For many years, Kreed Dolla was the heart of his family and the field’s best. The Demon’s star running back had fame, wealth, and a supportive wife. However, an affair, a careless mistake outside the game, destroyed everything. Heartbroken and betrayed, Masai left, taking the kids and seeking a divorce.
Masai is finally achieving balance again. She’s back on the market, and things are looking good for her. Though she seems happy, something is lacking. That something is Dolla, the history, passion, and love endured. Co-parenting, finding closure, and gaining clarity make old feelings resurface stronger and more complicated.
For Dolla, Masai’s place in his heart is constant. Having found a way to reconnect with her, he is now dedicated to winning her heart again, not only as the mother of his children, but as the woman he vowed to love forever.
Still, love has its conditions, and forgiving can be tough. Will they find their way into the end zone, or will the clock run out, sending their feelings Out of Bounds?
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name
Good writing, interesting themes but there was just a lack of connection for me to this story. I felt bad for Masai but it wasn’t heartbreaking devastating pain like I’ve felt for other characters. I guess we’re supposed to assume he may have been drugged but we never got a definite answer, even with that it still felt like he was dodging accountability. As a grown man who’s been in the game all these years you should know how to go out and have fun without overdoing it. I believe it said he was 42 so you telling me you out getting wasted at 42 so much so you have drunk bathroom sex????? Sorry I needed maturity from them both. We barely got to see Masai at work or really feel how she was feeling about her return like one court room scene would’ve ate. Just something to anchor us to Masai and her “new” life.
I could’ve done without Jream & Jrue unless we get their book again to follow this up, I didn’t understand why they were included. Overall it was one of my better reads this week but it felt like a poorly executed version of this specific trope. While no idea is truly unique so some themes may overlap this one just didn’t pack the emotional punch of most life after cheating trope especially with married couples. Simply because we’re a few books in with this particular couple being featured but none of the previous books have enough to really have you caring for either character. I left this story with a lot of questions especially because the epilogue didn’t tie any thing up nicely for me. Also why are you having unprotected sex anyone fresh off a divorce? Especially if the marriage ended because of infidelity??
4.5✨Anyone who knows my reading tastes, knows how much I love a marriage in distress trope - and Unique delivered with Out of Bounds! I seriously ate this story up in record speed. It is about a couple who looks perfect on page; they have been married for 14 years, they have 5 adorable kids, the house and all the bells and whistles. Kreed Dolla is a running back for the Atlanta Demons and Masai is the perfect partner. But their perfect picture family falls apart when an unexpected surprise comes along. Kreed Dolla had been a bad boy; a lapse in judgment caused him to lose it all. It was raw, realistic, and things can get sticky when kids are involved and Unique demonstrated that precisely.
One thing I will always advocate for, is to make that man beg! Hit him where it hurts, mkay! Masai surprised me in how she handled Kreed! My good sister was mature about things but she definitely leveled up, and Kreed was sick! 👏🏾I kept trying to figure out if the couple would reconcile or coparent and I think in the end, I was satisfied with their decision. Unique threw a few curveballs at me but I digress. 🤭This was another great addition to the Atlanta Demons series!
Whew, y’all, hang in there with me while I review and rate this story…
I’m not a fan of the cheating trope, but honestly that’s not even what makes this one hard to rate. It’s the story itself that gives me pause. Kreed and Masai have always been a favorite couple in the series, and I loved that Unique allowed them to be human instead of perfect. Because let’s be real.. whether in real life or in these fiction streets.. shit happens. And in this story, a lot happens.
Masai’s pain in the beginning.. when she learned her life wasn’t what it seemed.. was raw. I felt it. Her vulnerability, her disappointment… it all came through. She handled the situation the best way she could, leaning into what worked for her and her needs.
I also felt for Kreed.. his remorse, his devastation, his loss. At no point did I feel like he was just trying to move on and ignore the damage. His pain was evident, and I felt that too.
But there were things in this story that left me confused and frustrated.
Without spoiling too much, there’s suggested foul play by Ashton that is never fully explored. If what’s implied is true, then Kreed was a SA victim.. and that is never addressed. Kreed didn’t actively seek to hurt anyone he loved. He wasn’t unhappy in his marriage. He wasn’t even in the right state of mind to make the choices that ultimately ended his marriage. Yet, none of this is unpacked. He doesn’t admit it to himself, and as readers we’re not invited to sit in that truth with him. His actions after were definitely selfish, but I think that storyline deserved more care.
