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Built & Burned: A Marriage in Trouble Romance
Some betrayals don't leave bruises; they empty bank accounts.
Becca Hughes built her marriage the same way she built everything — carefully, strategically, one dollar at a time. She trusted her husband, Sam, with her financial fears, her future, and every dream they had planned together.
She didn't expect him to drain their savings without a word.
Now she's living separately, rebuilding her independence, and trying to decide whether the man who shows up quietly in every way that matters is the husband she married — or just a man who finally understands what he stands to lose.
Sam knows he broke something real. He also knows Becca well enough to understand that grand gestures won't fix this. Only time, truth, and showing up when it counts.
A slow-burn, second-chance, marriage-in-trouble romance set in the Pacific Northwest. For readers who want the angst, the groveling, and the earned happily ever after.
Becca Hughes built her marriage the same way she built everything — carefully, strategically, one dollar at a time. She trusted her husband, Sam, with her financial fears, her future, and every dream they had planned together.
She didn't expect him to drain their savings without a word.
Now she's living separately, rebuilding her independence, and trying to decide whether the man who shows up quietly in every way that matters is the husband she married — or just a man who finally understands what he stands to lose.
Sam knows he broke something real. He also knows Becca well enough to understand that grand gestures won't fix this. Only time, truth, and showing up when it counts.
A slow-burn, second-chance, marriage-in-trouble romance set in the Pacific Northwest. For readers who want the angst, the groveling, and the earned happily ever after.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 23, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
June 30, 2026
The FMC ruined the book. The overheard scene was great. I was even down for the unique (in books) betrayal. But the FMC’s reactions became ridiculous.
She had a postnuptial agreement drawn up according to her terms without consulting MMC (which I was like, hell yeah!!). But then she got mad at him for signing it because “he didn’t push back” lol girl what? He was giving you what you wanted!! If he’d refused to sign because he wanted her to have half of the house, Miss Independent would have gotten mad about that too (this personality trait is proven when she gets mad at any little thing he does to try to fix what he broke/be nice).
Later they’re arguing and she is ripping him a new one for assuming nothing bothered her (because she always acted like nothing bothered her), and he’s like, “I know. I see that now.”—MIND YOU, this is AFTER the betrayal, and he’s learning and seeing the error of his ways, trying to fix everything. That’s why he said, “I see that ✨now✨”… ok, so she replies, “No. You don’t. Because if you did, you would’ve never drained our accounts behind my back.”—LOL that doesn’t even make sense????? You can’t say he doesn’t see in hindsight because of a betrayal he did before his epiphany.
THEN he sells his baseball card collection he’s had since childhood that means A LOT to him and puts the money in her personal account to try to help her feel financially safe. Her response? “So what… you liquidate your childhood and suddenly we’re even?” lolz he’s sacrificing stuff important to only him to return the money to help her feel safe and she’s mad. I mean at that point just divorce him if nothing he does will earn your forgiveness.
And all of this happens in the first like 35%. I won’t even bore you with the rest. She is so unlikable, and I’m mad the author made me side with a man.
2 stars instead of 1 because the overheard scene was great.
She had a postnuptial agreement drawn up according to her terms without consulting MMC (which I was like, hell yeah!!). But then she got mad at him for signing it because “he didn’t push back” lol girl what? He was giving you what you wanted!! If he’d refused to sign because he wanted her to have half of the house, Miss Independent would have gotten mad about that too (this personality trait is proven when she gets mad at any little thing he does to try to fix what he broke/be nice).
Later they’re arguing and she is ripping him a new one for assuming nothing bothered her (because she always acted like nothing bothered her), and he’s like, “I know. I see that now.”—MIND YOU, this is AFTER the betrayal, and he’s learning and seeing the error of his ways, trying to fix everything. That’s why he said, “I see that ✨now✨”… ok, so she replies, “No. You don’t. Because if you did, you would’ve never drained our accounts behind my back.”—LOL that doesn’t even make sense????? You can’t say he doesn’t see in hindsight because of a betrayal he did before his epiphany.
THEN he sells his baseball card collection he’s had since childhood that means A LOT to him and puts the money in her personal account to try to help her feel financially safe. Her response? “So what… you liquidate your childhood and suddenly we’re even?” lolz he’s sacrificing stuff important to only him to return the money to help her feel safe and she’s mad. I mean at that point just divorce him if nothing he does will earn your forgiveness.
And all of this happens in the first like 35%. I won’t even bore you with the rest. She is so unlikable, and I’m mad the author made me side with a man.
2 stars instead of 1 because the overheard scene was great.
August 28, 2026
Heroine runs her husband through the ringer.
No cheating, but financial infidelity.
No cheating, but financial infidelity.
August 3, 2026
Read on wattpad.
Financial betrayal, basically he gives their money to his sister as startup money for a business—problematic: 1. he didn’t discuss it with her, 2. she has financial stability issues from childhood, and 3. his sister is being ripped off by her business partners.
To be honest, my accountant brain doesn’t want to read pages and pages of financial details when reading romance. We get it, move on, condense the details, it bogs down the story.
2 she’s not wrong, but she’s not that likable either stars.
Financial betrayal, basically he gives their money to his sister as startup money for a business—problematic: 1. he didn’t discuss it with her, 2. she has financial stability issues from childhood, and 3. his sister is being ripped off by her business partners.
To be honest, my accountant brain doesn’t want to read pages and pages of financial details when reading romance. We get it, move on, condense the details, it bogs down the story.
2 she’s not wrong, but she’s not that likable either stars.
September 20, 2026
This is a betrayal that probably happens a lot; maybe not with as much money involved as this story. The betrayal and overheard betrayal was intense. The rest of the book- not so much. I’ll rate it 3 stars because of the unusual betrayal.
Possible spoilers ahead.
I am a lot like h. I’m the money person in my marriage. I track every thing that comes in and out of our money. It’s definitely due to my childhood with irresponsible parents and always being broke. So this betrayal hit me hard. If I found out my husband gave 72k of our money to somebody else, I’d probably gut him. 🔪
Idk how this moron, Sam, thought he was going to hide his deception. He literally gave his flakey sister and her slushy BFF - 72k for some dumb beauty salon. 🤡 I would’ve saw RED and beat the tar out of all 3 of them. BUT Sam, oh dear Sam would’ve been gutted like the pig he is.
So Sam is the idiot husband/hero who plays captain-save-a-ho, and gives the MC’s money away. Money they have saved for years. The MCs have done without so much, so they could build their nest egg- hoping to eventually start a camp ground with cabins. Becca (h) is the ultimate coupon queen. The point is- they did without, so their savings could grow.
Sam gives it all away because his sister wants to open a salon with her BFF. 🤡 Sam doesn’t tell Becca; he just does it. Why? Because he knew Becca would say no. His theory was “it’s better to ask for forgiveness”
How did that work out for him? Not good.
Sam ran his mouth and said some hurtful things about Becca, that she overheard.
Becca left him and immediately filed a post-nup so the moron couldn’t spend any more of their money. I don’t blame her.
There’s parts about a shady land developer and the slushy BFF, Megan. Megan wants Sam. She is actually not that important because he’s never wanted her. Megan is the most useless person in this whole book and I couldn’t understand why the H’s sister continued to hang around her.
I just couldn’t figure out why Sam’s mom wanted him to be with Megan so much? Goofy.
There’s long, boring parts about the friend group. They eat, they drink, and they give advice. There’s parts with Becca working at her job. Or playing with a dog. Or just in her head with thoughts. Long parts where Sam is “fixing” things or coming to the realization of what he did. He talks with his sister, his dad, and his mom. Or we get flashbacks when things were good between the MCs. The filler stuff was so boring.
Anyway, the betrayal happens very early in the book. Sam spends the rest of the book on redemption. I found myself extremely bored from 35-85%. I thought there were times Becca was just milking the whole situation. It was like I started to think “girl, if you can’t trust him, then end it. No amount of waiting on him to do a certain act of redemption is gonna change how you trust somebody” 🤷♀️
Sam lucked up because his sister ended up having a decent idea about the salon. Most people don’t get that lucky when they give money to their family.
