Frayed Images

by S.T. Moors

𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞

"...𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳."

I've loved Drew since I was twenty years old—and after twelve years of marriage, that love has only grown stronger.

But lately, the man I married has become someone I no longer recognize. He's moody, short-tempered, and secretive.

And then there's 𝘩𝘦𝘳.

The woman whose name has cropped up too often for my liking. The woman he swore was just a work colleague.

Yes, I was a fighter. But what if I was the only one willing to fight?

𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞

"...𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥. 𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 us 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦..."

I've loved Frankie since the moment I first saw her twelve years ago on our college campus.

But lately, the pressures of the real world have started to choke me. Promises I'd made to my wife were now becoming too much to handle.

Instead of confiding in Frankie, I chose to spend my time away from her. Away from the nagging and the cloud of disappointment in her gaze.

But when a line is crossed, and a knee-jerk decision is made, I end up losing everything.

And I'm faced with the consequences of my actions.


**Frayed Images is a marriage-in-trouble romance with a HEA. Cheating and surprise pregnancy**

Genres: Second Chance, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Second Chance Romance, Surprise Pregnancy, Marriage

269 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 27, 2025

Reviews

[Beeg Panda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author pushed the consequences of the cheating envelope here. And that I’m okay with it - no, I’m relishing it – is testament to the disgust I feel for this unfaithful zero and this TYPE of betrayal. Testament to how well the scenario and its circumstances are written. Has it been done before, probably, but not like THIS.

Kudos, S.T. Moors.

h: Frankie
H: Drew

My new jam:

When the heroine is the one who gets to say:

Everything I went through turned out to be worth it. For her. I wish it happened differently, but I can't regret her."

Because:
1. She falls pregnant by the om after the H asked for a separation
2. The hero doesn’t tell his own wife of 12 YEARS that he doesn’t want kids, (knowing she does want kids) BUT he tells the ow!
3. The hero has a yearlong affair with same ow


So, I’m either evolving or regressing. Don’t care.
Whodathunkit.
Because I’ve always been that strictly-non-negotiable

“no kids by other people” romance reader. I CANNOT STAND the single mom or dad trope. ABSOLUTELY NO kids by anyone other than the mcs for me.
Do I read them?
Sure, if there’s nothing else and there are some caveats.


SPOILERS:

5⭐️s for a worthy heroine.
Frankie fought for her marriage for a whole year.
A really nice woman. Sweet.
Devoted to her husband.
She enjoys and is very good at her job as a freelance photographer.
Has a wonderful support system.
NEVER weak of nature.
NEVER prone to dramatics.
She’s just a beautiful, quietly confident about herself, woman.
Importantly, she doesn’t suffer from the dreaded body betraying syndrome.

The H is very well written.
This man is the worst version of himself.
He’s really a good guy - decent, loving and caring. Until 1 year ago.
We get to see the “before” Drew. Even the “now” Drew is still somewhat a nice guy.
He actually reminds me of Barron from Barron's Second Chance except Barron was a kid when he fucked up.
This idiot is in his 30s. Married to the love of his life for 12 years!
Yet, he’s not self-aware.
Or rather, he is, but he’s suppressing it.
Either way, his waffling, his hanna-hanna-ing (soos ons sê in Afrikaans) irritates the shit out of me.
It’s not even cute and awww, lookit him floundering, sweetie pie.
It’s just downright exasperating and rage inducing.
Granted, he has unresolved daddy issues and he felt like he was losing his man-card…still… those are excuses not reasons.



I read this book back to front.
Actually, middle to back and then front to end.
Because I know what Moors is capable of writing.
Because I KNEW witnessing the process of the fall of their marriage would be devastating
SO
I first needed to see if he was faring as badly as she was by the middle of the book
BEFORE
I got to experience the pain of the damage he wrought at the start of the book.
Boy, am I glad I did it this way.



4⭐️s for the yearlong gut punch.
The initial breakdown is slow-burn.
Drawn out martial angst and betrayal (my best/worst trope).
Him gaslighting and her hanging on by a thread.
His response to in-home issues was to find diversion out-of-home, at work, at lunch times, after work under the guise of staff get-togethers.
And deny-deny-deny so much so that he believed his own bullshit.
Lies by omission.
Straight-up lying.
White lies.


“'She's just a colleague. We're just work friends. There's going to be a group of us there. You sound jealous; that's not attractive. Why won't you believe me? There's nothing going on.'"
I raised my brow at him, and he had the grace to look ashamed.
"For months, you gaslit me, made me feel like I was crazy. And the whole time, something was going on. Maybe not physically, but emotionally, you were invested in her."

His nights out with her. His lunches with her. Entertaining her attention when he knew he’d come close to succumbing to her advances in her hotel room.


When the ow refers to herself as his work wife he doesn’t deny it.
When she comes on to him, he initially removes himself from the situation but doesn’t reject her advances.
He’s noticing her “assets” now.
He loves his wife, sure. Very much so. In fact, he ADORES her. Its other factors that he allows to mess with his mind AND NOT TALK TO HIS WIFE.
But he has no respect for her now.
They still have the physical attraction and passion, but it’s tainted with discontent.
He’s protecting the ow at work, at home. Sparing HER feelings. Always hers first even though he doesn’t actually acknowledge it in his mind.
He’s all excuses, silence and avoidance, resentment.
Then shame and guilt and realising he doesn’t deserve his sweet wife. Still, he lies, and he cheats emotionally and then physically
The moments between him and ow are intense.
“I love my wife.”
“That may be true. But tell me; if you loved her so much, there wouldn’t have been any room to grow closer to another woman. And that’s what you’ve been doing.”

He had deceived me about a lot of things. He'd pretended he'd been on board with having kids, only to discover twelve years later that he had doubts. Instead of talking to me, he went to another woman. Even if things hadn’t become physical, Drew had still been having an emotional affair.



I was waiting for it but even I was shocked at her eventual explosive reaction:

For months you've treated me like shit. For months I tried to get you to talk to me, talk to a professional about what the hell was going on with you. I fought for our marriage. And what did you do? You stayed out late nearly every night, treated me like shit, and gave all your attention to another woman. You lied to me, cheated on me, made me feel like I was crazy –".

"I never cheated –"

"Shut the fuck up," I growled.
"I'm not finished. I had no idea that you didn't want a baby because you never fucking talked to me. All those times I told you about my dreams for a family you nodded along like dummy. And when you did decide to tell me, you also decided to drop on me that you almost kissed your co-worker. And when I wanted to still try and work on our marriage, you insisted we separate."

"I never had an affair with her!" he vehemently denied. "Nothing happened."
"Newsflash, Andrew! When you're texting another woman, when you see her more than you see your wife, when you're telling her personal things about our marriage—things you never opened up to me about—that's an affair. Giving your time and attention to another woman is an affair."



MY NOTES:
He’s horrified when the penny drops and this time when questioned by the h, he’s more…open… about his lying… open but not entirely truthful, of course.
Despite her rage and hurt and despondency, Frankie asks for marriage counselling.
Now he reluctantly agrees to therapy and that’s when he tells her he doesn’t want kids. She’s shocked because he’d never confirmed that before.
Then he admits he’s growing closeness with Carly [ow] but it’s apparently not “romantic”.
They had “a moment” in her hotel room.
He deliberately puts himself in positions a married man should not be in.


He admits the ow made him realise a few things.
Finally, he’s opening up to someone and it’s not his wife.

I'd never seen Drew cry before. "I think we need time apart. Just to sort our heads out and decide what we want."
My breath hitched. He wanted a separation?
"Are you leaving me for Carly?"
"No! I'm not doing this to date her or anyone else. I don't want her. But you and I…we want different things. I'm so sorry that I never told you sooner. I truly thought I would change my mind when it came to children. I don't want them and don't think I ever will. I know how important family is to you. I know how much you want children, and it was causing a lot of arguments between us."



