit.

“Anson Larue. You know my brother." Luna narrowed her eyes.
"I do. How is Lev?"
"He'll rearrange your face for calling Nova a bitch. I know you're here on business, but you speak to any employee…hell, you speak to anyone like that in our place of business, we will not work with you.”

When he meets Nina, she is already aware he disrespected Nova. Nina had Nova’s back and refused to have business with Anson despite their personal history. So Anson wants Nova to work on their partnership project, to build a place in Sentinel, where he met Nova. They dated when she was 17 and he is 5 years older than her, which is super icky. They did sexual things before she turned 18 but he says he waited until she was 18 to have sex, right on her birthday. To me that’s grooming. 7 years ago they were happily in love but the day after they had sex, Anson’s grandma’s jewellery disappeared. Anson thought Nova stole it since he saw her in the library where the jewellery was. What’s funny is he showed her it since he planned to propose someday. He has Nova arrested and his friend Pete is the Sheriff. Anson says he wants Nova to pay for what she did so Pete put her in a cell with a serial rapist. Nova was sexually assaulted but was saved by her father’s lawyer before he raped her but, he still managed to brutalize her. Pete was never charged since Nova’s father Emmett didn’t want the issue publicized. Nova was raised by her single parent mom who was a prostitute. When she stopped sex work, she worked hard but became pregnant by Emmett who left her. Emmett cheated on his wife and Nova was his illegitimate daughter. When Nova was older, her mom revealed who her father was and passed away from cancer. Then her grandma died and Nova was left alone in the world. She worked her ass off and she is half-black, so she faced racism and bullying in Sentinel. She fell for Anson, they claimed to love each other. Til this day, Anson believes Nova stole from him and wants to prove to Nina that Nova is a thief. He wants Nova in charge of the financial relations between their companies to catch her. Luckily, Nova was aware Anson wanted to do this and told her financial team to deal with the finances with her login.


It’s crazy to me cuz Anson saw Nova work her ass off at a diner but never asked him for money. He never questioned her stealing money or gave her a chance to explain herself. His sister Alma and her best friend Bailey were both Nova’s bullies. Bailey was Anson’s ex and she hated Nova. Anson took honesty seriously so he hated Nova for stealing. The way he insulted her was so fucking disgusting.

“I hope for your sake, Nova, that you can find a way to prove your innocence to the law. Because as far as I'm concerned, you're fucking damaged goods."
"Anson, please."
"Please, what? Hey, your pussy was good, I'll give you that, but I like my women clean, and you're just a whore's daughter, who cleans toilets in a diner." It was unfair to mock her for honest work. But she wasn't an honest person, so what the fuck did I care!”

Anson knew Nova had no one but he didn’t hesitate to insult Nova’s dead mother, her work life, and her as a person. The fact that he waited for her to turn 18 to fuck her was disgusting enough, that’s grooming. Nova has so much trauma but she agrees to working on the project since it can further her career and to prove Anson wrong. It was stupid that she still loved him after everything he did. It’s been 7 years but Nova thinks that she hasn’t had good sex since Anson, like bruh stop this. She barfs in private since Anson’s interaction affected her. She has trauma but she has been to therapy. Whenever Anson insults her, she doesn’t give him much of a reaction which pisses him off. He was so immature, he kept asking Nova for his grandmother’s ring. If he saw Nova with a guy, he would ask if she’s fucking him. Nova had a couple of partners but she says the sex sucked. Anson tells Nova to come to Sentinel since he knows it’ll fuck with her head. Bailey’s family went into debt so Anson gave her a job but believed personal and professional relationships should be separate. And yet he continues to insult Nova when they are in private, he’s such a fucking hypocrite.

“Give you what you wanted? Come on, you can't be that naïve. I was going to scrape you off after that night anyway. I popped your cherry, and that's all you were worth. Did your mama tell you to save it for the biggest payday?”

Anson got engaged to Bailey since he is being pressured to get married by his mom. His sister Alma is engaged to a guy named Tyler. Tyler loves someone else but wants to marry Alma to get access to his trust fund. Anson chose Bailey since she was always ready to fuck him when he wanted but he didn’t love her. Bailey thinks that once they are married, she is entitled to his money and company but Anson wants her to work. He wants a prenup and is disgusted that Bailey thinks she can take his money. Anson’s family is hella racist, they hated Nova from the start. After Nova was arrested, rumours were spread that she is a thief that fucked around. Anson did nothing about it since he believed she was a thief. Even though he knew she never fucked anyone other than him. Whenever his mom makes racist comments, he shuts it down. But he lets everyone insult Nova and thinks about his revenge plan. Luckily Nova has a half-brother named Trevor who always has her back. I loved Trevor, he was rich but he lived a normal life as a teacher. He is engaged to Katya and they are both so cute together. Nova’s other half-brother was Beau but he had no idea they were siblings. When Trevor finds out Nova was working on this project, he told her to contact him if anything goes wrong. Nova is scared to tell Beau they are related since she doesn't think he will accept her.

