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Trigger: A Second Chance MC Romance
Trigger
Despite only being a kid, I knew she was the one.
I claimed her instantly before anyone could,
And despite everyone telling me I needed to live a little,
That we were too young, that I wasn’t ready,
I made her mine in the eyes of the law and the club.
I couldn’t chance anyone else having her,
I couldn’t chance losing her,
Until I did anyway because I messed up.
She pulled back from me, and instead of communicating,
I sought affection elsewhere, and I liked the attention I finally got.
I moved my mistress into the club,
I chose her over my own family for a year,
Thinking I could have the best of both worlds.
But I was wrong,
My love found out and instead of confronting me,
Instead of admitting to her own fault in the demise of our marriage,
She left me only heightening my suspicions,
Ensuring I believed I wasn’t the only one having an affair.
I try to fight for her, to show her that I do still love her,
But she’s not having any of it, refusing to see things from my point of view,
But she forgets, when I want something, I go for it,
And I want her back where she belongs,
In my arms.
It’s just a shame I didn’t know how badly I had messed up….
Ashley
Falling in love as a child, my parents thought it would disappear,
Allowing a brother to claim me, to marry me,
They disowned me.
I didn’t care though, because I had him and he was all I needed.
Even if his family didn’t agree.
I put my whole life on hold for him,
Allowed him to succeed within the club,
Only to find out it was all a lie,
His feelings for me, his love….
Something happened, something I couldn’t speak about,
Something I struggled to cope with,
And I pulled back from him, believing he would never seek out another,
But I was wrong.
He found a mistress, moved her in right underneath my nose,
Tearing us apart.
He chose her over me, over our family, for months,
While I stayed blissfully unaware,
Until I didn’t.
I left, deciding to never look back,
Deciding maybe it was time for me to move on, even if I didn’t have any family.
But unfortunately for me, when a brother claims you,
You are theirs for life.
He tries to chase me, to win me back,
But once you break that trust,
Once you break my heart,
There is no coming back.
This can be read as a standalone. It is book 3 of 7 of The Rebels MC series, with a HEA. Due to mature content and themes, this book is recommended for readers aged 18+; this novel may contain triggers.
Despite only being a kid, I knew she was the one.
I claimed her instantly before anyone could,
And despite everyone telling me I needed to live a little,
That we were too young, that I wasn’t ready,
I made her mine in the eyes of the law and the club.
I couldn’t chance anyone else having her,
I couldn’t chance losing her,
Until I did anyway because I messed up.
She pulled back from me, and instead of communicating,
I sought affection elsewhere, and I liked the attention I finally got.
I moved my mistress into the club,
I chose her over my own family for a year,
Thinking I could have the best of both worlds.
But I was wrong,
My love found out and instead of confronting me,
Instead of admitting to her own fault in the demise of our marriage,
She left me only heightening my suspicions,
Ensuring I believed I wasn’t the only one having an affair.
I try to fight for her, to show her that I do still love her,
But she’s not having any of it, refusing to see things from my point of view,
But she forgets, when I want something, I go for it,
And I want her back where she belongs,
In my arms.
It’s just a shame I didn’t know how badly I had messed up….
Ashley
Falling in love as a child, my parents thought it would disappear,
Allowing a brother to claim me, to marry me,
They disowned me.
I didn’t care though, because I had him and he was all I needed.
Even if his family didn’t agree.
I put my whole life on hold for him,
Allowed him to succeed within the club,
Only to find out it was all a lie,
His feelings for me, his love….
Something happened, something I couldn’t speak about,
Something I struggled to cope with,
And I pulled back from him, believing he would never seek out another,
But I was wrong.
He found a mistress, moved her in right underneath my nose,
Tearing us apart.
He chose her over me, over our family, for months,
While I stayed blissfully unaware,
Until I didn’t.
I left, deciding to never look back,
Deciding maybe it was time for me to move on, even if I didn’t have any family.
But unfortunately for me, when a brother claims you,
You are theirs for life.
He tries to chase me, to win me back,
But once you break that trust,
Once you break my heart,
There is no coming back.
This can be read as a standalone. It is book 3 of 7 of The Rebels MC series, with a HEA. Due to mature content and themes, this book is recommended for readers aged 18+; this novel may contain triggers.
273 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2026
542 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
January 6, 2026
DNF 50%…I’m 2 starring cuz I don’t want to feel like a total asshole.
I’m also about to spoil the shit out of this to explain my rating.
#sorrynotsorry
The rape of h is treated like no more than a plot device. I’m just done with female authors who write about rape in romance and are so far removed from the reality of what that means they can’t even write about it without it feeling like a contrived bit of plot fluff to make the H look like a bigger douche than he is. This H fucks the OW because he thought the h was cheating on him. Cuz she was distant and weird and withdrawn. So instead of discussing this with the h he seizes the chance to fuck OW cuz he’s never been with anyone else.
Which leads me to my next biggest pet peeve of bullshit plot devices….suicide. H’s response to learning this is to go try to kill himself.
I just can’t with this.
Neither topic is written with any depth or understanding.
The rapist, of course, turns out to be the h’s boyfriend during the H/h separation. Cuz the h never gets anything good in these plots either.
it’s all just for the fucking drama and that’s a nope for me.
I’m also about to spoil the shit out of this to explain my rating.
#sorrynotsorry
The rape of h is treated like no more than a plot device. I’m just done with female authors who write about rape in romance and are so far removed from the reality of what that means they can’t even write about it without it feeling like a contrived bit of plot fluff to make the H look like a bigger douche than he is. This H fucks the OW because he thought the h was cheating on him. Cuz she was distant and weird and withdrawn. So instead of discussing this with the h he seizes the chance to fuck OW cuz he’s never been with anyone else.
Which leads me to my next biggest pet peeve of bullshit plot devices….suicide. H’s response to learning this is to go try to kill himself.
I just can’t with this.
Neither topic is written with any depth or understanding.
The rapist, of course, turns out to be the h’s boyfriend during the H/h separation. Cuz the h never gets anything good in these plots either.
it’s all just for the fucking drama and that’s a nope for me.
February 14, 2026
2 Stars
This has so much potential to be amazing, but just didn’t come together for me. The H’s actions were a little too much and there wasn’t enough grovel on the part of him, and everyone who did the h wrong, to make up for it in my opinion.
Here are two great reviews that’s explain it best:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This has so much potential to be amazing, but just didn’t come together for me. The H’s actions were a little too much and there wasn’t enough grovel on the part of him, and everyone who did the h wrong, to make up for it in my opinion.
Here are two great reviews that’s explain it best:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
January 26, 2026
I am not doing a full review.
There are books by this author I love and there are books by her I dislike, like this book. I think I hate this book the most.
I've read cheating books and I've read MC books where I did feel like the H and the MC were redeemed. But I did not find the H or the MC he was a part of to be redeemable. I don't even think the H groveled.
Quick summary:
H and h together since ten years old. They get pregnant in their teens. They know they are too young, but they get married. the h gave him an out twice but he was adamant he loved her even though he originally wanted to abort the baby and was worried that he "didn't get to sow his oats" 🙄 The h gave up everything for him, I mean everything. Her family disowns her for marrying him, she gives up her college education so he can get his degree while she financially supported him working in a grocery store. His parents, particularly his mom hates the h thinking that she trapped the H, and the MC didn't welcome her.
Trigger Warning: SA and miscarriage
Years into their marriage, they are starting to drift apart because the h is working long hours (she has been secretly getting her degree in vet school while still working full time) and H is starting to have more thoughts about sowing his oats. He is also starting to resent the h and their son because of it. On a date night they planned to have, H's mother lied that she was sick so she couldn't watch their son, the H spirals that the h is cheating on him because of the long work hours and so he cheats on her with her high school bully at the MC clubhouse a month after she is raped by a man while another man holds her down. we find out later, that it was the high school bully who paid to have her raped. The h has a miscarriage due to the trauma. She was 13 weeks. I don't know why she didn't call the police but she did go to a hospital. When she called the H, the ow picks up and say he is busy having sex with her.