He regrets his words almost as soon as he speaks them, but also questions - for the first time - if it’s not the best for them and if he attraction to the ow actually is romantic after-all.
He rationalises that the h deserves better.
That he needs to decide what he wants out of life.
Blah blah bloody blah.
He misses her after she kicks his stupid ass out but at the same time, he feels he needs the space.
Still, the h is prepared to fight for their marriage despite seeing him all over the ow’s social media, all happy and laughing it up.

EXCERPTS:

As I neared his office block, I passed the cafe that Drew and I sometimes lunched at if our schedules aligned.
Maybe we could have lunch here again today if –
That thought emptied from my mind when I spied a familiar body through the cafe window. His dark head was tossed back in a laugh before he shook it in amusement at what his companion was saying.
Drew.
And without even looking at his lunch mate, I already knew who it was.
Carly. [the ow]
With her flowing locks and her tight t-shirt. She held a fork in her hand as she yapped away at my husband, gesturing wildly. She paused as Drew said something in response before tipping her head back in mirrored laughter, her hand coming down on top of his.
I’d seen enough.



MY NOTES:
Luckily, Frankie had a pre-planned work trip to Mexico.
She also used it for me-time for 2 months.
BUT
During the separation the H is still nattering away with the ow and doesn’t make much move toward finding himself.
Still lunching and dining out at restaurants with her, working late while she sits with him.
Ignoring her slyness.
He’s literally spent more time with her than Frankie over a period of a year before the separation.
Yet, he still denies they’re in a relationship. Dick. He’s also pissed at the h for leaving for Mexico during a separation that HE wanted.
So, he’s out with ow and still ignoring / denying the elephant in the room: his attraction to her.
Until he gets bored.
Or he realises exactly how much he misses the h.
Even I don’t know wth happened but suddenly he can’t stand the ow
Waffler.

HERO AND OW:
She pressed up against me, one hand landing on my lap to plant herself before her mouth crushed against mine. I was stunned; completely frozen. This was the first woman since Frankie whose lips touched mine. In my moment of shock, I allowed the kiss. For a couple of seconds of curiosity, my mind wondered if I would feel…something. But then Carly's tongue pushed past my closed mouth, and it was as if an alien had entered my body. No. This was wrong. Not because I still considered myself very much married but because it felt wrong. She felt wrong. Her touch, her lips, her skin. All wrong. "I can't deny that there was something there. But that attraction would never have occurred if Frankie and I hadn't been having problems. Problems I now realize I should never have shared with you. Instead of talking to my wife, I avoided the issue and used you as a distraction." "I'm sorry for leading you on. But I need to focus on fixing my marriage." She was silent for a long time. Pity and shame burned me when I spied a pink hue climbing her cheeks. I didn't want to hurt her, but I'd been dishonest enough for the past year.


MY NOTES:
When Frankie gets back from Mexico she asks for a divorce.
He literally, like legit, falls on his ass in shock.
But he’s lied one too many times and she’s had it.
She also shares that she had a drunken one night stand.
He was soooooo pissed offff.
She confesses that she’s pregnant with the om's baby.

He thew up.

Aaaand I’m
in Seventh Heaven
on cloud nine
over the moon

Cue the violins
Christmas came early


Do I think he deserves it?
Yessiree

Was I disappointed in her?
Kinda – she was separated - not divorced
Yes - she was stupidly ignoring the possibility of STDs
Yes - he’s too young and the concept smacks of cougarism
No – they had a good no-strings adult connection where she was obviously the older/more experienced one but at no stage did SHE take advantage of HIM




A lot of happenings before and after this scene.
A lot of crying on both sides.
He asks for details of her brief affair, and she is open about it all. We get to see it through her pov. YOWZER.
She does not, however, share that while it was a one-night stand it wasn’t a once- a-night thing. Wink wink.
So, while she entertains his questions, she, on the other hand, doesn’t want to hear a word about their marital issues and shuts down all his attempts to have a full-on conversation about anything to do with their marriage.
She’s fully committed to her child and their future. Everything else is secondary.
She’s all about protecting her baby and moving forward. Him being around is not protecting her baby



He’s not an ENTIRE douche because he leaves her on his medical aid so that she can have the home birth she dreamt of.
But when she brings up divorce, he firmly put her in her place by saying she would have to initiate it, not him. The man has a backbone after all.
(He goes the self-help book route; ironically feeling the need to read about marriage after their breakup)
I wish he’d shared the pregnancy and the birth with her, but I supposed it’s only fair that he doesn’t get that experience, seeing as he still didn’t even want kids at this stage.
Plus, she moved 2 hours away to Columbia to stay with her Dad during her pregnancy.
She and her baby girl thrive together.
Her photography has now become a more than successful business.



The om, Carlos:

“Knowing her father is what’s best. I’m giving him a chance because he’s young and scared. He just finished college –”
Wait, he what? I whirled around. “Wait, how old is this guy?” …
“He’s twenty-three. Well, twenty-four now, probably,” she mumbled.
I ran a hand through my hair.
“Jesus. Really, Frankie?” Rippling jealousy coursed through me.
Twenty-three? Twenty-fucking-three? I didn’t know what I pictured Carlos to look like. Some suave businessman, perhaps.
But a college student was not it.
How could I compete with that?
OMG I lapped it up LOL
Ironically,

Frankie is the one who sleeps with someone else
Not Drew.

23 years old, gorgeous, footloose and fancy free “Christ, even his abs had abs. Casanova kinda guy.
Flighty.
With a rotation of women of all ages and relationship statuses.
A sexy a one-night stand. She’s vulnerable. He’s there.
Kudos to the author – rare that the h gets to experience good sex with an om after he husband cheats.
He stopped in front of me, his hands deep in the pockets of his shorts. His head tilted as he kept his gaze firmly on my face.
I gave him a shaky smile.
"You're too pretty to be crying."
I almost snorted. It was the last thing I expected from him. I sniffed loudly and sent him a droll look.
He flinched and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, do you mind if I turn around and come back? I think I can come up with a better line."
I couldn't help it; I burst out laughing.
He’s not on-page much – only for the important parts.

He initially balked at parenthood but eventually matures and co-parents with Frankie and Drew.




4 ️s for the slow steps towards reconciliation
About a year later the h finally hears Drew out
He’s learnt a lot and realises he did have an affair
That was hard to read. He is very candid. Kudos to the author here. Very well done
He doesn’t hold back; opens up about everything.
Just like the h, I raged all over again.
So, the new relationship is all cautious and sweet and butterflies and blushing
He loves her baby unconditionally
He says “I love you” first
She NEVER backs down on her goals and had he not loved her baby she would NOT have given him the time of day
She ALWAYS puts her daughter first. Always lets him know exactly where he stands
And she loves him so much. So so much. Its palpable throughout. Enduring.
No rushed ending
Solid HEA with a pregnancy of their own
Comforting epilogue



Drew’s redemption:
Initially, too little effort to reconnect with her.
Eventually growth and atonement but not much grovel really.
I was okay with that – because he realised how he was hurting her, he wanted her happy and his presence had the opposite effect.
He experiences anguish and heartache and guilt.
He’s kinda lost without her even during that year of hell.
In his own way he finds himself again.
Deals with his childhood and his daddy issues
Mostly, he ADORES her baby from the minute he meets her.
He’s very honest and vulnerable too.
He has to come to terms with his anger and jealousy of sexy young Captivating Carlos LOL
Now he’s the on the receiving end of his partner’s object of distraction
I was glad and sad.
He handles it well and puts her daughter’s wellbeing first
Brownie points for that
He leaves his job and moves to Columbia for her and baby





Minus 1 ️
For the ow that gets to move on like she didn’t try to manipulate and connive her way into a married man’s life…err….pants…spreading false rumours about her and Drew on social media
AND
While I know everyone’s view on cheating is different, I believe that kissing another woman other than your wife IS physical cheating. I accept that this book disagrees with my take, but I don’t have to like it.



The receipts:

Fuck, almost kissing Carly. And then kissing Carly. It didn't matter that we were separated when it happened….

…Admitting that I briefly kissed Carly back….

“I had an emotional affair with her. Which is just as bad as a physical one. I shared things with Carly that I never shared with you. I talked to her about our marriage. I chose to go out with her most weekends instead of staying home and being with you. It didn't matter that I went out in a group; I used that as an excuse that I wasn't doing anything wrong because it wasn't just her and I."

