Happily Ever After Isn't Easy

by Jake C. Wallace

How do you start a new life when your old one won't let go? 


Freed from a marriage he entered because he feared coming out to his judgmental family, Gabe Reynolds feels his life is just starting—at forty-three. But what was supposed to be exciting and wonderful has been nothing but disappointing. The man he's loved since they were teens broke his heart—again. Gabe has no clue how to meet men who are looking for more than one night, much less date them. Add to that his job as a mental health counselor, helping to keep his mentally ill ex-wife stable, and caring for children that belong to another man, and he has little time to look for Mr. Right. 


Just as Gabe is giving up, Brandt Sawyer, with his hard body and gorgeous eyes, crashes into Gabe's life. Brandt pushes all Gabe's buttons—though he could do without the younger man's know-it-all attitude. Gabe never thought he could be so torn between wanting to punch a man and wanting to kiss him. Yet, as he gets to know Brandt, Gabe sees past the military-programmed ex-soldier and catches a glimpse of what could be his happily ever after. 


But with a troubled ex and young children involved, Gabe can't just walk away from his past. Guilt is tearing him in every direction—maybe even away from the man he's falling in love with.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Military Fiction, Romance, Childrens

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 8, 2017

About the author

Jake C. Wallace (JC) started writing from a young age, but took a break for marriage, kids, and college (in that order). He started writing again and publishing three years ago. At night and on the weekends, Jake writes about all things men, believing there is nothing hotter than two men finding and loving one another, whether for a night or forever. An avid reader of M/M romance, Jake loves a good twist of a plot, HEA, HFN, or tragic ending. He also writes what his bestie calls HUNK (Happy Until the Next Kidnapping). In his daytime hours, Jake works with individuals with autism and behavior problems. He is owned by a beautiful partner, three kids, two grandchildren. He lives in the beautiful Northern VT.

Reviews

[Line]

The sample did not hold my interest. The writing didn't really work for me, and Brandt (??) was a DOUCHE of the highest order. I did not get why a professional counselor with just some sort of professional pride would be attracted to someone who was just so WRONG, and not interested in the children's best at all.

[Cee Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

¸.•*¨)☆♡¸.•*´¨)☆♡¸.•*´¨)☆♡
♡☆(¸.•´ Cinderfella found his Prince Charming.

I don't know why I chose this story, as the title threw me for a loop, the plot directed me to a WTF moment and I almost DNF.

However, being the person I am I persevered and trudged on and gained a better understanding of Gabe's plight and his wholeheartedness and unwillingness to do wrong by the ex wife who cheated on him, had kids on him with another man, and whose mental illness made him so guilty.

And then there was Brandt. Ex military, sexy, tear worthy and totally into Gabe. "Try instant attraction. And that threw me. I went right into hardass mode to stop myself from making a fool out of myself." Brandt was boyfriend material, and though he was hard-arsed at first, he made up for it with his gentle quality and his total attraction to Gabe.

Happily ever after might not be easy, and there were no guarantees, but Gabe would take what he had over that any day.

This story explored loving and caring for someone with mental health issues and learning to pull away no matter how hard. It showed that no matter the issues, love truly did conquer all. Do I regret almost DNFing this book? Yes, because in the end, it was the quality and not the quantity that mattered. Gabe found the love he seeked; Brandt learned to let go and accept that being whole was sometimes not possible without someone guiding the way and through pain and suffering, we each had to learn to let go and allow others to find their way. No matter the end result.

I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from Dreamspinner Press
Reviewed by Cee from Alpha Book Club

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*

Happily Ever After Isn't Easy is told from Gabe Reynolds' POV. Gabe is a man in his forties, who is starting life all over. Gabe is a mental health therapist, which honestly took me by surprise when I was found out. He's very down, sad, gloomy, and made me think of Eeyore when first introduced to him. Gabe was afraid to come out of the closet as a teenager and when he got to college latched on to the first woman to show any interest in him. They married and lived a life more as roommates than a couple. After twenty years of marriage, his wife ended up pregnant by another man and Gabe found himself finally able to admit that he was gay and started living his life. Only his life isn't turning out to be all love and happily ever after, plus he's still taking care of his mentally ill ex-wife. He's finally decided he's never going to find love, and he might as well just do his job, help his ex-wife and love her kids since he'll never have his own family. Until the day one of his high school clients is in his office because of issues with a substitute gym teacher, and Gabe goes to confront him.