“If the shit hits the fan in any way, I'm your first phone call."
I smiled. "Thank you, Trev."
"Anything for you, darlin'. You know that, right? We're family. I'll fuckin' die for you." He held my gaze, and I knew he was sincere.

Anson tells Bailey he plans to catch Nova stealing again. Nova is told to sign a form to promise not to steal anything. She signed it since she knew they were tryna insult her. Then Bailey says that a security guy has to search Nova. Nova tells them that they can find another partner, Nina won’t accept that behaviour. Anson is pissed off when he hears what Bailey did. He says Nova misunderstood Bailey. Bailey tries to ask questions to insult Nova but she is so fucking stupid. Diego is someone Anson hired but is also a friend of his. He doesn’t understand why Bailey works at their company since she is so dumb. I loved Diego a helluva lot more than Anson, he had Nova’s back more. He is a POC so he understood Nova on a personal level. Anson is impressed by Nova’s confidence and her presentation. He says she can stay in Sentinel but Nova doesn’t want to since Pete was the Sheriff. She knew he would try to put her in jail.


Anson comes with his team to Savannah Lace and everyone is impressed with Nova. Bailey tries to insult Nova during the meeting again but this pisses Diego and his coworker off. They call Bailey out and Anson wants to break off the engagement. The entire time, he is comparing Bailey to Nova and thinking about how he wants to fuck Nova. Anson continues to ask Nova for his grandmother’s ring when they are alone but also wants to be with Nova. Anson decides that Bailey can’t work on the project since she doesn’t know what she is doing. He goes back to Savannah since he wants to see Nova. Beau, Luna, Dom, Stella, Noah, and Gabe are at a bar with Nova. When Anson shows up, Nova decides to leave. Anson asks to talk privately and Nova invites him to her place. I was like girl why? He insults her all the time and thinks she stole from him. When they get to her apartment, she gives Anson a drink. Anson says she is a thief, and Nova tells him that Pete put her in the same jail cell as a rapist. Years later, that rapist raped a 15 year old girl. What was Anson’s reaction? He didn’t believe Nova.

“Carre didn't rape me, Anson, but he violated me all the same. I'd just had my first sexual experience, and right after, I had to live through being sexually assaulted because you asked your buddy to make it so."
I stared at her for a long moment. "I don't believe you," I whispered.

Anson thinks that he loves Nova and hasn’t gotten over her for the past 7 years. But when she tells him that she was sexually assaulted the night they had sex and he threw her in jail, he didn’t believe her. Does he know how hard it is to tell someone something like that? How is this love if you can’t believe your loved one? Anson always wanted to help Nova financially but knew she didn’t want that. He would never help Bailey but he woulda helped Nova in a heartbeat. So Nova tells him she knows he would’ve helped her so she had no reason to steal but Anson doesn’t listen. What’s crazy is after this nasty convo, Anson kisses Nova and Nova kisses him back. Why would you kiss a person that doesn’t believe anything you say? This is what I mean about Maya’s FMCs not having a backbone. Nova says he cheated on Bailey and should leave. Bailey did say that Anson can fuck around but it was cuz she wanted to do everything to please Anson. Anson claims to not believe in cheating but he didn’t hesitate with Nova, but he never fucks Bailey after he saw Nova. Anson confronts Pete and finds out that Pete did throw her in a cell with a rapist and punches Pete. Pete says he thought Anson wanted Nova hurt. Anson thought that despite Nova stealing from him, she didn’t deserve this. The idiot still believed she stole, EVEN AFTER ALL THIS. He thought that Nova had every right to steal cuz she was poor.


Nova finds out that Bailey is cheating on Anson with Pete through gossip. Anson meets Nova with Diego, Diego insists that Nova stay a bit later. When she leaves, her car is stopped by Pete who asks her to take a breath analyzer test. Nova knew he rigged it so she asks for a blood test instead. Pete says she refuses to comply and arrests her. He throws her into a cell and Nova has a panic attack. Someone from the jail calls Anson who gets Nova out. He yells at Pete and says he messed with the wrong person. Anson takes Nova to a cabin that he has for himself, Nova is touched. He holds Nova and apologizes, saying he found out she wasn’t lying. He tells her to take a shower while he puts clothes out for her. Once she is done, they sit on a bed and Nova says she is scared to get close to him after everything. Anson thinks about how he and Nova always talked about smart topics but he has nothing to talk about with Bailey. He kisses her and Nova says that she doesn't want to do anything since she is vulnerable. This part pissed me off since Anson gets hurt by this. But guess what happens? He continues to kiss her after a bit and Nova makes out with him cuz she can’t resist him. Then Anson tries to fuck her bare but Nova insists on a condom. This guy tried to push for no condom but Nova doesn’t want to since he fucked Bailey and she was cheating. When she hesitates, he asks why and she tells him about Bailey and Pete. Anson doesn’t seem surprised but he says he will get tested. They do other things and Nova is happy but of fucking course Anson hurts her again.