"Did you have feelings for her? Do you have feelings for her?" Why was I asking him that? Did I really want to know?
"I found her attractive,” he admitted, stinging me further. “I considered how easy things were with her; it felt like I didn't have pressure on me. But any deeper feelings than that, no. If I had been stupid enough to take that next step with her, it would've fizzled out, and I would still be where I am now…missing my wife."…


NTS:
Come back and sort out this disorganised and unpolished review.

[Danny Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I didn't care for this. It was kind of disappointing with how perfectly everything turned out. A bit unrealistic to be honest. The first 45% was good, but then it went downhill. At least for me. This has emotional cheating and a kiss on the husband's side. And full on sex with om from the wife's side while separated. Usually I'm all in when the h has a baby from om when the H has messed up. But I couldn't help but feel icky from the h's ONS. Number one I hate ONS in books. Don't care if it's from H or h. Doesn't matter. Second I hate reverse age gap. Carlos the om was 9 years younger than the h. Plus, she slept with a man who was basically the male version of Carly the ow the H Drew had an emotional affair with. She first meets Carlos when he's about to go back to a married woman's hotel room to have sex with. But also seeing him hook up time and time again while she was vacationing. I was wondering why the author did that. All that did was actually make me dislike the h to be honest. Clear uncommunicative responses from both sides. I ended up not really caring about either character. Then we get to the birth , and it was pretty much smooth sailing with zero angst while jumping months in advance with the chapters. In the end we get a blended family and everyone is just hunky dory. Everyone happy and our original couple newly pregnant and living the good life. 🙃

[Miki’s⚠️ Safety Reviews & Rants⚠️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Such wasted opportunity for grovel
Such poor execution
The hero never redeemed himself
The hero never truly fought for the h

‼️He cheated emotionally and had a date and kiss w OW. He put himself in HORRIBLY compromised situations w OW while married time and again. He lied to his wife over and over. He asked for separation cause he wanted to work out his feelings but continued to see OW and never fought for the h or tried to see her. He just thought she would be waiting once he was done fucking around.

‼️So during separation she has ONS w OM after she see the H on date w OW after he LIED yet again and said he wouldn’t and wasn’t dating the OW.

😡I mean he Lied and lied and lied! It was fucking pathetic cause the h kept wanting to make excuses for him and work things out!

‼️So the h was a pathetic doormat who waited for him and wanted him all the while he was cheating and wanting OW and lied over and over. She was all begging him at one point!!! Fucking pathetic.

‼️So she has ONS w OM gets preggo and then wants divorce cause the H ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT WANT CHILDREN. So she thinks well he really won’t want me now.

‼️At this point you would think he would wake up and grovel right??? NOPE NOPE NOPE. He doesn’t even work to get her back he STAYS AWAY. Oh wait he reads a few self help books about winning your wife back… BUT HEVER DOES SHIT TO ACTUALLY GET HER BACK.
They refer to each other as EX, or MY EX! 🙄

‼️Yup that’s right he stays away from her and sees her only once by accident during her pregnancy.

‼️SOMEHOW NOW HE IS RHE VICTIM! Cause she has OM baby. Oh poor fucking baby! I mean you pushed her to it.

‼️The h is all doormat still but focused on her baby.

After she gives birth the see each other at mutual friends party he sees baby and has a melt down cause he is the victim now.

‼️A while after that he starts to become part of her life again. He offers to babysit and stuff. Then bam the h is ready to be with him cause… ENOUGH TIME HAS PASTED THAT YOU FORGOT HOW HE CHEATED ON YOU AND LIED OVER AND OVER AND CHOSE OW OVER YOU.
FUCKING PATHETIC!!!

‼️FUCK THIS BOOK FOR MAKING THE h SUCH A PATHIC DOORMAT AND MAKING THE H THE VICTIM WHEN HE CAUSED ALL OF THIS.

Author if you are brave enough to write something like this then at least give us grovel and a strong h that isn’t pining away for her cheating husband and takes him back w zero grovel or counseling! Fuck man! This is so bad!

[Jill Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike many marriage in trouble books, the wife has the surprise baby. I enjoyed that difference. Usually, the wife has to accept the husband's outside child. It was a nice twist.

[Annika · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 gut wrenching ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow! Feelings activated 🚨
This was a beautiful story about marriage, love and growth and I loved it. 🙌 small spoilers:

Drew and Frankie were married young and were very much in love, they had always had a wonderful and close relationship, however after 12 years, things were slowly going the wrong way for their relationship. Because of Drew! ❤️‍🩹

Drew had a colleague, Carly who pursued him relentlessly. He kept clocking it as a friendship, even though he had noticed his gaze did follow her too much.
Frankie was hurt, she tried to talk to Drew about the late nights, the constant texting and calling, she knew something was very wrong.

Drew was selfish and an ass, as he allowed him self to grow close to another woman emotionally, he sought it even, knowing full well how much damage he was causing his wife.

Frankie wanted a family more than anything, it turned out Drew didn’t. He just never told Frankie but would share these things with Carly. 😡

He prioritized Carly over Frankie over and over again, and it quickly escalated into lying to Frankie about who he was with.
Finally Frankie was at her wits end, and she was slowly giving up on them, but Drew pulls a fast one and asks for a separation.🖤🔪Well he gets one! Frankie is awesome and strong❤️

He wanted everything, all the time and not pay the price.
His ego was getting stroked by Carly, whom he saw after work daily. They were in an emotional affair but had not been intimate.

Carly manipulated him to separate and he manipulated Frankie.

During the separation he doesn’t even try to see Frankie, he just stays away!
He is a self indulgent man.

Can we talk about how inappropriate it is to use the word “Work wife “ when you are in another relationship 🤮

Frankie decided to try one last time to salvage their marriage, but she saw him at their restaurant with Carly. When they talk later that evening, he lies blatantly about what he did and with whom.

Finally Frankie has had it, she went to Mexico for work, and in a moment of weakness she went to Carly’s IG where there was a picture of Carly and Drew with the caption “date night “ ❤️‍🩹 Their coworkers commenting “finally”, and “about time.” underneath.

Heartbroken and beaten she meets a hot younger man on the beach! He sees her and her pain and connects with her. Brings her comfort.
It was just an ONS, but something is growing inside her!!🐣

As soon as Frankie returns home she asks for a divorce. Drew is heartbroken and didn’t see it coming, the dumbass he is.
She tells him she is pregnant with another man, and his life falls apart. 😂
At this point I didn’t see a redemption for his weaknesses, but this writer put a bow on it and I ended up rooting for them, and you will too!

I found his betrayals almost worse than physical infidelity, he wasn’t making just one mistake, but constantly putting himself first in a string of selfish decisions. Not caring how it affected his marriage. I cried during most of the first half because, he was so weak, and those are always the people who hurt others the most.

Should you read it? Yes it’s a beautiful story.

Why not 5 ⭐️ because it’s a little too long at the end. And there was too much use of Dual POV in the first half, it was great at the end. I didn’t need to know his thoughts at the start, it was used to soften his betrayals, but let’s hate the assholes in peace, until redemption.

[ras 🔻]

how can i get through a book like this that has literal cheating but the moment there’s slight ex drama where the mmc has loved op im sick to my stomach and can’t continue

i eat these up but the moment the groveling starts i lose interest bc ik im not gonna take it seriously or be able to forgive

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trigger Warnings:Infidelity (emotional cheating, attempted kiss with OW, kiss with OW during separation, FMC slept with OM and got pregnant during separation), abandonment, parental death recounted by cancer, parent infidelity, child neglect, lying about not wanting kids, panic attack

Damn this had an angsty start but the second half was bleh. I went in knowing some spoilers which was why I was prepared for some things. I wish the story turned out differently. I feel like the MMC didn’t grovel enough. When he fucks up, people tell him what to do to make it up to the FMC. Whenever the FMC asks for space, the MMC would give it. And while that is nice, after a certain point, I like seeing bulldoze-grovel. Fighting for the person you love rather than sitting back and waiting. He does take some initiative in the end but I wanted to see more of it. I also hated all the time jumps.


