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Checkmate
Two couples find themselves at war with one another in a tale of forbidden love and bitter revenge.
Erica and Alex are love’s young dream, sharing eight years of wedded bliss. They thought they were untouchable until a secret affair comes to light, shattering the trust they shared. Newlyweds, Sophie and Marcus bask in marital bliss, settling into married life when betrayal knocks at their door.
When Marcus discovers his wife’s infidelity, he ignites a chain of events that neither couple could have predicted. Sending a letter to Erica, the two of them conspire to stage their own affair to drive their spouses crazy. But when pretend flirting blossoms into genuine feelings, things get even more complicated.
With the truth revealed, the stage is set for a showdown. Will Erica and Marcus’ newfound bond be enough to triumph, or will the scars of betrayal mark their fate? Checkmate is a story of the unpredictable journey of love and the resilience of the human heart.
In a world where every kiss is a lie, and every lie a kiss, only one couple will survive the ultimate test of love.
Erica and Alex are love’s young dream, sharing eight years of wedded bliss. They thought they were untouchable until a secret affair comes to light, shattering the trust they shared. Newlyweds, Sophie and Marcus bask in marital bliss, settling into married life when betrayal knocks at their door.
When Marcus discovers his wife’s infidelity, he ignites a chain of events that neither couple could have predicted. Sending a letter to Erica, the two of them conspire to stage their own affair to drive their spouses crazy. But when pretend flirting blossoms into genuine feelings, things get even more complicated.
With the truth revealed, the stage is set for a showdown. Will Erica and Marcus’ newfound bond be enough to triumph, or will the scars of betrayal mark their fate? Checkmate is a story of the unpredictable journey of love and the resilience of the human heart.
In a world where every kiss is a lie, and every lie a kiss, only one couple will survive the ultimate test of love.
437 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2024
141 people are currently reading
338 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
February 18, 2025
The title should have been, karma is a bitch.
Because it’s what it is.
It was a good book where everything goes as it should .
The hero is married to a woman who’s vapid, vain, selfish and gold digger, let alone a cheating whore who’s shagging her boss.
When he finds out her cheating, he writes to her boss wife informing her about everything.
The heroine is the boss wife, a gorgeous, smart, classy woman who thinks her husband loves her. And in his way, he does. But he’s too selfish, chauvinistic, sexist, and shallow to be faithful when ow basically jumps his bones.
He doesn’t even like ow, but she’s so slutty and low that she accepts to be debased and humiliated by him sexually so he uses her to relieve his basest urges, literally.
There are times where I cringed, reading what he made her do.
The heroine plans a little revenge, and decides, with the hero, to pretend they are having an affair just to make their partners jealous.
She also decides to help him with his struggling business, he does tours around the town about the ghosts (!!!). The heroine decides they will play a performance about the various ghosts and soon they become famous like in media famous. And rich.
And they become friends and develops feelings.
They file for divorce. While hero’s wife is happy to divorce him, heroines husband is not, in his small and puny mind he loves her and can’t live without her and with ow it was just sex. Ha! So the exes are basically forced to live together because ow is penniless and ex hubby is losing is business due to his crumpled public image, but he hates ow and even the sex has lost his appeal.
While the other couple flourish, and become strong, the exes are always arguing and heroines ex refuses to give her divorce, while lying to ow that it’s the heroine that doesn’t want to give him a divorce.
In the end karma rules.
The hero and the heroine are happy, married, rich, famous and have twins. Their dreams have all come true. Om and other woman are living their worst nightmare, not in Jordan silver way, that is in jail or dying, but losing everything that matters to them and living like they never would have. Ow has three kids that neither she nor he wanted, as in ever, and they live in a shabby flat without money because heroine’s ex has never recovered from his failure. He is still in love with his ex wife, and one of the best scenes is when he sees her and the hero together, signing autographs, happy, pregnant and they don’t even recognize him. He regrets every day his cheating but it’s too late since his now wife is still preggo. Ow regrets what she did too because even if she never loved the hero, he treated her like a queen while she knows the hero doesn’t love her and would jump if his ex wife asked him to go back with her, and what’s more, they are penniless and with a lot of kids that they never wanted. And of course they both cheat on each other.
So, the story is nice, maybe it’s a bit too long and it could have been shorter, but it was entertaining and I must admit I didn’t know if the hero and the heroine would be together until half the book.
They don’t jump into a rebound relationship, it’s more of a slow burn, because they are both hurting for their partners cheating.
The hero is a cuddle.
He’s strong but sweet, he’s smart and a bit of an intellectual type, he’s not forceful or arrogant, just the opposite of the heroines ex, who’s the prototype of toxic masculinity. His ex wife is a shallow creature, and I loved that the man for whom she dumped the hero treated her like dirt, and never cared for her. The texts he sent to the heroine, his wife, to win her back after their separation were insulting and debasing, and I loved when ow read them all, she was already pregnant and thought he loved her, while he was lying all the time.
The heroine is also a very strong, capable, smart woman with a heart of gold, and a great part of her husband’s success with his clients, as he admitted in the end, seeing how she was able to make the hero’s business a complete success. He regrets cheating on her a thousand times, but it was too late. While ow loved him and wanted him to love her, he never did. Even when towards the end he admits he felt something for her, he never loved her, never liked her and kept loving his ex wife until the end, in his own selfish way.
I liked that those two characters, so selfish, careless of other people’s feelings, shallow and dishonest, in the end were unable to find true happiness and even a modicum of of satisfaction. In the end ow will cheat on her new husband again, but of course we can predict that she will be forever unhappy and unable to fulfill her dreams of a rich life where she was envied and admired by everyone. Both these people have to see daily the worldwide success of their exes, their real and solid love, their dreams come true, while they can only live a disappointing life.
To me, it was a very good reading and one I recommend.
Because it’s what it is.
It was a good book where everything goes as it should .
The hero is married to a woman who’s vapid, vain, selfish and gold digger, let alone a cheating whore who’s shagging her boss.
When he finds out her cheating, he writes to her boss wife informing her about everything.
The heroine is the boss wife, a gorgeous, smart, classy woman who thinks her husband loves her. And in his way, he does. But he’s too selfish, chauvinistic, sexist, and shallow to be faithful when ow basically jumps his bones.
He doesn’t even like ow, but she’s so slutty and low that she accepts to be debased and humiliated by him sexually so he uses her to relieve his basest urges, literally.
There are times where I cringed, reading what he made her do.
The heroine plans a little revenge, and decides, with the hero, to pretend they are having an affair just to make their partners jealous.
She also decides to help him with his struggling business, he does tours around the town about the ghosts (!!!). The heroine decides they will play a performance about the various ghosts and soon they become famous like in media famous. And rich.
And they become friends and develops feelings.
They file for divorce. While hero’s wife is happy to divorce him, heroines husband is not, in his small and puny mind he loves her and can’t live without her and with ow it was just sex. Ha! So the exes are basically forced to live together because ow is penniless and ex hubby is losing is business due to his crumpled public image, but he hates ow and even the sex has lost his appeal.
While the other couple flourish, and become strong, the exes are always arguing and heroines ex refuses to give her divorce, while lying to ow that it’s the heroine that doesn’t want to give him a divorce.
In the end karma rules.
The hero and the heroine are happy, married, rich, famous and have twins. Their dreams have all come true. Om and other woman are living their worst nightmare, not in Jordan silver way, that is in jail or dying, but losing everything that matters to them and living like they never would have. Ow has three kids that neither she nor he wanted, as in ever, and they live in a shabby flat without money because heroine’s ex has never recovered from his failure. He is still in love with his ex wife, and one of the best scenes is when he sees her and the hero together, signing autographs, happy, pregnant and they don’t even recognize him. He regrets every day his cheating but it’s too late since his now wife is still preggo. Ow regrets what she did too because even if she never loved the hero, he treated her like a queen while she knows the hero doesn’t love her and would jump if his ex wife asked him to go back with her, and what’s more, they are penniless and with a lot of kids that they never wanted. And of course they both cheat on each other.