The h hides what happened to her from the H and pulls away from him physically. He continues to think she is cheating so he has an affair with the bully for one year. The book starts with them in court ordered marriage counseling, the h wants a divorce but the H is pushing for reconciliation. Throughout the book, the H still blames his affair on her cheating (even though she didn't). Eventually he tells himself, that deep down he cheated because he wanted to sow his oats.
Why I hate the H and did not believe in his redemption:
1. He blamed his affair on the h several times because he falsely thought she cheated.
2. He said he "only" had sex with the h's bully 3 times a month for a year and always pictured the h's face. 🙄
4. HE GAVE HER CHLAMYDIA!!!! BECAUSE HE HAD UNPROTECTED SEX WITH OW.This should have been discussed more and I hated how this was swept under the rug. Also swept under the rug was, the h found out about his cheating because the ow had VIDEOS OF THE H EATING THE OW OUT AND OTHER SEX VIDEOS. He would miss their son's birthday, anniversary, son in the ER so he could have sex with ow.
5. He was controlling and hypocritical. He was angry at her for having a boyfriend while they've been separated for months and she was adamant she never wanted the H back. the H blamed their son's attitude issues for her having a boyfriend instead of his cheating or the ow sneaking into the son's school, harassing the son to tell him that the H never wanted his son in the beginning, that he wanted h to have an abortion and telling him the H never loved the h.
6. When H finds out the h was raped and it was orchestrated by the ow he was having an affair with, he tries to die by suicide. He was completely selfish. The entire book, his pov was just me, me, me, me, me, me. The h even tells him that. While she was falling apart from the rape, miscarriage, and her husband cheating, the h still worked full time, pursued her vet degree and took care of their son. Meanwhile, since the h filed for the divorce and since he found out she was raped and then he was having sexual affair with the woman who ordered the rape, all he cared about was himself. he tried to end his life without thinking of his son or the h. After the attempt failed, he tells h he needs to leave, to be out on the road for months so he can be better. How is abandoning his family making him a better man?
7. No comeuppance for the H's bitchy mom who instigated everything.
8. The MC was also at fault. They ignored h since she married him, believed she baby trapped him, and know that the H was having an affair. All of a sudden, after finding out the truth, they tell the h they are always her family. While the H is running away biking his feelings out, they force the h to live in the clubhouse where they threatened her with taking away her son if she doesn't move in and if she doesn't break up with her boyfriend even after she says she doesn't want to live in the place where her husband had the affair. The H's father and the MC also told h she was also responsible for the breakdown of the marriage because she kept what the bully ow said to her and blamed her insecurities after she was raped for the H's insecurity. So effectively blaming her for the H cheating even after the H admitted he cheated because he wanted to experience the single life. The least the MC could have done was kick the bully ow out of the club when the affair was happening and they didn't do that. They kicked her after after all the damages she has done (eventually she gets killed by the H for orchestrating the rape.)
9. I am only 52% in the book and it is becoming obvious the h's boyfriend will turn out to be her rapist or the other man who held her down. I HATE THIS PLOT. Why can't the heroine of a cheating story have other relationships where the other men are just good guys. It's always either they stupidly stay celibate or be with an abuser. Why?
The H never truly grovelled. He kept saying the h couldn't leave him and that he wouldn't live without her. From the beginning of the book to the end, the h kept saying she didn't know how she could trust him again and she wanted to divorce, but the H kept threatening to lock her up in the house to stop her from leaving and kept threatening to kill himself if she left. He also kept using their son as a way for her to stay, telling him she would mess up their son if they divorced. He made grand hollow speeches saying he would never look at another women, he redecorated the house to get rid of the memories (he didn't bring ow to the home), he pushed marriage counseling on her. It felt more like possession than love, the h even said that. So, he does not redeem himself, he coerces her to stay. He even says he is selfish, he won't let her go even if that's what she wants.
There was no benefits to the h staying with the H. None. The H and his lifestyle and family make things hard for her and their son. She and their son would have been better away from them. I wished she met someone else.
Anyway, I hate the H, I wished he fell off a cliff hitting every sharp rock on the way down and then eaten by a megalodon. Also the MC to burn down.
There are books by this author I love and there are books by her I dislike, like this book. I think I hate this book the most.
I've read cheating books and I've read MC books where I did feel like the H and the MC were redeemed. But I did not find the H or the MC he was a part of to be redeemable. I don't even think the H groveled.
Quick summary:
H and h together since ten years old. They get pregnant in their teens. They know they are too young, but they get married. the h gave him an out twice but he was adamant he loved her even though he originally wanted to abort the baby and was worried that he "didn't get to sow his oats" 🙄 The h gave up everything for him, I mean everything. Her family disowns her for marrying him, she gives up her college education so he can get his degree while she financially supported him working in a grocery store. His parents, particularly his mom hates the h thinking that she trapped the H, and the MC didn't welcome her.
Trigger Warning: SA and miscarriage
Years into their marriage, they are starting to drift apart because the h is working long hours (she has been secretly getting her degree in vet school while still working full time) and H is starting to have more thoughts about sowing his oats. He is also starting to resent the h and their son because of it. On a date night they planned to have, H's mother lied that she was sick so she couldn't watch their son, the H spirals that the h is cheating on him because of the long work hours and so he cheats on her with her high school bully at the MC clubhouse a month after she is raped by a man while another man holds her down. we find out later, that it was the high school bully who paid to have her raped. The h has a miscarriage due to the trauma. She was 13 weeks. I don't know why she didn't call the police but she did go to a hospital. When she called the H, the ow picks up and say he is busy having sex with her.
The h hides what happened to her from the H and pulls away from him physically. He continues to think she is cheating so he has an affair with the bully for one year. The book starts with them in court ordered marriage counseling, the h wants a divorce but the H is pushing for reconciliation. Throughout the book, the H still blames his affair on her cheating (even though she didn't). Eventually he tells himself, that deep down he cheated because he wanted to sow his oats.
Why I hate the H and did not believe in his redemption:
1. He blamed his affair on the h several times because he falsely thought she cheated.
2. He said he "only" had sex with the h's bully 3 times a month for a year and always pictured the h's face. 🙄
4. HE GAVE HER CHLAMYDIA!!!! BECAUSE HE HAD UNPROTECTED SEX WITH OW.This should have been discussed more and I hated how this was swept under the rug. Also swept under the rug was, the h found out about his cheating because the ow had VIDEOS OF THE H EATING THE OW OUT AND OTHER SEX VIDEOS. He would miss their son's birthday, anniversary, son in the ER so he could have sex with ow.
5. He was controlling and hypocritical. He was angry at her for having a boyfriend while they've been separated for months and she was adamant she never wanted the H back. the H blamed their son's attitude issues for her having a boyfriend instead of his cheating or the ow sneaking into the son's school, harassing the son to tell him that the H never wanted his son in the beginning, that he wanted h to have an abortion and telling him the H never loved the h.
6. When H finds out the h was raped and it was orchestrated by the ow he was having an affair with, he tries to die by suicide. He was completely selfish. The entire book, his pov was just me, me, me, me, me, me. The h even tells him that. While she was falling apart from the rape, miscarriage, and her husband cheating, the h still worked full time, pursued her vet degree and took care of their son. Meanwhile, since the h filed for the divorce and since he found out she was raped and then he was having sexual affair with the woman who ordered the rape, all he cared about was himself. he tried to end his life without thinking of his son or the h. After the attempt failed, he tells h he needs to leave, to be out on the road for months so he can be better. How is abandoning his family making him a better man?