Drew and Frankie have been married for 12 years. For the past year, their marriage has been on the rocks. All Frankie wants to do is bring things back to where it was before. But Drew seems to be getting awfully close to his coworker Carly.

Now for spoilers


Drew and Frankie have been married for 12 years, they got married young, Frankie is currently 32. She desperately wants to have kids soon since she is getting older. Their marriage has been rocky for the past year and Frankie has noticed that Drew is getting close to his coworker Carly, who calls and texts often. Drew stays out late for work dinners, and isn’t transparent about who is there. Frankie has a sneaky suspicion that Carly is always there. At a party, Frankie is ignored while Drew is talking to Carly. When he comes up to Frankie, Carly is extremely touchy with Drew. She calls him “Andrew,” his full name, which no one calls him by. She asks him to dance but Drew can sense how upset Frankie is. She tried to talk to Drew about Carly but Drew always brushed it off. Carly intentionally touches Drew’s arm and bends down to “fix her shoe.” Frankie can tell she wants to flash her cleavage at Drew but Drew looks away. When they get home, Carly texts Drew saying she got home early. Frankie asks why Carly is telling Drew that. She says that it’s an intimate thing to text someone’s husband and that pisses Drew off. He says she’s making a big deal out of nothing. Frankie cries in bed and Drew spoons Frankie, apologizing for his outburst. Even though he apologizes, he never changes.


When Carly talks to Drew, Drew slips up on his marriage with Frankie being on the rocks. Drew used to text Frankie to check if she made it home safely or come home to help with dinner. But now, he’s always out with colleagues and comes home late. Frankie works as a photographer, Drew encouraged her to pursue her dream while he worked as a marketing manager. He wanted to become a videographer, but in front of Carly he makes it seem like a hobby. In the morning, Frankie asks about Carly again. Drew says that he only wants Frankie and proves it by fucking her. Frankie says their plan was to try for kids once they’re settled. But Drew says they can’t afford it yet, how they need to buy a house. Frankie says her dad can help and that pisses Drew off. In Drew’s POV at work, he admits that he would lightly flirt with Carly. He thought it was harmless since they never acted on it, but he does find her attractive. He claims to love Frankie, he knows things are rocky because of him but he refuses to fix things. All Frankie wants to do is fix their relationship. It was sad seeing Frankie’s longing to have kids while she would have maternity shoots or wedding shoots. She misses how loving Drew was with her.


When they go out to dinner with their friend Sene, their friend can sense that Drew and Frankie aren’t the same. When Sene makes jokes hitting on Frankie, Drew takes it too seriously. When Sene mentions them trying for a kid, Drew gets even more pissed. When he walks off, Frankie admits to Sene that they got into an argument and their relationship is rocky. What I loved was Sene always being supportive of Frankie, even though he’s close to Drew. Drew is pissed Frankie told Sene their personal shit. Once they’re home, Carly texts Drew again. When Frankie asks if it was Carly, Drew gets offended and asks so what? I was shocked at how fucking rude he was. But I loved how Frankie spoke up for herself.

“Yeah, and I also see Mike and Tony. Are you going to bitch at me about them? Or is it because they're guys, and you're not threatened by them?"
"Fuck you.”

He sleeps in the spare room since he’s pissed with Frankie. Frankie gets a job gig where a couple getting married asked her to come to Mexico with them to photograph their wedding. Frankie says yes without thinking about Drew. When Frankie meets with her friend Nellie, Frankie says Drew is acting suspicious with Carly. And how he doesn’t wanna talk about having kids. Nellie suggests they try marriage counselling. Carly invites Drew to a work expo outta town. Drew knows that Frankie wouldn’t like it since Carly would be there, but he says yes. When he gets home, he tells Frankie he has an expo. Frankie asks if Carly will be there. Drew says he doesn’t know who will be there. Frankie tells him about the Mexico trip and he’s proud of her but doesn’t ask to come, Frankie is disappointed. When Drew goes to the expo, he barely texts Frankie. When the team goes out, Carly invites everyone for drinks. The two other coworkers sensed something going on between Drew and Carly and bailed out. Drew didn’t want them thinking that but it would also be rude to bail on Carly. So being an idiot, he decides to meet her. He promises to call Frankie at a certain time. When he goes for drinks, Carly is dressed up and they get close. Drew gets drunk and has a good time but when they get close, he goes to his room. He’s too tired to remember to call Frankie. Meanwhile Frankie stayed up waiting for his call and he never calls. The next day, Drew calls Frankie apologizing for forgetting to call. During the call, Carly says something to Drew and Frankie feels betrayed. She can see Drew panicking since they’re on FaceTime and Drew can see Frankie feeling hurt. Drew feels regret and tries to avoid Carly. But when Carly visits his room asking for him to come over to her room for drinks, he’s stupid again. She claimed that everyone would be there but no one was there. He says he should leave and Carly says to come in. Instead of standing his ground, Drew drinks with Carly. Carly probes about Drew’s marriage. Drew admits that Frankie wants kids and he never did. This was so fucked, he confided in Carly before confiding his own wife of 12 years. He never should’ve told Carly personal issues. Like the guy is a manager, regardless, dating your coworker will not end well. The fact that he knew Frankie wanted kids since the beginning of their relationship and didn’t tell her was fucked. She wasted 12 years on the guy cuz he thought he would’ve changed his mind. Carly says that they have a connection. She puts her hand near his crotch and leans in to kiss him. Drew is tempted, but he jumps back and goes to his room. Fuck him man.


Frankie doesn’t greet Drew like she normally does. Drew hugs Frankie and apologizes. Frankie asks when he knew Carly was coming and he admits he knew 2 weeks ago. He knew that she would be upset so he didn’t tell her. Frankie asks him about the dinners and drinks. He says that everyone was there but Frankie doesn’t believe him. He promises nothing happened and keeps apologizing but his apologies mean nothing. Frankie cries and asks if they can go to marriage counselling. Drew says he doesn’t want a stranger to listen in on their marriage problems, which is ironic coming from him. When Frankie says please, he says okay. Carly asks if he can sense the chemistry between them. Drew says this is inappropriate. She says that he wouldn’t have let things get far if his marriage weren’t bad. He says he loved his wife but that stuck out to him.


When the appointment comes, Drew is not there. The therapist asks Frankie about her marriage with Drew. They were both raised with single parents. Her mom died from cancer and Drew’s dad abandoned him, his mom was a single parent. Frankie’s dad had kids with other women and abandoned them too. That’s when Drew shows up and he doesn’t seem apologetic that he’s late. He is annoyed, keeps sighing, and gets pissed that Frankie told the therapist about his past. He half filled out his questionnaire and Frankie is embarrassed. When the therapist asks questions, Drew blurts out that he doesn’t want kids. Drew says he’s never agreed to having kids. Frankie thought back and Drew never said anything when she brought up kids, he just smiled. But that’s not a fucking excuse. If he knew she wanted kids and he didn’t, he should’ve been honest from the start, they aren’t compatible. He hides things from her and thinks that this way, he’s being honest. But he’s lying by omission. Frankie is shocked and has a panic attack. She says she can’t do this and walks out. When they get home, Frankie asks why Drew was late. He said he was too anxious about the appointment that he drove around to calm down. Frankie thinks she takes the marriage more seriously than him. Drew says he cares too but Frankie calls him out for everything. Drew comes clean, he tells Frankie about the almost kiss and how he confided in Carly about not wanting kids. He thought he would’ve changed his mind but he didn’t. He thinks they should take a break. That maybe Carly had a point, that he wouldn’t have let things get far if he didn’t feel things. Frankie asks if he is asking for a break so he can date Carly and he says no. He thinks they need space and Frankie tells him to move out. Even if she wanted kids, a house, and easy life, she will always want him first, so sad man.

“You know, you never actually asked me what I want, Drew. You just assumed that having kids was a deal breaker, and I would give you up for them. But while you were "almost kissing" your co-worker and deciding by yourself that this was too hard; I always knew what I wanted. Not a house, not a career, not kids. You, Drew. All I ever wanted was you.”