So, the story is nice, maybe it’s a bit too long and it could have been shorter, but it was entertaining and I must admit I didn’t know if the hero and the heroine would be together until half the book.
They don’t jump into a rebound relationship, it’s more of a slow burn, because they are both hurting for their partners cheating.
The hero is a cuddle.
He’s strong but sweet, he’s smart and a bit of an intellectual type, he’s not forceful or arrogant, just the opposite of the heroines ex, who’s the prototype of toxic masculinity. His ex wife is a shallow creature, and I loved that the man for whom she dumped the hero treated her like dirt, and never cared for her. The texts he sent to the heroine, his wife, to win her back after their separation were insulting and debasing, and I loved when ow read them all, she was already pregnant and thought he loved her, while he was lying all the time.
The heroine is also a very strong, capable, smart woman with a heart of gold, and a great part of her husband’s success with his clients, as he admitted in the end, seeing how she was able to make the hero’s business a complete success. He regrets cheating on her a thousand times, but it was too late. While ow loved him and wanted him to love her, he never did. Even when towards the end he admits he felt something for her, he never loved her, never liked her and kept loving his ex wife until the end, in his own selfish way.
I liked that those two characters, so selfish, careless of other people’s feelings, shallow and dishonest, in the end were unable to find true happiness and even a modicum of of satisfaction. In the end ow will cheat on her new husband again, but of course we can predict that she will be forever unhappy and unable to fulfill her dreams of a rich life where she was envied and admired by everyone. Both these people have to see daily the worldwide success of their exes, their real and solid love, their dreams come true, while they can only live a disappointing life.
To me, it was a very good reading and one I recommend.
October 9, 2024
I enjoyed this to an extent but I think the over dramatization and scenes of the cheaters having sex was too much. Not to mention the 2nd part’s pacing was a bit iffy.
This has 4 POVs of the MMC, FMC, OW and OM.
-Erika (FMC) is married to Alex (OM) for 8yrs.
-Marcus (MMC) just recently married to Sophie (OW) who is also Alex’s receptionist.
-For context: Erika and Alex really loved each other when they dated and married. Marcus was devoted and loved Sophie but Sophie was cold towards him because he is poor, she fell in love with Alex and wants the life Erika has.
-So basically Alex and Sophie was having an affair and it was discovered by Marcus.
-Marcus told Erika and they planned to divorce their spouses not before concocting a plan and planting a seed that they are having an affair also with each other.
-Along the way, there’s obvious tension and something more brewing between Erika and Marcus but they refused to act on it lest they make themselves a cheater. Instead, they bonded and formed a definite friendship and helped each other in their failed marriages.
-End of Part 1 is when Erika and Marcus served divorce papers to their spouses.
-Marcus and Sophie are now divorced but Alex refused to sign the divorce papers because he’s still in love with his wife. Him and Sophie still continued their liaison, though it’s just sex for him with the OW but the OW completely wants to trap him.
-Marcus and Erika finally jumped on each other’s bones and is starting a business together.
-They completely moved on on their exes but Alex is still causing trouble with the MMC and FMC’s business and leading the OW on even though he doesn’t love her.
-At the end, karma knocked on the cheaters faces that left them poor, wanting for more and desperately longing for their exes (well just Alex)
Whilst Marcus and Erika are now striving, filthy rich, engaged and expecting twins.
It was good because there’s proper comeuppance to the cheaters but their sex scenesust leaves a bad aftertaste. Also this has 55+ chapters on it which could’ve been shorten.
This has 4 POVs of the MMC, FMC, OW and OM.
-Erika (FMC) is married to Alex (OM) for 8yrs.
-Marcus (MMC) just recently married to Sophie (OW) who is also Alex’s receptionist.
-For context: Erika and Alex really loved each other when they dated and married. Marcus was devoted and loved Sophie but Sophie was cold towards him because he is poor, she fell in love with Alex and wants the life Erika has.
-So basically Alex and Sophie was having an affair and it was discovered by Marcus.
-Marcus told Erika and they planned to divorce their spouses not before concocting a plan and planting a seed that they are having an affair also with each other.
-Along the way, there’s obvious tension and something more brewing between Erika and Marcus but they refused to act on it lest they make themselves a cheater. Instead, they bonded and formed a definite friendship and helped each other in their failed marriages.
-End of Part 1 is when Erika and Marcus served divorce papers to their spouses.
-Marcus and Sophie are now divorced but Alex refused to sign the divorce papers because he’s still in love with his wife. Him and Sophie still continued their liaison, though it’s just sex for him with the OW but the OW completely wants to trap him.
-Marcus and Erika finally jumped on each other’s bones and is starting a business together.
-They completely moved on on their exes but Alex is still causing trouble with the MMC and FMC’s business and leading the OW on even though he doesn’t love her.
-At the end, karma knocked on the cheaters faces that left them poor, wanting for more and desperately longing for their exes (well just Alex)
Whilst Marcus and Erika are now striving, filthy rich, engaged and expecting twins.
It was good because there’s proper comeuppance to the cheaters but their sex scenesust leaves a bad aftertaste. Also this has 55+ chapters on it which could’ve been shorten.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2024
4 - 4.5
Honestly, this is one of the best cheating books I've read this year and I'm excited to read more from this author. It really delivered the angst and betrayal I enjoy without being too OTT.
This story engaged me from the first page and I couldn't put it down. I did find myself skimming through the last parts but plan on a reread which may push my rating up but I wanted to get a review out because this was so good.
This is a story about two couples that are affected by the cheating of spouses. In the first part the cheated on spouses befriend each other and plan revenge on the cheaters by pretending to have their own affair after the cheating is discovered by the hero and revealed to the heroine. The narcissistic cheaters affair is described in detail as well as the devastation of the betrayal and the angst of the heartbreak for their spouses. I usually balk at having to read on page cheating but being in the cheater's heads and seeing their selfish actions was actually very satisfying without being OTT or causing me to "rage" about it. The cheating wife was the instigator of the affair and her personality was immature and self-centered and extremely selfish. I actually believed that the cheating husband "loved" his wife in a very possessive and jealous way but his affair partner brought out his need to dominate and subjugate in the bedroom with her willingness to do anything to please him and she had an end game of replacing his wife and taking her place in all ways. His wife had molded herself to be the perfect wife for him in all ways even though there were areas in her life where she needed more independence. The cheated on husband literally started the story as a doormat because he loved his wife so much and wanted to please her but once he discovered the cheating and got angry he blossomed and became more mature and more well-rounded and attractive. His friendship with the heroine helped him have more confidence and success in himself and his business. You could see both the hero and heroine growing and blossoming once they were free of their spouses. I really liked that the revenge arc was done and the cheating was brought to light and the hero and heroine had both left their spouses by 54% of the book (the end of Part 1).
The second part is about the karma that happens for the cheaters as they both try to regroup and it was very satisfying to see how desperate the cheating wife was in her efforts to wedge herself into the cheating husband's life more than she already was (she was his secretary or assistant) and be the "perfect" partner so he would fall in love with her. The cheating husband became more and more obsessed with getting his wife back and couldn't believe she would leave him since "it was only seggx" and he didn't really even like the OW. The cheater's end up living together and you read all their manipulations and thoughts as they try to find their way without their very supportive spouses. Boy do they deserve each other and are pretty dumb with their actions. There's also much more relationship development for the hero and heroine as they work together on the business they created when they were pretending to cheat for revenge and you feel their attraction and longing. In this part there are flashbacks from the different character's perspectives that were easy to read and really helped me understand the background of both marriages.
The third part is about Happily Ever After and you get to read about the hero and heroine's life after they have fallen in love and are a couple and their chemistry is off the charts and very hot. Their romance was slow burn and they were careful to not be cheaters themselves and you could really feel their longing and see how their love developed. You also see the cheater's comeuppance and find out exactly how all the revenge played out and the consequences for them.
The reason I took off a star is because I felt the hero and heroine were a bit too perfect while the cheater's were a bit too villainous to be totally believable but honestly it added to the angsty crazy fun of the situation that made it such an enjoyable experience. I did find myself skimming through the last part of the book and stayed up til 2 AM to finish it so I could find out what happened to them all. I do plan on doing a reread.
