Dominator Of The Opera

by Katie Landry

Genres: Second Chance, Romance, Family Drama, Novella, Second Chance Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

106 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 25, 2026

Reviews

[Snafuzled · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get a kick out of Katie’s absurd books. They are consistently ridiculous and fun, but this one just didn’t work for me.

I LOVE an age gap. But this one was just too much for me… FMC is 30, MMC is 65. I’m in my 50’s. So when I hear this 65 year old senior claim he can ‘F her better than any young buck’, I just can’t stop the eye roll. Like, be so f’ing for real.

I know it’s fiction, I just couldn’t get over thinking of wrinkly balls.

Grandpa needs a nap. I need a drink.

[dropitlikeitshotx · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is solidly her best one imo. Forest's ex wife shows up at their wedding and objects. He tells Birdie (h) to wait at the altar while he goes to speak with her and she gets upset and walks away. He thinks it’s gonna be alright and goes on a family yacht trip to give her time to cool off. He thinks he can patch things up when he’s back only to come home to her riding a younger man by his pool. The antics and grovel were great.

No physical cheating on Forest's part. She breaks up with him at the altar and he thinks she’s just being emotional. Birdie sleeps with other people after breaking up with Forest, but he refuses to accept their breakup.

Edited for a few typos 🤗

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. What the hell did I just read? That had to have been a joke, right?

One thing about Katie Landry is that she’s known for writing no-nonsense, strong minded, female leads. I love that her females aren’t pushovers and control their own life narrative. With that being said, I honestly feel like this book was some sort of a joke. Like the author wondering just how far she could push the audience and still maintain their attention? I can’t fathom any other alternative.

This book is an ‘age-gap’ trope book, however, I was blown away when the FMC, Birdie, and the MMC, Forrest, have a 35 year age gap. She’s 30 and he’s 65 - what in the actual fuck? Who thought that was a remotely good idea? All of his children are older than her — his eldest is 15 years older than her. Even the picture of Forrest on the front cover is sickening. This age gap is beyond anything I’ve ever read or can wrap my head around.

Otherwise, ignoring the unrealistically and extremely disturbing age gap, Birdie and Forrest are together 5 years and engaged to be married. He pauses their wedding, mid-ceremony, because his ex-wife objected. It was utter humiliation for Birdie, who then left the wedding altogether after that. Forrest, who assumed Birdie was throwing a temporary tantrum, goes on a cruise with his ex wife and their kids.

After the fail of a wedding, Birdie knows her and Forrest are over. Everyone is calling her a gold digger, because — rightfully so — they can’t understand why a 30 year old would be with a 65 year old millionaire if it wasn’t for money. Same, same. So what does she do while Forrest is on the cruise? You’d think she’d leave the house, start fresh, show everyone she doesn’t need him to survive, right? Nope, she stays in the house because “squatters rights” and brings someone to fuck over. Forrest walks in on her having anal sex on the back patio. Like good for you girl but why are you even still at the house? For fucks sake.

Also, Forrest never produced her music or cast her in any of his operas for the 5 years they were together. Now though? He’s groveling and offering her an album, etc. like did she try to get produced by anyone else during those 5 years or was she too busy waiting hand and foot on old man Forrest? Hard to tell.

Still crazy that when she turns 50 Forrest will likely already be dead. What a love story.

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf!

I read a few chapters, to be honest I couldn't read it anymore. Between the errors and then Birdie acting like a child at age 30 and don't forget the 65 year old better that after how many divorces he has been through he would learn a thing or two.

I'm sorry not sorry this was just stupid.

I'm glad others enjoyed it though.

[Amee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just not for me even with a grovel from MMC. Aren’t we supposed to learn by the time we’re in our 60’s? He’s headed into marriage number three, yet sees nothing wrong with a “times-out” during the ceremony for what ex number two has to contribute? Thanks to BookSirens for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

[Margerm, Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author has a few writing styles some of which work for me and some that don't. This book felt similar in tone and structure to "My Dirty, Rotten, Cheating Husband. The h in both books is betrayed by the H after being in the relationship for years. The H in both books is arrogant and confident in their ability to seduce the h after the betrayal. In both books the h has a glow up after the betrayal and is openly intimate with another man. This book does have OW drama from the H's ex which really works for me (in the other book, the OW is a work colleague ). It also has a significant age gap (35 years) which does not work for me. The h is a finalist in a singing competition and the H is a producer/judge. Overall when you suspend a need for attention to detail this story works for me.

[Bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely OTT and I love it!

I've been not so patiently waiting for this one and it did not disappoint. Birdie is an absolute delight and deserved her HEA. And as always the side characters had me laughing out loud. If you want a fun story where you get to see a pretentious H get taken down a few pegs you'll love this one.

[I’m a Paula too… Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok his was hysterically funny…

A lot of people do not seem to understand this author. The very first time I read one of her books, I knew. She is completely over the top and she TORTURES her male characters for their idiocy. Her books are just too funny!

This one is reminiscent of David Foster and Katherine McPhee in terms of age. The rest of the story is totally off the wall and can’t possibly have any similarities to reality.

KU read and like many of her other books, you have to understand the vibe. She does have to be taken with a grain of salt, and she can NOT be taken seriously. If you go in with that understanding you just might enjoy this one too.

[Traci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notes for me

Forest - 65 yo

Birdie - 30 yo

Met on American Idol type competition. Dated 5 years.

His ex wife Phee objects at the wedding. He said he was taking 5 mins to talk to her then he’d be back to “talk” to Birdie.

Absolutely not. Birdie threw her bouquet and $2.5MM engagement ring at him and left.

Forest gets on a 10 day cruise with Phee and their 2 kids to give Birdie time to cool off. He realizes right away he’s made a huge mistake. He has no interest in Phee.

He gets home after a couple of days. He finds Birdie at his house doing the Devil’s tango with a musician who is supposed to be in his play.

Let the grovel commence.

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

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: 3/5
📚 Genre: Romance ? comedy?

📃Brief summary : Forrest left his fiancé birdie at the alter to go talk to his ex wife Phee who crashed the wedding to hear her out for his ego boost and thought he would just come back and find Birdie waiting for him at the end of the aisle to finish the wedding. But birdie took it as her answer that
forest will never choose her over his ex wife Phee.

✍️ Overall Thoughts : It was very entertaining as a comedy, Birdie was a great character along with all the side characters.


👥 Main Characters
💃 FMC
• Name: Birdie
• Personality: confident, smart, bratty, witty , doesn’t take anyone's shit
• Character Growth: 5/5
• Did I like her? Yes
• Notes: She never once backed down and even though she was very attracted to Forrest she never succumbed to BBS unless it was for her pleasure only, her friendship with Forrest's first ever wife Lulabel and his son Percival was so cute
🕺 MMC
• Name: Forrest
• Personality: Arrogant, asshole, egoistic
• Character Growth: 2/5
• Did I like him? No
• Notes: At the ripe age of 65 Forrest didn’t learn anything from life, which explains why his children Paige and Hieronymus from his 2nd wife Phee were the way they were, because they had 2 awful parents. thank god Percival was raised by Lulabel. BUT his grovel was pretty hilarious. i love it when the mighty are humbled, humiliated and made to beg so that was fun to read.

🧠 Relationship Dynamics
• Chemistry: 2/5
• Communication: poor
• Relationship Development: Slow
📚 Plot
• Pacing: Fast
• Engagement: Engaging
• Originality: 2/5