This is where things go downhill. Drew moves in with Sene who is disappointed in him. He claims to miss Frankie, but he made no effort to fix things. He would text her, but he didn’t ask to meet. This goes on for a month or longer, and Drew meets with his coworkers and Carly is around. She can tell that Drew and Frankie are separated, but he says he doesn’t want to talk about his marriage with her. It’s time for Frankie to go to Mexico for her photography gig. She wants to go to Mexico with Drew. She thinks time away would help fix things. So she texts him asking to meet and goes to visit him. But when she walks by, she sees him in a cafe with Carly. He didn’t see her text and was busy laughing with Carly. I was so angry, he claims to be sad and shit, but made no effort to fix the marriage. I would’ve loved if Drew started grovelling here, but he doesn’t. So Frankie realizes her marriage was over. When Drew texts her saying he didn’t see the message, Frankie says it’s fine and says she’s going to Mexico. Then she is going on a road trip around America. Drew calls and asks if Frankie can meet before she leaves and she says she doesn’t have time. She asks where he was and he says he was out with his coworkers, not mentioning Carly. He would’ve loved to see Frankie and when he finds out she plans to be away for 3 months, he gets upset.


Frankie tells Drew he can follow her on her social media for details when Drew asked how he can keep track of her. He can tell by her voice that she is done with him. Frankie does her gig in Mexico and runs into a fuckboy named Carlos, he’s 23. She sees him with a new woman every day, one time, he’s with a married woman. When Frankie told him that the woman was married, Carlos said he didn’t care cuz he wasn’t the married one. I was hoping Frankie wouldn’t sleep with him. Drew is upset Frankie is gone and when Carly invites him on a date, he knows he should say no, but he agrees. She didn’t say date, but it was clearly one, she took him to a date spot. Once Drew drops her off, she pounces and kisses him. He lets it happen and then pulls back quickly. He loves Frankie and wants to make his marriage work. Carly says that he wasted her time. Frankie looks at Carly’s Instagram, she finds pictures of Drew on there. The recent one was of the dinner date and the colleagues left supportive comments. Frankie feels betrayed, she goes on a scuba diving excursion and runs into Carlos. Later she decides to go out and take pictures. She starts crying, mourning over her relationship with Drew. Carlos says they can go for drinks. They get drunk and have a one-night stand. Drew tells Sene what he did and Sene asks him what he wants. Drew says he wants his marriage with Frankie. He visits Nellie to find out when Frankie will come back. Nellie tells him that Frankie came to invite him to Mexico and saw him with Carly. Drew now realizes why Frankie seemed done with him on the phone.


Three months later, Frankie comes home. Drew jogs on trails near their home to see when Frankie would come back. He was upset Frankie didn’t contact him the second she got back. Drew is desperate to make things work but Frankie tells him she had a one-night stand and is pregnant with the man’s baby. Drew is devastated and vomits in the bathroom. Frankie says they need to divorce. She says she’s always wanted a baby so she’s gonna it. I honestly hated the change of events, I was prepared since I knew spoilers. I wish Drew made an effort to come find Frankie in Mexico. It would’ve been nice to see him grovel. Especially since she wouldn’t have slept with Carlos if Drew were there. Frankie contacts Carlos to let him know. Frankie told him to decide if he wanted to be in the baby’s life. Drew knew he pushed Frankie to this point. Drew didn’t want kids cuz he didn’t wanna be like his father. His father abandoned him when he was young and contacted him when he was older. It was cuz he wanted Drew to babysit his half siblings. Instead of working through his trauma, he let it ruin his relationship. Frankie told Drew she was moving back in with her father who lived an hour away. She told Drew to sell the house. Seeing them slowly get rid of things was sad. And it was hitting Drew so fast, his marriage was over. He asks if Frankie can do marriage counselling. She said it was too late, that her baby will get confused. I hated this pregnancy plot line. It would’ve been nice to at least see Drew help Frankie during her pregnancy. But she went through it alone.


Drew starts to read books on fixing his marriage. He finds out from his coworkers that Carly cancelled dinner plans with them during their trip. She told everyone Drew left his wife for her. Drew confronts Carly and tells her he is sorry for leading her on but to stop. This is why you don’t date your coworkers. Drew thought about Frankie but didn’t make an effort to see her. When he runs into her outside, he asks her what happened with Carlos. She told him how she told Carlos about their broken marriage. She sought comfort from him since she didn’t have Drew. Carlos realized the condom broke in the middle but didn’t tell Frankie since he assumed she was on birth control. Frankie wanted to do a home birth but she couldn’t since she didn’t have Drew’s health insurance if they got divorced. So Drew said they can stay married til she gives birth, he said she deserves nothing but the best. He didn’t want anyone to judge Frankie for sleeping with someone else and having their baby. He realized Frankie spent a lot on marriage counselling and regrets how he acted during their first session. When Frankie gave birth, she named her baby Alani and used her maiden name. Drew was hit harder knowing that the baby wasn’t his or had his name. Frankie sent a picture to Carlos and didn’t hear back. Drew sent flowers to Frankie with all the things she might need. She called him to thank him and he asks about the baby. When Nellie has a birthday party and invites Drew, he comes over to see Alani and Frankie. He asks to hold Alani and they kiss. When Frankie has a big gig, she needs someone to take care of Alani since her dad is sick. Sene asks Drew for help and Drew says yes. Drew babysits Alani with no issues. He even has her sleep on his chest. When Frankie comes back, she has nowhere to stay so he lets her stay over. They talk about their marriage, Frankie noticed that he’s been reading marriage counselling books. He tells Frankie about the kiss with Carly, why he confided her, everything he did wrong.

Eventually he asks Frankie out for a date and includes Alani. Carlos asks to meet Alani, but he ghosts her on the day he’s supposed to meet her. Frankie cries and Drew calls Carlos and tells him what he did was shitty. He says if Carlos doesn’t plan to be in Alani’s life, to make up his mind, but he’s making the biggest mistake of his life. So Carlos calls Frankie to apologize and says he wants to be part of Alani’s life. He visits Alani with his parents and everything goes okay. Frankie is insecure to fuck Drew with her new body after pregnancy but Drew is thankful when it happens. We see Frankie and Drew are still married and Carlos is actively in Alani’s life. Drew quits his job since he could tell it still bothered Frankie that he worked with Carly, even if they barely talk. He said he can work with Frankie as a videographer, it was his passion before he took his marketing job. They become partners and Frankie invites him to live with her in her father’s home. Eventually, Frankie’s dad moves out and it’s just them. Once Alani is 2, Frankie is pregnant with Drew’s baby since he wants a kid now. I didn’t like the turn of events but this was addicting.

Stay safe folks!

[Irene · Rating 1 out of 5]

[Марія Маргуліс · Rating 3 out of 5]

Першу половину прочитала на одному подиху, другу ледве прикінчило по діагоналі. Перебір з драмою та поворотами в стилі бразильських серіалів.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. On paper, I should love this book: it’s an angsty “marriage in trouble” romance where the hero cheats, then, after the heroine leaves him for it, HE is celibate and SHE is not. That’s the white whale! That's type of cheating read I’m always looking for! And, they still get a HEA, which I like (because it’s more dramatic and angsty if the betrayer is able to turn that ship around and get the HEA, rather than a perfect nice new guy). But, the execution of this book was lacking. The characters were bland and flat, and I was bored.

The hero and heroine (who are like 32) have been married for over a decade. He has an emotional affair with a woman from work – he refuses to admit it’s an affair until late. A large chunk of this book is him seeing this other woman, and dismissing it as an affair and making excuses for it in his inner monologue, which was tedious to read. Sometimes, reading the inner monologue of a delusional character can be fun – like in some dark romances. But in this case, it wasn’t fun, it was tedious and got repetitive and boring. (He never sleeps with the OW, but they almost kiss. After he and the heroine separate, they do kiss briefly).

After he and the heroine separate, she sleeps with another man and gets pregnant. The hero doesn’t really “grovel,” it’s more that he works on himself, and eventually steps up to help her with the baby.