I am grateful to have received an ARC from the author for my honest review.
Honestly, this is one of the best cheating books I've read this year and I'm excited to read more from this author. It really delivered the angst and betrayal I enjoy without being too OTT.
This story engaged me from the first page and I couldn't put it down. I did find myself skimming through the last parts but plan on a reread which may push my rating up but I wanted to get a review out because this was so good.
This is a story about two couples that are affected by the cheating of spouses. In the first part the cheated on spouses befriend each other and plan revenge on the cheaters by pretending to have their own affair after the cheating is discovered by the hero and revealed to the heroine. The narcissistic cheaters affair is described in detail as well as the devastation of the betrayal and the angst of the heartbreak for their spouses. I usually balk at having to read on page cheating but being in the cheater's heads and seeing their selfish actions was actually very satisfying without being OTT or causing me to "rage" about it. The cheating wife was the instigator of the affair and her personality was immature and self-centered and extremely selfish. I actually believed that the cheating husband "loved" his wife in a very possessive and jealous way but his affair partner brought out his need to dominate and subjugate in the bedroom with her willingness to do anything to please him and she had an end game of replacing his wife and taking her place in all ways. His wife had molded herself to be the perfect wife for him in all ways even though there were areas in her life where she needed more independence. The cheated on husband literally started the story as a doormat because he loved his wife so much and wanted to please her but once he discovered the cheating and got angry he blossomed and became more mature and more well-rounded and attractive. His friendship with the heroine helped him have more confidence and success in himself and his business. You could see both the hero and heroine growing and blossoming once they were free of their spouses. I really liked that the revenge arc was done and the cheating was brought to light and the hero and heroine had both left their spouses by 54% of the book (the end of Part 1).
The second part is about the karma that happens for the cheaters as they both try to regroup and it was very satisfying to see how desperate the cheating wife was in her efforts to wedge herself into the cheating husband's life more than she already was (she was his secretary or assistant) and be the "perfect" partner so he would fall in love with her. The cheating husband became more and more obsessed with getting his wife back and couldn't believe she would leave him since "it was only seggx" and he didn't really even like the OW. The cheater's end up living together and you read all their manipulations and thoughts as they try to find their way without their very supportive spouses. Boy do they deserve each other and are pretty dumb with their actions. There's also much more relationship development for the hero and heroine as they work together on the business they created when they were pretending to cheat for revenge and you feel their attraction and longing. In this part there are flashbacks from the different character's perspectives that were easy to read and really helped me understand the background of both marriages.
The third part is about Happily Ever After and you get to read about the hero and heroine's life after they have fallen in love and are a couple and their chemistry is off the charts and very hot. Their romance was slow burn and they were careful to not be cheaters themselves and you could really feel their longing and see how their love developed. You also see the cheater's comeuppance and find out exactly how all the revenge played out and the consequences for them.
The reason I took off a star is because I felt the hero and heroine were a bit too perfect while the cheater's were a bit too villainous to be totally believable but honestly it added to the angsty crazy fun of the situation that made it such an enjoyable experience. I did find myself skimming through the last part of the book and stayed up til 2 AM to finish it so I could find out what happened to them all. I do plan on doing a reread.
I am grateful to have received an ARC from the author for my honest review.
December 9, 2024
This reminded me of Temptation by Stephanie Myrick. It also starts with a husband finding out that his wife is cheating with her coworker and decides he must tell the other spouse. Then they start catching feelings while they plan revenge on their spouses. Both books have all four POV’s and are over 400 pages long (way too long IMHO). The biggest difference (other than the actual plot tidbits and relationship dynamics) was the tone, which was more serious here, I only mention it because if you loved this, you should check it out.
The blurb sets things up, Marcus has been married to Sophie for almost two years when he learns she’s having an affair with her boss, Alex. He has been married to Erica for eight years when she receives a note from Marcus informing her of their affair. The only part that was misleading (and we learn this in the first chapter) is that Marcus and Sophie aren’t really happily married, but I thought that added to the complexity of the marital relationships.
I don’t want to take a ton of time on this because the book was VERY long and I did skim some, but my biggest grump was that it dragged on for so long. I really feel like this could’ve been about 200 less pages, and we still would’ve got what we needed.
For me, I felt like Alex and Sophie’s characters were more fleshed out and more interesting, and I sort of hated that because I didn’t like them, so I didn’t want to prefer reading their POV’s.
Bottom Line- It was just ok for me. Entertaining at first, but it really started to drag the longer it went on. I can’t say I felt any angst because no one was dying inside. I will say, I suspect it was maybe a lifestyle thing, but all the smoking was sort of gross.
The blurb sets things up, Marcus has been married to Sophie for almost two years when he learns she’s having an affair with her boss, Alex. He has been married to Erica for eight years when she receives a note from Marcus informing her of their affair. The only part that was misleading (and we learn this in the first chapter) is that Marcus and Sophie aren’t really happily married, but I thought that added to the complexity of the marital relationships.
I don’t want to take a ton of time on this because the book was VERY long and I did skim some, but my biggest grump was that it dragged on for so long. I really feel like this could’ve been about 200 less pages, and we still would’ve got what we needed.
For me, I felt like Alex and Sophie’s characters were more fleshed out and more interesting, and I sort of hated that because I didn’t like them, so I didn’t want to prefer reading their POV’s.
Bottom Line- It was just ok for me. Entertaining at first, but it really started to drag the longer it went on. I can’t say I felt any angst because no one was dying inside. I will say, I suspect it was maybe a lifestyle thing, but all the smoking was sort of gross.
September 5, 2024
This isn't an "it was bad" 3 stars, I enjoyed this book. I just give 4 stars to books I love, will remember, and may read again, and that doesn't really apply - I'll forget these characters' names soon. But, I had a good time while this book lasted, and I'd rec it when somebody asks for cheating / revenge recs. Also, just a warning that this is in 3rd person POV (I know some people only read 1st).
This is about Erica and Marcus. They're both married to other people at the beginning, but soon, they discover that her husband and his wife are cheating on them with each other. Erica and Marcus decide to pretend to have an affair, to drive the cheaters' crazy, before exposing them. While they start spending a lot of time together, Erica and Marcus start falling for each other (but it's slow burn, because they both refuse to cheat, even though their partners are cheating on them).
They were both likeable, if a little generic in personality, and this did deliver satisfying revenge on the cheaters. Also, this is set in Scotland, I love a non-standard setting, and Scotland is great.
Why 3 stars? In the back half, this story kind of ran out of steam. I started losing interest after the first main confrontation. Also, there were scenes from the cheater's POVs. While it was nice to see them unravelling, there were way too many sex scenes with them. I don't care! I don't like the cheaters, so I'm not invested in their relationship. We spent WAY too much time with them. Also, in the second half, the story got weirdly choppy, with short sections jumping to "eight weeks ago," then back to the present, then to "two weeks ago" and so on. The second half didn't flow well.
The characters were decently well fleshed out, they weren't shallow, but they also could have been a bit better. Like for example, Marcus has this business doing ghost tours. That's a very unusual job! So, what made him get into that profession? We don't know, it never really says! If a character has a boring job, I don't need a backstory for it. But a very unusual job like this one does kind of require fleshing out why they're in it. Plus, that's an opportunity for character development, to explain why. But, nope, it's not here. And, Erica points out that Marcus and his terrible cheating wife don't seem compatible - which is true! Why were they ever together in the first place? He offers a half-assed explanation, but that never really made sense. (But, I guess we could wave that off as seeming realistic. Some couples in real life DO never make sense and you look at them, like, "Why is that person with that terrible partner who doesn't suit them?")
But, despite its flaws, this was a satisfying revenge story overall, where cheaters get their just rewards, and their betrayed partners move on to live their best lives with someone better. It looks like it's the author's first book, I would read more from her.
This is about Erica and Marcus. They're both married to other people at the beginning, but soon, they discover that her husband and his wife are cheating on them with each other. Erica and Marcus decide to pretend to have an affair, to drive the cheaters' crazy, before exposing them. While they start spending a lot of time together, Erica and Marcus start falling for each other (but it's slow burn, because they both refuse to cheat, even though their partners are cheating on them).
