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The Best Mistake

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No. No. No. Olivia didn’t have one-night stands. But she can fix it. All she has to do is sneak out undetected and forget the whole thing ever happened. Wrong. Luck is not on her side.
Derrick can’t believe it when he wakes up alone after the best night of his life. He’s supposed to be the one to slip away in the middle of the night. But Olivia wasn’t his typical pickup—she was different. Now she’s gone, and he has no idea if he’ll see her again. Lucky for him, she might be closer than he realizes.
Finding her is easy, convincing her that they should be a couple—not so much.

225 pages, ebook

First published December 17, 2014

2 people are currently reading
76 people want to read

About the author

Bethany Shaw

87 books305 followers
I am happily married to my husband of almost nine years and have two wonderful children.

I have always loved reading and writing and am thrilled to have published my first novel.

Paranormal romance is my go to genre and the genre I prefer to write in. I love the unique feel of creating an entirely different world and implementing it into the human verse.

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5 stars
33 (49%)
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23 (34%)
3 stars
8 (11%)
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2 (2%)
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1 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for Jennifer G..
438 reviews29 followers
April 24, 2015
Such a great book. Couldn't put it down. I enjoyed the characters, the plot, the emotions, and the ending of course being the best. I would love to read more about Olivia & Derrick, and Rachel & Marc. We need to know more about them when they have there baby, I am curious to see how much Derrick will love that baby.

Derrick and Olivia are PERFECT together. I just love them!!!!!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
412 reviews10 followers
October 24, 2015
A good coming of age story. The characters grew during the story and it was nice to see the development of the relationship over a few months and not just something that happens within days.

I enjoyed the story.

I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Liz Ellyn.
Author 3 books34 followers
Read
January 28, 2022
Need a feel-good book? This is a shorter romance book that hooked me from the beginning. It’s about a group in their mid to late twenties. The story line kept moving forward. Of course, the characters endure some bumps and bruises along the way in their relationships, but the author doesn’t string-out the reader for a hundred pages until that particular issue is resolved. This makes it a perfect read after a stressful day. Sometimes it is nice to have problems resolved quickly.

All the characters are real and relatable. They are all very self sufficient, but their stubborn to a fault. Their fears and challenges highlight typical issues of their age while easily keeping the reader’s attention. I didn’t want to put the book down.
Profile Image for Cynthia.
2,097 reviews22 followers
July 16, 2015
This was a cute read that is very emotional from the past to the present. Family can be a hard thing to deal with and if they are bullheaded or hurtful it can make things even harder. You have two families who either give no time or who are judgmental. The author gives you a romance but she also gives you a story of love, misunderstandings, hurt along with family pain. The story starts off with Olivia waking up in a stranger’s bed and how she deals with that which is on the funny side. From there she goes into both party’s feelings and them meeting again. She than takes you down a trip of ex’s touching bases with each other and the story goes on from there. I found it to be a very heartbreaking read which I found believable.

Olivia is a wonderful caring woman who just broke it off with her ex when she hooks up with a one nightstand. She slips away without having to face him only to come face to face and find out he is her roommate’s brother. We now have the ex coming back into the picture which makes this a very interesting read which has many misunderstandings. Olivia is a very strong independent woman who believes she should stand on her own two feet where Tyler thinks she should give it all up he thinks mostly about his self. Olivia wants to finish school start her own business she isn’t giving all this up for any man. This causes problems with her and her ex but is it enough to keep them apart or will Tyler give in? What to do about Derrick, should she give up Tyler and if so does she want Derrick?

Derrick does not do relationship but Olivia is something he can’t get out of his mind. Where is she how can he find her? He wasn’t too crazy waking up along in a cold bed when he just held the hottest women he has ever had in his arms. What a pleasure it was to find out she was his sister roommate. Oh but wait she was single but now she is back with her ex…..I liked Derrick he was a fun loving man with a past who lets it lead his life. He must overcome some issues and deal with his family before he can even think about starting a relationship.

