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.
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 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.
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 sob. 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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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. 🤞🏻
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
Rating System (as of 8/14/2025): ⭐: It was a struggle to read. I almost DNF ⭐⭐: This could have been so much better. ⭐⭐⭐: Good/Average ⭐⭐⭐⭐: Great book. I will probably reread it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: I absolutely loved this book. *********************************************************************** Triggers: 🚩Violence 🚩Mentions of Sex Trafficking 🚩Sexual Assault 🚩Cheating/Affair 🚩Miscarriage 🚩Violence Towards a Pregnant Woman 🚩Suicide Attempts 🚩Death
Tropes: 💕Part of a Series 💕MC Romance 💕MF Romance 💕Marriage in Trouble 💕OW Drama 💕OM Drama 💕Family Drama 💕Miscommunication 💕Betrayal 💕Grovel 💕Second Chance 💕First Love
Spice Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Spice Level Rating System (as of 9/4/25) 🔥: Clean. Handholding. Kissing. 🔥🔥: Non-Descriptive/Implied on Page Sex 🔥🔥🔥: Hot-Descriptive on Page Sex 🔥🔥🔥🔥: So Hot—Do Not Read in Public 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥: Oh My-BDSM. Blood Play. Smut. ************************************************************************ THIS BOOK IS PART OF A SERIES AND I RECOMMEND THAT YOU READ THEM IN ORDER FOR A BETTER EXPERIENCE.
Quote: "You're not going to divorce Tyler, Ashley," he says more seriously, and I look at him this time and ask, "And how do you know that?" He smiles softly and replies, "Because he's your lobster."
Summary: FMC and MMC have been together since they were children. They married young when she became pregnant. This was a turbulent time as the MMC went through moments of not wanting to have the baby and his family felt she trapped him.
Years later, the FMC is sexually assaulted resulting in a miscarriage. She does not tell the MMC. He believes that she is having an affair and chooses to have one himself. He moves his mistress into the clubhouse and has her pose as a club girl. The mistress happens to be the FMCs childhood bully.
All is revealed and we are left with a story of what happens when you are betrayed. FMC was betrayed not just by the MMC but also by the club who was supposed to have her back as well. This is a story of how to heal and move forward.
Review: I hated the MMC. He was immature and really wanted a reason to cheat. He made up one in his head because he refused to talk to the FMC. Yes, the FMC could have told him what was going on but you have to see her as a person dealing with a double trauma the best way she could. The MC staying quiet for a year while the MMC cheated---hated it.
I like that the FMC showed strength and really made the decision to leave. I liked that she saw the MMC for who he truly was---selfish. I also liked that she made him grovel. There therapy sessions were written really well. The moments when they both worked on themselves---loved it.
With this writer you will either love the story or hate it. I have read some of her books and thought-wtf. But in the end, there is some sort of redemption of the MMC. I wasn't sure how she was going to be able to redeem this MMC, but she did.
We see the MMC working through his issues. We see him humbling himself and putting the FMC first. We see the FMC standing her ground but also taking responsibility for her own healing.
While this isn't my favorite book by this author--💖TATS💖-I liked it.
MC Romance Author Recommendations: Eve Black Candice Wright Samantha Cole Penny Dee Sandy Alvarez & Crystal Daniels Audrey Bell
⚠️ Spoiler-heavy review | Cheating, sexual assault, miscarriage, mental health ⚠️
This is the third book in the series and the one I was most excited for. It follows Tyler “Trigger” and Ashley, who have been together since they were teenagers. They married very young, were each other’s first everything, and had been married for around ten years with a son, Cole.
Although their marriage appeared strong, Tyler always carried unresolved “what if” thoughts about marrying young and missing out on life. He loved Ashley deeply but never communicated his doubts, and that lack of communication is what ultimately destroyed them.
Everything changes the night Ashley is assaulted in a car park after Tyler cancels their date night. She was pregnant at the time and loses the baby as a result of the attack. Instead of telling Tyler, she withdraws completely. He misreads her distance as infidelity, and a month later, drunk and angry, he cheats with Virginia, a club girl and Ashley’s former school bully.