They were both likeable, if a little generic in personality, and this did deliver satisfying revenge on the cheaters. Also, this is set in Scotland, I love a non-standard setting, and Scotland is great.
Why 3 stars? In the back half, this story kind of ran out of steam. I started losing interest after the first main confrontation. Also, there were scenes from the cheater's POVs. While it was nice to see them unravelling, there were way too many sex scenes with them. I don't care! I don't like the cheaters, so I'm not invested in their relationship. We spent WAY too much time with them. Also, in the second half, the story got weirdly choppy, with short sections jumping to "eight weeks ago," then back to the present, then to "two weeks ago" and so on. The second half didn't flow well.
The characters were decently well fleshed out, they weren't shallow, but they also could have been a bit better. Like for example, Marcus has this business doing ghost tours. That's a very unusual job! So, what made him get into that profession? We don't know, it never really says! If a character has a boring job, I don't need a backstory for it. But a very unusual job like this one does kind of require fleshing out why they're in it. Plus, that's an opportunity for character development, to explain why. But, nope, it's not here. And, Erica points out that Marcus and his terrible cheating wife don't seem compatible - which is true! Why were they ever together in the first place? He offers a half-assed explanation, but that never really made sense. (But, I guess we could wave that off as seeming realistic. Some couples in real life DO never make sense and you look at them, like, "Why is that person with that terrible partner who doesn't suit them?")
But, despite its flaws, this was a satisfying revenge story overall, where cheaters get their just rewards, and their betrayed partners move on to live their best lives with someone better. It looks like it's the author's first book, I would read more from her.
January 11, 2025
Satisfying—cheaters meet karma, but way too long
August 10, 2024
WHAT A RIDE FOLKS
I was provided with a copy for an honest review.
Marcus (H) finds out his wife is cheating and starts making plans to expose her and her affair partner. He contacts Erica (h) to let her know that her husband is a big cheater. The wronged spouses decide its time for some revenge and start working together. This book was super satisfying and the cheaters got what they deserve.
Marcus and Erica were amazing and I was cheering for them the whole book.
The cheaters are written in a way that made me loathe them. They are selfish and self absorbed and this really came through. Props to the author for her writing here.
The book is set up into three parts.
1. Marcus and Erica finding out about the cheating, making plans to expose them etc.
2. The aftermath of this and how it unfolds. The relationship between Marcus and Erica developing.
3. Their happiness and the satisfying conclusion.
I highly recommend this book.
I was provided with a copy for an honest review.
Marcus (H) finds out his wife is cheating and starts making plans to expose her and her affair partner. He contacts Erica (h) to let her know that her husband is a big cheater. The wronged spouses decide its time for some revenge and start working together. This book was super satisfying and the cheaters got what they deserve.
Marcus and Erica were amazing and I was cheering for them the whole book.
The cheaters are written in a way that made me loathe them. They are selfish and self absorbed and this really came through. Props to the author for her writing here.
The book is set up into three parts.
1. Marcus and Erica finding out about the cheating, making plans to expose them etc.
2. The aftermath of this and how it unfolds. The relationship between Marcus and Erica developing.
3. Their happiness and the satisfying conclusion.
I highly recommend this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2024
Karma at it's finest
The cheaters actually get what's coming to them, finally. I have to be honest though I found myself skimming a lot especially during the time jumps. Some thing also got repetitive.
With that said it was great seeing the connection between Marcus and Erica they are really meant to be together. As far as Sophie and Alex having three kids in a very small flat and Alex losing hid s business and everything else takes the cake.
The best was the billboard lol. However, Sophie is already has her eyes on her next conquest, smh. She really didn't learn anything did she?
The cheaters actually get what's coming to them, finally. I have to be honest though I found myself skimming a lot especially during the time jumps. Some thing also got repetitive.
With that said it was great seeing the connection between Marcus and Erica they are really meant to be together. As far as Sophie and Alex having three kids in a very small flat and Alex losing hid s business and everything else takes the cake.
The best was the billboard lol. However, Sophie is already has her eyes on her next conquest, smh. She really didn't learn anything did she?
November 14, 2024
Kinda ok
I have read such troops a lot and this was not very well done
The actual H seemed or was portrayed a beta compared to the OM.
The OM had more vitality and screen presence compared to the H which i hate.
Plus the relationship between the H and h during their spouses affair and after was not particularly explored
Frankly I didn’t feel the h’s love for H.
It was ok
I have read such troops a lot and this was not very well done
The actual H seemed or was portrayed a beta compared to the OM.
The OM had more vitality and screen presence compared to the H which i hate.
Plus the relationship between the H and h during their spouses affair and after was not particularly explored
Frankly I didn’t feel the h’s love for H.
It was ok
August 9, 2024
Endings Are Hard
Buckle up buttercup because it's gonna be a bumpy ride!...and was
This book masterfully earned 5 stars. It is a quintessential cheating trope read! Very rarely do I finish a book and want to cry, but by 95%, I was close to crying. Like tears. Over a book!! This is as close to perfection as one could get. Why so?
Story construction, character atc, conflict, and thematic connections were 🤌🏾.
#Fantastic4
✨️ I'm blown over how well done the characters are. I love a good cheating trope. What makes it well done is that we get a peek at all 4 parties.
✨️We understand Marcus (doormat hubby) & Sophie (selfish airhead)/Erica (trophy wife) & Alex (debonair business leader) on a deep level. With a couple of twists and turns, nothing is surface here, nor does it feel like a waste of time.
✨️Nah! Each couple were intertwined in a way that we don't get the payoff on the last page unless each person gets the appropriate space to bloom or shrivel. Marcus (renewed business man) + Erica (revitalized beauty)/ Sophie (selfish plumcot) + Alex (crude snake)
#OhMyGodLookAtThatBook
☄️ The characters feel real and genuine. They don't feel like caricatures, and this doesn't read like a fantasy revenge plot. A wattapad amateur writing story, no, it reads as an authentic story about the crushing weight of betryal through cheating and the aftermath.
☄️Divided into 3 parts, 3 acts, the cheating and marriages, and the angst seemed to be done by the end of Act 1, but nope ::popping the p:: the story is just getting started.
☄️This is not a sprint, folks it's a marathon. We watch characters go through their ups and downs, so part 3 can feel like a satisfying epilogue. ☄️There is a maturity to the writing. This is a well written and constructed story about the destruction of two marriages based on lies and selfishness. It needed to breathe like fine wine, a story that expands over years, so the taste was nice and robust. This felt like a romance we watch unfold.
#LyingLiarsWhoLie #ShesFortheStreets #FukboiEnergy
☄️Whether like or hate Alex and Sophie (Cheating Cheaters McCheating Faces), they still feel like real people with real reactions and backgrounds. Alex felt like a man in love. He genuinely loves Erica he just believes he deserves to have his cake and eat it too
☄️The layers in the character arc are really good. There are moments you can see why Alex does what he does (even though he can eat a d!ck). Sometimes, I would shout "Yes Alex! Let her know her place" 😂. Sophie is a void human, so who cares? Right 😄
☄️Sophie's for the streets, but I mean Alex is, too, so it fits. There are moments you get why Sophie is a self-centered hag. I knew at 1% that Sophie was going to be a bia, and she doesn't disappoint. By the end, I wish someone had come through and pulled a Kendrick WOP WOP WOP WOP on her. 😆 She's a raging bia, and karma turned her every which way but loose.
#Steam #dirtysmex
💫 The slowburn romance with Marcus and Erica is really nice. Their slowburn was refreshing. They talked & communicated about real feelings and fears. We could see the literal moments they fell in love. It is not out of desperation but genuine affection
💫We watched them go from scorned married partners to revenge friends to business partners to "finally guys admit it" lovers and wsch Part shows a significant piece of their journey. They feel almost poetically fated.
💫We watched them fall deeply in love, and that's why the length of the book is necessary and why it breezed by.
💫The dialogue was zippy and easy to fall into. Making the read feel quick.
💫Yes, we see what happens when something is built on shallow ground versus true deep admiration.