7. No comeuppance for the H's bitchy mom who instigated everything.
8. The MC was also at fault. They ignored h since she married him, believed she baby trapped him, and know that the H was having an affair. All of a sudden, after finding out the truth, they tell the h they are always her family. While the H is running away biking his feelings out, they force the h to live in the clubhouse where they threatened her with taking away her son if she doesn't move in and if she doesn't break up with her boyfriend even after she says she doesn't want to live in the place where her husband had the affair. The H's father and the MC also told h she was also responsible for the breakdown of the marriage because she kept what the bully ow said to her and blamed her insecurities after she was raped for the H's insecurity. So effectively blaming her for the H cheating even after the H admitted he cheated because he wanted to experience the single life. The least the MC could have done was kick the bully ow out of the club when the affair was happening and they didn't do that. They kicked her after after all the damages she has done (eventually she gets killed by the H for orchestrating the rape.)
9. I am only 52% in the book and it is becoming obvious the h's boyfriend will turn out to be her rapist or the other man who held her down. I HATE THIS PLOT. Why can't the heroine of a cheating story have other relationships where the other men are just good guys. It's always either they stupidly stay celibate or be with an abuser. Why?
The H never truly grovelled. He kept saying the h couldn't leave him and that he wouldn't live without her. From the beginning of the book to the end, the h kept saying she didn't know how she could trust him again and she wanted to divorce, but the H kept threatening to lock her up in the house to stop her from leaving and kept threatening to kill himself if she left. He also kept using their son as a way for her to stay, telling him she would mess up their son if they divorced. He made grand hollow speeches saying he would never look at another women, he redecorated the house to get rid of the memories (he didn't bring ow to the home), he pushed marriage counseling on her. It felt more like possession than love, the h even said that. So, he does not redeem himself, he coerces her to stay. He even says he is selfish, he won't let her go even if that's what she wants.
There was no benefits to the h staying with the H. None. The H and his lifestyle and family make things hard for her and their son. She and their son would have been better away from them. I wished she met someone else.
Anyway, I hate the H, I wished he fell off a cliff hitting every sharp rock on the way down and then eaten by a megalodon. Also the MC to burn down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2026
I think CM should write another trope. She has some good ideas but they don’t pan out in biker books based in the USA. When I studied creative writing in college I was told write what you know. CM knows very little about how College, medicine or life in general works in the USA. I think she should switch to writing UK based cheating books. Anywho I had great expectations for this book. I thought from the way the characters were written in Stones book that finally CM was gonna give me a book to break the 2 star ceiling… but alas, no… the book starts with the MC’s in therapy which was like okay then it did a few time flip flops which btw I hate. Next we move on to the same old excuse for the H that he was imagining the h while he was railing the ow for a year and many times in the clubhouse with the fmc and their 10 yo son in the other room… yeah Romeo I’m not buying what you’re selling. But that’s Triggers alibi and he s sticking to it. He started ducking the ow because his wife Ashley was giving him the cold shoulder. Did he ever think to have a heart to heart with her? Nope! He just assumed she was cheating. Meanwhile Ashley was violently raped while almost 3 months pregnant. So this was before Trigger started cheating.. because he only cheated because he was feeling the cold shoulder Ash gave him after she was raped and had a miscarriage. Wow! So she was hospitalized, had a police investigation and was in recovery from a brutal Rape and miscarriage and Trigger was never notified or couldn’t pick up On the fact that the woman he had been with since she was 10 years old had some serious mental and physical problems? We’re talking a 20 year relationship. Once again I call bullshit on CM! Also how ridiculous is it that the fmc can be in Veterinarian school for 8 years and the H who she lives with not know??? I mean Vet school Is intense and there is tons of studying,papers and books. Trigger obviously has no Sherlock Holmes skills. Next we have the Lunacy that Ashley dates her rapist while she is separated from Trigger. Sure Jan! Oh and if that’s not enough throw in a little human trafficking plan for Ashley. She was sold to a trafficker by the Jiffy store manager she worked for while pregnant and in vet school. Not once but twice! Whatever you do don’t stop to buy snacks at that Jiffy store! When Trigger finally finds out about the rape during a therapy session he runs away and tries to kill himself. What? He’s saved just in time by Doc. It’s good because then Trigger murders the Ow because she went to the elementary school to confront Trigger and Ashley’s 10 yo son. Of course the school lets a strange woman meet alone with a 10 yo boy…not in America baby!!! So she tells the little boy that his Dad- Trigger never wanted him etc. How did she think this was going to work out for her? Yep you got it Bitch is dead after being tortured by Trigger. So Trigger kills all the bad folks and finally gets forgiven by Ashley and his son and they have another baby and live hea in British Biker Utopia in the good ole USA!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2026
Here comes another beautiful romance for all the pick me’s from the mind of Charlotte McGinlay! 💕✨☺️. Lots of spoilers so you can be well informed of the potential lobotomy, you may need beforehand if you’re contemplating reading this.
H and h are high school sweethearts. They’ve only ever been together, because he “claims” her when she’s 10. They get married when she finds out she’s pregnant. He wants her to get it rid of it, but she doesn’t. Her family disowns her, so he marries her out of guilt and love I guess. Also H’s family think she trapped him on purpose because she’s a “patch chaser”. Like how tf does this make sense when her family is already well off and his is affiliated with an MC, talk about protecting your pennies. Her family disowns her for this nonsense by the way.
Anyways he’s in an MC, has a bit of a wondering eye, resents his other club brothers for all the woman they’re with. However he’s in love with h and never acts on his impulses I guess. Flash forward 10 years, suddenly h is refusing to sleep with him. Does he try to have a conversation or suggest therapy like a half decent man in love? No he gets a mistress (OW) and moves her into the clubhouse under h’s nose. Yep with his family right there. Why? Because obviously h MUST be cheating, so this justifies him starting a year long affair with HER HIGH SCHOOL BULLY. But it’s not so bad guys, he ONLY pictures his wife lol
Eventually OW gets fed up H wont pick her, so she approaches h at work and lets her know she’s fucking her man. (Author throws in a video of H going down on OW because she likes to add insult to injury, like how was this necessary LMFAOO? I thought he just needed a hole to pretend is his wife). h immediately bolts with their son and has H served. You learn, she’s secretly been finishing up school to become a vet for years. And she starts seeing another man, but H refuses to sign the divorce papers without counseling. By the way everyone knew about the cheating. Including H’s parents. His son gets deathly sick, and they ALL ignore her calls when she can’t get a hold of H, cause he’s getting a blowjob but it’s ok because he’s picturing h. OW eventually gives h a play by play of the affair, obvs he spent all the birthdays and anniversary with her lol.
We learn h stopped sleeping with H after she was raped. She was waiting for H after work, he cancelled their plans because his mama lied about being sick, leading to her assault. On top of that, she was pregnant and lost their baby. Well actually, one of the MC members learns first and tells her she has a week to come clean before he tells H. Like how this appropriate or even his business after everything h has been through, I don’t understand. Because everything is about H, he’s “overcome with guilt” and tries to end himself 🙄. Honestly she’d only be better off without him. I digress.
So his club brothers stop him, tell him to sort out his feelings and he bails for 5 months. This is hilarious because h isn’t given the same consideration despite literally being raped and traumatically losing her child. Also he goes to say bye and she confronts him for being selfish again and trying to leave their son alone. They sleep together. I’m just tired now tbh.
Even better, because the insult doesn’t end there, she’s threatened by the MC president to move back on to their land or they’ll take her son. But it’s ok, MC insists h is family even if she doesn’t feel like she is several times and they all turned a blind eye to his mistress🙄. They also all believed the cheating allegations with no proof lmaoo.