The author gives a wonderful plot with tons of misunderstandings along with family issues. I thought it was a cute read but I did find my mind wondering from time to time. The author did always pull be back with some interesting reading. At times I thought it was a little to much information given while at other times not enough. I did find it a good read and loved the stories inside of stories. She gives you some very hot love scenes some interesting family scenes. Along with some great characters I loved the roommates and their issues. I would have liked to have seen how his father reacted to them after they had been together for a few years. I would have liked to have seen how her family dealt with them if they became tighter. It was a nice ending which could be lead into a series if the author would like. Sometimes mistakes aren’t really mistakes at all they give away to our future.

I do have other books by this author and plan to read more of her work which I found to be interesting. I am giving this a 3.5 start and rounding it up to a 4 star because the author does give a nice tale of family how they can hurt and love. She gave a lovely romance of misunderstanding and learning how to work it out.
Profile Image for Jordan.
821 reviews10 followers
November 7, 2015
I am completely excited to read more of Bethany Shaw's books after finishing this one! I thought it was great; a light, fun read with a happy ending. This is the kind of book that lifts your spirits and just puts a smile on your face. It is very realistic in an everyday sense. There aren't any huge thrills. Nobody is being stalked by a serial killer. Nobody's dog, cat, and 7 goldfish died. Nobody is suffering from a debilitating, life-threatening disease. Nobody's girlfriend is eaten by a dragon. And so on and so forth. This is not to say these things don't happen (okay, well, some of them), they just aren't as commonplace in the lives of most people. This story is about a rather ordinary couple (not to say they are boring, because they most certainly are not), great friends, and interesting family relationships. I'll admit, after Derrick stalks out of the hospital and then later when he lets Olivia leave his apartment after refusing to tell her about his past, I was worried that things were going to get painful. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. But it never did. They dealt with these obstacles like regular couples do before they could become even bigger problems. This book reminds us that there are happy endings in real life too, even if they aren't of the evil thwarting, world-saving sort. We don't need a huge glamorous romance or to go through a ton of struggles with someone to be happy with them and make a life together. People come together every day. Derrick and Olivia are two of those people. Things may not go this smoothly for many, true, but it shows an example of what appears to be a healthy relationship. This is the type of book (maybe excluding the sex scenes) a young girl should read and draw inspiration from. Derrick and Olivia respect and understand each other. They listen to one another and talk about things. When they hit rough patches, they worked through them. Olivia was not a meek, subservient female protagonist in the least (which there still appear to be far too many of these days). Derrick respects and loves her for who she is: her strengths, her abilities, her quirks, all of it. This is how it should be. This is the dream come true for so many of us out there. This book serves to renew hope that romance exists in reality. I am a huge proponent of any book that can make me laugh and feel happy and this one definitely hit the mark. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody looking for a light, quick read that is relatable and uplifting!
Profile Image for Lennie McDonald.
339 reviews5 followers
February 14, 2017
Hello

You have to read Bethany Shaw - never read one of hers that isn't a good read. While I don't prefer steamy romances The Best Mistake is so well written its impossible to put down. Hard not to laugh and cry at Olivia and Derrick at cross purposes but it does all work out. Family dynamics can spoil a relationship and I love how Bethany Shaw handles that aspect. How it works out is what make this a hard to put down book - her style reminds me of Nora Roberts another author I can't put down once I start to read her books.

Her other shifter books are a wonderful read and while a bit steamy for this senior they have wonderful plots full of things that could really happen.

You go author!

Lennie

Profile Image for Clare.
81 reviews6 followers
February 7, 2015
Book sent to The Booktique Blog in exchange for an honest review

When I first started reading this I wondered if it was going to be a 'just full of sex' novel. (Which of course, I like as much as the next person!) as it starts the morning after a one night stand.
What I didn't expect was a lovely story of falling in love, with a bit of drama and some funny banter too.

I really liked the main characters, and thought Rachel and Marc were fab too.
I'd love to see a book about Jace and his adventures as a flirt, I liked him immediately and found myself wanting to hear from him a lot more as the book went on.