The affair lasts roughly a year, but it is purely physical — no dates, no emotional connection, and very few on-page scenes. It’s never romanticised. Tyler regrets it almost immediately, but instead of stopping, he lets his anger and insecurity justify his choices.
Ashley finds out when Virginia cruelly shows her explicit videos and photos. She leaves immediately, takes Cole, and files for separation.
The present-day timeline is set six to seven months later during court-mandated counselling. Tyler initially wants peaceful co-parenting and still believes Ashley cheated first. She has briefly dated someone else and slept with him once, but ends the relationship quickly and is not involved with anyone afterward. Tyler is also with no one else once the affair ends.
When Ashley finally reveals the truth in therapy — the assault, miscarriage, and the phone call Virginia answered the night she was attacked — Tyler completely breaks. Overwhelmed with guilt, he attempts to take his own life. After this, he steps away from Ashley and the club entirely for five months, during which he attempts to end his life twice more. When he returns, he is committed to changing himself, not to pressure Ashley, but to become worthy of her if she ever chooses him again.
Ashley remains firm in her boundaries. Even when they sleep together once after his return, she refuses reconciliation and insists on co-parenting only.
A major twist reveals that the man Ashley briefly dated is actually part of the trafficking ring responsible for her original assault. He attacks her again, nearly costing her second pregnancy. This time, justice follows.
In the final stretch, Ashley is forced to confront whether life without Tyler is truly what she wants. The club and Tyler’s parents apologise for their failures — especially for hiding the affair. Tyler takes full accountability, consistently showing growth without entitlement.
In the end, Ashley chooses to give him another chance — slowly and cautiously. They remarry, rebuild trust over time, and years later their marriage is strong, though not without scars.
Why this worked for me: • Ashley is strong and never rushed into forgiveness • The cheating isn’t romanticised • Tyler’s remorse and accountability feel earned • Trauma and healing are handled with care • The love between them is always present, even when broken
Why it wasn’t 5 stars:
The ending felt slightly rushed after such a long emotional journey.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Yet another fantastic book from Charlotte McGinlay!!
I can’t lie I am a huge fan of all of Charlotte McGinlay’s books (not a fan of Virginia though lol), I particularly love the MC romances as they are all written in a more realistic and gritty way than you would normally see with a romance of any kind. I love that she doesn’t shy away from writing about heavier and often uncomfortable topics that happen in real life. She shows the reality of each topic from both sides helping the reader to question their immediate response to those topics and allowing an entirely new opinion often leaving you rooting for the happiness of the very people you may have initially condemned.
That is never more apparent than in Trigger, having already read the previous books in the series I was eagerly anticipating the story of Trigger and Ashley and the inevitable conclusion to his infidelity. I went into this book absolutely positive that I would hate Trigger for what he had done to his wife (and their son Cole) and I ended the book well, still believing he was a selfish jerk who needed to grow up and realise what damage he was doing to his family. but ultimately believing that he had changed and deserved a chance at redemption.
This book is a true reflection of the rollercoaster of emotions that people go through when a couple face the kind of betrayal portrayed here but more than that it shows the impact of Triggers actions and the lies told, on everyone around them. There is so much heartbreak and loss in Trigger and I’m not ashamed to say that it brought me to tears more than once, the depth of emotion that Ashley felt upon finding out about the betrayal by not only the man who had promised her the world, but also his parents and the MC brothers she had believed were her family, until they became complicit in Triggers deception was portrayed in such a way that you couldn’t help but feel that pain along with her. I loved that this book showed not only the affair and the feelings and outside manipulation and betrayals that lead up to it but also the importance of communication in any relationship, and that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
The road through life isn’t always rosy, sometimes you have to experience hardship and pain ion order to become the best version of yourself and to truly appreciate what you have and this book shows that with the character development and healing of trauma that occurred with Trigger and Ashley.
