I Love You Too Much

by Jessica N. Watkins, Vance Goodwin (Narrator), Morris Kellswater (Narrator)

A husband’s deadly affair sets off a chain of deception, obsession, and unraveling truths in this twisted domestic thriller where love becomes a weapon, the past won’t stay buried, and the truth is more dangerous than the lie.

Damar Scott is a man with everything to lose—and even more to hide. To the world, he’s a devoted husband and father, but behind closed doors, he’s keeping an explosive an affair that ends in tragedy. Now, he’s desperate to erase the evidence, bury the truth, and preserve the illusion of a perfect life … no matter the cost.

Aviana suspects someone is out to destroy her, unaware the real threat lies much closer to home. As her marriage begins to unravel, she turns to Mythic—her first love and longtime confidant—rekindling feelings she thought she’d buried. Torn between past and present, and with her sense of reality slipping, Aviana inches closer to a truth that could shatter everything.

As Damar sinks deeper into guilt and delusion, and Aviana untangles the lies tightening around her, the truth erupts, warping love into control and exposing the wreckage left by secrets too dangerous to stay buried.

Audible Audio

Published January 27, 2026

About the author

Author of Urban Chick Lit, Erotica, and Contemporary Urban Fiction... Jessica N. Watkins was born April 1st in Chicago, Illinois. She obtained a Bachelors of Arts with Focus in Psychology from DePaul University and Masters of Applied Professional Studies with focus in Business Administration from the like institution. Working in Hospital Administration for the majority of her career, Watkins has also been an author of fiction literature since the young age of nine. Eventually she used writing as an outlet during her freshmen year of high school as a single parent: “In the third grade I entered a short story contest with a fiction tale of an apple tree that refused to grow despite the efforts of the darling main character. My writing evolved from apple trees to my seventh and eighth grade classmates paying me to read novels I had written about kids our age living the lives our parents wouldn’t dare let us”. At the age of twenty-eight, Watkins’ chronicles have matured into steamy, humorous, and realistic tales of women's literature. She hopes that The Epitome of Femistry series will successfully emulate ideal femininity while tackling stereotypes, familiar heartache, and relatable distress in a humorous, sophisticated, and erotic fashion.

Jessica N. Watkins is available for talks, workshops or book signings. Email her for more information at Jessica@femistrypress.net.

Additional information can be found at www.jessica-n-watkins.com.

Follow Jessica on Twitter - @authorjwatkins.

Follow Jessica on Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/authorjwatkins

Reviews

[Ebony | whatebonyreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

How far will you go to keep a secret? For Damar Scott, the answer is way too far to keep his wife Avi in his life and under his thumb. But in the end, he wrote a check his ass couldn’t cash.

When I say this was a messy good time, I mean it was a messy good time, and the audiobook cast did an incredible job bringing this story and these characters to life. Anyone who loves a good dose of drama with a side of mystery will enjoy this to the fullest!

[TheNovelNomad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Love You Too Much is an emotionally charged, messy, and intentionally uncomfortable read—and that’s exactly where its strength lies.

What stood out most to me was how the novel leans into moral ambiguity without trying to soften it. The characters are deeply flawed, often making choices that are frustrating or unsettling, yet the emotional logic behind those choices always feels clear. The tension comes less from shock and more from watching secrets tighten their grip, turning love into leverage and intimacy into something dangerous.

Jessica N. Watkins does an excellent job portraying how deception corrodes relationships from the inside. The slow unraveling of trust, the paranoia, and the obsession all feel organic rather than forced. I especially appreciated how the story explores control disguised as love—how easily protection becomes possession, and how quickly guilt mutates into manipulation.

The pacing kept me engaged, and while the story leans heavily into drama, it never felt accidental. The emotional volatility is the point. There were moments where I wanted to shake the characters, but that reaction only reinforced how effectively the author drew me into their inner chaos.

This may not work for readers looking for clean heroes or neat resolutions, but for those who enjoy relationship-driven suspense where everyone is capable of causing damage, it’s a compelling read. The book understands that the most dangerous lies are the ones we tell ourselves, and it doesn’t flinch from the fallout.

Overall, I Love You Too Much is tense, provocative, and unapologetically messy—a story that lingers not because of twists alone, but because of the emotional wreckage left behind.

[Markita_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: I Love You Too Much
Author: Jessica N. Watkins
Genre: Domestic Thriller - Romance
Format: Ebook & Audiobook
Narrated: Vance Goodwin, Morris Kellswater, and Lacy Laurel 
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️ (4.2.)

I thought I knew where Jessica N. Watkins was taking us in I Love You Too Much, but that plot twist had me gasping for air, and looking at my kindle with side eyes. Because what did I just read? How do i do this review without spoiling all the juicy information. Just know this book is a hot juicy mess! With unreliable characters and you don't know who to trust or believe. 