Anson wakes up and finds out that $100,000 worth was taken in small amounts out of his company with Nova’s name. AGAIN he doesn’t even question it and is sad Nova fell for the trap. Diego tells Anson he doesn't believe it but Anson, who claims to love Nova, does. Diego goes to see Nova to support her, he says that POCs are used to working hard but getting accused of doing things they didn't do. Even when Nova was arrested by Pete while driving, Diego understood since police take advantage of POCs. But Anson is a generous guy okay, Anson wants to cover for Nova since he is a hero. Fucking idiot. Nova is surprised when the cops show up again, the night after she did sexual stuff with Anson. Luckily Nova texted Trevor who had her back. Trevor was on a trip with Katya so he asks Beau for help and lets it slip that Nova is their sister. Beau does not hesitate to accept Nova as family and brings a badass lawyer named Lemon to protect Nova. Lemon gets Nova out right away, Nova told Lemon that she didn’t deal with the financial stuff. She had a financial worker use her login and take care of it. Beau was able to track down that the person was Bailey so easily. But the idiot Anson wasn’t able to figure it out. He wanted to prevent Nova from going to jail but since part of this was government money, Nova had to be arrested. So he wanted to pay off the $100,000 for Nova rather than look into it. Nova blocks Anson’s number and Beau is mad at Nova for not telling him she is his sister. Beau says that Emmett left money in his inheritance for all of his kids. Trevor and Beau want Nova to take a couple million. Beau is gonna tell his mom and I’m curious how she’s gonna take it since Emmett had an affair but we don’t see it. Beau gave Anson a USB with proof that Bailey stole money. He told Anson that he will kill him if he hurts Nova. Anson realizes that Pete and Bailey were traitors, took him 7 fucking years. Pete had a gambling addiction, cheated on his wife with Bailey, and Alma helped them frame Nova.

Beau stood up. "I have a chopper waitin' to take me home. I don't have time to educate your stupid ass.”

Tyler visits Anson to get his permission to marry Alma. Anson tells Tyler to choose love rather than marry Alma for his inheritance. Tyler gives Anson back his grandma’s ring, he got it from Anson’s mom. His mom found it in Alma’s room. Alma helped Bailey and Pete frame Nova for the crime. Anson’s mom is racist but she was pissed when she found out. Anson says he is selling his mansion and Alma has to move. He goes to apologize to Nova and barely has to do much since Nova folds so easily. When Nova tells him to leave, he just picks her up and takes her to her apartment. Nova says she won’t forgive Anson unless he crawls. Low and behold, Anson crawls and I loved how Luna was like yea this is weird I’m out. Anson hugs Nova while kneeling and begs her for another chance. He moves into Nova’s building and asks Nina to rent offices in Savannah Lace for his company. Nina wants to stop doing business with Anson after Nova got arrested. Anson apologizes and Nina is annoyed but happy for them. Anson takes Nova on a picnic trip and lets Nova see dolphins. Bailey was arrested and they couldn’t find Pete. When a detective tries to talk to Nova, Anson takes over, acting like he is Nova’s man. He continues to take her to picnics and Nova and Anson are back together. They have sex, take dance lessons, and are happy. The rapist from Nova’s cell was killed and Anson knew that Beau was behind it. Months later, Nova and Anson are sleeping when Anson hears something. He tells Nova to go to the bathroom and finds Pete with a gun. Nova called the cops but when Pete was about to shoot, Anson got him first. Months later, Nova told Anson she likes visiting homes with history so they visited a home that was owned by people who built tunnels to help slaves escape. Anson’s mansion was a plantation which he sold and he was aware it was disgusting to have a home that had slave wards. He was a disgusting person but he always spoke up against racism, bare minimum I guess. Anson says he wants to marry Nova and he bought the home she talked about. I can’t stand Anson and Nova but I can’t wait for Luna’s story. Beau is great despite me not liking him in book 1.

Stay safe folks!
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[Amara Luciano · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got 80% of the way through and I just couldn’t… this book made me tired.

It tried to say something about racism and classism while being so deeply racist and classist it’s unreallllll. The hero is a white privilege-misogynist-asshole who never learns or grows and has to have all his mistakes pointed out to him, therefore rendering the too-late-in-the-game grovel I skipped meaningless. He’s giving pick me in a town and a family of entitled racist people. He’s somehow better or apart from them because he… works. And gives to charity. Whoopdee fucking do lol.

The level of systemic injustice is one thing for the heroine. But what’s laughable is how the hero throws out “racism is bad” at every micro aggression he peeps, but then proceeds to exoticize the heroine. Never mind the fact that he leaves girlfriend in a prison cell when she’s 18 because he’s butt hurt about being stolen from WITHOUT TANGIBLE PROOF, knowing she’s vulnerable to abuse within the system. But somehow, he’s redeemable? Give him his second chance romance? 👀

Also FMC’s black mother is a prostitute, but why? Wtf?? No, for real, wtf.