I want to be clear that my low star rating is NOT because the heroine has a baby with another man. I see a lot of low ratings citing that as their reason. I actually rounded this up to 3 stars instead of rounding down to 2 for that reason. I love that this book had the balls to do that. It’s unique. And like I said, so few cheating books have “he is celibate during their separation after he cheated, and SHE is not.” (The only other cheating read I'm aware of that does this is The Wolf and the Sheep trilogy by Penelope Sky). So, I like that. The hero deserved to have his wife sleep with another man and get pregnant.

The ingredients are there for this to be angsty goodness, but the hero and heroine just felt so bland and generic and forgettable. The emotion didn't land the way it should, because this book didn't make me feel invested in them, and they didn't leap off the page or have much depth or personality, beyond their problems and jobs. (It doesn't help that I'm reading this right after What I Did for Love, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips is so good at writing characters with depth and quirks and personality who feel real).

I know this author began as a Wattpad writer. So many betrayal / grovel Wattpad stories are only focused on the betrayal / grovel plot, and the characters are generic with little depth or personality, because the betrayal / grovel plot is the main point, so it just plugs in characters like Sims, to serve that plot. But, that doesn’t really work for a novel.

This is one of 600 reasons why Maya Alden books don't work for me, either - similar to her books, this story doesn't do enough to show why this heroine ever LIKED the hero in the first place before he fucked up, and what's interesting about him. Why is their relationship worth saving? Telling me "they love each other" isn't enough. A story needs to show it, and make me care. Just seeing a guy who sucks and then works on himself is boring. That isn't enough to make me want to read about him. A novel needs characterization AND plot. Not just "betrayal angst" with hardly any characterization.

[Serialbookstarter:Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm. . This was pretty lackluster even though it’s an emotional cheating book. I just couldn’t feel any angst… Frankie and Drew are married for 12 years when he gets a bit jealous of her successfully living her dream career as a photographer . He hates his job in marketing and wants to be a cinematographer but instead of talking it over with his wife and going for it he beats himself up emotionally then uses a flirty co worker to
Make him feel good about himself. He doesn’t do anything but lie about spending time with Carla the co worker. Anyways when Frankie finds out he’s been lying it comes to a head and Drew asks for a separation. While separated Drew goes an a date with Carla. Frankie finds out and decides to have A ons. She gets pregnant. Drew has an epiphany and then we’re Into surprise baby trope. The author should have been able to write some good angst out of this one but it fell flat to me.

[**Tessa** (semi hiatus) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shoulda known better

My GR friends had mixed reviews and I knew he emotionally cheated and kissed OW. I also knew going in that she is not celibate during separation and that never happens-it’s always the other way around. So I thought cool I’ll try it

Big mistake. She honestly pissed me off. I don’t care if you’re separated. As long as you are still married that is cheating in my eyes. I wanted to see him step up during her pregnancy but he abandoned her. I wanted to see grovel but there was ZERO. He basically waited her out and suddenly everything he did just seemed forgotten.

I hated him. And I hated her.

DNF. My own fault I shoulda known better.

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truckloads of spoilers below:

3 ⭐️ for this marriage in trouble book. Frankie and Drew have been married for 12 years. Frankie’s a freelance photographer with a solid and growing business base. She’s ready for the next step, which is her mind= babies. Drew’s in a corporate marketing gig that is eating his soul. He’s been deflecting Frankie’s nudges about Family 2.0 and spending too much time with Work Folks, especially after work. Drew and OW Carly get closer. Frankie’s concerned and let’s Drew know. Drew assures Frankie she is blowing it all out of proportion. But continues to hang where Carly is, sending mixed signals. There’s some pretty solid OW content and, of course, a culminating event that shifts the story’s trajectory.

From that point, the story shifts to a whole other trope: Surprise Baby. Might even be considered Affair Baby by some readers’ standards!

Then the story shifts into the land of Second Chances with a serious layover in Grovel-ville.

Like other readers have noted, there’s some h cheating(ish) behavior that I’m not a huge fan of. They were on A Break, but she does sort of lose the moral edge in the competition! 😅 at the same time, the Affair Baby was a serious dose of Comeuppance for her twat husband.

The pace of the book’s end dragged a bit for me, but that’s often the case with resolutions. By that point, the angsty bits are usually resolved and so my attention wanes! 😅

All in all, not a bad OW/Marriage in trouble/cheating/affair baby/ groveling story.

[Amee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated 3.5

I enjoyed the story and its realness author brought on why the marriage imploded and the feelings both affairs caused mc’s. With cheating, I don’t score, cheating is cheating, physical or emotional. I appreciated the author’s sensitivity with culpability of the two, and how each character by the end took responsibility for the past and present. I did find MMC’s views on having children not to have been brought to fmc’s attention before marriage was ridiculous. I was more pissed and would have left for that alone. There was redemption on both parts, and a coming together of an unconventional family. I come from one so I enjoy reading about them.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one day. It was so angsty and so good.
Marriage in trouble. Dual POV first person.

Couple have been married for 12 years. Drew the H has become distant, a jerk, and a gaslighter the last several months to a year. He spent a lot of time with the OW and lied to his wife several times about it.
At first, I was annoyed that Frankie was trying so hard to make their marriage work when clearly he wasn’t trying at all and was having an emotional affair with his coworker. But once she finally let go and realized her marriage was over I didn’t think she needed to feel bad at all for sleeping with someone else after they separated. Of course Drew finally wised up wayyyy too late. By this point Frankie was already pregnant with her ONS. And even then, when Drew tried to make it work she wasn’t on board with giving him another chance.
When they finally decided to give their marriage another go, I did appreciate how cognizant she was of his feelings to be around the baby’s father and his family. I also really appreciated that Carlos (the ONS) didn’t magically turn into a jerk, vanish, or die just for the sake of the story have a neater ending.

Ending. Carlos and Frankie coparent. Drew and Frankie reconcile and eventually have a baby 7 years later.


Drew had a kiss with his coworker after separation and Frankie had a ONS with Carlos after separation. Both celibate apart from those two incidents.

[Min · Rating 2 out of 5]

The husband's a pathetic sop and the wife's a self-absorbed narcissist. They're both gas-lighters and deserve their awful "HEA". Things took an awfully weird turn at the 60% mark. So if you dislike reading about a surprise pregnancy where the heroine accidentally becomes PREGNANT after a ONS with a rando - a RANDOM COLLEGE-AGED BOY 🤢 , you'd do well skipping this. I must admit I felt slightly queasy after that reveal.

This has some emotional cheating, plenty of OW drama and a LOT of "woe is me" and ZERO communication from the couple (mainly, the heroine). 12 years of marriage and the two don't know how to communicate to save their lives!

That said, the writing's ridiculously addictive and I finished this train-wreck of a story in a single sitting (go, me).

[Existentialboredom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was going to go 4 stars and then realised I read it in one day, and just started reading it again.

The angst - delicious. And drawn out just enough to not get totally cartoonish.

The reconciliation - believable tbh. It’s hard to imagine but Moors did a solid job building Drew’s character in such a way, that his gradual acceptance of Frankie’s situation did track with his personality (ie a bit of a marshmallow, not always in a good way bc boy this man was seriously lacking a spine a lot of the time).

I appreciated how frustratingly stupid Drew was, you want to strangle him for most of the book. Which made it easier to accept the pregnancy situation with Frankie. I think people are going to absolutely hate him, and feel like Frankie deserved a new H. But I’m not too bothered about their HEA - I actually prefer second chance romances.

Anyways, this is Moor’s best so far.

[dropitlikeitshotx · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a well written book. Personally I think the marriage in crisis trope just isn’t for me. I found the H’s actions so frustrating and counterproductive to what he actually wanted, so I found myself getting angry at him a lot. He doesn’t cross any physical boundaries until their “break”, but damn he knew what he was doing all along. I think his penance in the end was fitting, although not sure if I even liked him by the end. Still a little upset , he never actually told off OW. Literally did everything he could to protect her and her feelings till the end, at the expense of his wife. OW literally gaslit him into thinking he wants her and this idiot fell for it and cried when he realized his wife moved on. Yes he grovels, but I don’t feel these points and his need to protect the other OW were actually discussed.