This story has a HEA which makes this a great standalone book.
I really did enjoy this book, if you like a book filled with love, best friends, drama, unplanned pregnancies, and a happily ever after then this book is for you.

My only irk was the dual POV, I sometimes found it hard to know whose brain I was in occasionally, which meant backtracking at times to remember if I was reading it as Derrick or Olivia.

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Profile Image for Sue Zawisa.
334 reviews4 followers
June 30, 2015
Review for THE BEST MISTAKE
I received this as an ARC for an honest review

Can a one night stand really turn into a love match and a happily ever after kind of thing ??? That is the question this story asks. Olivia has just broken off with her longtime boyfriend when she is hit on by a guy that doesn’t want to take no for an answer. Derrick, a complete stranger to her, comes to her rescue acting like her significant other. Grateful for the save, they strike up a conversation and end up having dinner and just talking about everything. Being together is just very easy. But Olivia has second thoughts after their night together and can’t get away fast enough…not leaving a note or any contact info. Yet, they can’t seem to forget each other. Unknown to either of them, Derrick’s sister is Olivia’s roommate and best friend, and when the sister arranges a lunch date to help further her brother’s career, both of them are surprised but pleased to be brought back together. But they both have secrets and trust issues that make a relationship difficult and leave each of them questioning whether this is the right thing for them or not. Will these two come to a happy resolution or will secrets and past hurts keep them apart…not to mention meddling families ??
Profile Image for Brittany.
236 reviews31 followers
July 23, 2015
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

What would your reaction be if you woke up in a near stranger's bed, unclothed, and foggy memories are all you remember? Weeellll, Olivia found herself to be in this situation after a break up with her long-time boyfriend. All Olivia wanted to do was forget that night with the sexy and pleasing man named Derrick. However, fate will have none of that! Pretty soon Olivia and Derrick are brought together again. Olivia considers that fateful night to be a mistake because she's back with Tyler, the long-time boyfriend. Derrick can't stop thinking about that night, no matter what, and he wants Olivia for himself. Will these two let fate takeover, or will they continue to suppress their feelings for each other? When painful pasts come at the worst time can they trust in each other? This book was an extremely good read!! It had everything I was looking for in a book! Now if Derrick could cross the barriers of the pages, that would be great!! This book had the right mix of steam and tension and a few laughs. I highly recommend this book to those who are even slightly interested!
572 reviews6 followers
December 22, 2014
After three years of dating childhood friends Olivia and Tyler breakup and she has an one night stand with a stranger she meets in a bar. After leaving him in his hotel room she goes home and tries to forget him and gets back with her ex. When her roommate and best friend introduces her to her " one night stand" Derrick as her brother Olivia is floored. Derrick was happy to see her again and wants to start seeing her, but Olivia is back her ex but can't seem to get Ferrick out of her mind. After Olivia leaves Tyler for the last time her and Derrick begin to date until something goes wrong. This story does have a HEA, but even though there are two guys fighting for Olivia it is really not a love triangle. This book is different from any other book the author has written but it is just as good if not better. I did like that the h in the story didn't just forgive the H when he apologized but made him work for it, but she didn't make him beg too long either.

I received a copy of this book for a honest review..
23 reviews1 follower
July 10, 2015
Meet Olivia...College student who struggles with two paths her life could take.

Meet Derrick...Connected to Olivia during their one night stand, He strives to do all he can to make Olivia his.