Sam slowly pays back Becca. He sells his baseball cards. He sells furniture he makes. Idk how any of these people had time to do all the stuff they were doing in this book. When he sold his cards, it just made me question why he didn’t sell those FIRST?
I don’t think Sam was a terrible guy. He does do a lot to redeem himself. If I was Becca, I’d never trust this guy with money, though. Maybe she should just give him an allowance?? 😂 Instead a year later they decide it’s time to have a baby. Yeah, that will really save you some money :/s
I did not like the fact that Megan didn’t really receive any comeuppance at all. She planned and worked with that shady guy. All that happened was the sister just made her an employee. Huh?
I feel kind of blah about this book. The betrayal caught my attention and I felt all in. Then it lost steam and I found myself doing other things. YMMV
Possible spoilers ahead.
I am a lot like h. I’m the money person in my marriage. I track every thing that comes in and out of our money. It’s definitely due to my childhood with irresponsible parents and always being broke. So this betrayal hit me hard. If I found out my husband gave 72k of our money to somebody else, I’d probably gut him. 🔪
Idk how this moron, Sam, thought he was going to hide his deception. He literally gave his flakey sister and her slushy BFF - 72k for some dumb beauty salon. 🤡 I would’ve saw RED and beat the tar out of all 3 of them. BUT Sam, oh dear Sam would’ve been gutted like the pig he is.
So Sam is the idiot husband/hero who plays captain-save-a-ho, and gives the MC’s money away. Money they have saved for years. The MCs have done without so much, so they could build their nest egg- hoping to eventually start a camp ground with cabins. Becca (h) is the ultimate coupon queen. The point is- they did without, so their savings could grow.
Sam gives it all away because his sister wants to open a salon with her BFF. 🤡 Sam doesn’t tell Becca; he just does it. Why? Because he knew Becca would say no. His theory was “it’s better to ask for forgiveness”
How did that work out for him? Not good.
Sam ran his mouth and said some hurtful things about Becca, that she overheard.
Becca left him and immediately filed a post-nup so the moron couldn’t spend any more of their money. I don’t blame her.
There’s parts about a shady land developer and the slushy BFF, Megan. Megan wants Sam. She is actually not that important because he’s never wanted her. Megan is the most useless person in this whole book and I couldn’t understand why the H’s sister continued to hang around her.
I just couldn’t figure out why Sam’s mom wanted him to be with Megan so much? Goofy.
There’s long, boring parts about the friend group. They eat, they drink, and they give advice. There’s parts with Becca working at her job. Or playing with a dog. Or just in her head with thoughts. Long parts where Sam is “fixing” things or coming to the realization of what he did. He talks with his sister, his dad, and his mom. Or we get flashbacks when things were good between the MCs. The filler stuff was so boring.
Anyway, the betrayal happens very early in the book. Sam spends the rest of the book on redemption. I found myself extremely bored from 35-85%. I thought there were times Becca was just milking the whole situation. It was like I started to think “girl, if you can’t trust him, then end it. No amount of waiting on him to do a certain act of redemption is gonna change how you trust somebody” 🤷♀️
Sam lucked up because his sister ended up having a decent idea about the salon. Most people don’t get that lucky when they give money to their family.
Sam slowly pays back Becca. He sells his baseball cards. He sells furniture he makes. Idk how any of these people had time to do all the stuff they were doing in this book. When he sold his cards, it just made me question why he didn’t sell those FIRST?
I don’t think Sam was a terrible guy. He does do a lot to redeem himself. If I was Becca, I’d never trust this guy with money, though. Maybe she should just give him an allowance?? 😂 Instead a year later they decide it’s time to have a baby. Yeah, that will really save you some money :/s
I did not like the fact that Megan didn’t really receive any comeuppance at all. She planned and worked with that shady guy. All that happened was the sister just made her an employee. Huh?
I feel kind of blah about this book. The betrayal caught my attention and I felt all in. Then it lost steam and I found myself doing other things. YMMV
August 7, 2026
Reader Note 💕
I’m romance-focused and particular about relationship dynamics. I always flag cheating, OWD/OMD, and romantic scenes involving other people so readers can decide if the book fits their comfort zone.
⭐ Rating:
📚 Genre: Marriage in crisis Romance
📃Brief summary : Becca our fmc overhears her husband the mmc Sam during a family party, saying that he gave his sister Holly and her bff Mandy 75k $ from their joint account without consulting with her so they can open a beauty Salon, he also said a bunch of other things like calling Holly and Mandy " his favorite girls" and saying that their family home is HIS and if Becca ever leaves him she has nowhere to go. this prompts Becca to feel deeply hurt and betrayed and ends up moving out.
✍️ Overall Thoughts : The plot was both original and very unoriginal. original in the sense that it tackled a different kind of betrayal than your typical owd or asshole mmc, it tackled financial infidelity, and unoriginal in the sense that we have seen this plot before where the mmc allows his family to judge and insult his wife without ever defending her or drawing boundaries.
👥 Main Characters
💃 FMC
• Name: Becca
• Personality: Smart, business oriented, very goal set, takes no shit
• Character: 4/5
• Did I like her? Yes
• Notes: Becca left immidiately after, and didn't allow Sam to gaslight her or belittle her fears, i was so proud of her for immidiately recognizing that what he did was betrayal and acted according. some of her actions did annoy me like seeing him out for phone sex while they were still seperated and not making sense sometimes.
🕺 MMC
• Name: Sam
• Personality: Weak, stupid, brawn with no brain
• Character: 2/5
• Did I like him? No
• Notes: He KNEW what he did was wrong yet his immediate reaction was to gaslight Becca and making it sound like she was overreacting and being dramatic to him literally taking her money without consent . he also needed sense to be knocked into him by other people to see reason. for me an mmc who needs to be taught how to see reason by others instead or just HEARING his wife is not someone worth redeeming, she layed her heart out to him and he still refused to see his wrongs ways until several people pointed it out to him.
He let his mom and Mandy and Rick talk shit about Becca and he didn't even bat an eye or even question it until Becca asked to be defended.
🧠 Relationship Dynamics
• Chemistry: 3/5
• Communication: Poor
• Relationship Development: Medium
• Originality: 2/5
🚨 Content & Safety
• Cheating: No
• Other Women Drama (OWD): Not really, Mandy who is Sam's little sister's bff wants him and his mom keeps pushing her on him but he never noticed or cared. he called her " one of his favorite girls " but it was in a way one would call a little girl. he saw her as an extention of his little sister nothing more. but after he realized her schemes he set boundaries and called her out for shit talking Becca
• Other Men Drama (OMD): No
• Romantic Scenes with Other People: No
• Other people after meeting/ being together : No
• Virgins or Experienced: No mention of their pasts before marriage
❤️ Tropes & Vibes
• Tropes: marriage in crisis, grovel
✅ Final Verdict
Would I recommend? No
Final thoughts: Unfortunately the reason i would not recommend this was because I don't like how the mmcs's actions is always justified in order for him to be redeemed. what he did was fucked up and giving reasons for what he did does not justify, excuse or absolve him if anything it makes me respect him LESS. let's name the list of his crimes and the reasons he was given for them:
- Putting EVERYONE above his wife and putting her dreams on hold for Holly and Mandy : His sister depends on him while his wife is independent so he felt obligated to give his wife's hard earned money to his sister.
- letting his mom and Mandy shit talk Becca's business mind and independence: he didn't even notice because he does see Becca that way.
- Insulting Becca's family's financial situation: He was angry and felt cornered by her very valide accusations so he lashed out.
- Gloating that the money he gave away was HIS and the house is also his and Becca would be homeless if chose to be mad and leave : He had a hard on for a sleazy misogynistic business man and wanted to impress him by degrading his wife.