So there’s essentially no grovel in comparison to the magnitude of the original insult. Really h has no other choice because H knocked her up before leaving and it turns out her new bf is her rapist. OW paid a few men to rape h years ago, knowing it would tear them apart. Clearly, she was right because h loves a pathetic man. Also author needs to give us a tally too. So we know H slept with OW ONLY 2-3x a month lmaoo and h only slept with OM ONCE. And this repeated multiple times for some odd reaaon by the way.
She takes him back because it really wouldn’t be a McGinlay romance if she moved on to a decent man. This pathetic cheating biker is the only man in the whole world she could ever love. The whole club is also forgiven for being godawful and bullying her too, but again H really seems to have a thing for h’s bullies.
Honestly you can’t expect even half a decent read from this author, so expectations were absolutely non existent, but even then HOLY SHIT. The way h’s rape is just used as a plot device is such a slap to women everywhere. Especially in light of how H behaves. Obviously readers are gaslit in to believing they’re Sooo mUCh STrOnGReR aS a COupLE beCAuSE hE cHEaTEd 🙄🙄🙄. This is the second book I’ve read by this author where H gives h chlamydia. He LOOVES HER SO much, he’d risk her life and not even use protection. The actual audacity to call this a romance, it’s literal horror if you’re serious and comedy if you’re not. Really this author’s fans are just bankrolling her cheating fetish at this point.
H and h are high school sweethearts. They’ve only ever been together, because he “claims” her when she’s 10. They get married when she finds out she’s pregnant. He wants her to get it rid of it, but she doesn’t. Her family disowns her, so he marries her out of guilt and love I guess. Also H’s family think she trapped him on purpose because she’s a “patch chaser”. Like how tf does this make sense when her family is already well off and his is affiliated with an MC, talk about protecting your pennies. Her family disowns her for this nonsense by the way.
Anyways he’s in an MC, has a bit of a wondering eye, resents his other club brothers for all the woman they’re with. However he’s in love with h and never acts on his impulses I guess. Flash forward 10 years, suddenly h is refusing to sleep with him. Does he try to have a conversation or suggest therapy like a half decent man in love? No he gets a mistress (OW) and moves her into the clubhouse under h’s nose. Yep with his family right there. Why? Because obviously h MUST be cheating, so this justifies him starting a year long affair with HER HIGH SCHOOL BULLY. But it’s not so bad guys, he ONLY pictures his wife lol
Eventually OW gets fed up H wont pick her, so she approaches h at work and lets her know she’s fucking her man. (Author throws in a video of H going down on OW because she likes to add insult to injury, like how was this necessary LMFAOO? I thought he just needed a hole to pretend is his wife). h immediately bolts with their son and has H served. You learn, she’s secretly been finishing up school to become a vet for years. And she starts seeing another man, but H refuses to sign the divorce papers without counseling. By the way everyone knew about the cheating. Including H’s parents. His son gets deathly sick, and they ALL ignore her calls when she can’t get a hold of H, cause he’s getting a blowjob but it’s ok because he’s picturing h. OW eventually gives h a play by play of the affair, obvs he spent all the birthdays and anniversary with her lol.
We learn h stopped sleeping with H after she was raped. She was waiting for H after work, he cancelled their plans because his mama lied about being sick, leading to her assault. On top of that, she was pregnant and lost their baby. Well actually, one of the MC members learns first and tells her she has a week to come clean before he tells H. Like how this appropriate or even his business after everything h has been through, I don’t understand. Because everything is about H, he’s “overcome with guilt” and tries to end himself 🙄. Honestly she’d only be better off without him. I digress.
So his club brothers stop him, tell him to sort out his feelings and he bails for 5 months. This is hilarious because h isn’t given the same consideration despite literally being raped and traumatically losing her child. Also he goes to say bye and she confronts him for being selfish again and trying to leave their son alone. They sleep together. I’m just tired now tbh.
Even better, because the insult doesn’t end there, she’s threatened by the MC president to move back on to their land or they’ll take her son. But it’s ok, MC insists h is family even if she doesn’t feel like she is several times and they all turned a blind eye to his mistress🙄. They also all believed the cheating allegations with no proof lmaoo.
So there’s essentially no grovel in comparison to the magnitude of the original insult. Really h has no other choice because H knocked her up before leaving and it turns out her new bf is her rapist. OW paid a few men to rape h years ago, knowing it would tear them apart. Clearly, she was right because h loves a pathetic man. Also author needs to give us a tally too. So we know H slept with OW ONLY 2-3x a month lmaoo and h only slept with OM ONCE. And this repeated multiple times for some odd reaaon by the way.
She takes him back because it really wouldn’t be a McGinlay romance if she moved on to a decent man. This pathetic cheating biker is the only man in the whole world she could ever love. The whole club is also forgiven for being godawful and bullying her too, but again H really seems to have a thing for h’s bullies.
Honestly you can’t expect even half a decent read from this author, so expectations were absolutely non existent, but even then HOLY SHIT. The way h’s rape is just used as a plot device is such a slap to women everywhere. Especially in light of how H behaves. Obviously readers are gaslit in to believing they’re Sooo mUCh STrOnGReR aS a COupLE beCAuSE hE cHEaTEd 🙄🙄🙄. This is the second book I’ve read by this author where H gives h chlamydia. He LOOVES HER SO much, he’d risk her life and not even use protection. The actual audacity to call this a romance, it’s literal horror if you’re serious and comedy if you’re not. Really this author’s fans are just bankrolling her cheating fetish at this point.
January 6, 2026
This author has a habit of setting up the most amazing future betrayal and grovel arcs in her books for side characters…and then dropping the ball hard when we finally get their book.
I’ve been eager for Trigger and Ashley’s story since I first read Stone. High school sweethearts, teen pregnancy and marriage, married for 10 years…only for him to get restless and cheat on her for a year with some flimsy excuse about her cheating first? Yup. My kind of drama.
And this started well. I wasn’t surprised by the real reason Ashley had pulled away from him - If there’s one thing this author likes, it’s for her h’s to suffer at the hands of men so the H can show his love by brutally murdering said men later on.
What surprised (and angered) me was how quickly that SA was skipped over to focus on Trigger’s feelings. He immediately tries to kill himself over guilt, and I’m 100% on Ashley’s side when I say how selfish I found that. But then to leave her and his son for 5 months because of it? Nope. I’d be done. I’m not staying with a man who thinks so highly of his own feelings without thinking about mine. Ashley didn’t get a chance to take off for herself - she had to stay and be a wife and mom, AND THIS HAPPENED TO HER. That was my breaking point with this book. I couldn’t root for Trigger after that.
Then to have the club back him so heartlessly and frame it as love for Ashley…I’m beginning to question if this author is a woman because no way would a woman think it’s family love to force another woman to stay in a place that gives her so much heartache - especially if she’s forced to stay by threatening to take her son. I kind of hate all of them right now, and I’m not looking forward to reading more after seeing them treat her like they did.
HEA for Trigger and Ashley, I guess. They’re together and apparently happy - I was skimming at that point because I was decidedly NOT happy.
I’ve been eager for Trigger and Ashley’s story since I first read Stone. High school sweethearts, teen pregnancy and marriage, married for 10 years…only for him to get restless and cheat on her for a year with some flimsy excuse about her cheating first? Yup. My kind of drama.
And this started well. I wasn’t surprised by the real reason Ashley had pulled away from him - If there’s one thing this author likes, it’s for her h’s to suffer at the hands of men so the H can show his love by brutally murdering said men later on.
What surprised (and angered) me was how quickly that SA was skipped over to focus on Trigger’s feelings. He immediately tries to kill himself over guilt, and I’m 100% on Ashley’s side when I say how selfish I found that. But then to leave her and his son for 5 months because of it? Nope. I’d be done. I’m not staying with a man who thinks so highly of his own feelings without thinking about mine. Ashley didn’t get a chance to take off for herself - she had to stay and be a wife and mom, AND THIS HAPPENED TO HER. That was my breaking point with this book. I couldn’t root for Trigger after that.