It’s a fantastic book but you should absolutely check the trigger warnings before reading as it is definitely a darker read.
Cheating = H is frustrated by the h and feels her pulling away, so what does he do? H cheats with club-ho...for a year while still sporadically sleeping with the h. H was also kind enough to give the h a STD...sharing is caring.
h sees H with OW = OW was kind enough to show the h a pic/video (can't remember exactly) of the H chowing downtown on the OW. Nice.
OW drama = OW was very clear on all the fun time she and the H had. OW was even generous enough to pull the h's kid out of class to explain to him that H and her were together and to make sure the son understood how much the H did not want him before he was even born. Such a sweetheart. OW was part of the conspiracy to target the h for a human trafficking ring and set the h up to be SA/R which led to the loss of the h's pregnancy. Comeuppance? OW ended by the H, too little too late but sure...
SA/R = OW along with h's "friend" set her up to be SA/R which resulted in the h losing her pregnancy
Grovel = H's idea of a grovel was to blame the h for him being a snowflake and not having the balls to confront the h and demand to know what was going on or heck, have the tech guy with the MC look into it...but, nope. Then when H finds out what happened, does he grovel? No he tries to take himself out. He is stopped, so now he really grovels without blaming the h or trying to end himself right? Wrong. He takes off for 5 months to get himself right....Truly this whole time the h is the only one being an adult about all this and dealing with her own shame/trauma. So is there really a grovel? Eh, there is begging...but what behaviors are changed with out being forced or given ultimatums? It is not freely done other than begging like a kid for forgiveness.
MC = it's there...side note, because this really f-ing bothers me. WHY!!?? Why do these man children keep around these club-hoes??? They go after the old ladies...nothing happens. They essentially SA/R the members when they may have imbibed too much...nothing happens. The members watch their "brothers" cheat and be dis-loyal to the women in their lives they claim to love, but they say they will never betray the "brotherhood?" Disloyal in one aspect which is supposed to be huge (cheating on your lady, disrespecting your lady, ignoring you child, etc.) part of the man's life means that "man" can be a snake in the grass in all other aspects of his life. They foster disloyalty, disrespect for the man' family but he will not do that to the brotherhood. Um, yeah, sure, okay keep those glasses on that make every flag look green.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Ok so I’ve read Storm and Doc and hearing the drama about these two I figured it would be juicy good. I will say at first I did like it until like her other books before this no communication between the couples. The FL thinking what she is doing is what’s best and I get it she was graped but I really feel like she should have told her husband lean on him whiles she’s grieving and healing from that and her miscarriage. But she didn’t just like in the other books the FL doesn’t communicate thinking that it’s the right thing and the men go and do something dumb to mess up their relationship. Honestly I skipped that last 3 chapters and went straight to the Epilogue I was just tired of FL and her feelings the back and forth giving him a chance but something happens and they can’t come back from it but then she wants him back and then the same thing they are too far gone 😒😒. I really MC romances like this where the ML messes up and the FL makes him grovel but in her books it’s just all about the FL pain and what she is going through not so much the ML feelings when I feel like it’s both at fault. And how the author just kept repeating the same thing over and over again like when the Ml cheated for a year, slept with the girl in the club house while she was there, and how he never wanted her or their son when they were younger to justify her anger. I noticed that in her books when the fl is mad and and brings up the NL mess up it’s the same thing at least 5 times in different chapters and in this book I was just over it. Idk maybe it’s just me and I’m thinking too much into it but I understand her hurt and pain and what she was going through but if she just communicated with her husband instead of pushing him away knowing his mindset and how jealous he is and possessive he is of her she should have known his mind would have went there I’m not saying his cheating is ok because it isn’t I just feel like she should have reached out and not let it drag on as long as it did giving him even more room the cheat.