Now let's talk about Becca, she grew up poor and has sever financial trauma from it while her husband knew about and still chose to traumatize her further by giving away a HUGE somme of money to his sister without telling her, but did Becca ever retaliate or do anything bad ? no lol
Men are given BS excuses for their actions while the women who are ACTUALLY traumatized are amazing characters who have their shit together lol all in all Sam was an extremely weak character and if Becca didn't have a backbone and left he would have continued in his ways and kept giving his wife's money to others.
I refuse to give a book who babies a manchild a high rating, when the fmc who has every right to act out, has to forgive him and his shit family, minus his sister Holly who was actually a wonderful person who had amazing character development.
I gave this 3 stars because i was extremely impressed with Becca and i loved that a side character was given so much development.
📅 Read Date:7-08- 2026
⚠️Note:
My content is not criticism of the book or author. It exists solely to help readers make informed choices based on personal boundaries.
I’m romance-focused and particular about relationship dynamics. I always flag cheating, OWD/OMD, and romantic scenes involving other people so readers can decide if the book fits their comfort zone.
⭐ Rating:
📚 Genre: Marriage in crisis Romance
📃Brief summary : Becca our fmc overhears her husband the mmc Sam during a family party, saying that he gave his sister Holly and her bff Mandy 75k $ from their joint account without consulting with her so they can open a beauty Salon, he also said a bunch of other things like calling Holly and Mandy " his favorite girls" and saying that their family home is HIS and if Becca ever leaves him she has nowhere to go. this prompts Becca to feel deeply hurt and betrayed and ends up moving out.
✍️ Overall Thoughts : The plot was both original and very unoriginal. original in the sense that it tackled a different kind of betrayal than your typical owd or asshole mmc, it tackled financial infidelity, and unoriginal in the sense that we have seen this plot before where the mmc allows his family to judge and insult his wife without ever defending her or drawing boundaries.
👥 Main Characters
💃 FMC
• Name: Becca
• Personality: Smart, business oriented, very goal set, takes no shit
• Character: 4/5
• Did I like her? Yes
• Notes: Becca left immidiately after, and didn't allow Sam to gaslight her or belittle her fears, i was so proud of her for immidiately recognizing that what he did was betrayal and acted according. some of her actions did annoy me like seeing him out for phone sex while they were still seperated and not making sense sometimes.
🕺 MMC
• Name: Sam
• Personality: Weak, stupid, brawn with no brain
• Character: 2/5
• Did I like him? No
• Notes: He KNEW what he did was wrong yet his immediate reaction was to gaslight Becca and making it sound like she was overreacting and being dramatic to him literally taking her money without consent . he also needed sense to be knocked into him by other people to see reason. for me an mmc who needs to be taught how to see reason by others instead or just HEARING his wife is not someone worth redeeming, she layed her heart out to him and he still refused to see his wrongs ways until several people pointed it out to him.
He let his mom and Mandy and Rick talk shit about Becca and he didn't even bat an eye or even question it until Becca asked to be defended.
🧠 Relationship Dynamics
• Chemistry: 3/5
• Communication: Poor
• Relationship Development: Medium
• Originality: 2/5
🚨 Content & Safety
• Cheating: No
• Other Women Drama (OWD): Not really, Mandy who is Sam's little sister's bff wants him and his mom keeps pushing her on him but he never noticed or cared. he called her " one of his favorite girls " but it was in a way one would call a little girl. he saw her as an extention of his little sister nothing more. but after he realized her schemes he set boundaries and called her out for shit talking Becca
• Other Men Drama (OMD): No
• Romantic Scenes with Other People: No
• Other people after meeting/ being together : No
• Virgins or Experienced: No mention of their pasts before marriage
❤️ Tropes & Vibes
• Tropes: marriage in crisis, grovel
✅ Final Verdict
Would I recommend? No
Final thoughts: Unfortunately the reason i would not recommend this was because I don't like how the mmcs's actions is always justified in order for him to be redeemed. what he did was fucked up and giving reasons for what he did does not justify, excuse or absolve him if anything it makes me respect him LESS. let's name the list of his crimes and the reasons he was given for them:
- Putting EVERYONE above his wife and putting her dreams on hold for Holly and Mandy : His sister depends on him while his wife is independent so he felt obligated to give his wife's hard earned money to his sister.
- letting his mom and Mandy shit talk Becca's business mind and independence: he didn't even notice because he does see Becca that way.
- Insulting Becca's family's financial situation: He was angry and felt cornered by her very valide accusations so he lashed out.
- Gloating that the money he gave away was HIS and the house is also his and Becca would be homeless if chose to be mad and leave : He had a hard on for a sleazy misogynistic business man and wanted to impress him by degrading his wife.
Now let's talk about Becca, she grew up poor and has sever financial trauma from it while her husband knew about and still chose to traumatize her further by giving away a HUGE somme of money to his sister without telling her, but did Becca ever retaliate or do anything bad ? no lol
Men are given BS excuses for their actions while the women who are ACTUALLY traumatized are amazing characters who have their shit together lol all in all Sam was an extremely weak character and if Becca didn't have a backbone and left he would have continued in his ways and kept giving his wife's money to others.
I refuse to give a book who babies a manchild a high rating, when the fmc who has every right to act out, has to forgive him and his shit family, minus his sister Holly who was actually a wonderful person who had amazing character development.
I gave this 3 stars because i was extremely impressed with Becca and i loved that a side character was given so much development.
📅 Read Date:7-08- 2026
⚠️Note:
My content is not criticism of the book or author. It exists solely to help readers make informed choices based on personal boundaries.
Did Not Finish
June 25, 2026This was way to long. I ended up DNF. It lost me half way through
July 15, 2026
When you clear out your joint savings without telling your spouse, it’s cheating and betrayal on a scale with physical adultery.
June 29, 2026
I absolutely adored this book! I have to admit that at times the normal betrayal novel gets old after a while. It’s the same old, same old. He cheats, he grovels…he has an emotional affair, he grovels….There was no cheating in this book. In fact, I have never seen a couple so in love. I never doubted Sam’s love for Becca. Becca was also very in love with Sam. There was a bit of an overheard moment, but to me it was somewhat dwarfed by the real betrayal.
I have to be honest, if my husband gave our entire savings to a family member without talking to me first, then we’re going to have some issues. It was such a novel idea for a betrayal, because it’s not cheating, but at the same time it is a major breach of trust and one of the worst kind that I could think of. Luckily, Sam realizes where he went wrong and sets about working to make things right and earn back Becca’s trust. He completely changes his way of life and learns how to be a true partner. I loved him so much. He was so sweet!
I loved all the side characters! Eliza Hawkins does an excellent job world building. I loved the Ventrology Club and all the women in it and the way they supported each other. I had no idea what ventrology even was and still don’t entirely know other than women getting together and drinking and other stuff that changes each month and seems awesome! (This is on me, not on the author.)I feel like Holly needs to join their club, because she could use the support of some strong women like them.
I am really looking to reading Eliza Hawkins’ upcoming books. I know she has an upcoming book in this series and I hope that she continues it. I really loved the characters and I love her writing. I am a fan and will be reading anything she writes going forward! 💜
I have to be honest, if my husband gave our entire savings to a family member without talking to me first, then we’re going to have some issues. It was such a novel idea for a betrayal, because it’s not cheating, but at the same time it is a major breach of trust and one of the worst kind that I could think of. Luckily, Sam realizes where he went wrong and sets about working to make things right and earn back Becca’s trust. He completely changes his way of life and learns how to be a true partner. I loved him so much. He was so sweet!
I loved all the side characters! Eliza Hawkins does an excellent job world building. I loved the Ventrology Club and all the women in it and the way they supported each other. I had no idea what ventrology even was and still don’t entirely know other than women getting together and drinking and other stuff that changes each month and seems awesome! (This is on me, not on the author.)I feel like Holly needs to join their club, because she could use the support of some strong women like them.