And we’re developing luxury housing as our mutual project in this book but bro, you dated this girl when she lived below the poverty line in a shitty ass apartment that should’ve been condemned and nobody here thinks… hm, maybe we need affordable housing instead of luxury property in this town?

I could go on, but to sum it up:

Tone deaf. Bad. Bad. Bad.

So no I don’t care about your happily ever after. Byyyeee.

[Mo ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was truely terrible. I don't even know why I read this, Maya Aldens books have always been hit and miss for me, their always advertised as grovelling books when in fact, there is NO grovelling in them. I don't think people know the meaning of Grovelling 😭 which sucks because I love a good grovel. And I've read RARE but good or adequate grovels before. So this one was a disappointment.

I just thought, perhaps she would finally write a good and redeemable MMC but this one was the WORST. The MMC literally set her up to be SA'D by a sex offender in prison, he implied that she was basically trash throughout the book in his little wrongful vendetta because he thought she stole from him. He gave EVERYTHING to the mean bitchy OW, and gave nothing to the FMC even while they dated while teenagers. She was LIVING in poverty and fed him food, gave him little gifts even when she had nothing. AND the rich twat gave her nothing. So from the beginning, when they first met, HE didn't deserve her.

And the MMC's family were really racist, and he wasn't to be fair BUT it's also truly telling when you see someone surround themselves with horrible racist people. They should've been cut off a long time ago. So yes, I did not enjoy this and can't believe I've put myself through another one of these books by this author. Not for me. 🫡👋

[Joanne Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Maya’s books. I should point out that you are going to hate Anson our hero for a good long while, which is the whole point of the novel. Anson is totally clueless for most of the book and I enjoyed watching him bumbling around trying to sort out the mess he made. Nova is an amazing character you are going to love for her strength and what she has had to over come. The side characters round out this novel and if you don’t fall in love with a few of them I don’t know what is wrong with you. No one does betrayal like Maya, and no one does redemption like her either.
If you have not read this author why the hell not?

[Ceacea · Rating 2 out of 5]

If 'You deserve prison but you won't get time' wasn't just a Taylor Swift lyric.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
⭐️ 2/5
🌶 2/5
🧠 2/10
Cliffhanger: No
Noteworthy: Book 3 in a series of interconnected standalones with no overarching plot. Dual first-person POV. Triggers include abuse, assault and on page and references to racism. Available on KU.

I'm not entirely sure why I didn't DNF this book. I think at some point I just started to hate read it. This book tackles long heald and deep rooted racism in the deep south. That aspect of this story is where the 2 stars were earned. The relationship itself is terrible. I've never hated a contemporary MMC more. Not only was Anson horrible to the Nova, he was downright criminal.

Count 1: Not even letting the woman you 'love' tell you her side of the story. - Guilty

Count 2: Letting open racists control your life even though you are in 'love' with a POC. - Guilty

Count 3: Not checking on the woman you 'love' for years after you dumped her off to whatever horrid fate awaited her. - Guilty

Count 4: Calling your first 'love' every disrespectful word imaginable (because see Count 1). - Guilty

Count 5: Being the dumbest MMC to ever grace a page because putting those simple clues together should have been laughably easy. - Guilty

And don't get me started on the Nova. Babe! All that therapy just to fall back into old habits. If any man never deserved forgiveness it's Anson. No man is THAT attractive!

Don't get me wrong. This series is full of awful MMCs and I love most of this series so far, but Anson can take a long dive off a short cliff.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Left me torn

Okay. I have had a difficult time making my mind up about this story. On one hand, it’s a well-written story about a man who realises everything he thought he knew about his life was wrong. On the other, it’s a story of systemic and casual racism/classism that still lets the rich white guy get what he wants without actually admitting that the basic premise for his hate was completely wrong.

Anson’s hate was all-consuming. Unconscious prejudices and biases led him to accept the word of the white people he’d known his whole life over the brown girl he’d fallen in love with. Despite his awareness of racism and attempts to fight it, he allowed the stereotypes to continue around him, enabling those who actively hated the woman he loved to continue their campaign against her.

I don’t feel he paid for his complicity in what happened to Nova, despite his regret. He was able to move forward without consequences. Yes, he made changes in his life and stopped being a bystander, but he still got what he wanted. He didn’t believe Nova about the truth of the original theft until proof literally fell into his hands. Despite those he originally trusted being proved liars, he would not allow himself to admit his error. We never see a scene where he admits what he discovers to Nova and I think that was cowardly of him.

I loved Nova’s strength and her ability to move forward despite the adversity she faced. I’m glad she got her HEA, but I wish it hadn’t been with Anson.

[Nicoline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maya Alden really needs to look up the definition of groveling because I’m pretty sure she thinks it just means “take the FMC on a picnic.” Gabe took Aurora on a picnic in book 1, Noah took Stella on a picnic in book 2, and surprise surprise—Anson takes Nova on a picnic in this one too.