Brandt Sawyer is a military man through every part of his being. He has no interest in softening his stance for anyone and has the mindset that the students, and Gabe, should "man-up" and toughen up. But, as unbending as Brandt appears to be, he does have the best interest of the kids he teaches and is willing to listen to others. Because we didn't get Brandt's POV, it's hard to really know his character like you do Gabe's. But, Brandt is the complete opposite of Gabe and able to help him move on from his gloom and doom mindset. Brandt is understanding with Gabe's relationship with his ex-wife and is willing to hang out and play with the kids. Brandt and Gabe do have the desire of having a family in common. Both men are looking to settle down and once they open up to each other about that, it helps move toward a common goal.

I struggled to like Gabe's character. Sure, he was a good guy but it really came across as martyrdom instead of just being a nice guy that lets people walk all over him. He was at his ex-wife's beck and call. He took care of the children she had from cheating on him. He reminded her to take her medicine. He talked to her therapist. He talked to her current husband when things got bad. I didn't understand why he continued to guilt himself over their failed marriage. I didn't feel like he was emotionally in a place to be in a relationship until he got himself and his life together. Heck, at many times I thought he should consider seeking a therapist himself to help him through his emotions. That is not what happened, but after a tragedy, he and Brandt did find their HEA. I did like that this story was about two adult males, not kids in their 20's.

Rating: 3.5 stars

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4 stars

The latest release by author Jake C. Wallace has left me a wee bit wrung out in many good ways. Happily Ever After Isn’t Easy isn’t an easy romance to read, mostly due to Gabe’s ex-wife and her immensely difficult emotional/mental illness. What saves this story from becoming too maudlin or heavy is a few things. The first is Brandt Sawyer and his way with the children Gabe’s ex has with her second husband and second is the way in which the relationship between these two guys blossoms over time. This novel does not flinch from spelling out just how insidious a mental illness is when it comes to creating havoc and leaching the energy from those who are along the sidelines trying to care for the person caught it it’s grip. However, the book also doesn’t shy away from recognizing that no matter how much we love someone, we cannot live their life or make their illness vanish. This is a hard learned lesson for Gabe, despite the fact that he is a mental health counselor and should have seemingly understood that all along.

Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.

[Tristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5~4/5

It was sweet.

[Lelyana's Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot to say. About relationships, acceptance, forgiveness, kids, hope and desperation.
It's quite a long book but even it started slow in the beginning, I enjoyed Gabe's journey to find his happily ever after.
It's an enemy to lover story, not so much of an enemy actually. It was just a different perception about how to 'communicate' with kids with Brandt.
They're quite good in communication those two. And good with kids on their own way.
When the attraction between the two guys became clear there's an ex (exes) problems.
Some misunderstanding happened, of course, but they solved it without too much drama added.
Oh and the sex between Gabe and Brandt is hot (grins), we're all need this anyway.
Overall, this one is a good read, thoughtful and promising.
Recommended.

*ARC provided by Dreamspinner Press for a fair and unbiased review.*

[The Novel Approach · Rating 4 out of 5]

In reading the blurb for this book, my thought was that the book would have a sort of serious and even maudlin tone. On this point I was correct. Yet, the description of these two men had me curious, asking, “Just what will this author do to bring these two mens’ lives together?” After reading the book, I found myself very satisfied on that front.

The most compelling aspect of this book, for me, was the development of the two protagonists. Both Gabe and Brandt are deep. They both have history that has hampered them from living a full and happy life. Are their lives horrible? No. They are like any other two people who have allowed fear, honor, commitment, and a slew of other things to dictate the path of their lives. They have fallen into the trap of “where has all the time gone?” as years pass them by. Lost years they can never get back. But, no one ever said happiness was something that starts at birth and steadily flows toward you for the rest of your life. No, the message here seems to be that finding happiness is more about choosing to be happy. When doing that, some choices are hard…heartbreaking even. And for this element of the story, I was very pleased.