Then to have the club back him so heartlessly and frame it as love for Ashley…I’m beginning to question if this author is a woman because no way would a woman think it’s family love to force another woman to stay in a place that gives her so much heartache - especially if she’s forced to stay by threatening to take her son. I kind of hate all of them right now, and I’m not looking forward to reading more after seeing them treat her like they did.
HEA for Trigger and Ashley, I guess. They’re together and apparently happy - I was skimming at that point because I was decidedly NOT happy.
January 6, 2026
Was keen to read for the angst cheating drama and the grovel…however I was pretty disgusted with this book. The club, not one of them was with her or sided with her after the truth came out then suicide was used to make her feel guilty to staying with this tosser with her kid used to trap her there. Anyway they he got his “HEA” 🚮 second chance? Yeah no
January 21, 2026
This review says it all except the heroine is little better. She moves on by dating a man she can hardly stand touching her.
In all honest, I did not know this was Charlotte McGinlay. Should have known.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In all honest, I did not know this was Charlotte McGinlay. Should have known.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
January 19, 2026
This popped in my FB feed and thought it might work for me… cheating… marriage in trouble.
Reeks of internalized misogyny.
As a reader, from the prologue, it’s obvious she’s been raped. It takes 1/3 of the book for this to come out. His reaction, after cheating for a year with her high school bully, is to attempt suicide. The MC, use this as proof that he’s sorry. Basically rape and suicide are used as plot devices.
To add insult to injury while he’s working through his suicidal ideation with a 5 month motorcycle trip, the MC holds her hostage until he’s back.
I’ve only read a couple of this author’s books, I can’t help but think she doesn’t think highly of women
Reeks of internalized misogyny.
As a reader, from the prologue, it’s obvious she’s been raped. It takes 1/3 of the book for this to come out. His reaction, after cheating for a year with her high school bully, is to attempt suicide. The MC, use this as proof that he’s sorry. Basically rape and suicide are used as plot devices.
To add insult to injury while he’s working through his suicidal ideation with a 5 month motorcycle trip, the MC holds her hostage until he’s back.
I’ve only read a couple of this author’s books, I can’t help but think she doesn’t think highly of women
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2026
Make it make sense!!!That was my feeling throughout the story.
As much as I hate purging my feelings in a review, I need to get it out 😩
Two stars as I didn’t ‘dnf’ and wanted to finish until the end, and there was some thoughtful emotional dialogue.
The reasonings and justification throughout the story just didn’t make sense. It feels like it’s written to prioritise a plot rather than have any logic or coherence.
Everything from the start was so contradictory….the fmc got sexually assaulted and shut her husband out. Didn’t sleep with him etc (which was understandable) but then in the next breath has a boyfriend who she sleeps with once but feels sick every time she’s near him. She knows something is off but yet doesn’t break up with him. We get no introduction into how they met or why she even slept with him in the first place.
~While I don’t plan on sleeping with Talen again anytime soon, I do plan to continue dating him as a way to move on.~
It’s all so wishy washy, with so many throwaway comments that had no depth to the characters.
Then we find out the fmc keeps a secret for eight years. She lied about working at a convenience store for years whilst she went to college. So apparently she hasn’t earned as much money as her hours suggested and the husband never noticed and no one went into said convenience store where she was meant to be working?? She went to study as a vet which takes years and no one noticed or saw her. She was also that intelligent that she never needed to study outside of college as she worked in the evenings or had any work experience either.…….she basically had a secret life and went undetected by the husband and club…..if she didn’t need her money from the job then why not just go to uni anyway out in the open. She also managed to make time for her son whilst studying (which is gruelling) and working in the evenings……make it make sense!!!!
Then when the husband finds out, this is the only thing he had to say:
~Was that where she disappeared to everyday before going to the store?~
Insert eye roll.
The fmc and the mmc have a ‘moment’ and after everything she didn’t even question him about using protection….even after he cheated and gave her an std….Again, seriously!
I really wish the author would spend more time on developing the characters within the storyline. The way it’s written feels like the characters just did these things and made those decisions but the what, why, when and how didn’t matter or come into any of the story line. There’s just no concept of reasonings or whether it’s logical or even feasible. It’s like the author writes just what pops into their head and it’s gets put on the page to make a story and that’s that.
As much as I hate purging my feelings in a review, I need to get it out 😩
Two stars as I didn’t ‘dnf’ and wanted to finish until the end, and there was some thoughtful emotional dialogue.
The reasonings and justification throughout the story just didn’t make sense. It feels like it’s written to prioritise a plot rather than have any logic or coherence.
Everything from the start was so contradictory….the fmc got sexually assaulted and shut her husband out. Didn’t sleep with him etc (which was understandable) but then in the next breath has a boyfriend who she sleeps with once but feels sick every time she’s near him. She knows something is off but yet doesn’t break up with him. We get no introduction into how they met or why she even slept with him in the first place.
~While I don’t plan on sleeping with Talen again anytime soon, I do plan to continue dating him as a way to move on.~
It’s all so wishy washy, with so many throwaway comments that had no depth to the characters.
Then we find out the fmc keeps a secret for eight years. She lied about working at a convenience store for years whilst she went to college. So apparently she hasn’t earned as much money as her hours suggested and the husband never noticed and no one went into said convenience store where she was meant to be working?? She went to study as a vet which takes years and no one noticed or saw her. She was also that intelligent that she never needed to study outside of college as she worked in the evenings or had any work experience either.…….she basically had a secret life and went undetected by the husband and club…..if she didn’t need her money from the job then why not just go to uni anyway out in the open. She also managed to make time for her son whilst studying (which is gruelling) and working in the evenings……make it make sense!!!!
Then when the husband finds out, this is the only thing he had to say:
~Was that where she disappeared to everyday before going to the store?~
Insert eye roll.
The fmc and the mmc have a ‘moment’ and after everything she didn’t even question him about using protection….even after he cheated and gave her an std….Again, seriously!
I really wish the author would spend more time on developing the characters within the storyline. The way it’s written feels like the characters just did these things and made those decisions but the what, why, when and how didn’t matter or come into any of the story line. There’s just no concept of reasonings or whether it’s logical or even feasible. It’s like the author writes just what pops into their head and it’s gets put on the page to make a story and that’s that.
January 6, 2026
Don't know what to say honestly. First check your triggers because Trigger had a lot. But it's nothing we haven't seen from this author and it was predictable how they would get back together. First of all. We could use the excuse that the MMCs were too damn young to get married etc, but at some point we have to grow more braincells and change our ways. How the h keeps a completely seperate life for years was just ridiculous. No body checks really. Yeah, not buying it. Neither character was responsible. With their marriage or their poor child who will need therapy for the rest of his life. The cheating was bad. The H for why he does it is completely ridiculous. With all the sources they have that we're told about yet he doesn't use. The h and her ridiculousness also. By the end I wanted to jump off a cliff. Not really, but you get the idea. The ow was horrible then get's only one page of comeuppance. I don't know. I didn't really like this at all and I was anticipating this one to see what the author would do. But it ended up being exactly as I thought it would. Sorry. Not a very good review, but I can't be bothered honestly.
January 7, 2026
Second Chance Agony
Trigger's book was a heartbreaking read! Since I started this series, this is the book I needed. I was so mad at Trigger and I didn't think there was a way for him and Ashley to fix their marriage. This book was so good. I had so many emotions while reading this and I love their HAE! It wasn't easy!
Trigger's book was a heartbreaking read! Since I started this series, this is the book I needed. I was so mad at Trigger and I didn't think there was a way for him and Ashley to fix their marriage. This book was so good. I had so many emotions while reading this and I love their HAE! It wasn't easy!
January 6, 2026
So good
Be sure to read trigger warnings if you trigger easy.