But here’s the simple reason why this is a 1-star book for me:

Nova is a weak and spineless FMC who forgives the MMC before he even realizes he’s wrong about her. She seeks comfort from him and kisses him back right after she tells him she was assaulted—and his response is to say he doesn’t believe her because he trusts his friend more. Yet she kisses him right after that conversation. And then, in another scene, she literally gives him a blowjob, even though she knows that he still thinks she stole from him all those years ago. He hasn’t apologized. He hasn’t acknowledged anything. He still thinks she’s a liar and a thief, but she’s all over him anyway. It’s actually depressing to read.

And when he finally realizes that he was wrong? That doesn’t happen until around the 80% ish mark. That’s when the groveling starts. So yeah, no, this one wasn’t for me.

That said—he does go down on his knees and crawl for her, so if that’s your kryptonite, knock yourself out.

[DiDi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky to get a eARC review. First I think Maya is a very talented writer and story teller. I’ve read all 3 of these in the series. I’m hoping there are more to come. That being said I’ll always give my honest opinion on the story.

4.5 stars

This was a great story with good writing, a little frustrating with the MMC Anson. Plot is that the MFC Nova is black American. Her mom was of colour and also a hooker and they were dirt poor. Anson is white and super rich. His Mom is a prejudiced idiot as most of the people around him and in town are. They become involved and have sex (Novas first time). She just turned 18 at this point. Meanwhile Anson’s friend, sister, and ex setup Nova that she stole Ansons grandmother jewelry worth around 30,000. He promptly believes she did it and tells his friend who is a deputy or something at the time she needs to pay and leaves her in jail.

The friend proceeds to put her in a cell with a convicted rapist who hates blacks. He attacks her and tries to rape her. Nova is left with broken ribs bruises etc. the ADA does not believe the charges and Nova is released. She only escaped being raped because she called her bio Dad and he sent a lawyer so she was discovered in the cell before he was successful.

Anson does not find out about this until 7 years later when he discovers Nova working with a company he wants to partner with. He says some really cruel things to her and tries to get her fired by telling them she is a thief. Meanwhile, he is engaged to the nasty OW ex who helped frame Nova. He decides he will set a trap and this time get her in jail to stay. He gets her as project manger on their project and gets the OW the go ahead to be nasty to her when she visits the office, ya the idiot also had hired her and she worked for his company. OW is nasty but Nova takes no shit and Anson gets a bit embarrassed pissed.

He is still nasty to her and during a talk she tells him of the attack and his friend told her he had requested it. He refuses to believe her. They argue they kiss she kicks him out. He realizes he cannot marry the OW. He does not have sex with her after seeing Nova again which I really liked. He finally starts to ask questions and gets confirmation of the attack. He feels horrible but he still cannot bring himself to believe that she did not steal. So this whole plot point is why I’m rating 4.5 instead of 5. All logic points that Nova is telling the truth. It’s explained how he could not believe her because of how he was brought up and how long he knew the others etc. I could believe to a certain degree the first time but it did not make total sense that he never questioned things more especially when she was not charged. If she stole to pawn to get money why did he not check pawn shops, hire a PI to look for spending or money cash being deposited into her accounts. I can even get ok he was young first time really in love. The issue is the OW sets her up again as taking money from the company. When Anson is told he believes she did it right away and thinks how she used him again. He does not call her to get a lawyer. He does ask his financial guy can he pay it back and get it to go away but the point being he believed again she stole.

He finds out that she is innocent when her half brother comes with proof and tells him the OW has been skimming long before Nova was there and had just started after she came back to set her up. He then finds out when his sister’s would be boyfriend shows up to talk to him and has a piece of the stolen jewelry an engagement ring that his mother gave him to use in the proposal. What’s this? Nova was telling the truth. In short he puts his foot down on his mother and sister. He then moves to be near Nova and try to win her back because holy moly he loves her.

He does some grovel a few cute scenes and they start to date. The sex scenes are hot. The issue is I would have been more inclined to cheer him on if he had believed she did not steal the second time. Logically it made no sense. He gave her access to the budget to try and set her up she argued that she would not take it and would get Finance to talk with his company. So he knew she had no intention of taking and using access and he also talked about how smart she was. So he believed she was idiot enough to use logins linked to her name to skim money from his company knowing things would be watched and monitored for the project. So to me logically it made no sense that at the very least he would have been thinking it made no sense and demanded it be looked into further. He also has such a great company but their security for their systems is crap. It was not explained really how the OW was able to steal for so long without it being picked up. One of the first rule of auditing is you find discrepancies you go back to trace how long they occurred for but spending and financial records would have been reviewed pretty regularly with a company such as his.

I also thought he needed to grovel more. I felt like Nova gave in a little too soon. The writing again was great and that scene where the friend tries to set her up for drunk driving and tosses in her jail. Great scene her response at least I made it out alive was impactful especially in the times we live in and how we know what can happen in those situations.