💫The cheaters' smex scenes are sultry and filthy. Alex gets a little addicted to dishing out degradation like skittles. And Sophie is droll.
💫But Marcus knows how to put in that work. When he drops that attagirl, I dropped to the floor...go head Marcus show us that character growth. His smex scenes are sweet but hot. He knows how he get his girl there with a tongue flick and a flip.
Quotes that had me punching the air in joy:
🫶🏿“We’re partners in crime, you and I. Two broken souls coming together to help each other heal.”
🫶🏿 “Well...for the sake of clarity, let me just say I am yours. Completely. Desperately. So what do you say? Are you mine?”
🫶🏿This was karma. And Karma did not favour the wicked.
Man, this just blew me away. Absolutely f♡cking brillant!! 👏🏾
Buckle up buttercup because it's gonna be a bumpy ride!...and was
This book masterfully earned 5 stars. It is a quintessential cheating trope read! Very rarely do I finish a book and want to cry, but by 95%, I was close to crying. Like tears. Over a book!! This is as close to perfection as one could get. Why so?
Story construction, character atc, conflict, and thematic connections were 🤌🏾.
#Fantastic4
✨️ I'm blown over how well done the characters are. I love a good cheating trope. What makes it well done is that we get a peek at all 4 parties.
✨️We understand Marcus (doormat hubby) & Sophie (selfish airhead)/Erica (trophy wife) & Alex (debonair business leader) on a deep level. With a couple of twists and turns, nothing is surface here, nor does it feel like a waste of time.
✨️Nah! Each couple were intertwined in a way that we don't get the payoff on the last page unless each person gets the appropriate space to bloom or shrivel. Marcus (renewed business man) + Erica (revitalized beauty)/ Sophie (selfish plumcot) + Alex (crude snake)
#OhMyGodLookAtThatBook
☄️ The characters feel real and genuine. They don't feel like caricatures, and this doesn't read like a fantasy revenge plot. A wattapad amateur writing story, no, it reads as an authentic story about the crushing weight of betryal through cheating and the aftermath.
☄️Divided into 3 parts, 3 acts, the cheating and marriages, and the angst seemed to be done by the end of Act 1, but nope ::popping the p:: the story is just getting started.
☄️This is not a sprint, folks it's a marathon. We watch characters go through their ups and downs, so part 3 can feel like a satisfying epilogue. ☄️There is a maturity to the writing. This is a well written and constructed story about the destruction of two marriages based on lies and selfishness. It needed to breathe like fine wine, a story that expands over years, so the taste was nice and robust. This felt like a romance we watch unfold.
#LyingLiarsWhoLie #ShesFortheStreets #FukboiEnergy
☄️Whether like or hate Alex and Sophie (Cheating Cheaters McCheating Faces), they still feel like real people with real reactions and backgrounds. Alex felt like a man in love. He genuinely loves Erica he just believes he deserves to have his cake and eat it too
☄️The layers in the character arc are really good. There are moments you can see why Alex does what he does (even though he can eat a d!ck). Sometimes, I would shout "Yes Alex! Let her know her place" 😂. Sophie is a void human, so who cares? Right 😄
☄️Sophie's for the streets, but I mean Alex is, too, so it fits. There are moments you get why Sophie is a self-centered hag. I knew at 1% that Sophie was going to be a bia, and she doesn't disappoint. By the end, I wish someone had come through and pulled a Kendrick WOP WOP WOP WOP on her. 😆 She's a raging bia, and karma turned her every which way but loose.
#Steam #dirtysmex
💫 The slowburn romance with Marcus and Erica is really nice. Their slowburn was refreshing. They talked & communicated about real feelings and fears. We could see the literal moments they fell in love. It is not out of desperation but genuine affection
💫We watched them go from scorned married partners to revenge friends to business partners to "finally guys admit it" lovers and wsch Part shows a significant piece of their journey. They feel almost poetically fated.
💫We watched them fall deeply in love, and that's why the length of the book is necessary and why it breezed by.
💫The dialogue was zippy and easy to fall into. Making the read feel quick.
💫Yes, we see what happens when something is built on shallow ground versus true deep admiration.
💫The cheaters' smex scenes are sultry and filthy. Alex gets a little addicted to dishing out degradation like skittles. And Sophie is droll.
💫But Marcus knows how to put in that work. When he drops that attagirl, I dropped to the floor...go head Marcus show us that character growth. His smex scenes are sweet but hot. He knows how he get his girl there with a tongue flick and a flip.
Quotes that had me punching the air in joy:
🫶🏿“We’re partners in crime, you and I. Two broken souls coming together to help each other heal.”
🫶🏿 “Well...for the sake of clarity, let me just say I am yours. Completely. Desperately. So what do you say? Are you mine?”
🫶🏿This was karma. And Karma did not favour the wicked.
Man, this just blew me away. Absolutely f♡cking brillant!! 👏🏾
September 15, 2024
I enjoyed the first half of the book, the angst and the betrayal. I especially loved the karma but I'm afraid the baddies became caricature baddies in the second half and detracted from what started off as a great read.
June 10, 2025
Nothing better then a cheating ex story where karma and revenge factor in big time. I really got into this story about two couples where the betrayed spouses fake date to take revenge on their cheating spouses.
There's a bunch of stereotypical cheaters handbook behaviors thrown into the story. The rich , ducessfull boss who is deeply in love with his wife falls for the flattery of his secretary. He doesn't even like the secretary but uses her for dirty, quick sex.
The husband of the secretary works very hard to provide for his wife and would do anything for her but when he learns she's betrayed him after seeing raunchy text messages he goes into nuclear revenge mode not only informing the other betrayed spouse but the major clients of the company.
The betrayed spouses aren't actually dating but let their spouses think they but the more time they spend together, the spark between them slowly burns bright.
The writing is excellent and kept me on my toes.
Warning this is long, for me it could have been about 100 pages shorter and taken put all of the love scenes between Alex and Sophie because they just gave me the ick factor when together and I just skimmed past their numerous sex scenes. I much preferred Erica and Marcuss scenes together ❤️.
There's a bunch of stereotypical cheaters handbook behaviors thrown into the story. The rich , ducessfull boss who is deeply in love with his wife falls for the flattery of his secretary. He doesn't even like the secretary but uses her for dirty, quick sex.
The husband of the secretary works very hard to provide for his wife and would do anything for her but when he learns she's betrayed him after seeing raunchy text messages he goes into nuclear revenge mode not only informing the other betrayed spouse but the major clients of the company.
The betrayed spouses aren't actually dating but let their spouses think they but the more time they spend together, the spark between them slowly burns bright.
The writing is excellent and kept me on my toes.
Warning this is long, for me it could have been about 100 pages shorter and taken put all of the love scenes between Alex and Sophie because they just gave me the ick factor when together and I just skimmed past their numerous sex scenes. I much preferred Erica and Marcuss scenes together ❤️.
September 1, 2024
Wow. I am blown away by this debut novel! I don’t usually read cheating books, but this was so far beyond just cheating, please don’t let it deter you from reading it! In this beautifully told story, cheating is the catalyst which ultimately leads to revenge, love, and karma. The story is told in 3 parts, with multiple POVs so you get a universal view of the story as it unfolds. While Erica and Marcus are lovable characters, you can’t help but despise Sophie and Alex. And to quote the author, “Karma is a motherfucking bitch.” And I enjoyed it! The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is it was a little long for me.
October 28, 2024
Husband cheats with his secretary even though him and his wife have a great sex life. The ow husband finds out and lets the wife know. Then they stage all kind of things to make them think they are cheating.
It some of the reviews I read. They think the Husband and OW got what they deserved, but I don't feel they do. The husband that was cheating said it would be over to the OW if his wife ever found it but he did not stop seeing her. So I didn't like that part. Him and the OW go on to have 3 kids together.
It some of the reviews I read. They think the Husband and OW got what they deserved, but I don't feel they do. The husband that was cheating said it would be over to the OW if his wife ever found it but he did not stop seeing her. So I didn't like that part. Him and the OW go on to have 3 kids together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2025
Choosing 3.5 stars, and down a notch because I didn't need that much head space from the cheaters.