Communication could of fixed a lot but not all. Trigger definitely is a very selfish person. I am not sure how I would've reacted after he we t on his journey for 5 months. Especially when she was still dealing with so much. But buy does her grovel and beg.
Be sure to read trigger warnings if you trigger easy.
Communication could of fixed a lot but not all. Trigger definitely is a very selfish person. I am not sure how I would've reacted after he we t on his journey for 5 months. Especially when she was still dealing with so much. But buy does her grovel and beg.
January 16, 2026
This was rage inducing. She gets raped and cheated on and he needs time to himself to cope? What? Trigger was a loser and pathetic. I couldn’t stand him. Where this REALLY truly lost me was when Doc threatened to take her kid from her if she didn’t cooperate and go back to the club to make Trigger happy. I’m sorry but it’s all just unforgivable. I love the cheating trope and lots of angst but not into the h being trapped and forced to forgive a man who clearly doesn’t deserve it. There should be an actual grovel and not blackmail to force them together. She should have taken her kid and ran like hell from the H and that club. That would have been a great book I would love to read. I also can’t stand when authors always have to stomp all over the h trying to move on. Why does the new love interest need to turn into a bad guy? It’s so unnecessary. It’s ok if she just realizes she can’t move on and wants to fix things with the H with out making her look like an idiot and have some evil guy she needs saving from. I also want to shake this author because STOP SPOILING YOUR OWN BOOKS WITHIN YOUR BOOKS. We knew more than half the story before we even read it. We also do not need a full summary of previous books in every book! Ok done ranting.
January 8, 2026
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Couple: Trigger & Ashley
❋❋❋❋❋❋
I was completely not looking forward to Trigger's book, with the lead up on him from the previous two books in this series. I kind of already knew I wouldn't too much care for him, I was right. I still wanted to continue with the series storyline and see how Ashley would fare. It wasn't great for her unfortunately, and I ended up really just not feeling good about their situation at all. I will say this was all types of toxic but still entertaining too. You definitely get sucked into these worlds that the author creates, and it's so crazy unbelievable that it's a good time reading.
Couple: Trigger & Ashley
❋❋❋❋❋❋
I was completely not looking forward to Trigger's book, with the lead up on him from the previous two books in this series. I kind of already knew I wouldn't too much care for him, I was right. I still wanted to continue with the series storyline and see how Ashley would fare. It wasn't great for her unfortunately, and I ended up really just not feeling good about their situation at all. I will say this was all types of toxic but still entertaining too. You definitely get sucked into these worlds that the author creates, and it's so crazy unbelievable that it's a good time reading.
January 9, 2026
Trigger would have cheated eventually, this time excuse was his wife's distance , any other time would have been some other excuse......my point is it would have happened this way or that way....a smart woman would have divorced him and coparented...then later in life tried to find a partner....anyway this book is disappointing....if he truly loved cared for his wife he couldn't have continued with same woman for a year ......and a sane woman after watching those videos could never erase from her mind.... because trigger didn't just cheated as a revenge,he cheated as a excuse....he is just waiting in corner to pounce the chance...
Anddd trying to kill himself...he again proven what a coward he was...he knew what he did to his wife is impossible to forget let alone forgive...I know I'll sound like insensitive asshole but I've seen people try(act)like to off themselves to manipulate their point of view...
Anddd trying to kill himself...he again proven what a coward he was...he knew what he did to his wife is impossible to forget let alone forgive...I know I'll sound like insensitive asshole but I've seen people try(act)like to off themselves to manipulate their point of view...
January 28, 2026
Landed here because instagram got me with a snippet and it made me tear up. I will state that this is not my usual read because cheating trope is a no go for me. A hard no but… being the mood reader I am… I wanted to cry and cry I did. Multiple times. Them kids will get you. Well, they always get me soooo 4 stars because I cried more than once and I finished it in one sitting.
January 10, 2026
Great and relatable characters
This is a very well written book with such depth that draws you in from the start. Will definitely be reading more from this author!
This is a very well written book with such depth that draws you in from the start. Will definitely be reading more from this author!
January 5, 2026
Cheating and miscommunication trope! It also covers depression, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts. Check your TW!
However…
Repetitions throughout the story
The same arguments on and on
Same story from previous books/series (I was hoping she wasn’t going to get raped as it seems to always be the same plot!)
The story felt repetitive, same arguments came back at least 3 times throughout the book, it didn’t felt like they were going anywhere with their narratives and then suddenly she forgave him and the club brothers and other old ladies… it felt disappointing as I was hoping she would get revenge and petty but no!
Don’t get me wrong I loved the story because I love this author’s universe and I can’t help reading her books but I’m still disappointed to read about the same stories and subjects than the previous series. I was happily surprised when I read Stone and Doc as the plot was different than before but with this book it feels like we are back to her comfort zone and I hope with the next book I’ll be surprised by a different plot. 🤞🏻
However…
Repetitions throughout the story
The same arguments on and on
Same story from previous books/series (I was hoping she wasn’t going to get raped as it seems to always be the same plot!)
The story felt repetitive, same arguments came back at least 3 times throughout the book, it didn’t felt like they were going anywhere with their narratives and then suddenly she forgave him and the club brothers and other old ladies… it felt disappointing as I was hoping she would get revenge and petty but no!
Don’t get me wrong I loved the story because I love this author’s universe and I can’t help reading her books but I’m still disappointed to read about the same stories and subjects than the previous series. I was happily surprised when I read Stone and Doc as the plot was different than before but with this book it feels like we are back to her comfort zone and I hope with the next book I’ll be surprised by a different plot. 🤞🏻
January 8, 2026
I Can’t…
Im sorry. I tried to give this series a shot, but I am convinced that these MMCs have the EQ of a turnip, and the FMCs are incredibly naive and lack self-respect. The mentality of “Im gonna eff around but she’ll forgive me because I love my wife and I imagined her face while scr3wing another woman, so it’s ok” is just mind-blowing. The guys think that lying and cheating are forgiveable because of “lOvE”. And they have their heads so far up their a$$es that they think they can just bulldoze their way into forgiveness. Dumb as rocks, I tell ya. And the BBS! My goodness. I just cant with these ladies. All of that aside, the writing is clumsy. Lots of run-on sentences, lots of repetitiveness. I dont know why they keep saying “full-blown affair” because to me, an affair is an affair. Everything is implied - cheating is cheating whether if it’s less-blown(?) or full-blown. Also how many times does Ashley need to mention the duration of the affair? We get it. He cheated for a year. She didnt need to include that footnote in every sentence. Also, what’s with the characters telling their life stories when they meet new people, regardless if it’s friend or foe? I gave it a shot but I just couldnt get with the program. My final take, this is a rage read and not my cup of tea.
Im sorry. I tried to give this series a shot, but I am convinced that these MMCs have the EQ of a turnip, and the FMCs are incredibly naive and lack self-respect. The mentality of “Im gonna eff around but she’ll forgive me because I love my wife and I imagined her face while scr3wing another woman, so it’s ok” is just mind-blowing. The guys think that lying and cheating are forgiveable because of “lOvE”. And they have their heads so far up their a$$es that they think they can just bulldoze their way into forgiveness. Dumb as rocks, I tell ya. And the BBS! My goodness. I just cant with these ladies. All of that aside, the writing is clumsy. Lots of run-on sentences, lots of repetitiveness. I dont know why they keep saying “full-blown affair” because to me, an affair is an affair. Everything is implied - cheating is cheating whether if it’s less-blown(?) or full-blown. Also how many times does Ashley need to mention the duration of the affair? We get it. He cheated for a year. She didnt need to include that footnote in every sentence. Also, what’s with the characters telling their life stories when they meet new people, regardless if it’s friend or foe? I gave it a shot but I just couldnt get with the program. My final take, this is a rage read and not my cup of tea.