By far my favorite scenes were the ones where we got to see Gabe with the twin toddlers, Mikey and Maddy. He adores them, even though the kids are the product of his wife’s affair with another man. Yet Gabe’s love for these two bundles of energy is his most lovable quality and made me want him to find his happily ever after.

Brandt was someone I thought I’d hate when I first met him, and I found myself resistant to accepting him, at first, but that resistance was short-lived. Brandt, for all his macho ex-military bravado, is really a sweet and gentle man who lives with honesty and integrity. Sure, he’s a stubborn guy and can be a pain in the ass, but Gabe is a bit cerebral and over-thinks things. They kind of reminded me of bulls knocking horns together, each headstrong. Yet, they manage to understand each other and to navigate toward one another in a smooth way.

Many heavy issues were covered in the book, primarily the devastating effects of bipolar disorder. I don’t know whether the author has known of someone with the condition, but he certainly seems to know a lot about what it is like to live with (or to support someone living with) the disorder. In addition, he tackles the issues of abuse (physical and emotional) as well as coming out, family acceptance, and even death.

This was one of those book that grew on me slowly. At the beginning I was like, “Geez, this guy is beating himself up.” That continued for a while, and little moments of that insecurity and self-deprecation showed up right until the final stretch. There were certain platitudes about life that occurred throughout as well. Things like making one’s own happiness, or realizing that the right choice can often be the harder choice to make. In these moments, I kind of felt like the story took an aside, and we got a little speech in the form of Gabe’s internal thinking. I would have preferred those platitudes to have been woven into the action as part of the story as opposed to being presented as ideals through reflective thinking. It fell adjacent to the category of telling instead of showing, but never quite crossed the line. Ultimately, the story was at the center.

The sex was more emotional than physical, although there was one scene that was incredibly kinky and hot. But the sex, like everything else in the book, evolved in a natural way, paced in a manner that suggests balance with other aspects of the relationship, as well as maintaining focus on other aspects of their lives as well (work, family, and such).

So, in recommending the book, I found that it was more of a slow-paced evolution as opposed to a roller-coaster of action. If that’s the kind of book you like to read, then you would definitely enjoy this book.

Reviewed by Taz for The Novel Approach

[Sammy Goode · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happily Ever After Isn’t Easy isn’t an easy romance to read mostly due to Gabe’s ex-wife and her immensely difficult emotional/mental illness. What saves this story from becoming too maudlin or heavy is a few things—first, Brandt Sawyer and his way with the children Gabe’s ex has with her second husband and secondly the way in which the relationship between these two guys blossoms over time. This novel does not flinch from spelling out just how insidious a mental illness is when it comes to creating havoc and leaching the energy from those who are along the sidelines trying to care for the person caught it it’s grip. However, the book also doesn’t shy away from recognizing that no matter how much we love someone we cannot live their life or make their illness vanish—this is a hard learned lesson for Gabe despite the fact that he is a mental health counselor and should have seemingly understood that all along.

The novel picks up a few years after he has divorced having lived a lie for so long. His ex had cheated on him for many reasons not the least of which was that she and Gabe could not get pregnant despite both of them wanting children. Now Gabe is not just her emotional crutch and babysitter but also the one she turns to when she is spiraling out of control and life is threatening to overwhelm her. Suffice it to say that Gabe’s need to save his ex over and over has not done great things for her second marriage or, for that matter, his own love life. Exhausted from his own job counseling troubled teens in an understaffed counseling center and for shouldering the guilt he feels every time he must pick up his ex when she falters, Gabe is also absolutely emotionally devastated when the man he has loved since he was in high school dumps him not once but twice. Poor Gabe is a mess and when he is called to the high school to help one of his clients, he is ill prepared to meet the substitute gym teacher/drill sergeant, Brandt Sawyer. Despite being physically appealing on sight, Gabe is sure that Brandt is not your gay friendly kind of guy and has a stick up his you know where; in other words, instant attraction followed by definite loathing. Gabe quickly finds out just how wrong he is about Brandt but nothing is really very easy in life and sometimes love is a very slippery slope which Gabe and Brandt will soon find out.