This one was fun, a revenge novel for two people whose respective spouses cheated on them (a spouse swap, basically). I would have rated it higher, but living in the heads of the cheaters for nearly half the book (the chapters went between the honorable spouses, Marcus and Erica, and the cheater spouses, Sophie and Alex) just isn't my thing. Sure, it was interesting to read their mental gymnastics while they told themselves what they were doing what justified, but I could have done with less of it.
I did enjoy Erica and Marcus, for the most part. Usually in cheating spouse books, it seems like the author tries to make the heroine take it on the chin so the reader won't hate her, but personally, I like seeing the Carrie Underwood/Miranda Lambert types. I generally prefer it when there's some physical revenge as well (y'know, "I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights, slashed a hole in all four tires...") but the long game played mostly by Erica can be fun too. I did find myself wishing that she'd taken more from Alex in the divorce, since money was really all that was important to him, but I guess that was the author's version of her taking it on the chin.
On a related note, the book contains a lot of on-page cheating between the two cheater spouses. I didn't need that. Sure, smut can be fun, and seeing how little Alex actually cared about Sophie did add a bit of karma to her shenanigans, but again, less page time in their heads would have felt better for me.
On the same note, Erica and Marcus were good characters who I felt needed more page time. As it was, Erica was a little bit Mary-Sue-ish with her perfect, well, everything. Before she finds out about Alex's extramarital shenanigans, you sort of get the impression that she does nothing with her days, and I get that he didn't want her to work, but did she just stick around the house and stare at the walls all day? She didn't feel like a person before Marcus's letter gets to her. Meanwhile, Marcus's situation was a little different, but at no point did I understand why he'd fallen so hard for Sophie other than she was pretty. She certainly wasn't ever on-page nice to him, and clearly didn't even like him, but it takes him finding out about her cheating to start falling out of love and even then, we're treated to inner monologues about how heartbroken he still was. Why? Again, less page time in the heads of the cheaters would have helped me with this. At the end of the book, I felt like I understood what moves Sophie would make better than Erica's.
I still had a lot of fun with the book and am glad I picked it up. Looking forward to reading more by the author.
This one was fun, a revenge novel for two people whose respective spouses cheated on them (a spouse swap, basically). I would have rated it higher, but living in the heads of the cheaters for nearly half the book (the chapters went between the honorable spouses, Marcus and Erica, and the cheater spouses, Sophie and Alex) just isn't my thing. Sure, it was interesting to read their mental gymnastics while they told themselves what they were doing what justified, but I could have done with less of it.
I did enjoy Erica and Marcus, for the most part. Usually in cheating spouse books, it seems like the author tries to make the heroine take it on the chin so the reader won't hate her, but personally, I like seeing the Carrie Underwood/Miranda Lambert types. I generally prefer it when there's some physical revenge as well (y'know, "I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights, slashed a hole in all four tires...") but the long game played mostly by Erica can be fun too. I did find myself wishing that she'd taken more from Alex in the divorce, since money was really all that was important to him, but I guess that was the author's version of her taking it on the chin.
On a related note, the book contains a lot of on-page cheating between the two cheater spouses. I didn't need that. Sure, smut can be fun, and seeing how little Alex actually cared about Sophie did add a bit of karma to her shenanigans, but again, less page time in their heads would have felt better for me.
On the same note, Erica and Marcus were good characters who I felt needed more page time. As it was, Erica was a little bit Mary-Sue-ish with her perfect, well, everything. Before she finds out about Alex's extramarital shenanigans, you sort of get the impression that she does nothing with her days, and I get that he didn't want her to work, but did she just stick around the house and stare at the walls all day? She didn't feel like a person before Marcus's letter gets to her. Meanwhile, Marcus's situation was a little different, but at no point did I understand why he'd fallen so hard for Sophie other than she was pretty. She certainly wasn't ever on-page nice to him, and clearly didn't even like him, but it takes him finding out about her cheating to start falling out of love and even then, we're treated to inner monologues about how heartbroken he still was. Why? Again, less page time in the heads of the cheaters would have helped me with this. At the end of the book, I felt like I understood what moves Sophie would make better than Erica's.
I still had a lot of fun with the book and am glad I picked it up. Looking forward to reading more by the author.
August 1, 2024
Holy. Shit. 😍
Let me tell you, I read a LOT of books. (I’ve read over 500 this year alone and it’s only July, it’s literally the only thing I do with my life). So when I say it takes a lot to keep me interested on every page, I mean it. But holy crap did this book pull me in and keep me in! I read it all in one night (no easy feet for an over 500 page book). Everything about this story was just absolute perfection. 💯‼️♾️👌🏼
Part 1 ~ was so entertaining, watching the revenge get set up and dished out. It was everything I didn’t know I needed before picking this book up. 😂 💯
Part 2 ~ was just stunning. Beautiful moments, and everything a romance books needs to build a perfect, strong relationship that you just want to pluck out of the pages and have for yourself. *chefs kiss* 😘
Part 3 ~ is the bonus part where you get all the happily ever after details you could ever ask for at the end of a book. 🧑🧑🧒🧒❣️
Let me tell you, I wish this was a series because of how beautiful this story is written, I never want to let it go. But I also wouldn’t change a single thing about the absolute perfection that is this book. ✨ If I had the superpower to forget it overnight and reread it for the first time I swear it would be the #1 book I choose to do that with. I laughed, I cried, I cringed, I felt anger, I felt joy, I felt justified, I swear I lived the story with the characters. 🤯
The spice is perfect for the length of the story. I love how it doesn’t overpower the book but enhances the *good* relationship and showcases how rough the *bad* relationship is. 🥵 The writing is just amazing, so easy to read but pulls you in and keeps you there. The imagery is just enough to give you a movie in your mind, with room to make it your own so you truly feel connected to it. 💯
Overall, an absolute must read for any reader out there! 100/10 needs to be on every read list. ‼️ I will not only be purchasing the actual book after reading the ebook, but any future special editions, I must have every single copy of this masterpiece. 📚
Let me tell you, I read a LOT of books. (I’ve read over 500 this year alone and it’s only July, it’s literally the only thing I do with my life). So when I say it takes a lot to keep me interested on every page, I mean it. But holy crap did this book pull me in and keep me in! I read it all in one night (no easy feet for an over 500 page book). Everything about this story was just absolute perfection. 💯‼️♾️👌🏼
Part 1 ~ was so entertaining, watching the revenge get set up and dished out. It was everything I didn’t know I needed before picking this book up. 😂 💯
Part 2 ~ was just stunning. Beautiful moments, and everything a romance books needs to build a perfect, strong relationship that you just want to pluck out of the pages and have for yourself. *chefs kiss* 😘
Part 3 ~ is the bonus part where you get all the happily ever after details you could ever ask for at the end of a book. 🧑🧑🧒🧒❣️
Let me tell you, I wish this was a series because of how beautiful this story is written, I never want to let it go. But I also wouldn’t change a single thing about the absolute perfection that is this book. ✨ If I had the superpower to forget it overnight and reread it for the first time I swear it would be the #1 book I choose to do that with. I laughed, I cried, I cringed, I felt anger, I felt joy, I felt justified, I swear I lived the story with the characters. 🤯
The spice is perfect for the length of the story. I love how it doesn’t overpower the book but enhances the *good* relationship and showcases how rough the *bad* relationship is. 🥵 The writing is just amazing, so easy to read but pulls you in and keeps you there. The imagery is just enough to give you a movie in your mind, with room to make it your own so you truly feel connected to it. 💯
Overall, an absolute must read for any reader out there! 100/10 needs to be on every read list. ‼️ I will not only be purchasing the actual book after reading the ebook, but any future special editions, I must have every single copy of this masterpiece. 📚
September 5, 2024
4.5 stars
Mood readers: If you are in the mood for two people to meet because their spouses are cheating on them with each other... and the character development of the four main characters is well developed and interesting, far beyond caricatures usually presented in cheating books... and the cheated-on spouses plan a non-violent but satisfying revenge plan... and maybe find themselves realizing that they had rose-color glasses regarding their spouses, who were clearly never right for them in the first place... but maybe, just maybe, this new friend-in-revenge is the person they always needed but never knew...
