Buttons: A Vows Standalone

by Audrey Halliwell, Megan Trout (Narrator), Michael Kirby (Narrator)

He made a list of her flaws. She made a life without him.

Julian Plaza thought he had made the logical choice when he married Elowen. She might not be stunning like Carmella Ruiz, but she was safe. He never thought she'd find out about the list. The one that brutally commented on her button nose.

After discovering her husband mocked her appearance and settled for her, Elowen takes their children and leaves. Now, as she builds a stray cat sanctuary, Julian realizes that "safe" was the only thing holding him together. He wants a second chance, but she just wants to be herself.

No cheating.

middle-aged characters; neurodivergent hero; marriage in crisis; uncovered; OW drama; betrayal and grovel; second chance; redemption.

Audible Audio

Expected publication March 23, 2027

About the author

Audrey Halliwell writes messy, twisty, can’t-look-away romance.

The kind where the other woman has secrets, the ex-fiancé still lingers, and the plot twists slap you like a betrayal at brunch. If you’ve ever screamed at your Kindle, rewritten endings in your head, or fallen in love with a character who absolutely should’ve known better, you’re in the right place.

Audrey blames her obsession with dramatic romance on her mother—she was watching soap operas in elementary school and devouring V.C. Andrews and Gossip Girl by middle school. Armed with a college degree and an unapologetic love for emotional chaos, Audrey writes stories where women stumble through heartbreak, betrayal, and obsession before reclaiming their power.

Her heroines might be messy, but they always find their glow-up.

When she’s not plotting angsty love triangles or crafting emotionally ruined men with great hair, you’ll find her designing something on Canva or rereading her favorite tropes like it’s self-care.

Reviews

[Nattiie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished reading this book and I loved it so much. I was able to understand the Fmc and her reasoning for wanting and needing a change in her life and to be herself instead of an extension of her husband. The only reason I give it a 4 star and not a 5 is because I feel like there wasn’t more of a struggle for the Mmc to come to the realization that he needs to change if he wants his family back. It seemed like him changing himself wasn’t much of a struggle but if he has been a controlling and an overbearing husband and dad for 8+ year I feel like we should’ve seen him still make the mistake of falling back to being controlling and him becoming more self aware. Feel like that would’ve made it a bit more realistic to see his mental struggles with changing his controlling behavior for his family. But other than that I enjoyed everything of this story and it’s exactly what I am looking for when reading a marriage in crisis trope.

[Gale Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can definitely see where a list of pros and cons about whether or not you’ll marry a person would hurt your feelings. The fact she was already disappearing inside the marriage and overwhelmed with his rigid control really kind of broke the whole thing. I was glad to see that he could change and that she found if she was before they got their happily ever after.

[Tina Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautifully written. I love how the author described Elowen's pain and how she chose to find herself.. I truly felt the angst in the book. Julian grovels and truly works on himself as well. Great book!