Two sisters. One husband. A betrayal that destroys everything. Some foundations are built to last. Others are rigged to explode. Sarah Bennett’s life is perfectly designed. As a successful architect, she has built a beautiful home and a solid marriage with her husband, Harrison. But her flawless reality crumbles the night she comes home early from a gala and finds Harrison intertwined on their living room couch with the one person she never saw her own sister, Emily. Refusing to be broken, Sarah scorches the earth. She files for divorce, reclaims her house, and forces Harrison out into the cold. But Harrison's nightmare is just beginning. What he thought was a thrilling, no-strings-attached escape quickly becomes a life sentence when Emily announces she is pregnant with his child. Trapped in a miserable, suffocating existence with the woman who helped him burn his life down, Harrison watches his career and sanity evaporate. Worse, he has to watch from the shadows as Sarah rises from the ashes, catching the eye of a steadfast, protective man who knows exactly what she is worth. But Emily hasn’t finished playing her games. Just when Sarah finally begins to heal, and Harrison resigns himself to his bleak, loveless fate, a devastating final secret is waiting in the delivery room—one that will shatter whatever is left of Harrison's reality.
Wow!! I have to give this 5 stars for the entertainment value alone. I was glued to this book. I usually don’t go for novellas because there isn’t enough story or character development for me, but this book was so well done. I simply couldn’t put it down. It ends on kind of a cliffhanger and there is a second novella where everyone gets the conclusion they deserve and it was so incredibly satisfying. I didn’t do a single thing today because I couldn’t pull myself away from this story.
Broken Love, Book 1 of the Love Hurts series (Book 2 is its sequel that must be read in order), was about (her age was never brought up) Sarah Bennett (Miller), who was an architect, her 32-year-old soon-to-be ex-husband, Harrison Miller, a project manager of a logistics firm, her older sister (and Harrison's affair partner), 29-year-old Emily Bennett, and Julian Pierce, the new man in Sarah's life, who was a structural engineer. (His age was never brought up.)
Sarah and Harrison had been married for a while when she returned home early from a gala to find him in the middle of "raw-dogging" her sister Emily on their sofa. When she confronted them...in the middle of it...and told them to get out, Emily told her she couldn't kick her out because their parents had left the house to both of them. Rather than finding that intimidating, Sarah threw open the door and told her she could argue the deed with the attorneys.
Harrison had been appalled that Sarah found out the way she did. For him, Emily was "just sex; it's dopamine! ... a release". They weren't "a thing", and they weren't in a relationship as Emily believed. He loved Sarah. He told Emily they would get a motel room for the night, but after that, she would need to find her own place. He believed he could fix things with Sarah, that she only needed to listen to him tell her it was just sex.
Sarah spent the next two weeks wallowing, crying, and sleeping. On day 14, she started packing his things one room at a time. She didn't destroy anything, but packed it all neatly. When it was finished, Sarah sent him a text as to where he could find his things. Then she contacted an attorney, to whom she explained that she wanted to file for divorce, to have him served at work, and that she wanted to buy her sister out of her share of the house she had designed for her parents...minus the cost of the sofa she "ruined" by having sex on it with Sarah's husband. Two days later, Sarah found more evidence on the iPad he had left behind, which consisted of the texts he and Emily had exchanged, as well as photos, videos, and evidence of the vacations he had taken with Emily over the course of their affair; there was also proof of the money from their joint account that he'd spent on her sister instead of her. Instead of deleting everything, she downloaded and sent it all to her attorney to record the affair.
Harrison was served with the divorce papers at work. It wasn't done quietly, so Harrison's co-workers heard what was going on. Upon returning to the apartment, he tried to break things off with Emily again after telling her about the upcoming divorce. However, she informed him she was pregnant. She said she knew about the pregnancy before she broke things off with her fiancé, but she was certain Harrison was the father. He felt the trap snap shut, tying him to a woman he didn't love, and cutting him off from the one he did. When he said he needed a drink, Emily said she couldn't, therefore neither could he for "solidarity", thus her control over him began to tighten further. The day they finalized the divorce and the division of property was the day Sarah learned about her sister's pregnancy from Emily. All Sarah said in response was, "I hope it was worth it," before walking away.
Three months later, Harrison walked out of the office with his personal effects and a termination letter. At the five-month mark, the severance money he received from work (that should have lasted six months) hadn't lasted two months, "thanks to Emily". While she spent what little they had left, Harrison got lost in the bottom of a bottle. He started pretending she was Sarah when they had sex. When he made the mistake of calling out Sarah's name and declaring his love for his ex-wife, he sealed his fate with Emily, and she became his worst nightmare.