There were so many good things about this novel that the smaller issues I had with it seemed to quickly dissipate. For instance, while the story is told from Gabe’s point of view, I really felt the author capitalized on every opportunity to further develop both characters—allowing us to deeply understand what made these guys tick and where the stumbling blocks to their relationship were going to surface. While there was pretty intense lusting after each other from the get go, the deeper connections they needed to make a go of being a couple were developed gradually, allowing us to see the bond between the two men strengthen and grow. This novel was a lovely study in how two men gradually become entwined in each other’s lives and strive to work out differences rather than just walking away when things get rough.

While I wasn’t a huge fan of how Gabe chose to cut himself away from his ex late in the story, I also understand the need to do so. However, with him being a mental health counselor, I found myself rather mystified that Gabe chose to insert himself so forcefully into his ex’s life and couldn’t see the damage he was doing to her new marriage. I felt for such a smart man, Gabe really stumbled when it came to his ex and the blind spot he had was just a bit too big for me to fully believe in it. But again, this was a minor irritation—and the overall story really swept me up in a very good way, keeping any annoyance at this secondary plot point at bay.

[Natosha Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a heartbreakingly sad story in some ways and in another way a new way of life and love in another.

Jake C Wallace did such a spectacular job on his book. It is not an easy read because it is a sad reality that so many people have to deal with. Mental illness is such a touchy subject with a lot of people because there is so much negative publicity surrounding the subject in today's news but Jake took a subject that most people shy away from and wrote a story about mental illness and the affects it not only has on the individual that suffers from mental illness but also those that are close to them and the affects that they have and feel.

Gave us no stranger when it comes to dealing with his ex wife's illness. The fact that he is a councilor helps when having to help Karen deal with her erratic episodes.

When Gabe has to go to the high school to deal with a situation with one of his patients he meets Brandt and it is definite attraction at first sight but also hate at first speech. The more these two have to deal with people in common and the more they are around one another the more the attraction grows between them.

Can two men with different backgrounds with so much baggage fit into one another's lives? Or will they find that their issues are just too much for a new relationship?

This was truly an emotional read. There are both high and low points. There is good and bad. Most of all there was devastation and there was hope. This truly was an incredible read and I commend Jake for writing about such a devastating subject.

Was given this galley copy for free for an open and honest review

[Crystal Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Happily Ever After Isn’t Easy by Jake C. Wallace is a male/male contemporary romance. Gabe Reynolds is a gay man coming out of the closet for the first time in his forties, at the same time that he’s leaving a marriage to an unstable woman. Brandt Sawyer is a military man, who doesn’t understand the choices Gabe made. But these two opposite men are drawn together with a force too strong to deny.

I loved the concept of Happily Ever After Isn’t Easy the enemies to lovers angle intrigued me, and I wanted to know what kind of man continued kept such strong ties to his ex-wife and the children fathered by the man she cheated on him with. The answer, unfortunately, was a doormat. While Gabe was likely supposed to read as sensitive, he instead comes off as weak. So, I had a difficult time sympathizing with him. However, I really enjoyed the way Brandt brought out some of Gabe’s confidence. I must say, of all the characters Randy, the children’s biological father, was probably my favorite. He had the most nuisance of any supporting character I’ve read in a long time.

So while the story was interesting and well-written, being from Gabe’s point of view really dragged it down for me.

Reviewed by Liz Cat for Crystal's Many Reviewers
Copy provided for review

[Christina's Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story broke my heart several times. Then it mended it with some real world humor and the love and devotion between Gabe and Brandt.


You can see my full review here: http://christinasbookshelf.net/2017/0...

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3☆

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Levi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review is coming at :

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