"Sleeping with you that first night was a mistake. The best mistake I ever made."- Olivia to Derrick

Ahhh....this book. The plot here was completely believable and swoon worthy. Derrick actually took on the role of how a heroine would typically react and I loved it! Both Olivia and Derrick had an insta-connection with each other that left Olivia torn between being with Derrick and walking away from a long term relationship, or letting Derrick go and heading towards a future she isn't sure she wants. The family dynamic was well written. I love stories that contain enough humor to make me smile while reading and The Best Mistake was one of those. Ending was a HEA times two as it showed a glimpse into their future after the fact. I would have loved to have read another little snippet after another year. Can't wait to read more!
Profile Image for Cindy Caron.
1,387 reviews4 followers
June 26, 2015
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
After reading the synopsis for this book, I was intrigued as to what direction the author would take the story. Well, I have to say that I was pleasantly taken on a tale that will have you riding the emotional roller coaster, as it gently glides around each bend, bringing the reader to new heights as it progresses. Ms. Shaw has given her characters depth, showing past hurts, the road to recovery, and new beginnings filled with love of family and friends.
Olivia and Derrick both have obstacles to tackle, even if some of them are not what they think. As we follow them, we also trail Rachel and Marc, who are running their own obstacle course. With the interference of estranged family, both couples gain strength, pulling them towards their futures and allowing them to heal together.
If you are looking for a great love story, then this is a book for you. I loved it.
Profile Image for Kim.
352 reviews5 followers
July 6, 2015
Sweet, captivating, funny and sexy is the best words that describe "The Best Mistake". I fell in love with the characters. Olivia, Derrick, Jace and Rachel are wonderful. Once I started this book I just could not put it down. Bethany Shaw does a great job of drawing you into this story and making you love the little twists and turns that the characters have to deal with. She does an excellent job of dealing with the "I love him but, I am not in love with him" issue that some people have to deal with. There is lots of family drama that Derrick, Jace and Rachel have to work through. Olivia and Derrick most definately have sparks and chemistry can they deal with their past and enjoy each other? I think if you like love stories this is a definate must read...hope you enjoy it like I did!
Profile Image for JB.
2,181 reviews8 followers
July 1, 2015
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Derrick and Olivia have a one night stand. Olivia is just coming off a long term relationship and Derrick is used to picking up girls all the time. Olivia wakes up the next morning and sneaks off thinking she made a mistake and goes back to her boyfriend. THEN, their small world gets much smaller. Olivia's roommate introduces her to her brother, Derrick. Some high-jinks transpire, Derrick's family decides to put the "fun" back into dysfunctional. Derrick tells Olivia he loves her. "I'm open to whatever you want sweetheart. As long as it means I get to spend forever with you." Great story! Complex characters and realizing that some times, the best mistakes are the ones worth sticking around for. Enjoy!
Profile Image for Sheryl.
2,030 reviews22 followers
July 17, 2015
I was given a complimentary copy for an honest review by author Bethany Shaw.

Olivia is in college getting a degree and in a not so loving relationship. When she wakes up with a stranger she just wants to forget but karma seems to keep putting that man in her way. Derrick was getting settled into his new place when he met his sister for lunch but when he seen Olivia, he remembered the night they had together. When things start to get in their way for happiness Derrick and Olivia find they have to struggle to stay together.

The author wrote such compelling characters in this book and their interaction with each other was great. The story flow was smooth as silk and such a pleasure to read.