For Sarah, the months progressed in a different manner. It started with simple survival, followed by anger that, by six months, had turned into peace. Unlike Harrison, her career was flourishing. Sarah had a gallery opening to attend...the first major solo project she had completed since the divorce. She also had a new man enter her world that night. His name was Julian, and he invited her for a cup of coffee, which she accepted. They got along very well, especially as they "spoke the same language" where work was concerned. They could bounce ideas off each other and show knowledgeable support. He told her about his ten-year marriage that ended 3 years earlier in a "gentle collapse", and she told him hers was a messy divorce that ended her marriage six months earlier. He confessed to googling her and showed admiration for how she handled the marital explosion. But then she told him the ugly truth about the affair...and the baby and the fact that the two affair partners were living together. Sarah said if he was going to be in her life, he needed to know she was not only a work in progress, but she was a lot of work and had many issues, including trust. Julian didn't walk away. Instead, he told her as an engineer, he made walls stronger, and that he liked "complex projects".
When the time came for the birth of the baby, Emily said Harrison wasn't to be allowed in the delivery room because he stressed her out. More than fourteen hours later, Harrison's life changed yet again. At this point, the book ended on a cliffhanger, to be picked up in Book 2 titled: Beautiful Ruins.
This story had more than enough angst, drama, and conflict. It also had an emotional rollercoaster, which had so many twists and turns that it kept the reader's head spinning. The flow of the story was a bit choppy at times, but not enough to dramatically alter the storyline.
Since the author had four main characters, I will delineate between the two who were the main focal point of the story, then discuss the other two. I believe Harrison and Sarah were the two main characters, even though they were no longer together. It was their POV that dominated this story. Harrison wasn't as well-developed or mature as he should have been, but that was because he was a p.o.s. for a husband who constantly and deliberately cheated on his wife. Sarah, on the other hand, was both well-developed and mature, although at times she lost a bit of her maturity when she got too emotional (which was understandable), and sometimes she felt a bit cold-hearted (again, understandable). She did more growth than Harrison or Emily, both of whom de-evolved the further the story grew. I couldn't give much of a reading on Julian because he appeared so late in the story and didn't have a huge part. Hopefully, that will change in the next book.
I gave this a three-star rating mainly because I didn't like the cliffhanger. But for that, it would have rated a bit higher. (I don't like cliffhangers!) So...on to Part 2!
I was a little disappointed about the cliffhanger, but not enough to not rate the book well. I’m really hoping that the sister gets to come up in. Usually people get mad if the other woman is punished more than the cheating spouse. However, the cheating spouse is definitely getting his just desserts, but Emily is her biological sister. For her to do what she did is beyond awful. So I definitely need her to suffer and it looks like she’s going to. So far this book has been very enjoyable!
3.5 stars, cuz it drew me in... Spoiler, it ends in a cliffhanger... I loathe cliffys. The next book Beautiful Ruins isn't out until 3/31/26. Yes, I will be reading the damn next book. inquiring minds and all that...
This was a quick and enjoyable novella overall. I really liked the FMC the most. She was strong-headed, knew when to act, and didn’t sit around feeling helpless forever. Even in the middle of betrayal and heartbreak, she still had this quiet strength to her that made me want more of her story. Honestly, I wish the novella was longer just so we could spend more time with her.
And I absolutely loved how the ex-husband ended up. Truly deserved. Now I just need the sister’s karma to hit in the next book too because I am waiting for that with popcorn in my hand.
The new guy was sweet and understanding, and I did like him, but I’ll admit his whole “We have all the time” energy on the literal first date felt a bit too fast for me. Like sir, breathe a little first. But overall, he genuinely seemed like a good man, and I’m interested to see more of him in the next installment.
My main issue is that the novella felt very… point-to-point. Like okay, here’s the cheating, here’s the divorce, here’s the aftermath, here’s the new man, and now cliffhanger. It moved so quickly from one major event to another that I didn’t really feel the emotional continuity in between. I know it’s a novella, so obviously it’s short, but I still think a few smaller connecting moments would have made the story flow much better emotionally.
Still, for a short dramatic read, it did keep me interested, and I’m curious enough to continue the series mainly because of the FMC and the mess waiting to unfold next.
This is one of my new favorite authors and I cannot wait to read more from her. This is part one, and thankfully part two just came out, so I went straight into the next book.
This is one of those stories where the cheating husband is actually suffering the consequences of what he did, and I will admit, I was here for that. I am also very curious to see what happens with the sister because you can already tell there are going to be consequences there too.