And Masai… girl. You have five kids. You’re educated. You’re a badass. And somehow, you forgot how babies are made?? Someone else mentioned that if they had known how the story was going to end, they would’ve DNF’d it.. and I have to agree. Masai’s character development was so strong, but that ending erased all of her growth. It made it impossible to root for her because… what?!
Side note: Jream, baby, you are still milly rocking on my nerves, boo.
The story had me on my toes and all the hope that Kreed and Masai would be alright after he mistreated his wife unintentionally. I think Ashton drugged him, even though the author never addresses that issue. Overall, the story was good.
The entire book bounced back and forth between 3 and 4 stars. It was something about the pace or transitions that didn't balance out. I felt the emotions of Sai finding out, but that was it. The rest seemed like one moment she was sad, the next she had a boyfriend. One second Kreed vowed to fight and not sign. The next they were pulling up to finalize everything.
Also, why hint at foul play by Ashton, but not make anything of it.
RIGHT before the final twist I'd decided on rounding up since it really felt like 3.75 - however, the final twist would have caused me to dnf had it not been at 98%.
That pushed me on over into the realm of "dis tew murch." 😲😩😳😵🙄😒
Out of Bounds had my chest hurting and tears rolling down my face at early hours in the morning. Let me tell you— the Dolla family took us up and through it until the very last page. Coming into this I just knew that Kreed would be bones to me at the end of this story but his crying, staying in the house, feeling sick etc. did it for me. Ha suffer!
And babyyyy Masai had my mouth wide open at the end. What is going on here!?!?
Although this just came out I’ll be the one to say it; I can’t wait for an update on the Dolla family.
This is the first book I have read by this author and it was entertaining. I am a sucker for a second chance trope so this storyline was right up my alley and what attracted me to the book.
The story follows married couple, Masai and Kreed Dolla, and their picture perfect family with five kids. That perfect illusion gets shattered due to betrayal committed by Kreed and Masai is left with some difficult decisions to make about their future as a family.
Listen, I clearly enjoyed this book because I finished it in less than 10 hours. However, the ending had me stuck on “WTF”! 🥴 For Masai to supposedly be so smart, she made a dumb decision. And at her big age… 🤦🏽♀️. I’m trying not to give away a spoiler so I won’t say what she did, but you’ll know it when you read it. The bomb that is dropped is just… messy… in an already messy situation. Chiiiile. The kids are gonna be so confused.
Anyhoo, while I did feel a little connection to the Dolla family characters, I didn’t feel enough to evoke emotions within me while reading about Masai or Kreed’s heartbreaking moments. Maybe there wasn’t enough character development. Or maybe there wasn’t enough story development about their “perfect” marriage before 💩 hit the fan. Whatever the reason(s), the emotional connection with the characters didn’t land for me.🤷🏽♀️
A few other things I took issue with in this story was the insinuation that some form of foul play may have been involved in what resulted in Kreed’s betrayal. But this was never fleshed out and as a reader, I felt like I was left with more questions. The epilogue also fell flat for me. I really didn’t feel like Masai and Kreed’s story was buttoned up well in the epilogue and again, I was still left with questions. But the story did show there is life after betrayal and how healing can repair even the most broken relationship if both parties are open and willing to do the hard work to heal.
On this storyline a few months after it's publication gave me an advantage of knowing there was more story to tell. This elevated a 3.75 read to 4 stars because I gained more insight into the authors direction and end game. Since I started this series, I was impatiently anticipating Kreed and Masai's book! And once I made it here, their journey had me fully invested emotionally! I felt for Masai, Kreed and the kids! But at the end of the day, we all have to deal with the consequences of our actions.
We ain't done yet, so because I now know this, the phrase "keep reading" applies full stop for this series and garnered a better rating for this installment! I have never shied away from the writing trope tackled in this storyline. Kudos go out to the author for having the courage to take it on. I'm hoping the best is yet to come. But discovering this NTMA has been a reading pleasure thus far! Bring on more Krue, Dream, Deuce, Koya, Kreed and Masai!
First off, those little updates with Jrue and Jream… yeah, I’m not feeling how she’s doing him at all. You can tell he’s really trying, but she doesn’t even want the same things he does just stringing that man along. Now Kreed? He thought he was giving Sai space, but honestly, he wasn’t. Being around her constantly just pushed her to take him back before she was ready. And let’s talk about the cheating situation some things you might come back from, but outside babies? Yeah, that’s a hard no for me, dawg! I don’t care who, what, when, where, or how it’s always gonna be a no. Having her end up pregnant by someone else completely threw me off too. And I’m sorry, but I really believe Kreed’s baby mama drugged him. Masai was so used to being in a relationship that she never gave herself the space to heal or truly thrive on her own.