First off I love books that are full of angst and yes cheating/betrayal, what I don't like is a book that is forced to have these types of drama. I just didn't feel the pain the MFC was going through, it just did not translate in the pages. We are told everything about the MMC and his mistress, we did jot witness it excepted for a small part. I would have liked to have seen it progress as well as the marriage fall
This story could have been called No Communication, the MFC was raped lost her baby and didn't tell her husband. She stopped sleeping with him and became distant with him, he thought she was having an affair. No discussion about what happened on either side, he has an affair instead of getting to the bottom of what was wrong.
I disliked the use of rape as a way to make the MMC look more of a douche then he already was, don't get me wrong he still was a big douche. The MFC goes on to date her rapist, this is her thoughts in regards to her new man.
Highlighted from book......
"The feeling of pushing him away hits me, but I ignore it as I kiss him back. Wrong, so wrong... I pull back first, the bile rising becoming too much, and I begin to walk towards the door, Talen quickly after me as he wraps an arm around my waist with a chuckle before his lips touch my neck sending shivers down my spine and not in the good way but I ignore the feeling."
Seriously, she really thinks person is a contender to date, someone she's not comfortable with. To top it off the MMC tried to kill himself when he finds out about her rape changing the focus to him. I've known personal friends who have attempted suicide, I found that storyline to be pathetic. It seemed to be used for ott drama. Oh, the MFC seemed to have no issue telling everyone she knew or didn't really know that she was cheated on but can't tell her husband she was raped, yeah right.
I stopped reading this author a few books ago, I loved her un polished work when she was an unknown, now her books have become ott, repeatative, rinse and repeat. Too bad.
I enjoy this authors work & love the genre, but unfortunately this one had one of the real “triggers” for people and it could’ve been handled a little better.
*Spoilers ahead* SA is not something that needs be avoided in literature because when done correctly it can help survivors feel less alone and stronger—but what should be avoided, is the victim blaming. Even when it’s unintentional.
At no point should anyone have told her that her silence in the month following her attack made her to blame for the marriage falling apart aka trigger cheating.
They could’ve told her she shouldn’t have kept her schooling silent, that she shouldn’t have kept her pregnancy quiet, that she shouldn’t have let the distance happen during the first 10 years because of his moms words (but frankly, he should’ve defended her) BUT her reaction to being SA’d and having a miscarriage— just for another woman to answer her husbands phone— is not to blame for why it only took a month of her retreating for him to cheat.
The club had been letting her down their whole marriage, trigger had been letting her down the whole marriage, and the audacity to say “you’re to blame too” and for the FMC to be left believing it was a faux pas on the authors part.
I hope this author continues to write more of the cheating MC stories because they are great but, it wouldn’t hurt to do a little more research on any truly sensitive topics like SA, suicide/mental health, and miscarriage to make sure they’re portrayed as accurately as possible.
Tigger and Ashley’s story was woven into books one and two in the series. So, this book is much anticipated and did not disappoint!
Disclosure: I love MC cheating books, and I have read almost all the books by this author. Most of the MC books I read, and love, come with story line something like this – couple has a miscommunication, weak man does something stupid, a club whore, a drama, a fight with rival club, lots of spicy scenes and reconciliation, happily ever after. I read this on repeat and I love it!
If you started reading the series from the beginning with Stone and Doc, we already know what is happening with our characters in Trigger. (If you didn’t start at the beginning, you can start with this book without missing any context) I was curious what additional story line the author could provide in book three because I felt like I already knew so much from the other books. Well, she brought it!
There are a few twists and unexpected turns that caught me off guard, outside of my normal expectations. Won’t spoil them but I did gasp and cry when I read them.
After I finished the book, I was in a state. I needed to vent, I wanted to cry, I wanted to yell. Not because I didn’t love it, but because this book hit so many emotions.
I am on Team Ashley.
I still hate Trigger.
I still hate the club.
I personally wish this book would have ended with them living separately, learning to co-parent. Since their storyline has been with us since book one, I would have been happier if their reconciliation took place in the final book. (But this is just my preference!)
Great book! Can’t wait for the rest of the series.