🚨 Content & Safety
• Cheating: No
• Other Women Drama (OWD): Yes, Forrest's ex wife Phee crashes their wedding and objects, he later goes on a yacht tour with her instead of going back to Birdie. she also shows up a couple more times and act catty with Birdie and start drama
• Other Men Drama (OMD): Yes, Pierre philip who is an actor hired by Forrest for a musical slept with Birdie.
• Romantic / sex Scenes with Other People: Yes , birdie slept with pierre Philip on page after Forrest left her on their wedding day and Forrest walked in on them.
• Other people after meeting/ being together : Yes, as stated above
• Virgins or Experienced: both gave off Experienced
❤️ Tropes & Vibes
• Tropes: 2nd chance, Relationship in crisis
✅ Final Verdict
Would I recommend? Yes if you're looking for something quick, funny, trashy in a good way and to just shut off your brain lol do NOT expect this to be a good book with good writing or serious plot.
Final thoughts: the first reason I liked this book was because forrest was literally groveling from the 5th chapter up until the last chapter before the epilogue, so the entire book was just him groveling. second thing was that Birdie did not once feel bad for him she was relentless in pushing him away and went to extreme measures and was ACTIVELY seeking to move on with other men. she gave no shits about him and never weakened, which I absolutely love in a female character. The third thing was, they only got back together in the very last chapter before the epilogue, which I like in betrayal books, because if the male character is going to be redeemed, I do not want to see him lovey dovey with the female character again. So it being at the very last chapter was amazing.
And last but not least, the side characters were extremely entertaining, special mention to forrest's first wife Lulabel and his eldest son Percival, who were amazing people and great friends to Birdie and her support group through all of this mess with his second wife and his other children.
📅 Read Date: 26-04-2026

⚠️Note:
My content is not criticism of the book or author. It exists solely to help readers make informed choices based on personal boundaries.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

WAS GOOD AT FIRST… BUT NOT FOR ME.

It’s wasn’t my type of book it tried to have some type of comedy in it but it just made it idk just not. I’m all for the FMC getting her revenge trust me I am but I don’t like when books that have the FMC bedding one guy and then the next so soon after the heart break to get that revenge, acting like she doesn’t care or have feelings anymore for the MMC especially when there is yrs of being together. To me it takes away from the whole hurt feelings process from the sorry line, and yes everybody deals with hurt differently but to me when books have the FMC hop from one guy to the next fast and quickly to get over the MMC it makes it seem more like a game than anything. I’m all for a woman getting hers but I didn’t like the way this book went about it, it just wasn’t for me I did skip through a few pages there idk how to explain it this book just didn’t catch my interest after the 2nd chapter I kinda had to push myself to finish it because I hate not finishing a book.

[SC Girlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just can’t quite get back to her first success

This one was disappointing. If I’m honest, age gap romances aren’t always my favorite because there is a sweet spot where once you get to high in years, it’s just not fun. This was Katharine McPhee creepy and then the whole scene where he came home was so over the top. If she was a strong woman, she would have just left. She’s supposed to be 30 yrs old. This is what an 18 yr old would have done. I just feel like this author can’t get the magic back from her first book. Her characters are just over the top crazy and unlikable. Soon i won’t even be able to give her the one nostalgia star for the trad wife

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly not my fave. The MMC seemed very immature. Also how many times has this guy been married? It seemed the foundation of their relationship was sex and I guess that worked for them. 35 year age gap.
The MMC’s ex wife objects at the wedding and he stops it so he can here her out. Birdie our FMC screams and then leaves the church. The fiance then leaves for a 10 day vacation with the ex wife and kids. When he gets back birdie is having anal at his/their house. Idk..not sure I liked that. I didn’t care that she was sleeping with somebody else since clearly they were broken up even if the fiancé doesn’t think they are. But it was more the sleeping with someone else at their house that bothered me.
In all honesty, everybody was a bit immature in this book.

[Judith · Rating 1 out of 5]

AI

This was written by AI.

That’s all. I’ve never heard the word ‘lust’ used in the way it’s used, but it’s not natural.

[Jill S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like Forrest.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only reason I tagged this one as "cheating" is because after the wedding shenanigans (ex wife objects at his wedding, he leaves Birdie at the alter and runs off to talk to her about it and then goes on a trip to Tahiti with the ex and their grown children), Forrest comes home to Birdie getting railed by another opera singer. In her mind, they're broken up. Not so much in his.

This was one of the best ones I've read, once you get past the really insane age gap - 35 years. Birdie doesn't forgive him until the end. Forrest grovels perfectly pathetically.

[Mira · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dominator of the Opera: A Left at the Altar Romance just wasn't for me. I picked it up expecting an emotional, dramatic romance, but I struggled to connect with both the story and the characters.

The plot felt rushed, and I never became invested in the relationship. Instead of feeling swept away by the romance, I found myself losing interest and pushing through just to finish. The characters' actions often felt frustrating rather than compelling, making it difficult to root for their happily-ever-after.