I also would have liked the sister to have had a little more of a hard time and been forced to go out and work and struggle a bit. I would have liked to have also seen detail on the OW and friend and how long they were sentenced to jail etc.

Overall a very enjoyable read.

[Jessica Shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.8 stars- so tricky because I could NOT put this down and loved the writing style… it was so angsty and dramatic! HOWEVER, the MMC was sooo bad.

What happened to the FMC was TERRIBLE!!! I’m surprised she can even look the MMC in the face after that trauma…. I appreciate her strength and ability to stay professional but she forgave him way too easily imo. The second time he betrayed her/ didn’t believe her was just too much for me🤮🤮.

MAYBE he could have redeemed himself from the first time of not even believing her/ talking to her, but all of the other times were just toooo much

[Readsbyraz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Savannah's Best Series by Maya Alden has slowly become my second-chance, grovel, wrongful act of vengeance, guilty pleasure read.

There are currently three books in this series, all surrounding female main characters who end up being hurt terribly by the person meant to love them the most. The story then progresses to a grovel and race of forgiveness to end in a happily ever after. Each book has it own set of trigger warnings that should be noted as the author deals with some dark themes.

Book 3 - Best Laid Plans

This book is about Anson and Nova. Anson comes from a rich, racist family. He believes Nova has stolen his family jewelry and wrongfully has her arrested for this. This event is extremely traumatic for Nova, who wholeheartedly believes Anson is the cause of. Throw in a jealous ex-girlfriend, supportive family, and friends, and we get a good grovel.

Throw aside your feminism for this series as they wouldn't realistically happen in real life, but the author has managed to create this world that tackles some intense societal problems such as racism, sexual assault, child abuse, blackmail and mental illness. This series is your grovel bestie!

[Addicted 2 📖 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author and series is a new to me author and this is her 3rd book I’ve read. Again, I do enjoy indulging in OTD, so far the second book in the series is my favorite. Unfortunately, this one itself missed the mark for me. It made me sad but I appreciated some of the unfortunate yet true to today’s society stigmas that still lingers.

Here’s my biggest beef. It may be petty, but annoyed me beyond belief. Nova and Anson agreed to not have unprotected.smex because of one of the partners repeated infidelity and he needed to be tested for any STDs to make sure he was clean and clearly they didn’t have a condom but hey, it was OK to give him a BJ?? In what universe does this author live to think that STDs are not possible through a BJ?? 🤦🏻‍♀️

[Dell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t like the H enough to believe his grovel. He’s not worth the hurt he caused the h. I don’t see how the h was still in love with the H after all he did to her and refusing to believe her. I was annoyed with her and found h very pathetic.

I have noticed that the Savannah Lace women are all bark no bite, Nina always says she will drop her clients who cause hurt to her employees but she’s always giving them chances after they have hurt said employees. They are all pathetic and deserve each other. I like Maya Alden’s style of writing though.

[Soma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Author's writing style. Her ability to write angsty dialogue and character development is just incredible.

[Chronic Chihuahua · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't Think I'd Find A Writer Who Weaponised Therapy Speak To Weaponise Trauma And Then Justify Abuse, Like T.L. Swan But There You Have It

Here, Anson, your mate Matt Gaetz is on Line two.

Groomers.

Ew.

Gross.

Imagine punishing someone after you groomed them.

Another story where the man gets to use words, to get out of the outcomes of his toxic choices.

Another story where the author PRETENDS hes grovelling, PRETENDS hes learning to live with the bad karma hes dealt, when all hes doing is doing the same thing every Patriarchial Pick Me lets men do, "Use your words sweetie." Like hes a tyke.

Another story where the writer forces you to accept that him controlling her pain over and over, at the end of the book, covert narcissism, is somehow different to his malignant narcissism.

If he has fucked up like this and at 66% needs ANOTHER MAN to come in and tell him the same thing the "woman he loves", a trauma bond is NOT love, has been saying all along, then you need a trilogy.

I need to see him rot in the bad karma he chose to deal, for a whole book.

There is no way you can convince me he could he this putrid, this chronic, this disgusting for so long, and then hes a changed man.

Fuck off.

Wow, Really Unhealthy Fixation Of Exotifying Her Heroines Ethnicity. It Is Incredibly Racist How Often These Womens Skins Are Made Exotic, Graphically So

Books like this remind me that religious commit suicide less than average...except Buddhists. The masters of gaslighting themselves with meditation, kill themselves the most, of world religions.

And thats what the Neoliberal Mindfulness brings you, self-gaslighting.

"Hes thoughtful like that."

Imagine being so unseen that a person being mindful of not deliberately creating a situation during which you are literally fucking ill, as thoughtful.

Mate. Girl! That should be basic!! Not romantic. Basic.

Fuck, you'd make Food Avoidants give chefs thanks for not having to cook more complicated meals, wouldn't you?

See, fucking ableism here is wild.

Why do Neoliberals and Neoconservatives still have Daddy Issues to such degrees that they let men stimmy through the consequences of their abuse, like this.