I am really looking to reading Eliza Hawkins’ upcoming books. I know she has an upcoming book in this series and I hope that she continues it. I really loved the characters and I love her writing. I am a fan and will be reading anything she writes going forward! 💜
September 19, 2026
reading the blurb and some spoiler reviews, i though oh that's not so bad, he lent some money to his sister without telling his wife, easy grovel.
but NOT, he gave away ALL their JOINT savings that they were keeping for HER business and he gave them away to his sister and her bestie while also talking absolute smack about his wife with an absolute stranger that he wanted to impress, he then proceeded to belittle and gaslight the shit out of her when she confronted him about it and acted like an absolute ass.
to make matters worst, his wife has financial trauma where she struggled with money growing up so looking at their balance and finding it empty sent her into a panic attack, and he knew all of this about her and still chose to betray her.
so yeah fuck this guy.
2 stars for the fmc for leaving immidiately but not 3 stars because she had gross Bbs and propositioned him for phone sex 😐
but NOT, he gave away ALL their JOINT savings that they were keeping for HER business and he gave them away to his sister and her bestie while also talking absolute smack about his wife with an absolute stranger that he wanted to impress, he then proceeded to belittle and gaslight the shit out of her when she confronted him about it and acted like an absolute ass.
to make matters worst, his wife has financial trauma where she struggled with money growing up so looking at their balance and finding it empty sent her into a panic attack, and he knew all of this about her and still chose to betray her.
so yeah fuck this guy.
2 stars for the fmc for leaving immidiately but not 3 stars because she had gross Bbs and propositioned him for phone sex 😐
June 11, 2026
Let me ask you a question what would you do if your husband took your life savings and handed them over to his sister without telling you? This is exactly the position that Becca finds herself in. She does what anyone would do she leaves and immediately starts to protect herself from the one person she should never have had to.
Financial infidelity is not often talked about or written about but it is real and devastating and Eliza Hawkins does an amazing job of highlighting it in this book.
This book had me going through so many emotions and in all honesty my heart broke for Becca more than once.
Where do I even start with Sam you are not going to like him at first but bear with him because his growth as a character and a husband is awe inspiring.
This book is about trauma and our responses to it.
For those of you that will find Becca frustrating at times just try and imagine what it feels like to wonder if you are going to be able to afford to put a meal on the table.
A truly wonderful read
Financial infidelity is not often talked about or written about but it is real and devastating and Eliza Hawkins does an amazing job of highlighting it in this book.
This book had me going through so many emotions and in all honesty my heart broke for Becca more than once.
Where do I even start with Sam you are not going to like him at first but bear with him because his growth as a character and a husband is awe inspiring.
This book is about trauma and our responses to it.
For those of you that will find Becca frustrating at times just try and imagine what it feels like to wonder if you are going to be able to afford to put a meal on the table.
A truly wonderful read
July 24, 2026
The financial betrayal is really interesting and mostly well-done. It's a nice change from the usual betrayal and grovel plots.
However, I think nearly every other aspect needed some development and smoothing out before publication. The biggest thing to me is the pacing--I'm actually fine with a lot of the things I'm seeing criticism for, such as the FMC's sometimes erratic emotions, but often we aren't given the time to process one act/statement/feeling before another one comes comes along. I was taken aback by how quickly both the FMC and the MMC came to some realizations or reactions, as well as frustrated by how occasionally it goes off on a different tangent. For example, you lose so much tension when your FMC discovers this awful, huge, life-changing betrayal (in public, where she is almost entirely surrounded by people who treat her badly) and she then texts her friend, goes to meet them, waits for them all to be assembled, and then tells them what has happened. I don't blame her at all for leaving the party and not confronting him right away, or even, maybe, the exact same sequence of things happening--but we get the bare bones of the process of what is happening instead of emotion, even ones tightly held. Like if it were described as her barely holding it together in a visceral way, contacting her friend like a lifeline, her clamping down on her feelings in a public setting until she can finally release her feelings, etc., etc. it would be a different story.
So many other scenarios were odd in the way they were written and paced, too. Like he doesn't try hard enough to get ahold of her at first (and obviously takes a little while to understand what he did), but then starts pretty much love-bombing her relentlessly and weirdly. I do appreciate that she sees through this and tells him that he's just proving that he KNOWS her versus any real meaningful things, but the gifts and notes just didn't land the way I think they were meant to. Including the sudden gift of a vibrator and a weird note about how he's not there to take care of her anymore so hey, this is a good substitute for now. When there wasn't anything like this in the story before! So bizarre. A lot of the other gifts were just so big, too. I was sometimes uncomfortable about their presentation and acceptance.
In glancing at reviews, people don't seem to like the FMC, but I do. I like that she is logical and decent and responsible and I like that she behaves like an adult and she takes action quickly to protect herself. A lot of people want women to go all scorched earth in these scenarios, and while that can be satisfying and fun in fiction, I am personally a lot more like this woman, and so are pretty much all the women I know. She's entitled to some of her changeable reactions to him personally--I just wish there was more time allowing us to sort through those thoughts and feelings with her.
I gotta say, I got pretty tired of the shenanigans with the business deal, however. I liked how the relationship with her husband's sister changed as well as how her sister develops, including the realistic way she handles her flighty friend. What I didn't need quite so much of are the unscrupulous business partner and the exaggerated drama of that whole scenario. This is the only false thread that took me out of the story line and I wish it had been reduced to at least 50% or more, if it had to be included at all.
Anyway, despite all these thoughts, this is a talented writer. She has things to say and she creates interesting characters and scenarios; I just think this particular story went to publication before it was quite ready. I'm keeping an eye on her future work, though.
3 stars for merit, a little less than that in terms of actual enjoyment. It is almost there, I just wish it had had a few more passes before publication.
About my "needs a red pen" shelf:
For traditionally published books, this means just what it says, that I felt the book needed more editing and development before it went to it audience. This is a huge pet peeve of mine, particularly with bigger publishing companies, because the book has gone through many stages by that point with eyes from beta readers, agents, professional editors, etc. I think it is a disservice to the author and the readers when this doesn't happen in a thorough and thoughtful manner, and it seems to happen less and less these days.
For indie books, I'm a lot more lenient. I mostly do not use the "needs a red pen" shelf for them at all, because I know a lot of times it hasn't gone to a professional editor, and if it has, the professional editor has been painstakingly paid for by the author, and that person in most cases is not as experienced as one at a regular publisher. But sometimes I do think enough of an indie book that if a book had more professional help/editing, it could really be something, which is the case with Built and Burned.
Which is a long-winded way of realizing I probably need to just create an entirely different shelf for that second purpose, haha.
However, I think nearly every other aspect needed some development and smoothing out before publication. The biggest thing to me is the pacing--I'm actually fine with a lot of the things I'm seeing criticism for, such as the FMC's sometimes erratic emotions, but often we aren't given the time to process one act/statement/feeling before another one comes comes along. I was taken aback by how quickly both the FMC and the MMC came to some realizations or reactions, as well as frustrated by how occasionally it goes off on a different tangent. For example, you lose so much tension when your FMC discovers this awful, huge, life-changing betrayal (in public, where she is almost entirely surrounded by people who treat her badly) and she then texts her friend, goes to meet them, waits for them all to be assembled, and then tells them what has happened. I don't blame her at all for leaving the party and not confronting him right away, or even, maybe, the exact same sequence of things happening--but we get the bare bones of the process of what is happening instead of emotion, even ones tightly held. Like if it were described as her barely holding it together in a visceral way, contacting her friend like a lifeline, her clamping down on her feelings in a public setting until she can finally release her feelings, etc., etc. it would be a different story.
So many other scenarios were odd in the way they were written and paced, too. Like he doesn't try hard enough to get ahold of her at first (and obviously takes a little while to understand what he did), but then starts pretty much love-bombing her relentlessly and weirdly. I do appreciate that she sees through this and tells him that he's just proving that he KNOWS her versus any real meaningful things, but the gifts and notes just didn't land the way I think they were meant to. Including the sudden gift of a vibrator and a weird note about how he's not there to take care of her anymore so hey, this is a good substitute for now. When there wasn't anything like this in the story before! So bizarre. A lot of the other gifts were just so big, too. I was sometimes uncomfortable about their presentation and acceptance.