Unfortunately, this one missed the mark for me and ended up being a disappointing read.

[Sannia · Rating 5 out of 5]

⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️
Not safe ONLY for those who hates scenes with OM. It won't be for everyone, but I LOVE it! And I ate it up 😘


Finally!! It's about dang time! This was such a hilarious read and the outlet I needed. Forrest & Birdie, heck even their names goes together. These two are funny af. Like I couldn’t stop laughing with their antics. 😂

So, Forrest, our silver fox Mogul hottie hero messed up pretty bad. His toxic ex-wife decided to crash his wedding day with Birdie. Choosing that precise moment to declare her everlasting love for him. She dared to ask for another chance. To start over again. In the MIDDLE of the wedding! The nerve of that woman! However. What's worse is that Forrest FROZE. Didn't call security or put a stop to his ex's madness. Nor did he defend Birdie when she was being humiliated and called a gold digger. Instead, the simp paused the wedding to hear her out. 5 mins he requested of Birdie. 🤦‍♀️

“I told you to wait here. I need to talk to Phee. Then I’ll be back to talk to you.”
Ice filled my veins, turned me into a frozen, petrified thing. “Fuck you!”
"Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Fuck you, Forrest.” I took off my engagement ring, already feeling the sense of loss beginning to reel in my brain, and threw it at him as hard as I could.



I LOVED that scene. I especially love these gutsy take no shits heroine. It's so rare and few in between. It's why I enjoy this author works in spite of the tropes that repels me (cheating). It's like an OTT soap opera but with repentant heroes who sobs, puke their guts out and grovels (even crawling on their knees) for forgiveness. Even better is when the heroine gets to revenge cheats and he gets to witness it. 😜

"Get used to seeing me going out on dates and fucking random hot men outside on the porch."

That was no idle threat. Birdie is a woman of her word! 😂 Poor Forrest though, I did felt kinda bad for him ngl. He fucked up but he didn't cheat like past heroes would have done. The guy was just wrecked but more stunned when he saw them together. It also turned him into a poet. One that reflects. And regrets 😆

A woman who would get anally pleasured by a Frenchman at 6 pm in a pool chair on a Wednesday was not to be underestimated, and the sight of her beautiful pucker swallowing up some other man’s 🍆 haunted me.



Many might argue Birdie overreacted and crossed the line by sleeping with someone else. But hey, in her defense she thought Forrest picked the ex. She was destroyed. Devastated. Her fiancée left her at the altar! And proceeds to go on a cruise with his ex. Instead of going after Birdie right away. Flipped that scenario around and you know the H would have been balls deep in someone else. 🤷‍♀️.

[Raffaella · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is maybe the first kl book where the hero doesn’t cheat.
But he leave the heroine at the altar to talk to his ex wife who came to object because she’s still in love with him. So the heroine, refusing to wait for him to talk to his ex, dumps his sorry ass.
The hero goes on a cruise with his ex and his kids but realizes soon that he messed up big so he decides to go back and grovel, but as soon as he gets home he finds the heroine having sex with another man. This alone deserved five stars, because first time in a book the heroine isn’t celibate and the hero is.
He tries to apologize but she doesn’t bulge and the rest of the book is heroine making life hard for him and hero debasing himself with all he has.
Of course this is KL, and it’s a total rom com, with very unlikely situations that border on farcical.
Besides that, I laughed a lot as usual, and there’s very little romance here.
The heroine is strong and petty, and she gets her revenge as many times as she can.
Despite the story is ott, I found him quite realistic though.
He’s a music producer, very famous, and also a judge of a talent show, and the heroine was one of the contestant.
He’s narcissist and self absorbed like all the people that works in that industry, so yes, it makes sense that he was just looking for the thrill of his ex wife declaring her love for him.
And no, he never wanted his ex, never thought to have sex with her, he just wanted to be liked and admired like the narcissist he is.
What I didn’t like.
The 35 years age gap is excessive.
She’s 30 and he’s 65. Ok, he’s star system kind of man, picture George Clooney or Brad Pitt, of course they’re still good looking but old is old.
Everyone is calling heroine a gold digger, well, she’s a wannabe singer and he’s a very rich and powerful producer, so of course this is what she’s called.
In the end he was not that much, an aging narcissist who didn’t even gave her one contract in five years they were together. She could do better.
But I laughed a lot with all the unlikely characters that were in this story.
Safety note good, she had sex with another man after she dumped him, he was celibate but since I’m a double standard chick in favor of women, to me it was very ok.