If you like angst, you will enjoy this.

[Carole Copeland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers

The beginning of the book was going well. You don't like Drew very much but you get invested in what his journey will be but then, even though you saw it coming, the author had to have Frankie become weak and throw her integrity away by sleeping with someone else. For me it ruined this couples journey. I wish there hadn't been any cheating but maybe a baby he didn't want and had to work through his past to find a love for his own child. I wanted her to keep the connection the author created for these two and not break her vows. The author should have had her seeking forgiveness as well. I ended up being disappointed and began skipping parts after that. She could have thought about it but like Drew she could have just not been able to do it. It just changed the personality of this couple into something else. The emotional cheating would have been enough for this book. At the least, when she cheated it could have been highly disappointing. I just wasn't a fan of this turn in the story.

[cajareads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw a review popped out on my timeline and I agreed with everything that was written in it. I forgot the username of the reviewer but I’ll make sure to include the link later on.

Personally I would never touch cheating book and yes the mmc definitely cheated here (emotionally and physically) but I absolutely LOVED the fmc and the way she handled this situation. And to be honest, even if the mmc fucked up again, yes she will be heartbroken by it but she had amazing support system from the people around her so I’m not worried for her. She will survive and I love that for her.

[Raegan Salander · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was one wild ride

I’ll admit, I usually steer clear of books where there’s a pregnancy and the hero isn't the father or the heroine isn't the mother—it's just not my thing. But somehow, S.T. Moors managed to completely win me over with Frayed Images. The emotional depth, the raw vulnerability of the characters, and the slow, careful rebuilding of trust really pulled me in.

What stood out even more was the richness of the supporting cast. Nellie, in particular, was an absolute gem—her advice was always spot-on, wise without being preachy, and added such heart to the story. The side characters weren’t just filler; they were vibrant and essential to the narrative.

This book surprised me in the best way, and I’m so glad I gave it a chance.

[Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book follows Drew and Frankie, a married couple who’ve been together for a few years but are currently struggling in their relationship. Drew has started to distance himself—working longer hours and confiding in a female colleague about his marriage troubles. Through his point of view, we learn that he feels pressured by the idea of having children, the stress of buying a house, and the overall strain on their marriage.

Eventually, after a business trip, Drew comes home and admits to Frankie that he nearly kissed this colleague—and that a part of him had wanted it to happen. He suggests they separate to give each other space to figure out what they want. Naturally, this devastates Frankie. She asks if he’s having an affair, and he insists nothing has happened and nothing will. Frankie then tells him to move out, which he does—going to stay at a friend’s place.

After the separation, Drew texts Frankie daily, but never actually initiates meeting up. One day, Frankie catches him in a lie—after he ignores her message, she drives to his office and sees him having lunch with the same colleague. Hurt by this betrayal, especially since he’d claimed nothing was going on, she confronts him. He lies again, saying he was working.

At this point, Frankie decides to take a two-month work trip to Mexico (she’s a photographer who travels often). When she informs Drew, he’s surprised, but she makes it clear they need this time apart to figure out their future. While in Mexico, Frankie stumbles upon a social media post from the other woman, showing her on a “date night” with Drew. This confirms for Frankie that their marriage is over. In her hurt, she ends up having a one-night stand with a younger man she meets in Mexico.

Meanwhile, from Drew’s perspective, we see that he had indeed gone on that date but regretted it almost immediately. Though he allowed the woman to kiss him briefly, he quickly stopped it. He’s filled with remorse over everything he’s done and deeply regrets pushing Frankie away.

Two months later, when they reunite, Frankie tells Drew she wants a divorce—and reveals that she’s pregnant from the one-night stand in Mexico. After that, they go their separate ways. They return the rental house, and while Drew keeps tabs on her through friends and occasional contact, they live separate lives.

We see Frankie tell Carlo (the younger man) about the pregnancy. Though he’s young and initially shocked, Frankie has the support of her friends and father, and she moves in with her dad. She remains single, focusing on her life and her pregnancy.

Though still technically married (for insurance and other practical reasons), Drew eventually decides to step up. After the baby is born, he begins supporting Frankie and the child in every way he can. He cares for the baby, helps Frankie, and works to rebuild trust.

In the end, they reconcile after honest conversations about the issues in their marriage—Drew opens up about his abandonment issues and the pressures he felt. The story shows his genuine remorse and growth, as well as Frankie’s resilience. By the conclusion, they’re living together as a family with their daughter, who is now seven. Carlo remains involved in his daughter’s life, but without drama. Drew still works with the former colleague, but there are no ongoing issues. The couple never divorces, and they’ve created a stable, happy life together.

I really enjoyed this book. It was refreshing and different, especially because Frankie didn’t immediately run back to Drew—she made her own choices and built a life for herself. I appreciated how the story acknowledged the hurt Drew caused, but also showed his accountability and efforts to change. My main criticism is that it lacked clear time markers. Sometimes it was hard to tell how much time had passed between events, which made the pacing a little confusing. Overall, though, it was a solid read—about a 2-3 star for me.

[JillyB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marriage in trouble

Wow the angst in this story was so good. Basically, the h and H have been married 12 years. Things have been tense lately. The h would like to start a family, but the H feels it is not the right time. He has also been getting more distant spending more time with work colleagues. One work colleague, the ow, seems to understand him. She is always there eager to assist. Unknowingly, the H has entered into an emotional affair. Things come to a head and there is a separation. My friends that is just the beginning of all the things this couple will end up facing. There are twists I did not see coming. In the end, I was happy with how the author ended the story. I am pretty sure this will be part of my reread pile. I am leaving out lots of spoilers, and will add those to my GR review.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh, hearts.

This story was full of gut-wrenching angst and heartache. I felt every emotion coming from Frankie like I lived it myself. It had a different twist, one I haven’t come across before, and seeing their little family all come together was amazing.

Drew’s growth was slow, actively going out of his way to be a better man for his wife. He made mistakes and he fought tooth and nail to repent, even when Frankie wasn’t sure she could give him another chance.

Great job, S.T. Moors. Beautiful writing.

* marriage in trouble
* second chance
* emotional cheating
* ow and om drama
* surprise pregnancy
* happily ever after

I’ll be rereading this one again.

[Mona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost 3 stars, yeah know what!?! — let’s just give it a 3 bc I’m still thinking about it ... this book had me sweating !!! The gut punches really stung but the rehashing of stuff had me skip reading a bit and the therapy session stuff not my thing in a book but I get it but dang I had some real life tears (like 3 tears) ….the ouch in this book was good!

[Lari (semi hiatus)]

this month i discovered that i like fmc trope has children with om so

[Bev]

Not a fan of pregnancy from a ONS

[VoraciousReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Of course the fact that Drew had an emotional affair with Carly was a huge issue. However, the other big issue was how he reacted to the conflict with his wife. His gaslighting, defensive behaviour and constant denial was an enormous red flag and without therapy or marriage counselling, I find it hard to believe that he wouldn't resort to that same behaviour the next time he did something wrong.

[Chronic Chihuahua · Rating 1 out of 5]

Toxic Bitch Didn't Take An Abortion Pill And Suddenly Carly Was Right, Drew Was Miserable Because He Mirrors Frankie's Vulnerable Narcissism, I Know Frankie's Type WELL, Poor Alani

Shes still wondering if she could trust him, when SHE dicked someone else? At 80% of the book?

Snore!

Frankie's dirty cheating folds, ew, reading her being touched after she let Carlos touch her, oh shes so gross. Get the hag away from me.

She. Got. Pregnant. On. Purpose. Narcissistic. Cunt.

As soon as she sleeps with Carlos, its evident WHY Drew was so emotionally stunted and dysregulated.

Frankie was abusing him emotionally, so much, he was terrified to go home, constantly forcing him to go to therapy, like a Neoliberal Ableist bitch.

I don't care about Carly as soon as she could sleep with Carlos, a near-baby, I needed him to fuck Carly.