In glancing at reviews, people don't seem to like the FMC, but I do. I like that she is logical and decent and responsible and I like that she behaves like an adult and she takes action quickly to protect herself. A lot of people want women to go all scorched earth in these scenarios, and while that can be satisfying and fun in fiction, I am personally a lot more like this woman, and so are pretty much all the women I know. She's entitled to some of her changeable reactions to him personally--I just wish there was more time allowing us to sort through those thoughts and feelings with her.
I gotta say, I got pretty tired of the shenanigans with the business deal, however. I liked how the relationship with her husband's sister changed as well as how her sister develops, including the realistic way she handles her flighty friend. What I didn't need quite so much of are the unscrupulous business partner and the exaggerated drama of that whole scenario. This is the only false thread that took me out of the story line and I wish it had been reduced to at least 50% or more, if it had to be included at all.
Anyway, despite all these thoughts, this is a talented writer. She has things to say and she creates interesting characters and scenarios; I just think this particular story went to publication before it was quite ready. I'm keeping an eye on her future work, though.
3 stars for merit, a little less than that in terms of actual enjoyment. It is almost there, I just wish it had had a few more passes before publication.
About my "needs a red pen" shelf:
For traditionally published books, this means just what it says, that I felt the book needed more editing and development before it went to it audience. This is a huge pet peeve of mine, particularly with bigger publishing companies, because the book has gone through many stages by that point with eyes from beta readers, agents, professional editors, etc. I think it is a disservice to the author and the readers when this doesn't happen in a thorough and thoughtful manner, and it seems to happen less and less these days.
For indie books, I'm a lot more lenient. I mostly do not use the "needs a red pen" shelf for them at all, because I know a lot of times it hasn't gone to a professional editor, and if it has, the professional editor has been painstakingly paid for by the author, and that person in most cases is not as experienced as one at a regular publisher. But sometimes I do think enough of an indie book that if a book had more professional help/editing, it could really be something, which is the case with Built and Burned.
Which is a long-winded way of realizing I probably need to just create an entirely different shelf for that second purpose, haha.
August 1, 2026
Becca belongs to a friend group who meets monthly for "Zentology," they do astrology but it's all for fun, very chill and "zen." This month, Becca gets her fortune told, there's going to be a betrayal.
Sam and Becca are married and planning to start a business renting cabins. They rigorously stuck to a budget and saved $75,000.
Just when they are ready to start building the cabins, they're at a family party, and Becca overhears Sam's sister Holly thanking him for the $75,000 "loan" he gave her to open her own beauty salon. He also says it's "his money," and everything is in his name. Also, he's in construction, and he's going to build the salon for free, so he won't have an income during that time.
Holly was in an accident years ago, and although she made a full recovery, her family thinks she needs to be cottled. She is spoiled and flighty and can't run a business. Becca thinks she'll never repay that loan. But Sam is oblivious.
Becca grew up in a financially irresponsible family, and she's not surprised that someone who loves her would steal her savings, so she isn't paralyzed by shock. She immediately calls her Zentology friends, leaves the party, and starts planning her next steps.
She goes back to the house the next morning. Sam wants to talk, but his explanation is pathetic. Sam reveals there's another guy involved, a shady slimeball real estate developer named Rick, who assures Sam that Holly's idea is good. And Holly's BFF Mandy is involved too. But Becca points out that Rick & Mandy aren't fronting any money or taking any risk. She packs a suitcase and leaves.
She sees a lawyer about a post-nuptual agreement because she wants the cabin property in her name. Then she hires another construction company to build the first cabin. (She uses her personal money from before she was married, in a separate bank account.)
Meanwhile, Sam's working on the salon. Ever since his argument with Becca, he's been asking more questions about the business plan and finances, and he's starting to notice that something's off. Holly seems like she actually wants to succeed, it's Rick and Mandy who are acting suspiciously.
Holly confides in Sam that Mandy suggested Rick as a partner, and pushed Holly to sign all these contracts, including laundry service. It sounds like a service racket, like when the mob makes everyone use their laundry services and things.
Meanwhile, Sam has made some kind of subcontractor deal with the guy building Becca's cabin, so Sam is out on the property working on the cabin, to try and build Becca's dream like he always promised he would so he can be forgiven. He also starts saving money again from scratch while trying to figure out how to deal with Rick.
Sam and Becca are married and planning to start a business renting cabins. They rigorously stuck to a budget and saved $75,000.
Just when they are ready to start building the cabins, they're at a family party, and Becca overhears Sam's sister Holly thanking him for the $75,000 "loan" he gave her to open her own beauty salon. He also says it's "his money," and everything is in his name. Also, he's in construction, and he's going to build the salon for free, so he won't have an income during that time.
Holly was in an accident years ago, and although she made a full recovery, her family thinks she needs to be cottled. She is spoiled and flighty and can't run a business. Becca thinks she'll never repay that loan. But Sam is oblivious.
Becca grew up in a financially irresponsible family, and she's not surprised that someone who loves her would steal her savings, so she isn't paralyzed by shock. She immediately calls her Zentology friends, leaves the party, and starts planning her next steps.
She goes back to the house the next morning. Sam wants to talk, but his explanation is pathetic. Sam reveals there's another guy involved, a shady slimeball real estate developer named Rick, who assures Sam that Holly's idea is good. And Holly's BFF Mandy is involved too. But Becca points out that Rick & Mandy aren't fronting any money or taking any risk. She packs a suitcase and leaves.
She sees a lawyer about a post-nuptual agreement because she wants the cabin property in her name. Then she hires another construction company to build the first cabin. (She uses her personal money from before she was married, in a separate bank account.)
Meanwhile, Sam's working on the salon. Ever since his argument with Becca, he's been asking more questions about the business plan and finances, and he's starting to notice that something's off. Holly seems like she actually wants to succeed, it's Rick and Mandy who are acting suspiciously.
Holly confides in Sam that Mandy suggested Rick as a partner, and pushed Holly to sign all these contracts, including laundry service. It sounds like a service racket, like when the mob makes everyone use their laundry services and things.
Meanwhile, Sam has made some kind of subcontractor deal with the guy building Becca's cabin, so Sam is out on the property working on the cabin, to try and build Becca's dream like he always promised he would so he can be forgiven. He also starts saving money again from scratch while trying to figure out how to deal with Rick.
Read
June 26, 2026Interesting take on betrayal, financial.
Shared savings used by Hero, heroine has massive issues with tracking funds.
It did get a bit much tbh but a bit different.
Other woman drama, sisters bf and his mother interfering.
No cheating.
Shared savings used by Hero, heroine has massive issues with tracking funds.
It did get a bit much tbh but a bit different.
Other woman drama, sisters bf and his mother interfering.
No cheating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2026
Books with financial betrayals are so rare and this was absolutely perfect. At a time when a lot of us B&G lover are getting other woman fatigue this book is a breath of fresh air. I love the FMC’s response and how she handled herself. Definitely a reread!
July 30, 2026
1. I felt like the author couldn’t make up their mind what the betrayal was supposed to be. Every time they had a discussion, Becca brought up another way that Sam had let her down. There was NO way he could come back from everything he did.
a. He cleared out their joint account and gave away their life savings without consulting her.
b. He told Rick that it was HIS money when it was theirs.
c. He spouted nasty and misogynistic things to Rick about the house and business being in his name and that Becca couldn’t do anything about it because she had nowhere to go.
d. He called a woman who had clearly been pursuing him for years “one of his favourite girls”.
e. He prioritized Holly over Becca for their entire marriage.
f. He used things that Becca had confided in him about her childhood and her fears about being poor again against her and made derogatory comments about her parents and their “financial genius”.
g. He talked down to her about money when she had done most of their budgeting and finances.
h. During their entire marriage, he allowed Holly and his mother to say nasty things about Becca and never spoke up or defended her.
i. He took away her safety net and made her feel “financially unsafe” when he KNEW about the way she grew up and her trauma around “financial instability”.
j. He chose to support Holly’s dream over theirs.
k. During their entire marriage, he never “saw her”.
l. She always had to do all the planning and “driving things forward”.
m. During their marriage, he put work first too often.