[BiblioDarling · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dominator of the Opera
A Left at the Altar Romance
Humbled Superstars #4
Katie Landry

Rating: ⭐⭐
Rating System (as of 4.8.26):
⭐: DNF/Almost DNF
⭐⭐: Had Potential. Fell Short.
⭐⭐⭐: Good. Something Was Missing.
⭐⭐⭐⭐: Great Book. Strong Overall Story.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: Loved. Reread Worthy. Recommend.

One Sentence Summary/Review:
He left her at the altar, she moved on.
—-------------------
Tropes/Vibes:
💕MF Romance
💕Left at the Altar
💕OW Drama
💕Age Gap
💕Betrayal/Grovel
💕Second Chance
💕Family Drama

Triggers:
N/A

Emotion Impact Rating: 😠
😢Crying/Heartbroken 🤯Shocked/Mind-blowing
😠Frustrated/Angry 💞Emotionally Invested/Obsessed
😍In Love/Swooning 😊Comfort/Cozy

Spice Level (as of 4.8.26): 🔥🔥🔥
🔥: Clean
🔥🔥: Mild
🔥🔥🔥: Spicy
🔥🔥🔥🔥: Very Spicy
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥: Explicit/Kink-Heavy
—----------------------
Quote From Book:
"Come live with me. Don't go back home to Ft. Worth. Stay here in LA with me."

Writing Style Rating: Simple
Simple: Flows Quickly/Easy Reading
Descriptive: Lots of Imagery/Detailed
Lyrical: Feels Poetic/Pretty Sentences
Heavy: Dense/May Have to Reread Sentences

Pace Rating: ⚖
🐢: Slow/Takes Time to Build
⚖: Medium Pacing/Things Move Steadily
🚀: Fast/Things Happen Quickly
—-------------------------
Summary:
FMC and MMC are the altar during their wedding. The MMCs ex-wife interrupts their wedding to ask the MMC to speak with her. The MMC agrees. FMC is not happy, but he tells her to stop throwing a fit. FMC leaves him.

Full Review:
I am not sure how I feel about this book. It was a quick read. The MMC spends his time chasing after the FMC. I found myself wanting a deeper story line. The FMC who I recognize as hurt but the revenge sex, etc. I just wasn't feeling. This book just wasn't for me.

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[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I swear to fuck, I can never not lose my shit over KL's FMC's, those total bombshell badasses with spines forged from goddamn titanium who never, ever let these moronic heroes off the hook after they fuck everything up six ways to Sunday! These queens grab those idiots by the balls and make them grovel until they're shiny and sorry, and I live for that savage energy every damn time, straight facts! But hold up, why not drop five fat stars on this gem? Because that bullshit 35-year age gap hit me like a freight train of "what the actual fuck," impossible to unsee! She's 30, prime and popping, and he's 65, holy shit, a walking retirement plan with kids older than her who are probably side-eyeing the whole thing like "Dad's new girlfriend could crash our family reunion!" Yeah, he's that celebrity silver fox dripping hot grandpa vibes, but 65? The man's got one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel, flirting like he's 25 while his grandkids teach him how to use TikTok! Fast-forward that nightmare: she's a smoking 40-year-old MILF owning life, he's 75 wheezing through bingo night and yelling at clouds, wondering if his hip replacement can handle date night! Keep rolling, she's a badass 50 still slaying, he's 85 or straight-up dead 💀🤣, leaving her to raise mini-gramps while his ghost haunts the family plot! Imagine the wedding vows: "Till death do us part? Babe, that's like next Tuesday for you!" His kids at Thanksgiving: "Pass the turkey, and hey sis-in-law, you're basically our peer, wanna trade war stories about Dad's midlife crisis?" Logistics alone are comedy gold—dude needs a stair lift for the bedroom action, and she's googling "best nursing homes with hot tubs" mid-hookup! Viagra must be sponsoring this plot because how's Captain AARP keeping pace without an oxygen tank and a squad of nurses on standby? Yet KL weaves it into this quick, fun-as-hell read that had me snorting and speed-reading like a fiend, age gap be damned!