If you love domestic thrillers with a side of absolute chaos, pick this up immediately. 

The audiobook is multi-casted with Vance Goodwin, Morris Kellswater, and Lacy Laurel. They all did a good job; they each gave the characters they played depth and were easy to listen to and understand. I listened at 2.5x speed.

The ending: Happily Ever After 
Would I Recommend: Yes
Days Read: 1 Day 

Thank you, NetGalley, and Black Odyssey Media for the ebook, in exchange for my honest review. 

[Kimberly A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review: Look you don't have to love me that much.. I'm good! Damar
(DAMNar is what we call him) is not crazy.... thats called insanity... him doing same thing over and over and we think he will change!!! Love Story please...I was like the parents, whats love got to do with it?
Looking at the cover.. I just knew it was going to be some fatal attraction stuff! Psycho husband or something! Not darn cartel and basically a serial killer!

Author Jessica N. Watkins writing was so good, I thought I was watching episodes of Power with Ghost and Tommy! As I read I felt like I needed to watch my back...

This was my first book read by this Author. Also I believe my first dual narration audiobook also. It was a great ride... still got me on high alert and possibly ask for security and a private driver like Mythic did. Looking forward to next book release!

[Deena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aviana Scott went through Hell in this book! She’s married to a narcissistic, obsessive manipulator that wants to control her by keeping her in her realtor job when her heart desires going back to school to be a nurse. Damar Scott is a nightclub promoter that loves the attention of being a known somebody. Ariana’s best friend, Mia gets arrested from they’re realtor jobs because of an anonymous tip that Mia has been money laundering. When Mia is arrested she assumed it was Aviana that called in the anonymous tip because she assumed that Aviana was jealous of her because she got the position that Aviana was passed up for. After Mia is released from jail, a series of unfortunate events begin to occur in Aviana’s life in which she believes Mia is behind, but then Mia’s comes up missing. During this time aviana becomes torn between her feelings for her husband and her feelings that she’s been ignoring of her ex and best friend, Mythic. To the naked eye Damar seems to be the better man for Mia. Mia’s parents never cared for Mythic due to his history of being in the streets and breaking their daughter's heart years ago. Aside from that Mythic has his own situation with his girl Liliana. Truths start to surface after Aviana suffers a devasting blow of the sudden death of a loved one. Damar is the example of a man that is not secure with himself. Long story short he was trash.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book was completely unhinged for the first half. Several times I mumbled choice words as I was reading lol. One particular chapter I actually had to put the book down for a “woo-sah” moment. I was originally reading with a group on a schedule but I ended up devouring it in 2 days.

I found the story wildly entertaining at first. Eventually the story ran out of steam. Like it just could not sustain itself and the ending was actually bland. That impacted my rating a bit. After all the chaos I needed a messier ending lol

Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed this read and would read more by this author.

[Katiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m honestly mad at myself for waiting so long to read this book—what an amazing read! Damar definitely wasn’t one of a kind; he was a real piece of work, and in my opinion, he got exactly what he deserved. And Leilani? I actually felt sorry for her at first… until everything came out. Wow. The two of them really showed what true possessiveness looks like—and exactly what you don’t want. Mystic is that man, and he does not play when it comes to Avianna. I truly enjoyed this book. I will be reading more of Jessica Watkins work. Thank you, #NetGalley and Black Odyssey Media!

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was…. Wild. A messy good time.

I think it’s miscategorized though. I went in expecting a thriller/horror when it’s a suspenseful romance.

I wish there was more hidden mirr. I also feel like there were a few plot holes never answered.

I really enjoyed the book and couldn’t put it down though.

[Latosha Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it, all the plot twist!

[Katrice Myles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lot of jaw dropping moments

[Lei Turpin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ This was a refreshing take on the domestic thriller genre that I really appreciated. It was an engaging read that kept me hooked from beginning to end.

[Davon Simmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need a moment. And a snack. And possibly therapy.

Listen. Was I entertained? Absolutely. Did I fly through this book? Yes. Did I also feel like Jessica N. Watkins threw every single trauma she could think of into a pot, stirred it up, and said here you go? Also yes.

Damar is a whole situation. The lies, the obsession, the lengths that man went to... at some point I stopped being shocked and just started taking notes on what not to tolerate in real life.

Three stars because I was entertained the entire time and I cannot take that away from it. But I also felt like I needed to sit down and decompress after every chapter. This book does not let you breathe and not always in the good way.

If you like your reads chaotic, messy, and full of people making the worst possible decisions... this is your book. No judgment. I read it too.