January 15, 2026
Disappointed
I almost liked this book. It was a little repetitive, which is what gave the story its length. But what I really hated was yet another author portraying women as willing to treat themselves weakly by sleeping with another man. The book already had enough drama without having the woman sleep with someone else. Could have had a woman who knew she wasn't over her husband. Who...unlike him...took her vows seriously even though they were separated. Who didn't treat herself cheaply just to sleep with someone..the first person she should have felt safe with to have sex after being raped should have been her husband. The author needs to rewrite that part and take it out. Show a woman whose guy is telling her to get away from this guy and listen to it, then have him...the bad guy... retaliate. You don't have to always have a book where it's like an old Oprah show, Sex for you, and you, sex for everyone! Plus the ending was too rushed. Like she got tired of writing and then da da da the end.
I almost liked this book. It was a little repetitive, which is what gave the story its length. But what I really hated was yet another author portraying women as willing to treat themselves weakly by sleeping with another man. The book already had enough drama without having the woman sleep with someone else. Could have had a woman who knew she wasn't over her husband. Who...unlike him...took her vows seriously even though they were separated. Who didn't treat herself cheaply just to sleep with someone..the first person she should have felt safe with to have sex after being raped should have been her husband. The author needs to rewrite that part and take it out. Show a woman whose guy is telling her to get away from this guy and listen to it, then have him...the bad guy... retaliate. You don't have to always have a book where it's like an old Oprah show, Sex for you, and you, sex for everyone! Plus the ending was too rushed. Like she got tired of writing and then da da da the end.
February 12, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars
I’ve reread this book, and while I still enjoyed parts of it, I’ve dropped my rating from four stars to three. On a reread, I just couldn’t ignore how little real growth I felt we actually saw from Trigger.
This book follows Tyler “Trigger” and Ashley, who’ve been together since they were teenagers. They married young, were each other’s first everything, and had been married around ten years with a son, Cole. But even early on, it’s clear Tyler has always carried “what if” thoughts about marrying young and missing out. What really gets me now is that Ashley gave him an out — more than once. When she got pregnant, she told him they didn’t have to get married. He chose that life, yet still spent years resenting it while watching his brothers sleep around.
There are also multiple mentions throughout the book of Trigger being flirtatious with other women, and people constantly being in his ear. That matters, because when Ashley starts pulling away — for one month — his response is to cheat.
Ashley had been assaulted in a car park, was pregnant, and lost the baby because of it. She doesn’t tell Trigger and instead shuts down. He doesn’t know what happened, but instead of questioning it, checking in, or confronting what he thinks is cheating, he goes out drinking and sleeps with Virginia — Ashley’s former school bully. It took him ONE MONTH of her being distant for him to cheat, wow.
The first time, he’s drunk, doesn’t use a condom, and convinces himself Ashley is cheating. I might have been able to forgive that. But then Ashley texts to say she’s working late, and he chooses to sleep with Virginia again — this time using a condom. From there, the affair continues for about a year.
During that year:
• He continues sleeping with Ashley (4 times, during the year affair)
• He catches chlamydia from Virginia and passes it on to Ashley
• He never confronts Ashley about the supposed cheating
• He uses his assumptions to justify continuing the affair
• He keeps sleeping with Virginia who bullied his wife. There is no emotional connection and he envisions Ashley every time.
Everyone knows. The club knows. His parents know. His brothers know — the same brothers Ashley thought of as family after her own parents disowned her for marrying Trigger. That betrayal honestly hurt more than the affair itself.
Ashley finds out when Virginia turns up at her work and shows her explicit photos and videos. Ashley leaves immediately, takes Cole, and files for divorce.
The present-day timeline is set during court-ordered counselling. Trigger still believes Ashley cheated — until she finally breaks and tells the truth about the assault, the miscarriage, and the phone call she made afterward that Virginia answered. (We later find out Trigger wasn’t cheating at that moment, but Ashley didn’t know that.)
When Trigger finds out the truth, he tries to end his life.
This is where the book really lost me on reread. Instead of feeling like redemption, it started to feel like guilt and emotional pressure. Ashley repeatedly tries to leave, and he keeps responding with variations of you can’t leave me or I’ll kill myself. Even counselling feels forced — she asks for a divorce, and he refuses unless she complies.
Ashley says it herself at one point: this isn’t love, it’s possession. And honestly? I agree.
Do I believe Trigger loves her? Yes.
Do I believe he’s remorseful? Yes.
Do I believe he ever loved Virginia? No.
But remorse isn’t the same as growth, and I just don’t think the book shows enough of that to justify Ashley forgiving him.
The later twist — that the man Ashley briefly dates is part of the trafficking ring responsible for her assault, and that Virginia was involved — just makes everything feel even more twisted. The same woman Trigger chose again and again is tied to Ashley’s trauma in every possible way.
I really wish the story had gone differently. I wish Ashley had spent real time away from Trigger, worked through her trauma properly, and found a meaningful relationship of her own. I wish Trigger had been given space to genuinely reflect on what he did and why, instead of the story relying so heavily on guilt and emotional collapse to push reconciliation.
I understand why some readers find this a powerful second-chance romance — but for me, on reread, too much happened, too much damage was done, and I just didn’t feel his redemption matched the harm.
I’ve reread this book, and while I still enjoyed parts of it, I’ve dropped my rating from four stars to three. On a reread, I just couldn’t ignore how little real growth I felt we actually saw from Trigger.
This book follows Tyler “Trigger” and Ashley, who’ve been together since they were teenagers. They married young, were each other’s first everything, and had been married around ten years with a son, Cole. But even early on, it’s clear Tyler has always carried “what if” thoughts about marrying young and missing out. What really gets me now is that Ashley gave him an out — more than once. When she got pregnant, she told him they didn’t have to get married. He chose that life, yet still spent years resenting it while watching his brothers sleep around.
There are also multiple mentions throughout the book of Trigger being flirtatious with other women, and people constantly being in his ear. That matters, because when Ashley starts pulling away — for one month — his response is to cheat.
Ashley had been assaulted in a car park, was pregnant, and lost the baby because of it. She doesn’t tell Trigger and instead shuts down. He doesn’t know what happened, but instead of questioning it, checking in, or confronting what he thinks is cheating, he goes out drinking and sleeps with Virginia — Ashley’s former school bully. It took him ONE MONTH of her being distant for him to cheat, wow.
The first time, he’s drunk, doesn’t use a condom, and convinces himself Ashley is cheating. I might have been able to forgive that. But then Ashley texts to say she’s working late, and he chooses to sleep with Virginia again — this time using a condom. From there, the affair continues for about a year.
During that year:
• He continues sleeping with Ashley (4 times, during the year affair)
• He catches chlamydia from Virginia and passes it on to Ashley
• He never confronts Ashley about the supposed cheating
• He uses his assumptions to justify continuing the affair
• He keeps sleeping with Virginia who bullied his wife. There is no emotional connection and he envisions Ashley every time.
Everyone knows. The club knows. His parents know. His brothers know — the same brothers Ashley thought of as family after her own parents disowned her for marrying Trigger. That betrayal honestly hurt more than the affair itself.
Ashley finds out when Virginia turns up at her work and shows her explicit photos and videos. Ashley leaves immediately, takes Cole, and files for divorce.
The present-day timeline is set during court-ordered counselling. Trigger still believes Ashley cheated — until she finally breaks and tells the truth about the assault, the miscarriage, and the phone call she made afterward that Virginia answered. (We later find out Trigger wasn’t cheating at that moment, but Ashley didn’t know that.)
When Trigger finds out the truth, he tries to end his life.
This is where the book really lost me on reread. Instead of feeling like redemption, it started to feel like guilt and emotional pressure. Ashley repeatedly tries to leave, and he keeps responding with variations of you can’t leave me or I’ll kill myself. Even counselling feels forced — she asks for a divorce, and he refuses unless she complies.