And the cheaters get karma in realistic ways...
This book is for you!!
Tropes:
* MF Contemporary
* UK setting
* Beautiful housewife FMC
* Handsome Ghost-Tour Guide MMC
* Cheating husband- handsome, charming, wealthy, controlling
* Cheating wife - beautiful, superficial, scheming, selfish
* Mistress is husband's secretary at wealth fund management firm
* Revenge plans (non-violent)
* Forced proximity
* Friends/partners to lovers (sloooow burn)
* Main pair become business partners in Ghost Tours
* Cheating pair live together and work together... until slowly things start to go wrong for them heh heh
* Satisfying HEA for main pair
* Realistic ending for cheating pair
Mood readers: If you are in the mood for two people to meet because their spouses are cheating on them with each other... and the character development of the four main characters is well developed and interesting, far beyond caricatures usually presented in cheating books... and the cheated-on spouses plan a non-violent but satisfying revenge plan... and maybe find themselves realizing that they had rose-color glasses regarding their spouses, who were clearly never right for them in the first place... but maybe, just maybe, this new friend-in-revenge is the person they always needed but never knew...
And the cheaters get karma in realistic ways...
This book is for you!!
Tropes:
* MF Contemporary
* UK setting
* Beautiful housewife FMC
* Handsome Ghost-Tour Guide MMC
* Cheating husband- handsome, charming, wealthy, controlling
* Cheating wife - beautiful, superficial, scheming, selfish
* Mistress is husband's secretary at wealth fund management firm
* Revenge plans (non-violent)
* Forced proximity
* Friends/partners to lovers (sloooow burn)
* Main pair become business partners in Ghost Tours
* Cheating pair live together and work together... until slowly things start to go wrong for them heh heh
* Satisfying HEA for main pair
* Realistic ending for cheating pair
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2024
AMAZING!!!!!!!
January 6, 2026
read it 2 times. it was awesome
August 1, 2024
Personally I love nothing more than beautiful revenge. This book was phenomenal. I loved every second of this story. The characters are beautifully written with epic personalities. The karma was glorious. Definitely one of my fave reads. Thank you Lisa Baillie for this amazing story!
August 31, 2024
Checkmate….This book was very well executed! I do not normally enjoy books with cheating in it, but this book was so much more than just cheating.
Let’s meet the players.
First, we have Sophie and Marcus. A couple who have been married for a year.
Sophie is a snobby materialistic woman who thinks she is better than everyone and is selfish and will do anything to get her way. She is the secretary to a rich business man who is also married.
Marcus is a tour guide and he worships the ground that Sophie walks on and he is far underappreciated, but he continues to give her the world.
Then we have Erica and Alex. A couple who has been married for 8 years and to everyone who knows them, appears to be the perfect couple.
Erica is a supportive wife who does everything for her husband and is the epitome of the perfect housewife. She is respectful, sweet and a badass.
Alex is the rich businessman boss who likes to have his cake and eat it too. Even though he has the perfect wife at home, he still sleeps with his secretary, Sophie.
When Marcus finds out about the affair, he takes matters into his own hands and he contacts Erica and informs her of the truth and they meet up for coffee and hatch a plan to confront the cheating spouses.
Though it took a couple of months, when the rug was pulled out from Sophie and Alex, the revenge was absolutely beautiful.
This is a story of two people being betrayed by their spouses and being there for each other as two broken souls, nothing more. Pssst…no, they do not cheat too. And then the happiness that follows for them and the karma that the cheaters endure is so well done and beautiful.
Let’s meet the players.
First, we have Sophie and Marcus. A couple who have been married for a year.
Sophie is a snobby materialistic woman who thinks she is better than everyone and is selfish and will do anything to get her way. She is the secretary to a rich business man who is also married.
Marcus is a tour guide and he worships the ground that Sophie walks on and he is far underappreciated, but he continues to give her the world.
Then we have Erica and Alex. A couple who has been married for 8 years and to everyone who knows them, appears to be the perfect couple.
Erica is a supportive wife who does everything for her husband and is the epitome of the perfect housewife. She is respectful, sweet and a badass.
Alex is the rich businessman boss who likes to have his cake and eat it too. Even though he has the perfect wife at home, he still sleeps with his secretary, Sophie.
When Marcus finds out about the affair, he takes matters into his own hands and he contacts Erica and informs her of the truth and they meet up for coffee and hatch a plan to confront the cheating spouses.
Though it took a couple of months, when the rug was pulled out from Sophie and Alex, the revenge was absolutely beautiful.
This is a story of two people being betrayed by their spouses and being there for each other as two broken souls, nothing more. Pssst…no, they do not cheat too. And then the happiness that follows for them and the karma that the cheaters endure is so well done and beautiful.
November 14, 2024
I was captivated from the start with this book! I honestly can only see this author going up in the ratings. Shockingly, this was her devit novel! The author definitely earned by 5 star review.
This was my first ever novel with the cheating trope, and I loved everything about it! I want to tell everyone to read this book, you won't be disappointed.
The characters are written so well, as I read, it was so easy to feel as if I knew them and as the story went on, it was impossible to not feel everything they were feeling in both the happiest and saddest of times. I laughed and cried in this book, I didn't want it to end, but I knew it had to, "endings are hard."
No spoilers, but as in life, this story lays out the fact that "karma doesn't favor the wicked."
This was my first ever novel with the cheating trope, and I loved everything about it! I want to tell everyone to read this book, you won't be disappointed.
The characters are written so well, as I read, it was so easy to feel as if I knew them and as the story went on, it was impossible to not feel everything they were feeling in both the happiest and saddest of times. I laughed and cried in this book, I didn't want it to end, but I knew it had to, "endings are hard."
No spoilers, but as in life, this story lays out the fact that "karma doesn't favor the wicked."
November 20, 2024
This story was a good read and I understand author tried to keep it realistic. However, I just didn’t feel that the Karma the ow suffered was sufficient. I had a hard time connecting with the characters. Karma was emphasized but the actual delivery of it was lacking. Good people lived good lives, but bad deeds needed bigger consequences, not more children to suffer in the end.
September 5, 2024
All of the descriptions of Erica mentioned how “elegant” and “refined” she was. And then, there was this, “She flicked through the listings, the cigarette hanging from her mouth.” In what world is that the slightest bit “elegant” or “refined”? 🤮🤮🤮
August 3, 2024
Cheating, ow drama, revenge, second chance love are all my absolute favorite genres. I love the angst. The drama. The emotions. The heartache. The giddy swoon moments. All of it.
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This was a solid 4-4.5 🌟 and I don’t give these out often. I’ve grown quite stingy with my ratings, but I was absolutely hooked throughout the whole book. The plot was really well developed and I truly enjoyed all the twist and turns. Especially the karma revenge aspect.
“No one fucks with those I care about, so if he wants to play dirty, he’d better prepare himself. He may think he’s a big shot, but I run this fucking city, and he’s just made his way onto my shit list.”
The author did an awesome job creating really well formed characters. Even the smaller side characters have great personalities and stand out. I especially adored Ericas siblings. The banter and conversations were funny and easy going. You could feel the connection and friendships between everyone. I was so full of emotions the whole book. Sad and emotional then giggling and fuming mad then completely swooning. (That Christmas scene had me out of my bed.)
But it was Marcus and Erica that really captured my love. I loved seeing their growth and development. Erica was so mature and poised. Kind but never a door mate. It was great that even during anger and heartbreak she proved to be a woman of high morals and integrity. Make no mistake she took a lot of shit but she gave back so good. My man Marus was so perfect. I love his unwavering support towards Erica. From the moment they connected to each other they were the other’s support. No questions asked..
“But I want to make it clear - you and I not working out is not an option.”
“We need to celebrate,” she said, glancing around the room for inspiration. “We need to get absolutely shitfaced and fuck like rabbits.”