2. The book dragged on and on and ON.
a. He cleared out their joint account and gave away their life savings without consulting her.
b. He told Rick that it was HIS money when it was theirs.
c. He spouted nasty and misogynistic things to Rick about the house and business being in his name and that Becca couldn’t do anything about it because she had nowhere to go.
d. He called a woman who had clearly been pursuing him for years “one of his favourite girls”.
e. He prioritized Holly over Becca for their entire marriage.
f. He used things that Becca had confided in him about her childhood and her fears about being poor again against her and made derogatory comments about her parents and their “financial genius”.
g. He talked down to her about money when she had done most of their budgeting and finances.
h. During their entire marriage, he allowed Holly and his mother to say nasty things about Becca and never spoke up or defended her.
i. He took away her safety net and made her feel “financially unsafe” when he KNEW about the way she grew up and her trauma around “financial instability”.
j. He chose to support Holly’s dream over theirs.
k. During their entire marriage, he never “saw her”.
l. She always had to do all the planning and “driving things forward”.
m. During their marriage, he put work first too often.
2. The book dragged on and on and ON.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I am a betrayal & grovel junkie - no denying that. Give me a good book involving emotional cheating, neglect, in-law or other woman drama - and I eat them up, every single time. As long as there is sufficient grovel, that is. So when I read the tags ‘betrayal’ and ‘grovel’ for this book, I knew I had to read it. Especially because it involves a form of betrayal that is not talked about enough: financial infidelity.
This story is told from the perspectives of both Becca (h) and Sam (H). They’re a married couple very much in love with each other, . Becca grew up in a household that’s always been struggling with money, and as a result she has debilitating financial fears. I say debilitating, because those fears still very much impacted her life. And Sam, who comes from money and never had to deal with any of those fears, simply doesn’t understand.
I love Becca. She is a great character with moral values and was not afraid to set boundaries to protect herself - even if one of those boundaries was space. Sam, on the other hand, was a piece of work. Figuratively, of course. Because the gut punches were gut punching. I physically recoiled when I read what Sam did - and said. My heart hurt for Becca. What makes matters worse, is that Sam truly thought he didn’t do anything wrong. But he put in the work, and I appreciate that.
This was a story with grovel done right. Sam (eventually) realises just how much he messed up - and it not’s just about giving away their entire savings. And he doesn’t spend money on Becca to make the problem go away. No, he works on himself to become a better person. Not a different person, thankfully, but one who is worthy of Becca.
A great debut novel with a great story and a satisfying answer (there is an epilogue!). I liked the writing style and how it was more of a ‘show rather than tell what happened’ style. I do wish, however,
Oh! And my love to her group of friends. They're incredible and so, so supportive of each other!
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This story is told from the perspectives of both Becca (h) and Sam (H). They’re a married couple very much in love with each other, . Becca grew up in a household that’s always been struggling with money, and as a result she has debilitating financial fears. I say debilitating, because those fears still very much impacted her life. And Sam, who comes from money and never had to deal with any of those fears, simply doesn’t understand.
I love Becca. She is a great character with moral values and was not afraid to set boundaries to protect herself - even if one of those boundaries was space. Sam, on the other hand, was a piece of work. Figuratively, of course. Because the gut punches were gut punching. I physically recoiled when I read what Sam did - and said. My heart hurt for Becca. What makes matters worse, is that Sam truly thought he didn’t do anything wrong. But he put in the work, and I appreciate that.
This was a story with grovel done right. Sam (eventually) realises just how much he messed up - and it not’s just about giving away their entire savings. And he doesn’t spend money on Becca to make the problem go away. No, he works on himself to become a better person. Not a different person, thankfully, but one who is worthy of Becca.
A great debut novel with a great story and a satisfying answer (there is an epilogue!). I liked the writing style and how it was more of a ‘show rather than tell what happened’ style. I do wish, however,
Oh! And my love to her group of friends. They're incredible and so, so supportive of each other!
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I’ve never read a book about financial infidelity, and I love a betrayal and grovel book, so I’m always interested in new and unique concepts for this trope and I wasn’t disappointed!
I found the ‘betrayal’ part a solid blow, not just what Sam (MMC) did but how blasé he was about it and couldn’t see what he’d done wrong. Made the ‘grovel’ part of the story even more delicious as he slowly opened his eyes to how much he messed up and started to put the work in to fix things. I liked how Sam really had to take a look at himself and the role he played in his life as not only a husband but as a son and brother too.
I found Becca (FMC) strong and I really liked her. Eliza does a great job of making me understand why this financial infidelity impacts Becca so deeply, so it made sense to me why she was acting like she was with Sam afterwards.
Becca has a lovely group of friends who Eliza introduces us to and I’m excited to read their stories as the series continues.
Eliza has definitely become a must-read author for me, and I look forward to reading more of her books, especially if she introduces me to more ways betrayal can happen that aren’t physical cheating (as I’m burnt out on that). 😊
I think I would have liked
I found the ‘betrayal’ part a solid blow, not just what Sam (MMC) did but how blasé he was about it and couldn’t see what he’d done wrong. Made the ‘grovel’ part of the story even more delicious as he slowly opened his eyes to how much he messed up and started to put the work in to fix things. I liked how Sam really had to take a look at himself and the role he played in his life as not only a husband but as a son and brother too.
I found Becca (FMC) strong and I really liked her. Eliza does a great job of making me understand why this financial infidelity impacts Becca so deeply, so it made sense to me why she was acting like she was with Sam afterwards.
Becca has a lovely group of friends who Eliza introduces us to and I’m excited to read their stories as the series continues.
Eliza has definitely become a must-read author for me, and I look forward to reading more of her books, especially if she introduces me to more ways betrayal can happen that aren’t physical cheating (as I’m burnt out on that). 😊
I think I would have liked
Review of advance copy received from Author
First time author for me and I enjoyed this book.
This story is about financial infidelity -- Sam, the husband, gives his and Becca's, his wife, life savings to his sister so she can start her own business. Without telling Becca, he made a unilateral decision. Not what someone you consider your life partner would do. Of course, Becca is devastated and takes steps to protect herself from this happening again.
As others have said, Becca was a bit frustrating. Sam finally had his light bulb moment and took steps to rectify the situation by reading self-help books, taking to his father for advice, self-reflection to discover why he did what he did, etc., and never once asked Becca for forgiveness because he knew it would take the totality of his actions versus each small act of kindness and love. Becca just get saying it doesn't fix what's broken - true but it's not as if he wasn't working on himself and being there for Becca when she needed a helping hand.
Becca finally gets that it takes two to move forward in the marriage when she says, "Sam has been the only one trying to repair the damage in our marriage. If I want us to work, I need to show up too, take a chance." Exactly, 💯this.
I felt that the relationship evolved to a better place organically when they both were fully committed to each other and framed what their future would look like going forward.
Rick - he got what he deserved. I will say he was not entirely evil, just a desperate man doing desperate things because he made decisions.
Mandy - not redeemable at all.
Holly - finally understood her family's dynamics and decided to become a better, self-sufficient and independent adult.
This story is about financial infidelity -- Sam, the husband, gives his and Becca's, his wife, life savings to his sister so she can start her own business. Without telling Becca, he made a unilateral decision. Not what someone you consider your life partner would do. Of course, Becca is devastated and takes steps to protect herself from this happening again.