You only forgive men like this if you think putting people in prison, is normal.

You fucking authoritarian cunt.

But bet you love Prisons, love poor people getting locked up so the Billionaires can look like they are useful.

Where is Luigi? We need these fuckers to get papped to fuck.

Abusive cunts.

"He was a father!"

So was Osama bin Laden.

What. Is. You. Point?

That Daddies are the Danger?

Oh no you wanna nuance Daddy Abusers.

Ok.

Remember, its ok if he refuses to give up his control issues, and merely flips from malignantly abusing you, to socially manipulating you and to centering himself as he does it.

Jesus, Neoliberals and Neoconservatives really pretend like joining the army, and going to a whole other country to commit genocide, is something standard the world does.

These bitches also love appropriating Irishness and Ireland in their stories.

Well, Ireland hates you.

We hate listening about how much you love coming here, as you "But Hamas" or "But the IRA" the choices that your governmenta make in over-policing poor people.

Hes a cunt.

And reading her force herself to heal is disgusting.

She went to good little Mindful Finishing School, so you know you should be forcing yourself to sit with people who hurt you, as a form of healing.

But this is all extrinsic healing.

Nothing in Maya's books are about authentic healing. Its always about forcing yourself to make do with the crumbs you get, and never getting your dreams of ONE PERSON not forcing you to work hard for their good favour.

Just one.

Thats the dream of a woman, a real woman. That she gets to be a person, first. Not a MacGuffin. Not a Mother. Not an Archeological Discovery.

A person.

But nobody is Savannah lets people be people.

As soon as the Billionaires

["a million swords will not do so much harm as one winters famine"]

decide they actually want their favourite toy around, they send over the little Flying Monkeys and Enablers to manipulate you into their little Dominant Culture Cult.

Maybe its harsh, but I never feel sorry for a Vet who is proud of being a vet.

Nothing prideful in it.

But I grew up with a Soldier in my garden, spent my adulthood listening to Neoliberal cunts justify it.

Come back Anson, let us genocides nations give you your Karma.

Seen friends die? Fuck, you deserved to see them tortured, the way you psychologically tortured the populace you invaded.

Can't relate to the Patriarchial Pick Mes that run after men like whinge buckets.

I seem my friends ribcage blown apart by assholes proud to be in the military.

My partners bed was bombed as a six year old.

Fucking proud fascists the lot of you.

For the Unseen, Unloved and utterly Unfucked to normalise temaining Unseen, Unloved and utterly Bred.

Luigi Mangione, save women from these billionaire abusers, who starve kids.

Green Pilled Patriarchial Parable of Toxicity.

[Regina · Rating 2 out of 5]

First ,let me say.I live in Georgia and bless your heart.
I have pet peeves .
I read them all and it has a running theme in it .Most if not all our gals are not white . I am ok reading other races romance .What I don't like is the soap box and Southerners are all racist.🤔
The others before this weren't so bad .They touched on in the others .Acknowledged but kept it about their affair not race baiting.This one? It seemed every time the story was coming together we get moms a racist socialite ,sister is 2 along with his on again.off again girlfriend .And pretty much anywhere they went we have a point of some white people being racist to her EVERY time.
Savannah that gets dubbed racist pretty much all throughout the books .
As long as I could read the interesting part I could forget the soap box but it always traveled right back to it . Cliche .
Now that isn't all the reason for low stars .It was for actually redeeming these jerks in the eyes of FMC .Not mine .
The first book had a stupid family dynamic, the male main was stupid ,gullible and not real bright about his kid ,I had a major problem with every one telling his daughter she did nothing wrong .You bet your bottom buttered biscuit she did something wrong .being coached by a neurotic ex wife that he still sees every day .He was disgusting for using her childhood against her and then cry oh ill never get her back .😐 She doormat.
Book 2 was revenge and I'm sorry ,you can not come back after recording ( hiding his face )you having sex ( cause it was done to his sister) and have her father watch it while she's in room .......
Some of their inside thoughts were horrible .And even though some of his friends know about it after a short peeved moments they let it go. Great ppl I wanna marry one . no. He still running around with others and destroyed her life ,loan called in .She has to sell partnership ,her home ....
Then ex lets sex tape go live on net ,shown by her very own brother to his ex .There is no redemption for what he did to her . No right to do it at all .That is not a man I'm going to ignore all that cause I love him .
This book ....He did something unforgivable .He was selfish ,shallow ,can I say I hate it when you have the character describe how hot someone else is .???!!!
Sorry. She was framed and it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to know it was a set up .Writer told us enough about her brown skin or the what are you 🙄
I mean they were wrote being openly racist to her . Go figure set up and it was ,yep ,cliche .
Then next time he sees her he's out to destroy her for fooling all these people .All but told them to frame her . But yes in end they all can't do with out the di#k attached to morons cause they make them so hot they loose their mind.
Here it is ,for me anyway, I would NEVER talk ,see , acknowledge or pour water on him if he was on fire.Or his family. That's pretty much for all the others . And it would make my skin crawl if they touched me after reading about their...struggles.🙃 Struggles meaning someone that's not worth mentioning in the bathroom stall .
Three stars cause it did have angst and some feels but I want an escape from the daily world where its shoved down your throat on every digital thing you watch . I don't want it shoved in my face in a book .And if you feel strongly about your subject of racism put it on the warning .
Just put the words warning racism strongly in this book and a subplot to work for her being a woman of color facing strong racism. I will leave those books to those that enjoy a good put in your place racist. I want an escape from all that's going on in the world .😒