What made this book interesting is that you also end up feeling some pity for the cheating husband. He knows he ruined a great marriage and he knows he destroyed his own life, which almost makes it more frustrating because it does not really make sense why he did what he did in the first place.
I have never understood how someone can throw away a happy life for a moment of lust, but I do like reading stories that explore the consequences and the emotional fallout of those choices. This author does a really good job showing the emotional damage on everyone involved, not just the person who was cheated on.
I wasn't sure I'd like this. It sounded just like another story I just read, except in that story I ended up rooting for the disgraced husband. This story, I have not, even though he seems pretty messed up with his choices. I kinda have a guess who walks through that door but we will see. Not a fan of Julian at this point. I respect that the author had Sarah, although there wasn't much to her in book 1, not just jump into bed with someone. I like an author who writes about strong women who know when they're just too hurt and mentally not ready for someone else and not willing to just sleep around to find her self worth. I am an underdog person so I hope Harrison can have a transformation in his life. We will see...
Sarah, our beautiful FMC, comes home to find her husband, Harrison, having sex with her sister, Emily, on their living room couch. She literally cleans house. She is not fucking around 😂 She files for divorce, reclaims her house (left to her and her sister, by her parents - she paid out her sister’s portion), and kicks them out of her life.
Harrison, poor Harrison, his nightmare has just started. Emily announces that she’s pregnant with his child. His career is gone, his emotional stability is destroyed, and he has to watch as Sarah rebuilds her life, catching the eye of a honourable, successful and protective man who kind and respectful regarding what she’s been through.
At the very end, there is a huge plot twist - the baby is not Harrison’s!!!!!
It ends on a cliff hanger. I wanted to jump into the next one right away, and loved it 😈
Not really a romance in my estimation, as the FMC must deal with the aftermath of her life being completely blown up for the vast majority of the book.
The FMC has to deal with the worst betrayal imaginable (her husband and her sister, who then gets pregnant. All of this is listed in the book's description.) Absolutely NO HEA here.
The FMC does begin a new romance, but that doesn't happen until 70% into the book. The book itself ends on a cliffhanger as the story continues in the 2nd book in the series.
Well, even though Harrison brought it on himself, it’s not hard to feel a bit sorry for Harrison. He blew up his whole life cheating with his sister-in-law. That’s what happens to cheaters, they blow up their life.
Emily is a sociopath. A narcissist. I hope she gets her just desserts in the next book.
Meanwhile, Sarah is moving forward with her life. As she deserves to.
The h comes home early from a gala to find her husband balls deep in her sister on their couch. The H felt that separating the physical need from his love for his wife was understandable until he was served with divorce papers. The h's sister/OW is a conniving, manipulative villain. The H's fall from all that is good in his life is quick and far. Satisfying karma BUT the story ends on a cliffhanger that has piqued my curiosity. Who is the father of the OW'S newborn son?
Well written novella and I love the quiet revenge—living your life and finding a happiness that erases and trumps everything before. Don't get me wrong, I love a solid scorched earth story, but something about the way Sarah moved forwards felt right.
Zero shocker about the baby daddy. Zero. And watching Harrison be miserable was 🤌🏼
Timelines and the sister Emily’s thoughts and motivations don’t make sense. Almost like you were trying to extend the story but didn’t want to go back and rewrite. Having said that the drama is outstanding and not too drawn out as many books like this do. Please keep going as your writing style is good, but it’s always a good idea to have an outline.
Sarah thought she had it all, her career, a handsome husband that she adored and a beautiful life ahead of her. Until, she caught her husband inside her sister abd everything she knew about her life imploded before her eyes.
With a sister like Emily, you really do not need an enemy; with a husband like the H, you need a nanny. He lacks any redeeming qualities and the sister is a waste. I like the way the h dealt with an horrific experience and survived them both.
If I'd realised it was going to leave me hanging for book 2, I wouldn't have read until the 2nd book was out. I've now read book 2 and can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed both. 3 stars only due to being left hanging for sooooo long.
First time for me by this author, because of the timeline holes, it sounds a bit AI ish I know it’s a stupid detail, but unlike the story, Illinois is not an ‘at fault state’ for divorce. I wasn’t expecting the cliffhanger, but this read more like a novella, and it wasn’t horrible.
Cheating betrayal book . Good storyline. Short book. But book 1 or 2 which I didn’t realize. Why not one book. But it’s on KU so no big deal. Will rate and review when finish next book. Promising author though. Keeps readers interest!