As others have said, Becca was a bit frustrating. Sam finally had his light bulb moment and took steps to rectify the situation by reading self-help books, taking to his father for advice, self-reflection to discover why he did what he did, etc., and never once asked Becca for forgiveness because he knew it would take the totality of his actions versus each small act of kindness and love. Becca just get saying it doesn't fix what's broken - true but it's not as if he wasn't working on himself and being there for Becca when she needed a helping hand.
Becca finally gets that it takes two to move forward in the marriage when she says, "Sam has been the only one trying to repair the damage in our marriage. If I want us to work, I need to show up too, take a chance." Exactly, 💯this.
I felt that the relationship evolved to a better place organically when they both were fully committed to each other and framed what their future would look like going forward.
Rick - he got what he deserved. I will say he was not entirely evil, just a desperate man doing desperate things because he made decisions.
Mandy - not redeemable at all.
Holly - finally understood her family's dynamics and decided to become a better, self-sufficient and independent adult.
September 11, 2026
I love a good marriage-in-crisis romance, and this book completely pulled me in from the start. Financial infidelity was a trope I hadn’t read before, but after seeing snippets on social media, I was intrigued. What I loved most was that the betrayal happens early in the story, allowing readers to really experience Sam and Becca’s journey as they navigate the fallout and fight for their marriage. Becca was such a strong heroine, and I loved that she didn’t simply let Sam off the hook for his actions. She held him accountable while staying true to herself, which made her incredibly easy to root for. Sam knows fairly quickly that he made the wrong choices, and watching him come to terms with the impact of his actions and everything Becca has done for their family was both emotional and rewarding. This story is about so much more than romance. Family plays a huge role, and I loved seeing Sam step up, stand by his wife, and fight for their future together. Their journey felt authentic, messy, and heartfelt, making their story all the more compelling. I also adored Becca’s friendship group. The support, encouragement, and love they give her throughout the story was wonderful to read, and they added so much warmth and depth to the book. After getting to know them, I’m already excited to read their stories. Emotional, engaging, and packed with character growth, this was a fantastic marriage-in-crisis romance that kept me invested from beginning to end.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was my first time reading this author and it definitely won’t be my last. For a debut this was such a good read.
I really enjoyed this book and loved that it had a different take on betrayal. I love betrayal and grovel in romance but I don’t think I’ve ever read a book about financial infidelity before and it worked so well.
The story follows Becca who has real fears around money because of her childhood. Sam knew this and she trusted him with those fears, their savings and the future they were building together. Only for Sam to betray her and drain their savings without any discussion to fund someone else’s dream.
That kind of betrayal hit hard! To have the one person you trust the most give your safety away without even thinking about it, especially after struggling to save that money and putting dreams on hold.
I liked Becca as a character she was so strong and was quick to put boundaries in place and not accept the betrayal. I also liked that Sam knew grand gestures weren’t going to fix what he broke. He had to show up be honest and prove through his actions that he understood what he had done.
This was an angsty, slow burn marriage in trouble romance with betrayal and grovel
I really enjoyed this book and loved that it had a different take on betrayal. I love betrayal and grovel in romance but I don’t think I’ve ever read a book about financial infidelity before and it worked so well.
The story follows Becca who has real fears around money because of her childhood. Sam knew this and she trusted him with those fears, their savings and the future they were building together. Only for Sam to betray her and drain their savings without any discussion to fund someone else’s dream.
That kind of betrayal hit hard! To have the one person you trust the most give your safety away without even thinking about it, especially after struggling to save that money and putting dreams on hold.
I liked Becca as a character she was so strong and was quick to put boundaries in place and not accept the betrayal. I also liked that Sam knew grand gestures weren’t going to fix what he broke. He had to show up be honest and prove through his actions that he understood what he had done.
This was an angsty, slow burn marriage in trouble romance with betrayal and grovel
July 1, 2026
Notes for me
Sam - comes from money
Becca - has financial insecurity. Her family loved each other, but never had anything stable
Married.a few years. Worked so hard to save $75k. Bought land and want to build cabins.
Sam’s sister Holly and her best friend Mandy are spoiled and coddled. Sam’s mom is passive aggressive with Becca.
Family birthday party. She walks up on a conversation of Holly thanking Sam for the $75k to start renovating the salon she just started working at!
He doesn’t stop there. Calls Holly one of his favorite girls. Mandy has a crush on him asks if she’s up there too and he says two of his favorite girls.
He’s asked if Becca knows. He says she won’t mind and it’s his $$ anyway. Rick is standing with them talks about needing a prenup to protect him from women who come from less. He just sends the entire marriage and her reputation into the fire.
Becca doesn’t say a word and just leaves.
He tries to justify what he did. He finally realizes this is honestly worse on Becca than physical infidelity. He’s stolen her feeling of safety.
He works to win her back. Realizes Mandy and Rick are up to no good with the salon. Holly becomes an enjoyable person.
Sam - comes from money
Becca - has financial insecurity. Her family loved each other, but never had anything stable
Married.a few years. Worked so hard to save $75k. Bought land and want to build cabins.
Sam’s sister Holly and her best friend Mandy are spoiled and coddled. Sam’s mom is passive aggressive with Becca.
Family birthday party. She walks up on a conversation of Holly thanking Sam for the $75k to start renovating the salon she just started working at!
He doesn’t stop there. Calls Holly one of his favorite girls. Mandy has a crush on him asks if she’s up there too and he says two of his favorite girls.
He’s asked if Becca knows. He says she won’t mind and it’s his $$ anyway. Rick is standing with them talks about needing a prenup to protect him from women who come from less. He just sends the entire marriage and her reputation into the fire.
Becca doesn’t say a word and just leaves.
He tries to justify what he did. He finally realizes this is honestly worse on Becca than physical infidelity. He’s stolen her feeling of safety.
He works to win her back. Realizes Mandy and Rick are up to no good with the salon. Holly becomes an enjoyable person.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Zentrology Series: Sam and Becca
I came across this advance copy and thought it seemed like a betrayal I could really get behind.
Then, I started reading, and realised I had already read it before on WP - and when I read it in its entirety, it was an absolute binge read. I’m pretty sure my bedtime then was about 2am.
Happy to say, this book with the cleanup and preparation for publishing is just as good, if not better, and remains a binge read.
Twists and turns, and I wasn’t quite sure about the Becca/Holly interactions early in the story, but I did really enjoy the character growth.
The gut punch still absolutely guts you, and the rage at Sam was high. But the road back to each other was simply gorgeous. She was already a strong MFC, but the line she drew in the sand revealed her shiny new spine even while she was still a selfless caring person in a situation where I certainly wouldn’t have been.
A fantastic story, and a fantastic start to an exciting new series.
I came across this advance copy and thought it seemed like a betrayal I could really get behind.
Then, I started reading, and realised I had already read it before on WP - and when I read it in its entirety, it was an absolute binge read. I’m pretty sure my bedtime then was about 2am.
Happy to say, this book with the cleanup and preparation for publishing is just as good, if not better, and remains a binge read.
Twists and turns, and I wasn’t quite sure about the Becca/Holly interactions early in the story, but I did really enjoy the character growth.
The gut punch still absolutely guts you, and the rage at Sam was high. But the road back to each other was simply gorgeous. She was already a strong MFC, but the line she drew in the sand revealed her shiny new spine even while she was still a selfless caring person in a situation where I certainly wouldn’t have been.
A fantastic story, and a fantastic start to an exciting new series.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is my first story by this author and it was so dang good!
Financial infidelity is truly a thing and my jaw was to the ground by what Sam did to Becca. I couldn’t believe he would pull such a stunt and act like he did nothing wrong. I wanted to jump through the screen and strangle him lol!
As the story progressed, I did find myself annoyed with Becca at times. She became a bit too much, even when Sam was proving himself and becoming a better person and version of who he use to be. He really put in the work and I believe the reconciliation was very much earned and believable.
This was such an amazing read and I couldn’t put it down! I will be recommending this one to others. Good job Author! Now I just need the other books lol. Can’t wait for Phoenix’s story!