Ashley says it herself at one point: this isn’t love, it’s possession. And honestly? I agree.
Do I believe Trigger loves her? Yes.
Do I believe he’s remorseful? Yes.
Do I believe he ever loved Virginia? No.
But remorse isn’t the same as growth, and I just don’t think the book shows enough of that to justify Ashley forgiving him.
The later twist — that the man Ashley briefly dates is part of the trafficking ring responsible for her assault, and that Virginia was involved — just makes everything feel even more twisted. The same woman Trigger chose again and again is tied to Ashley’s trauma in every possible way.
I really wish the story had gone differently. I wish Ashley had spent real time away from Trigger, worked through her trauma properly, and found a meaningful relationship of her own. I wish Trigger had been given space to genuinely reflect on what he did and why, instead of the story relying so heavily on guilt and emotional collapse to push reconciliation.
I understand why some readers find this a powerful second-chance romance — but for me, on reread, too much happened, too much damage was done, and I just didn’t feel his redemption matched the harm.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2026
I was pleasantly surprised that this author seems to have gotten a proof reader as there's much fewer grammatical errors and typos, but again we have terms being used that no American uses, particularly not a biker! Eg: "Do you fancy a walk?" NO ONE HERE SAYS FANCY in place of like!! Would you like a walk? Do you want to go for a walk? That's what we say, not do you FANCY a walk! In the US fancy usually means something that's elaborate or extremely decorated. ANYWAY....
This story had the BIGGEST & LONGEST GROVEL EVER!!! It was really satisfying to see a true grovel, BUT it went on for just too long - it was the entire storyline; however, Ms. McGinlay's writing did improve with this book and it is better than the first two (much better than Stone).
This story had the BIGGEST & LONGEST GROVEL EVER!!! It was really satisfying to see a true grovel, BUT it went on for just too long - it was the entire storyline; however, Ms. McGinlay's writing did improve with this book and it is better than the first two (much better than Stone).
February 6, 2026
The entire book was a trigger. Good freaking lord. And this scum POS husband didn’t grovel or redeem himself, AT ALL. He’s VILE. I just sat there at the end, dumbstruck. My gasts were truly flabbered.
I am a huge fan of grovel/redemption stories. I’ve loved stories where the MMC is a despicable alphahole, who did very little to redeem himself… and I still enjoyed the story. But this MFer? If I was his wife, I would have unalived him as soon as I found out about the affair. I would have SNAPPED and set the entire MC club ON FÜCKING FIRE WITH THE MEMBERS LOCKED INSIDE AND THEN ROASTED MARSHMALLOWS OVER THE FLAMES. 🔥🔥🔥
And ohhhh it gets BETTER!! He then has the sheer👏🏾audacity👏🏾 TO LEAVE, bc he needs “time”, after he finds out about what happened to his wife??? AFTER CHEATING FOR A YEAR. NEVER. Nope. NUNCA. A better ending would have been him dying in a motorcycle wreck, while taking “TiMe” for himself. Or somehow getting castrated. That would have been my HEA. 😀🍆✂️
I am a huge fan of grovel/redemption stories. I’ve loved stories where the MMC is a despicable alphahole, who did very little to redeem himself… and I still enjoyed the story. But this MFer? If I was his wife, I would have unalived him as soon as I found out about the affair. I would have SNAPPED and set the entire MC club ON FÜCKING FIRE WITH THE MEMBERS LOCKED INSIDE AND THEN ROASTED MARSHMALLOWS OVER THE FLAMES. 🔥🔥🔥
And ohhhh it gets BETTER!! He then has the sheer👏🏾audacity👏🏾 TO LEAVE, bc he needs “time”, after he finds out about what happened to his wife??? AFTER CHEATING FOR A YEAR. NEVER. Nope. NUNCA. A better ending would have been him dying in a motorcycle wreck, while taking “TiMe” for himself. Or somehow getting castrated. That would have been my HEA. 😀🍆✂️
January 17, 2026
2 Maybe 1.5
Repetitive. It is said over and over and over again that Trigger cheated for a year BUT it was only 3-4 times a month. Oh? Is that all? He gave his wife chlamydia. He made up a story in his head in order to justify to himself that his cheating was A-Okay. But he couldn't f*** her without picturing his wife in his head! So, it's all good yeah?
No. No, it's not. The icing on the cake is the victim blaming they do at the end. Ugh. Just no. He doesn't even have a big redemption arc. He learned the truth, tried to kill himself, and then goes riding for five months so he can learn how to live with the guilt? GTFO with that noise.
Repetitive. It is said over and over and over again that Trigger cheated for a year BUT it was only 3-4 times a month. Oh? Is that all? He gave his wife chlamydia. He made up a story in his head in order to justify to himself that his cheating was A-Okay. But he couldn't f*** her without picturing his wife in his head! So, it's all good yeah?
No. No, it's not. The icing on the cake is the victim blaming they do at the end. Ugh. Just no. He doesn't even have a big redemption arc. He learned the truth, tried to kill himself, and then goes riding for five months so he can learn how to live with the guilt? GTFO with that noise.
January 15, 2026
Well-written but no
I can say the book was very well written Great grammar Flowed well but I just did not think Our main character was redeemable. The entire club lied to her humiliated her treated her like crap no 1 looked into anything investigated suspicions. Then she's forced back made to look like she was in the wrong again hurt again and everyone still tells her It would have happened anyway it wasn't her man's fault. I didn't like the club no honor if they all lie to their women that easy and then blame them. She should have left and never came back. Ending felt very rushed but I am kind of happy for that because I didn't want to see them together
I can say the book was very well written Great grammar Flowed well but I just did not think Our main character was redeemable. The entire club lied to her humiliated her treated her like crap no 1 looked into anything investigated suspicions. Then she's forced back made to look like she was in the wrong again hurt again and everyone still tells her It would have happened anyway it wasn't her man's fault. I didn't like the club no honor if they all lie to their women that easy and then blame them. She should have left and never came back. Ending felt very rushed but I am kind of happy for that because I didn't want to see them together
January 8, 2026
nor my favorite in the series
I was really looking forward to this one but it just didn’t hit like I expected. In Anchors book with cheating his wife gave ten plus years to deal with the infidelity and that was once. Trigger cheats for a whole year and we just move along? I felt like the tension and the chemistry could have been a lot better
I was really looking forward to this one but it just didn’t hit like I expected. In Anchors book with cheating his wife gave ten plus years to deal with the infidelity and that was once. Trigger cheats for a whole year and we just move along? I felt like the tension and the chemistry could have been a lot better
February 3, 2026
Disturbing!
May contain spoilers! This book disgusted me. Also needs a serious page of trigger warnings. This has every single step on how to shame and blame a victim. The excuses to make cheating ok and understandable were just disgusting. I normally love this author but this book was just a slam to women and it was not possible to redeem such a disgusting human. I did not nor should anyone feel bad for the dirt bag. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.
May contain spoilers! This book disgusted me. Also needs a serious page of trigger warnings. This has every single step on how to shame and blame a victim. The excuses to make cheating ok and understandable were just disgusting. I normally love this author but this book was just a slam to women and it was not possible to redeem such a disgusting human. I did not nor should anyone feel bad for the dirt bag. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.
January 6, 2026
triggers
Dear readers make sure you check triggers before you embark on this story. The h had to endure so much.
Dear readers make sure you check triggers before you embark on this story. The h had to endure so much.
January 26, 2026
This was a lot. Angst heavy.
Want to say it was:
60% - Miscommunication (from both sides) and it's consequences
30% - Talking through/about the miscommunication while going in circles
10% - Other
Want to say it was:
60% - Miscommunication (from both sides) and it's consequences
30% - Talking through/about the miscommunication while going in circles
10% - Other
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