He never does.

Poor dude.

Means Drew was imitating what he knew SHE would do, once she knew that he felt like she didn't emotionally support him.

She rushed to slip dick.

Because he couldn't do it, even when rejected, but she could do it once she felt rejected.

Frankie's the villain.

Alani's going to have a Mother Wound, doo dah, dooh dah.

I know her type well, as the childless person with a collection of children, and now even adults (I'm middle aged) who I had to substitute parent and try to pretend mummy does love them, just wants her career or her current romance, more, sorta, but she does love you.

Its odd being hated by some of those kids for not taking the credit for any parenting that was happening, while the mothers whined about motherhood and chores.

I always hate the arguments I get from the abused kid for enabling her impulsivity, but I try my best not to go out and travel for three months to starve someone I supposedly love, of any presence.

I know her type well.

Damn, I hate when everyone drops shit for slimey single mothers who choose to gestate children into shitty environments.

Bit take a pill, its been days, you dirty self victimiser.

Imagine feeling sick about choosing to gestate after fucking a near-baby.

I love leaving Groomers like Frankie holding the baby from when she fucked a near-baby. I archive the mothers in my fone, I really can't be bothered listening to them compete with their kids.

Ew.

Shes so fucking gross.

And how they rushed through the pregnancy like a shot, poor Drew, he really was Emotionally Abused by her.

Dirty grooming bitch took Carlos's youth instead of taking a pill.

Gross.

I hate age gaps.

They're vile.

Ew.

Poor Alani.

My partner is an Age Gap kid and it fucked him up. Dirty cradle snatcher couldn't find someone her own age to have kids with, she continued a pregnancy with someone under 25.

Grosssssssss.

The choices made in this book made me end up feeling like Drew was so contradictory because he has something like CPTSD/Borderline Personality Disorder and was actually mirroring her silently, as is common in Covert Narcissists and their victims.

Huh, so it was Frankie that ultimately could touch and fuck someone else and not feel bad about it.

Like to the point of orgasm as well.

At least he felt bad, and stopped, that lying bitch got horny.

And she did get hornty, alcohol is a SEDATIVE that makes sex more difficult, so Frankie DETERMINEDLY got aroused with, stimulated and fucked to point of orgasm, another person, a near-baby.

The body is the organ of emotion.

I know her type well, constantly imposing goals on their partners and then getting dicky when it silences them.

From Sene's words, she was forcing a family on him, he said she was always talking about it.

Oh childs gunna have a Mother Wound.

He was more invested in her than she was in him, she was able to choose to gestate another life, than be with him and take a pill.

Thats sad.

Like it made me feel dirty reading her pretend to care about that baby, because she was projecting her marriage onto it.

Gawd I hate women who breed themselves an emotional totem.

So! Interesting how many women in the reviews who were the type to blame their sex on alcohol, ahh, compartmentalised yourselves like good narcissists?

As soon as she touches another man and continues it, shes not in love with him, she lied to us and actually that keans she was taking advantage of how he was emotionally stunted the whole time.

"He has to suffer the reminder of her sleeping with someone else, everyday."

AND YOU BITCH, ARE NOT A FEMINIST.

The patriarchy harms kids the most and you just enjoyed weaponising the concept of that childs fatherhood against him.

Say it with me you Patriarchial Pick Mes:

CHILD ABUSE IS WORSE THAN CHEATING AND SHE HAS A CHILD WHILE UNPREPARED AND DISTRESSED.

ABUSER.

I know these women well, making sure they starve themselves thin when stressed, and make themselves look tired, to emotionally win, always expecting you to just drop your life for their massive life choices, while telling themselves they are the victim while pressing on their childless mates to substitute for them, lazy bitches.

So Frankie is an immature cunt who couldn't take an abortion pill.

So tired of these bitch ass women who choose to bring Alani into the world of abuse that she thrives in.

Babies are gestated, not conceived, dirty self centered bitch.

Ruined the story.

She should have taken a pill.

But instead she gets to use a baby force him to settle for someone elses sperm donation.

Hey Alani, you were a drunken mistake and an abusive ultimatum to a an emotionally dysregulated man.

Fuck I hate her.

I hate any woman who doesn't take an abortion pill and instead creates a wee test for her loved ones to perform to.

Poor Alani.

Poor future kids.

Time to read all the reviews of "feminists" who like that she could to use a child against him.

I hate people who have kids during traumatic times, because cortisol flushes impact gestation and infancy.

Such selfishness.

Honestly, some you all cunts just hate men, not mens behaviour, just men. Its obvious he has an illness that she sought out, a People Pleaser so she coyld force her goals on him and emotionally berate him when he wants his own life.

Literally reading him fear her and her self victimising.

She has enough money to travel for three months, as she slips dick with other men, but needed another vulnerable man, like a Near-Baby.

Gross.

Shes the reason I LOVE and FEED on reminding my fellow Childless women not to feel bad for Single Mothers, because they are the happiest bunch of women on the planet, getting to be Patriarch, and doing less chores (because abusing the kids) and having more hobbies (because again abusing the kids) than Married Mothers.

Fucking splurges for weeks on a trip after she found out she wanted to gestate her Other Vulnerable Mans baby.

Drew loved Frankie more than Frankie loved Drew, and he certainly had more concern about Alani than Frankie did. Alani felt like a chore the moment she comes onto the page.

Meaning I hate her more.

I'm now opening my group chat of little Alani children, telling them that I love and support them, even if their parents love telling other people that they love and support them, than doing the loving and supporting.

At least I didn't have to read her determinedly cheat on him.

I loath her.

And if you blame him, I likely loath you too.

Alcohol makes sex harder.

She. Did. It. On. Purpose.

Anyway, I need a new affluent ableist, misogynistic author to hate-read, are all her FMC abusive like this?

I'm so used to hating the abusive MMC.

This might be fun.

[Shannon Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: This is a marriage in trouble book with OW drama. Spoilers/trigger warnings (if any) and final thoughts can be found below.

This story follows Frankie and Drew, who are married but struggling with connection and communication. Drew has been spending more time at work and out, leaving Frankie to feel neglected. They attend his companies Christmas party where she meets Carly, Drew’s colleague and source of discomfort for Frankie. After the party ends Frankie again voices her concerns and discomfort but they fall on deaf ears.

Time continues to pass with no real change happening in their marriage. Frankie, feeling frustrated, decides to take a job that requires her to travel. In the meantime, the MMC asks for a separation, stating that he knows that he is the problem in the relationship, and he feels that they just need some time apart to think things through.

Even though they have not talked a lot while separated, the FMC decides that she’s going to invite the MMC on this work trip, hoping they can connect again, but when she goes to talk to him, she finds that he is having lunch with the other woman, and later lies about It stating he had been out with his work colleagues, as in more than one person. That is the moment that Frankie realizes nothing is going to change.

Away on this work trip, the drama continues, and Frankie ends up connecting with someone she meets while on vacation. When she returns, the MMC expresses his interest to work on their marriage, but more lies and secrets end up getting revealed which make reconciliation seem like a distant possibility.

Ultimately, the couple are able to work through the betrayals and drama that hurt their marriage to come out stronger with a happily ever after.


⚠️SPOILERS/DETAILED TRIGGERS⚠️


*This book contains cheating. The MMC has an emotional affair with the OW. There is simply no way to sugarcoat this. There is also an almost physical cheating moment.
*Surprise pregnancy: The person that the FMC met while away, she ends up getting pregnant as a result of that one night stand.
🌶️: 1/5

Final thoughts: This was very good. The writing was amazing. It was probably one of the best marriage in trouble books that I have ever read. It did not skimp on the issues that caused the trouble, including so much other woman drama.

The author really gave the reader an opportunity to see how both characters were so deeply affected by each other‘s choices. Then ultimately, the work that needed to happen individually, as well as a couple in order for them to get their happily ever after.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters in this book as well. The main reason that I read this book was because of what others had said about the amount of other woman drama, and I will tell you that it did not disappoint and made my heart so freaking happy. But at the end of the day, the writing is absolutely outstanding and this is a book I definitely recommend.