[Chalice · Rating 3 out of 5]

The couple: Forrest and Birdie

Romance trope: grovel
Series: Humbled Superstars
Length: 106 pages

Plot: Birdie has always wanted to sing, so she's devastated when she doesn't win the competition. She wins something else instead - the distinguished talent judge and musical writer Forrest. He's 35 years her senior, but they have a connection that's unexplainable. But when his ex-wife interrupts their wedding and he leaves to go talk to her "just for a minute," Birdie is done. Forrest will have to pull out all the stops to prove that he loves her and sees her and values her, or else she just might leave him for good.

Commentary: This is my first book by this author, and it was utterly ridiculous - just like it was supposed to be. I don't think I'll read more, but at least I know what the hype is for now. Her female character was strong and didn't play by the normal celibacy rules that are so prevalent in romance novels. She wanted to show the male character what he was missing, and she sure did. I don't know that I could have ever trusted him again but the story was set up for her to take him back, so it was satisfying in that regard. Hilarious Andrew Lloyd-Webber spoof!

Previous book in the series: King's Roster

[Brooke Torrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, this book was a fantastic read. I enjoyed it from the first chapter and was sad when it ended. I thought the storyline was original, page-turning, and filled with drama, drama, drama. This was a little different from most cheating romances I have read lately, and I loved it!!! Katie Landry is a genius when writing these romances that I devour when they hit my Kindle. She created a strong, take-no-bullshoot, stubborn FMC and a MMC that is arrogant, loves the attention, and learns too late his mess up, but the grovel and redemption are on point. I thought the main characters were complex and had chemistry, but I enjoyed how it was doused out by a few people and how the MMC had to work to relight that fuse.

This was an amazing book, and I enjoyed the betrayal and how it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. There are other ways to betray the one you love, and asking for a few minutes with your ex before your wedding was a new favorite to read. I loved the FMC's strength to not do what we all know she should have done. Amazing book that I will be rereading!!!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[poceluiangela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Phew. What did I just read? I'm not judging such a huge age difference. But I didn't see any real love in this book. A 65-year-old man thinks it's okay to interrupt a wedding ceremony to talk to his ex-girlfriend. And the heroine thinks it's okay to bring a man to her ex-fiancé's house and have sex with him! Where is the love in this situation? The heroine is offended by the idea of ​​being considered a gold-digger. But she does nothing to refute it. On the contrary, she acts like one! What did she do for five years? What did she do for a living? All I understood was that the hero supplied her with jewelry, she lived in his big house and rode in his limousines. And when the hero betrayed her, she didn't leave his house (I assume she really had nowhere to go). I understand that the hero acted terribly, and I understand that the heroine thought they had broken up. But having sex in someone else's house is disgusting. Why didn't she leave? Why didn't she show everyone that she's an independent 30-year-old woman who can achieve anything without a sponsor? Because she can't!

[Aarann · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a hit-and-miss series that has had more misses than hits, this was mostly a miss, but had some good moments.

Forrest has vibes of Andrew-Lloyd-Webber-meets-2000s-Simon-Cowell (with some David Foster thrown in as well) coding. He's a successful musical producer, who has segued into a music mogul. He met much (much, much, much) younger Birdie on the American Idol-wannabe show she was on, where she got second place, and his, erm... heart... Fast forward a few years and they are engaged to be married (his third). His kids (all older than she is) hate her, and while he claims to love her, he's dismissive of her dreams and wants, and doesn't stop the media from judging her for being a "gold digger". He even makes them late for their walk down the aisle because he's too busy planning and when his second wife, Sarah Brightman erm, Phee, objects to their union to "talk," Forrest tells Birdie he wants to hear her out and literally leaves her at the altar. When Birdie protests this treatment, he nopes out for a cruise with her and their two adult kids and sends Birdie a dismissive text because she irritated him (gosh, just stop being irrational and hang on a second while I listen to my second wife's reasoning for wanting me back at our wedding while going on a yacht with her and our kids), and of course they'll get married later. The funny part is, he isn't just putting her off, he actually believes this is how it will go.