Be sure to check the triggers for this book before reading it. There are a lot of them. This time this author's book worked for me. I had issues with the writing style, frequent repetition of the same ideas without any new insights, but the high level of angst and drama made me put up with the writing. The MMC and FMC have been in love since they were ten years old. They rushed into marriage at seventeen as a result of a surprised pregnancy. The MMC was cautioned about his. hasty decision of marrying by both the FMC and his parents. The FMC's family disowns her. There are huge red flags about the weak foundation of their marriage so it's no wonder that it crumbles when it's tested. Somehow the FMC attends college to become a vet without telling her husband???? When she experiences a traumatic event she withdraws from the MMC and he responds by having a year-long affair with a club bunny. The FMC wants a divorce. The MMC believes that she cheated on him and that was the cause of her withdrawing. The FMC feels betrayed by her husband and his MC but somehow they still have sex in the midst of their anger with each other. There are several betrayals that are brutal. So several implausible situations but a high level of feels.
Charlotte has an amazing ability to write intense, drama filled, HAWT & SPICY, stories. Whether MC, Mafia or other. She does not shy away from the hard topics and it is really important My Fellow Readers, that you do read the trigger warnings. Because there are definitely some things that happen in this book, that could cause distress for some readers. I was connected and fully immersed from page 1. We met Trigger and Ashley in the first 2 books of the series and as with all of Charlotte's MC series, they are all interconnected and she has an insane0 ability to weave hints of what is to come, throughout. Trigger, is a flawed MMC with serious guilt issues. Ashley, is also a flawed MFC with has some definite trauma hitting her from multiple sides. Their story however is one to definitely be read and is another brilliant chapter in a superb interconnected MC universe.
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...
I will never understand how two people spend three years together not talking and living in a state of toxic pain. Makes no sense. This was just a little too much for me.
Also - i dont feel she should have left the house but understandable that its on club grounds its just…. Id have thought she would do what is best for son. That was selfish.
Additionally club kept saying she was family but they never treated her as family. That relationship was never ironed out. Talk is cheap but their actions spoke volumes.
I didnt feel ashley’s chronic was very deep and showed barley any connections to others.
Trigger was my least favorite character. Stuck through and read till the end but i just can not stand him. There was a whole lot of drama but no depth or maturity.
I was looking forward to this book, because I thought it would be full of angst. Instead of anything substantial, it was a ton of nothing and everything together. The clubwhore visits a child in school, but it's resolved after one conversation. Ashley secretly attended veterinary school, but never studied? Had textbooks? Didn't have specific times for labs, exams, or internships? She didn't get an online degree in accounting. That would be more indication of an affair.
Ashley is raped, fails to tell anyone, and her useless excuse of a husband uses the fact that she doesn't want to have sex anymore (never asking why) to have sex with another woman. The clubwhore tells Ashley then she leaves Trigger, which is great. I thought we'd get a bunch of groveling and OW drama. Trigger is genuinely too stupid for that and Ashley is a people-pleaser.
This was such a great read. Of course I was skeptical with the snips we got before it actually came out but I was wrong so wrong about it. I saw both sides and how they both struggled in their marriage especially at such a young age. Like I always say communication is key but sadly it is something we all struggle with in some way. I'm happy 😊 with the HEA. There were times I was like " ash don't give in. I got your back girl " but after the pov of trigger I understood a bit better to his why? Not the way to go but we make mistakes. Many individuals need sex to have a connection and then their are those that need a connection to have sex. I truly loved this book. Don' t pass it by. Great job once again McGinlay!
I was SO nervous about reading this book. Like flat out scared. I’m ok with cheating books but I really didn’t like Trigger from the other books so I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel if the grovel wasn’t good enough. Let me tell you — the grovel is good enough.
The cheating is angsty and well written. The heartbreak feels real. The emotions leap off the page to point I spent most of the book sobbing or laughing. I feel like Pixie (Ash) came into her own once she started working through her trauma. I feel like Trigger did put the work in. I was starting to worry about 67% of the way through, but he pulled it back. No spoilers, but the drama, the OW heartbreak, the grovel…top tier.