This is for any romance book lover.
Profile Image for Donna Hokanson.
1,694 reviews35 followers
December 22, 2014
Fate, Love can be found in strange ways
Olivia had a bad day, breaking up with her boyfriend of 3 plus years. Wakes up the next morning in a stranger’s bed. Skips out of him and then get back with said boyfriend. But her one night stranger turns out to be her roommate’s brother. And the chemistries there between them unlike between her and her boyfriend. This is a wonderful story that speaks of loving someone and being in love with someone. There is a difference. But the roads to true love is not an easy one and there are several twists and turns throughout the story. Well written and fast paced. Highly recommend.
Profile Image for Sher.
284 reviews
December 22, 2014
After a break up with her long term boyfriend Tyler, Olivia has a quick one night stand with Derrick...Little does she know Derrick is the brother of her college roommate Rachel..When they meet again through Rachel, they have to try to make her believe its their first meeting..The sparks begin to fly, and they realize they are meant to be together..it is a good love story, with lots of back ground stories as well.
It is a good quick read and I did enjoy it.. However her Werewolf series is more to my liking..
Recieved as a gift in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Sandra Love.
Author 11 books276 followers
January 15, 2015
I received a copy from the author!
Overall Rating **** ½ Stars.
I really did enjoy this book, it was really fast paced and interesting. I have read other books from Bethany, but I think this one is my favorite. I love Derrick he is definitely swoon-worthy Material. Tyler not so much, I really didn’t care for him and I was so glad when Olivia called it quits with him. I thought he was an controlling son of a gun. Olivia is a strong female character, and I am glad that she “ran” into Derrick. I would recommend this book, you won’t be disappointed. Great job
Profile Image for Hannah Wooly.
149 reviews3 followers
July 3, 2015
A captivating and uplifting read :)
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story, from start to finish I was engrossed in the storyline, routing for various characters and judging others. It is a heart warming story that shows real relationship ups and downs, from multiple perspectives. The dynamics of all the various relationships was fascinating and left me invested and captivated by these characters and their stories. This story left me wanting to read more of the authors work and I would definitely recommend this standalone novel :)
Profile Image for Nicole.
4,259 reviews53 followers
January 4, 2015
I really enjoyed this one. Olivia doesn't do one night stands, but when life it tearing you down especially in love department some hot fun is called for. In the light of day it's a different story so Olivia sneaks out anticipating never to see Derrick again, but fate has other ideas. Go on the journey as Derrick tries convince Olivia they have something special. I recommend you give this on a read you won't be disappointed.
277 reviews4 followers
June 28, 2015
A fairy tale come true.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a great story. Olivia and Derrick are such a great couple. They bring out the best in each other.

Although there is switching between POVs mid story, it isn't hard to follow. I would love to read more about them even if just a short story to see what happens in the future. I love them that much.

Overall I loved the book and would love to read more by the author.
Profile Image for Zeinab Dh.
1,635 reviews38 followers
June 29, 2015
I got this book in exchange of an honest review, I like dhow the meet, it was nice how they end up together in bed and she goes all ghost on him while he goes looking for her and fate puts them together when she ends up being his sister roommate and then the action starts how he has to fight for her with her prick ex and everthing else I liked the end was charming and cant wait to read more from Bethany
Profile Image for Teri.
3,918 reviews37 followers
July 4, 2015
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I actually enjoyed the book and the concept was well written and developed. After being in a relationship that goes south you go out an have a one night stand. Not a new concept but it was well written and it was nice to see the main character standing up for her independence and not taking the easy way out. It was a refreshing enjoyable read. Glad I got the chance to read what was a new writer for me.
Profile Image for Jo Smith.
695 reviews4 followers
June 3, 2016
I loved this story. It's a full bodied romance. Chance encounter that cupid decided was fate and the strangers had a person in common. Olivia is just the loveliest without being weak or lame, Derrick was damaged but with Olivia' s help starts to overcome his past. His family - well they are something else. Sexy bits are sexy & loving, but some great moments from both the main two character's but also lookout for Jace! He was brilliantly written. A great story - highly recommend
Profile Image for Missy Noecker.
203 reviews11 followers
July 17, 2016
I received a free copy from the author through instaFreebie in exchange for my honest review. I loved this story! It shows that everything happens for a reason and that Olivia's mistake happened to be the best mistake she could have made at that time in her life. I loved the ending but I also kind of wanted to read more of their story.
Profile Image for Kelly Yekel.
717 reviews2 followers
October 8, 2016
CUTE!

Derek and Olivia are such a cute couple, even though they started as a one time thing. It's funny how chemistry draws two people together, then add in the attraction and come up with a good couple meant to be together. Happy Endings are are great! Go for it, it won't be regretted!
Profile Image for Jenn Allen.
3,253 reviews46 followers
July 14, 2015
I was given a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this story of Derrick and Olivia! Their connection is there from the start and you are rooting for them. I enjoyed how we had snippets of other characters and what was going on in their lives as well. It's a must read!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews

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