He returns to Birdie, still at their house (this is where I lost a lot of my "go Birdie go!" energy because no way do I believe she still would have stayed there if she was as done with Forrest as she pretended), getting anally railed by one of the stars of his new show (that he didn't cast her in) and he's all Shocked Pikachu because of course they aren't over. OTT grovel-grovel-grovel while Birdie does everything she can to humiliate him and... checks notes... yep, it's a Katie Landry book.

I know that Katie Landry's books are mostly not for me, and I still pick them up because even the ones that underwhelm me are still fun in their own way. Just know that going in and it will be a good time. The age gap did gross me out though. Don't tell me he's that good in bed when his kids are older than she is.

[An · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting short read that grabbed my attention, but lost it almost as quickly.

Birdie and Forrest meet on a singing reality TV show and the attraction is intense. Soon they are engaged.

However, the wedding doesn't go as planned when his ex-wife makes an appearance throwing things into complete chaos.

Then Forrest makes a huge miscalculation and Birdie walks out without looking back.

Enter Forrest's wacky family to help...Birdie!

Really funny in some places and written well. However, I think its length contributed to the unfinished feeling of some scenes. I felt rushed by the end of the story and thought there could have been more. More dialogue, more retribution, more humor, but maybe less of Forrest's attempts to correct hos mistake.

I did enjoy this and found it entertaining. I recommend it to those who like short stories.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Dewey · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a joke and I don't think it's funny. She writes the same plot, same characters, over and over. Read one and you've read them all. Not my fault I never got on board with this story or plot. I've lost interest in reading this same theme over and over. I wrote a longer review but I no longer care enough to post it. She's a good writer; I wonder if she can write anything else besides 68-100 page stories with the same plot. This is my 3rd and last one.

It's a ridiculous OTT comedy even for this writer (when another ex-wife shows up with his 45-year-old son named Percival who is an Episcopalian priest). The balance between sadness, rage, anger, revenge - good writing - is lost to slapstick. I got very tired of Forrest (all her male characters) crying, begging, demeaning himself, over and over again. Birdie is her typical strong female character who LOVES humiliating her man.

[Heather Diamanté · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny, campy read

I love reading Katie’s stories. She is an amazing writer. I gave this book three stars ONLY because their year age gap kept putting me off. I don’t mind an age gap but 35 years is a bit much for me but I had to read this because I love Katie’s books. She is an automatic read for me. As usual it was over the top with a strong FMC who made the MMC work hard for her forgiveness. Grovel was hilarious as well. Again, the only reason for the 3 star rating is because I couldn’t get over the 35 year age gap which is more about me and not about the writer. She is perfection. Everything else about this story is 5 stars! Easily a 5 star read if you are a better person than me!

[Desiree M ~*~*~ LiveReadCollect · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

From practically zero grovel from the last betrayal/grovel book I read, to grovel in almost every chapter. After that previous book, I needed this level of grovel.

I loved that Birdie didn't mess around. Once Forrest went to talk to his ex-wife during their wedding she was done.

Forrest was a moron but I enjoyed his level of grovelling. One thing though that started to get annoying, Birdie was not ever interested in his money. Showed him on many occasions that his money was not the way to her heart or the way to forgiveness. However he kept on spending soooo much money on her to show her he loved her but he wasn't listening to what she really wanted and it had nothing to do with money.

This author's books are always a good time for me.

[ljamison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of Katie Landry. I believe I have read every book she has written. I also love the betrayal trope. This story is about the worst betrayal a woman could ever experience the betrayal of her fiance. While at their wedding, standing at the alter her groom Forrest ask her for a moment to speak to his ex-wife. Birdie handled that moment with such great aplomb. I think I would have been hysterical and homicidal at the same time. The thing I enjoy most about Ms. Landry’s books is the grovel. She makes these men suffer, regret and beg. They want their redemption and will do anything to achieve it. Now if a man loves you and mess up this is what he is supposed to do. Another great book. Loved the characters and the story.