Look, I know these are not real people but the way they had me in my emotions. Masai and Dolla are couple goals so having to go through the weeds with them was a lot, but in the best way. The emotions popped off the page and I felt every single one of them. I didn’t know where we going to end up but I am VERY pleased with the outcome. If you are wondering if you should read this or not, let me tell you…you should!
Fabulous, perfect read. Although the subject matter was gut-wrenching, the story was so well told that it was impossible to put it down. Trust me, I should have been in the bed 3 hours ago, but here I am staying up late to finish it up. At one point, I was pulling for reconnection, and another time, I was pulling for her to move on - so I guess kinda like real life - we adjust, change, and pivot. I absolutely LOVED the ending, though---- PERFECT!
Listen Linda…… you know you have ran my blood pressure up, and I am out of pills. I need $6.36 since from you because know I have to refill my prescription. You did an amazing job with this book. As I was reading it’s like I was sitting in the rooms with them experiencing every emotion,conversation, and life event with. When I say the tables turned them babies flipped over. Well done!👍🏾
I love Kreed and Masai so much as a couple in the first two books. I hated this for them. i knew that heffa Ashton was up to something.... but i guess it all worked out in the end.... i still didn't want this for them, lol, but it still was a good book
Listen. The tears I cried during this entire book. I can never get them back and I don’t want them. I almost didn’t think I could finish I was so distraught.
But once again Unique does what she does and makes it right. This was so good. It was everything and more that we’ve waited on.
Ok this book was mad crazy and emotional and I hated that for both Kreed and Masai but that ending was fucked up and I still can’t wrap my head around it… I’m not sure I even want to finish Jrue and Jreams story because I feel like they gone break up my only hope for HEA was Deuce and Koya but every book definitely isn’t fairytale
Unique definitely did her big one with Kreed and Masai! Baby, this book is so messy, I read it in 2.5 hours because my GOD! I won’t spoil it for anyone but if you enjoy to the Atlanta Demons as much as I do, you will want to read this book!
Kreed & Masai! What a love story! Everything wasn't peachy! Things hurt in marriage and sometimes divorce. Kids and baby mama drama, this wasn't a typical HEA. But it was a real adult life story. Two people surviving the damage of infidelity!
Why did this book have me feeling like this! I feel like Dolla and Masai are my family frfr. The emotions I felt about these two characters. Glad they found the way back I think!!! I’m going to reread and really sit with it.
I cried through the entire book, this was a powerful book about love a marriage and the twist turns and complications. Even though I would’ve choose a different ending, I still enjoyed the book.
How could you do it! That was my first reaction. I was so proud of Masai being strong and not letting him off the hook, but at times I really felt Kreed’s pain. WTH was ole girl thinking? He handled her perfectly. The end was kinda weird but I guess things happen.
See this one right here was a little bit too close to home…I really felt Masai pain and also Kreed… I’m happy they got their 2nd time around Happily Ever After
I liked the book but I don’t like how the books be ending 🤦🏾♀️. It doesn’t go in to detail or have a final meaning to the plot … but over all it was a good book
Kreed continually calling this a mistake is pissing me off. He knew exactly what he was doing. And did it more than once. My heart is breaking for Masai.
To make matters worse, he was the same ones preaching to deuce and Jrue, not heeding his own words.
Not the “I was drunk excuse”. So if it was only once where all the messages come from. You telling Ashton manufactured all that and he just lets Masai believe it.
Damn Masai momma got a big ass mouth while she sharing her daughter’s personal business with church folk
That was dumb to have him come back, bc when he has to leave again the kids will be back at square one
I love that Koya is helping Masai face the reality of things should she decide to forgive Kreed.
I knew Maddie Claire was not gonna be having it once the introductions were made.
Aww the girls huddled together made me sad. I’m glad they were trying to find comfort in each other
Oh Kreed pissing me off by refusing to sign the divorce papers unless Masai quits her job. Like he’s not away from the kids himself. Being selfish once again.
So was Kreed slipped a Mickey? Bc his version of events sound unbelievable. And unless he was drugged it makes no sense at all.
Wow Kreed handled that conversation with Sai at the hotel very maturely. And compassionately. I’m gaining my respect back for him slowly
Aww Lamar is so sweet and understanding.
Damn this so juicy. Masai need to keep this pregnancy but the family dynamics is even more messy.
This was a story. I didn’t want it to end. Part of me hopes we get more. Of course I love the rest of the crew. Wonder if we will get Jrue and Jream bc she’s on her way to be broken up with due to neglect and not wanting the same things he wants in the future and I’m here for it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.