They held the other up and got them through each hardship. I loved that they grieved and cried together. I loved that they plotted. But most of all they moved on in life. I’ve always told my daughter the only way to beat the assholes in life is to be better than them. Go be so badass and happy that when they look at you again they will know “I fucked up” And that is exactly what Marcus and Erica did.
“God, you don’t see how fucked you are. You’re going to lose everything.”
It’s a great story of love and heartbreak. Of revenge and closure. Of loss and acceptance.
“Checkmate, bitch”
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This was a solid 4-4.5 🌟 and I don’t give these out often. I’ve grown quite stingy with my ratings, but I was absolutely hooked throughout the whole book. The plot was really well developed and I truly enjoyed all the twist and turns. Especially the karma revenge aspect.
“No one fucks with those I care about, so if he wants to play dirty, he’d better prepare himself. He may think he’s a big shot, but I run this fucking city, and he’s just made his way onto my shit list.”
The author did an awesome job creating really well formed characters. Even the smaller side characters have great personalities and stand out. I especially adored Ericas siblings. The banter and conversations were funny and easy going. You could feel the connection and friendships between everyone. I was so full of emotions the whole book. Sad and emotional then giggling and fuming mad then completely swooning. (That Christmas scene had me out of my bed.)
But it was Marcus and Erica that really captured my love. I loved seeing their growth and development. Erica was so mature and poised. Kind but never a door mate. It was great that even during anger and heartbreak she proved to be a woman of high morals and integrity. Make no mistake she took a lot of shit but she gave back so good. My man Marus was so perfect. I love his unwavering support towards Erica. From the moment they connected to each other they were the other’s support. No questions asked..
“But I want to make it clear - you and I not working out is not an option.”
“We need to celebrate,” she said, glancing around the room for inspiration. “We need to get absolutely shitfaced and fuck like rabbits.”
They held the other up and got them through each hardship. I loved that they grieved and cried together. I loved that they plotted. But most of all they moved on in life. I’ve always told my daughter the only way to beat the assholes in life is to be better than them. Go be so badass and happy that when they look at you again they will know “I fucked up” And that is exactly what Marcus and Erica did.
“God, you don’t see how fucked you are. You’re going to lose everything.”
It’s a great story of love and heartbreak. Of revenge and closure. Of loss and acceptance.
“Checkmate, bitch”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2024
the way i actually finished this book but work's been up my butt. the cheating trope is big in this book and I actually dislike the cheating trope but from the synopsis the MCs were not the ones cheating so I signed up for the ARC (which I got, thank you!!), imagine my surprise when the I had to read the cheaters' povs 😭 my jaw was on the ground but I pushed through and thoroughly enjoyed reading the entire book especially when the cheaters got their karma 🤭 I rooted for Erica and Marcus the whole time and through the heartbreak I'm glad they found each other. they really both deserve the best and I'm so happy they found happiness and love in the end. on the other hand, Alex and Sophie (pls forgive me if I got their names wrong, it's been a minute since I finished the book) are a little uhhhh..... well while they were cheating and Alex was justifying his actions I really wanted to either punch his face or actually laugh in his face for his stupidity. both Alex and Sophie also did nawt put their thinking caps on after having their first child and then continuing to have 2 more kids after that ???? ever heard of protection??? no braincells I swear. I didn't exactly feel bad for either of them when they were unhappy, honestly they deserve it. also didn't care when Sophie started the cycle again with her new boss like I literally could care less about the both of them 😭 I do feel bad for their kids tho like their kids obviously do deserve better (even though yeah maybe their parents are good parents).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2025
One of my favorites!!!
This book was just amazing! I could not put is down and it will be one that I will reread more than once! This was the perfect revenge read! I loved Erica and Marcus and I loved their revenge plot! It was more than a revenge plot, although I loved that part of it soooo much! The central love story was so sweet! I loved the way they found comfort and friendship in each other. I just adored them.
Sophie and Alex were something else! I loved seeing their perspective and how they went from so smug and over confident to crashing down to Earth. The karma was just perfect! The fall from grace was just amazing and that last line….sooooo awesome! So many books fall off at the end or just end abruptly and this was not one of them. The ending one of my favorite endings of all time too!!!
This was my first book by Lisa Baillie and it will not be my last! I don’t know that anything could live up to this book, but she has an amazing gift with characters and stories and I can’t wait to read more of her books!
This book was just amazing! I could not put is down and it will be one that I will reread more than once! This was the perfect revenge read! I loved Erica and Marcus and I loved their revenge plot! It was more than a revenge plot, although I loved that part of it soooo much! The central love story was so sweet! I loved the way they found comfort and friendship in each other. I just adored them.
Sophie and Alex were something else! I loved seeing their perspective and how they went from so smug and over confident to crashing down to Earth. The karma was just perfect! The fall from grace was just amazing and that last line….sooooo awesome! So many books fall off at the end or just end abruptly and this was not one of them. The ending one of my favorite endings of all time too!!!
This was my first book by Lisa Baillie and it will not be my last! I don’t know that anything could live up to this book, but she has an amazing gift with characters and stories and I can’t wait to read more of her books!
October 31, 2024
Not your usual formulaic story. Two married couples end up switching partners. The h's husband is the boss of the H's wife (OW). They are having sex at work. The OW came on to the husband because she envied the h's clothes, jewellery, poise and lifestyle. The H finds a series of exchanges between the OW and husband on her laptop and decides to write a letter to the h to let her know that her husband is having an affair. The H includes contact info for the h. She calls him and meets him for coffee. They decide to plot revenge by planting seeds of doubt when they go into a business relationship. The H and h reveal their knowledge of the affair half way through the book when they gift their spouses with divorce papers as Christmas presents. The second half of the book is karma for their actions. The h develops into a truer version of herself and the H stops being a doormat. The OW and the husband realize what they lost.
August 2, 2024
I inhaled this book! The sleepless nights were so worth it for this one. If you love a good revenge story, and a beautiful love story between two people who deserve all the good in this world then this is the book for you.
I enjoyed the growing friendship of Marcus and Erica. Their relationship was a heartwarming one, and they really did make the most of it from their heartbreaking situation. At first I could not get a handle on Alex’s character because the reason for him to cheat on a woman that he loved and admired baffled me. But later on, as I read through the story, it became evident that the guy had some serious demons. He was a walking facade with a mask that he efficiently wore, up until the time that he couldn’t hide who he truly was.
That being said, this was a truly enjoyable read and I can’t wait to read more from Lisa.
I enjoyed the growing friendship of Marcus and Erica. Their relationship was a heartwarming one, and they really did make the most of it from their heartbreaking situation. At first I could not get a handle on Alex’s character because the reason for him to cheat on a woman that he loved and admired baffled me. But later on, as I read through the story, it became evident that the guy had some serious demons. He was a walking facade with a mask that he efficiently wore, up until the time that he couldn’t hide who he truly was.
That being said, this was a truly enjoyable read and I can’t wait to read more from Lisa.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2024
Wow what a book. Totally reeled me in. I’m not much into books about cheating but I have to say this one was worth the read. This author did an amazing job from beginning to end. Just amazing.
I love Marcus and Erica and the way they navigated their relationship from their cheating spouses Sophie and Alex. Marcus is such a sweet man doing everything he can to please his selfish wife Sophie who only thinks of herself and money. Erica is such a sweet, kind woman who is a trophy wife to her narcissistic husband Alex who thinks he is above everyone else. This book has three parts to it. All parts were good and it really brought the story to light and it needed to be told this way to understand the full story. Karma is awesome. I just love the way the book ended. I’m definitely going to read more from Lisa Baillie. Thank you for such an amazing read.
I love Marcus and Erica and the way they navigated their relationship from their cheating spouses Sophie and Alex. Marcus is such a sweet man doing everything he can to please his selfish wife Sophie who only thinks of herself and money. Erica is such a sweet, kind woman who is a trophy wife to her narcissistic husband Alex who thinks he is above everyone else. This book has three parts to it. All parts were good and it really brought the story to light and it needed to be told this way to understand the full story. Karma is awesome. I just love the way the book ended. I’m definitely going to read more from Lisa Baillie. Thank you for such an amazing read.
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