[Kathleen Lemke (Kathy Page) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating: 4 stars

What I loved: I loved at the end the sheriff goes to jail. I liked how Nova(h) didn’t put her life on hold and went to college. I loved how her half siblings accepted her (even their mom).

What I didn’t like: Even though I like Nova as a character I wished she would have made Anson(H) grovel more. He should have told the whole town that his ex fiancé along with the sheriff and the sister set up Nova the first time. I also didn’t like that nothing really happened to the sister and the ex fiancé is basically getting off because she is ratting out the sheriff.

***Major Spoilers/ Details/Triggers: h is biracial who’s mother was a prostitute. Before her mother dies she tells the h who her father is but to not bother him unless it is an emergency. H is white who comes from a very wealthy family that is racist. When H meets the h he falls fast. When the h turns 18 they make love (h was a virgin) the next day the h is framed for stealing the H’s grandmother’s jewelry. H is shown “proof” by his friend who happens to be the sheriff of the town. h tells him that she didn’t take the jewelry but he refuses to listen to her, saying really nasty things to her. The h uses her one phone call to call her father for help. The sheriff puts her in a cell with a racist rapist, in which she is beat up and almost raped but her father’s lawyer gets her out just in time. The lawyer knows the proof was bogus and h is free to go. Seven years later h got a degree, works for an architect firm with close friends, went to therapy and is close to her half brother. H is engaged to ow (same ow who frames the h), who is a family friend and who also bullied the h in school. H is now in control of his family business and wants the h’s architect to build him a resort. H angry still, wants the h to be the lead so he can prove she is a thief and finally have her pay. In the beginning of them working together the H is an ass and has the h work with the ow. He also makes it so where the h will have access to the money, in doing so he is hoping he will catch her stealing. Ow is upset the h is back in the picture but H tells her his plan. As time goes on the H realizes he still loves the h. When the h tells him about being beat up, he confronts the sheriff and realizes that the sheriff was wrong for allowing that and tells him he no longer can be friends with him (but he still thinks the h stole the jewelry). He also breaks off his engagement. When h is thrown in jail the H comes to save her. H wants to try a relationship again. When money goes missing out of the account, the H thinks the h did it until he is shown proof that the ow was stealing the money. He also given the ring that the h supposedly stolen by his sisters fiancé. H finds out how his sister, ow and the sheriff framed the h. H feels guilty and starts to make things right with the h. HEA with the sheriff going to jail, the ow getting out of jail with a plead deal and his sister being supported by their mother (H having nothing to do with them).

Final thoughts: This is my least favorite out of the series and that is because I want the H to do more. I also wanted the ow and the sister to go to jail and suffer. Definitely still want to read Luna’s book.

[Susan Webber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky to receive this ARC , I’ve read the two previous books in this series so eager to read this one, a fantastic read ,loved Nova , Anton was a idiot and had a lot to redeem himself for, loved all of the savannah lace team hopefully more to come , Maya has way of bringing savannah to life making you want to visit. For me five stars.

[Amor__fati · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually really like this author and i believe in other books where she had poc fmc (that are not black) she usually did a decent job, but every time she write black characters she always do a awful job and painfully remind us she's just another white woman trying to be woke, 1, her black characters are always biracial, no full black women no sir, and really, using police violence against black people as a plot point and not even addressing it??? Are just using racism and micro aggression period and not once addressing it, where was the real consequences for the mom or sister? Main guy was basically the typical white person who want you to praise them because they are different and they are so "pissed off" by their family racist history but still benefiting from it, like he could have thought about donating the house sell to a movement against racism or a shelter for pocs but nop, this is by far the worst book of said author and if it ever goes viral on Twitter or tiktok she will get eaten alive.

[Emmanuella Osei · Rating 3 out of 5]

This MMC is infuriating and nothing he does can reseem him in my eyes. He holds a grudge against the FMC for “stealing” jewels from his family even thiugh it’s OBVIOUS she was set up by his racist family. What killed me was that she is 18 and her entire family recently died. She’s working THREE jobs to survive livong in a dangerous neighborhoos. If she had stolen the jewels worth 30K I wouldn’t have blamed her. He offered her NOTHING saying why didn’t you just ask. Even though early on he says he HATES when people use him for his money. She shouldn’t HAVE to ask. You are a college boy living off daddy’s money living in a mansion. He acted like such a victim.