* I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review 🩷
Financial infidelity is truly a thing and my jaw was to the ground by what Sam did to Becca. I couldn’t believe he would pull such a stunt and act like he did nothing wrong. I wanted to jump through the screen and strangle him lol!
As the story progressed, I did find myself annoyed with Becca at times. She became a bit too much, even when Sam was proving himself and becoming a better person and version of who he use to be. He really put in the work and I believe the reconciliation was very much earned and believable.
This was such an amazing read and I couldn’t put it down! I will be recommending this one to others. Good job Author! Now I just need the other books lol. Can’t wait for Phoenix’s story!
* I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review 🩷
June 24, 2026
Marriage in crisis romance
What do you say to your husband when he takes the $75000 y’all scrimped and saved for your dream and gives it to his sister, without you even knowing until it’s too late? That’s what happens to Becca when she overhears her husband Sam taking to his sister and friends. Plus he tells them that she doesn’t really have a say and, what’s she going to do, anyway? Their house and stuff is in his name? What he doesn’t expect is her reaction when she leaves, demanding a postnuptial contact that gives him the house but her some land where she wants to build vacation rental properties. It seems Becca is smarter than he thought.
This is a second chance marriage romance, but it’s also a story about really knowing and respecting your spouse. One to purchase.
What do you say to your husband when he takes the $75000 y’all scrimped and saved for your dream and gives it to his sister, without you even knowing until it’s too late? That’s what happens to Becca when she overhears her husband Sam taking to his sister and friends. Plus he tells them that she doesn’t really have a say and, what’s she going to do, anyway? Their house and stuff is in his name? What he doesn’t expect is her reaction when she leaves, demanding a postnuptial contact that gives him the house but her some land where she wants to build vacation rental properties. It seems Becca is smarter than he thought.
This is a second chance marriage romance, but it’s also a story about really knowing and respecting your spouse. One to purchase.
June 25, 2026
Originally read on #Wattpad/Patreon.
Grovel = h overhears the H has given away all of their savings to his sister and sister's bff/OW without any consideration or even including the h in that decision. The H also says so me other hurtful things that hurt the h. h leaves and moves out immediately. H must realize what he has done and figure out why he did it, how to fix it and grovel through word and deed.
OW drama = bff/OW is manipulating not only the H but also his sister. OW is always trying to weasel her way to be close to the H and to exclude and insult the h. Comeuppance? H and his sister call out the OW and she gets humbled and ends up working for the sister...not enough of a comeuppance for me, but still well done.
Grovel = h overhears the H has given away all of their savings to his sister and sister's bff/OW without any consideration or even including the h in that decision. The H also says so me other hurtful things that hurt the h. h leaves and moves out immediately. H must realize what he has done and figure out why he did it, how to fix it and grovel through word and deed.
OW drama = bff/OW is manipulating not only the H but also his sister. OW is always trying to weasel her way to be close to the H and to exclude and insult the h. Comeuppance? H and his sister call out the OW and she gets humbled and ends up working for the sister...not enough of a comeuppance for me, but still well done.
June 27, 2026
If you love a marriage in crisis, betrayal but no cheating, and the perfect amount of groveling from the mmc, this book is for you. The betrayal was definitely a gut punch but the mmc puts in the work in so many different ways to prove his love and devotion to the fmc, you will fall in love with him by the end. The fmc is strong and stands her ground in the wake of the betrayal. She also has the ultimate group of girlfriends who are by her side every step of the way. I loved the premise of this betrayal, as I had never read anything about financial infidelity and it didnt disappoint. The growth Sam showed throughout the story in his effort to win his wife back was so sweet. I was captivated from beginning to end.
July 8, 2026
Lo que Becca debió hacer en cuanto escuchó esa conversación durante la fiesta era pedir el divorcio y alejarse de todos ellos, incluida su propia familia.
Sam es un tarado.
Chicas, recuerden siempre tener independencia financiera. Además, si su pareja no es capaz de ponerles límites a sus padres o a sus hermanos y siempre los pone por encima de ustedes, ahí no es. Por mucho que amen a esa persona, ustedes jamás serán su prioridad y solo estarán perdiendo tiempo, amor, seguridad y hasta dinero.
También me cayeron muy mal los padres de Becca. En lugar de apoyar a su hija, se pusieron del lado de Sam, cuando fue él quien cometió el error.
Me gusto el tema del engaño financiero, fue refrescante leer algo diferente.
Sam es un tarado.
Chicas, recuerden siempre tener independencia financiera. Además, si su pareja no es capaz de ponerles límites a sus padres o a sus hermanos y siempre los pone por encima de ustedes, ahí no es. Por mucho que amen a esa persona, ustedes jamás serán su prioridad y solo estarán perdiendo tiempo, amor, seguridad y hasta dinero.
También me cayeron muy mal los padres de Becca. En lugar de apoyar a su hija, se pusieron del lado de Sam, cuando fue él quien cometió el error.
Me gusto el tema del engaño financiero, fue refrescante leer algo diferente.
August 17, 2026
this was good
This book was good. I wouldn’t say I fell in love with it but it was good. I recommend it.
I did really enjoyed that the betrayal wasn’t cheating. It was a different kind of betrayal. I truly think the MMC didn’t betrayal the FMC intentionally, I think his moto was “it’s better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission” he was either completely ignorant to what his own actions would do to his marriage or he truly thought she’d never leave.
The FMC did start to drive me crazy with how long she dragged it all out. I think I would have rather have had less grovel/back and forth and more of them moving past it and seeing them build their lives and maybe have kids.
I give it like 2 🌶️🌶️ , there’s a couple scenes but nothing too spicy
This book was good. I wouldn’t say I fell in love with it but it was good. I recommend it.
I did really enjoyed that the betrayal wasn’t cheating. It was a different kind of betrayal. I truly think the MMC didn’t betrayal the FMC intentionally, I think his moto was “it’s better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission” he was either completely ignorant to what his own actions would do to his marriage or he truly thought she’d never leave.
The FMC did start to drive me crazy with how long she dragged it all out. I think I would have rather have had less grovel/back and forth and more of them moving past it and seeing them build their lives and maybe have kids.
I give it like 2 🌶️🌶️ , there’s a couple scenes but nothing too spicy
October 20, 2026
It was good but dragged a lot.
The mmc actually did grovel but towards the mid/end it almost felt like he was groveling too much. Cause like the financial betrayal happens, then she spends a night with her friends and a night with her parents before spending 6 WEEKS house/dog sitting, then she moves into the cabin they built and stays there for a while, then moving back to “his house” but the mmc went to stay with his grandparents for another undisclosed amount of time. So like the groveling is going on for 2-3 months at a minimum. But the mmc is actually putting in the work to make up for it while the fmc will give him an inch then say “but this doesn’t make us okay.”
The mmc actually did grovel but towards the mid/end it almost felt like he was groveling too much. Cause like the financial betrayal happens, then she spends a night with her friends and a night with her parents before spending 6 WEEKS house/dog sitting, then she moves into the cabin they built and stays there for a while, then moving back to “his house” but the mmc went to stay with his grandparents for another undisclosed amount of time. So like the groveling is going on for 2-3 months at a minimum. But the mmc is actually putting in the work to make up for it while the fmc will give him an inch then say “but this doesn’t make us okay.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
When your husband takes your savings and gives it to someone else... what do you do?
Surprisingly this was a great read. What i loved the most was the dybamic between Becca and her besties, well written side characters that have enriched the story.
Also reading about a man grovelling wothin an inch of his life is pretty nice too.
Not a typical trope, financial infidelity isn't really spoken about. But Eliza has highlighted it in a well writteb story in a cozy small town.
Looking for something different??
this book is for you.
Surprisingly this was a great read. What i loved the most was the dybamic between Becca and her besties, well written side characters that have enriched the story.
Also reading about a man grovelling wothin an inch of his life is pretty nice too.
Not a typical trope, financial infidelity isn't really spoken about. But Eliza has highlighted it in a well writteb story in a cozy small town.
Looking for something different??
this book is for you.
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