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Homestands
A broken marriage. A fatherless boy. A past that won't let go.
When baseball star Mike Connor stumbles across his ex-wife six years after their divorce, he’s stunned to find that she's the mother of a kindergartner who wears his jersey. And shares his last name.
The last thing Meg Connor wants is to be around Mike. After all, he was the one who hurt and abandoned her. But she can’t deny him—or their son—time together to build a relationship, which means Mike is around too often, reminding her of why she fell in love with him so long ago. If only she could forget their past… The painful and the good.
Between their guilt and closely held hurts, Meg and Mike struggle against each other, their feelings, and God as they fight their own desires for the future, a future that might never happen when the past that tore them apart collides with their present.
When baseball star Mike Connor stumbles across his ex-wife six years after their divorce, he’s stunned to find that she's the mother of a kindergartner who wears his jersey. And shares his last name.
The last thing Meg Connor wants is to be around Mike. After all, he was the one who hurt and abandoned her. But she can’t deny him—or their son—time together to build a relationship, which means Mike is around too often, reminding her of why she fell in love with him so long ago. If only she could forget their past… The painful and the good.
Between their guilt and closely held hurts, Meg and Mike struggle against each other, their feelings, and God as they fight their own desires for the future, a future that might never happen when the past that tore them apart collides with their present.
371 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 28, 2016
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212 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
November 1, 2019
I find myself in the embarrassing position of having to review this book so I can remember it and not borrow it again via Kindle Unlimited.
I read it 3-4 months ago for the cheater's contrition tour and didn't find anything sufficiently entertaining or insightful about it to comment on. Then it popped up in my feed again this week and I couldn't remember anything about it (see: neither entertaining nor insightful). Now I have to memorialize it, or I'll be doomed to read it again in 3 months.
Why the husband is awful
For the first 50% of the novel, we are introduced to the worst ex-husband ever. He's a major league baseball player who ghosted his sad wife six years ago for a relationship with a groupie. He admits to the affair before his team is about to leave for a series of away games, says they'll talk in ten days when he returns, he doesn't call while he's gone, and when the ten days are up, he doesn't return to their home. The wife stakes out the stadium and when he emerges, he tells her never to come there again, walks away, and later has her served with divorce papers.
So, from the reader's perspective, the rat bastard cheated and abandoned her without a discussion. Later we'll learn that he was unnecessarily cruel during the divorce proceedings and fought for ownership of their home's furnishings only to discard them once he'd won.
Still later, we'll hear him describe his breakup with the also-cheating OW as "his worst breakup ever"...so, then, more emotionally devastating than your divorce from the wife you're telling this to? Good to know. Not at all romantic, but good to know. He's also had five relationships since the divorce (six, if we count the original affair), which included one abortion, a near marriage, and a woman he was still living with when this story begins.
As a bonus, when he's trying to reconcile with his ex-wife, she rejects his invitation to accompany him to a charity gala. So he invites the woman he had been living with just weeks before. Then he's mystified by his ex-wife's jealousy: "What woman turned a guy down, then got upset when he took someone else? Did Meg not get her own insanity?"
Of course, all of this awfulness is quite deliberate because this is a Christian romance, and we're supposed to see this selfish, hurtful man transformed by a relationship with Jesus. I would prefer to see him transformed by human decency and an appreciation of his wife, but that's not going to happen because he lacks decency and his sad wife turns out to be also awful.
Why the wife is awful
I would be lying to you if I said I thought the wife was awful because she had his secret baby and then hid their son from him for six years, even though she did it quite deliberately. Getting out of town before her pregnancy became evident is the reason she stopped battling for the furniture during their divorce proceedings and accepted a cash settlement. She also never returned to their hometown to visit her parents or settle in their farm after they died because she didn't want anyone who knew her and her husband to learn about their son and inform her ex.
But I don't get angry with fictional women who are treated cruelly and choose not to expose their children to a man who emotionally abused them.
However, after we spent 50% of the book learning what a horrible man her ex-husband is, we discover that the wife had married him as a teenager because he could afford to pay for her college when her parents could not. And maaaaaaybe she was selfish because she put her career as an interior designer before their marriage. (This, admittedly, is a hard sell for me because his career as a baseball player is so disruptive. I don't expect a wife to sacrifice her opportunities just to pay attention to her husband when it's convenient for him.)
So I don't think she's an awful person because she denied him their son, married him for his money, and didn't prioritize him in their marriage. She's awful because (I can't believe I'm writing this) she's a bad Christian.
The wife is a born-again Christian and the husband initially attends church with her and his son just to spend more time with them, but he is eventually converted. She's spiteful about his attending because her friends fawn over his celebrity (so she clearly has no respect for her fellow congregants). Then she both dreads and is jealous of his conversion. Even though I regard most organized religion as hypocrisy and cannot stomach fundamentalism, I cannot comprehend how dark this woman's heart has to be that she would begrudge her ex-husband the relationship she supposedly has with God.
Why the book is awful
But wait, it gets worse.
I have no idea what form of Christianity is being practiced in this book, but I do know that it is being presented as the only true form:
...I am duly horrified.
And the cherry on this awfulness sundae is that it turns out the hero had also unknowingly impregnated the first OW, who is now dying from cancer and wants the hero to take his other secret son when she's dead. And all these fine people can think about is how unattractive the OW looks now that she's sick, without expressing any kind of concern for her or offering her comfort. The protagonists' only concern is whether their relationship will be strong enough to handle the inconvenience and embarrassment of having a constant reminder of his affair around once she's dead.
So a marriage that disintegrated because of the couple's individual selfishness is now held together by the common bond of the couple's mutual selfishness. And I never have to read this book again.
I read it 3-4 months ago for the cheater's contrition tour and didn't find anything sufficiently entertaining or insightful about it to comment on. Then it popped up in my feed again this week and I couldn't remember anything about it (see: neither entertaining nor insightful). Now I have to memorialize it, or I'll be doomed to read it again in 3 months.
Why the husband is awful
For the first 50% of the novel, we are introduced to the worst ex-husband ever. He's a major league baseball player who ghosted his sad wife six years ago for a relationship with a groupie. He admits to the affair before his team is about to leave for a series of away games, says they'll talk in ten days when he returns, he doesn't call while he's gone, and when the ten days are up, he doesn't return to their home. The wife stakes out the stadium and when he emerges, he tells her never to come there again, walks away, and later has her served with divorce papers.
So, from the reader's perspective, the rat bastard cheated and abandoned her without a discussion. Later we'll learn that he was unnecessarily cruel during the divorce proceedings and fought for ownership of their home's furnishings only to discard them once he'd won.
Still later, we'll hear him describe his breakup with the also-cheating OW as "his worst breakup ever"...so, then, more emotionally devastating than your divorce from the wife you're telling this to? Good to know. Not at all romantic, but good to know. He's also had five relationships since the divorce (six, if we count the original affair), which included one abortion, a near marriage, and a woman he was still living with when this story begins.
As a bonus, when he's trying to reconcile with his ex-wife, she rejects his invitation to accompany him to a charity gala. So he invites the woman he had been living with just weeks before. Then he's mystified by his ex-wife's jealousy: "What woman turned a guy down, then got upset when he took someone else? Did Meg not get her own insanity?"
Of course, all of this awfulness is quite deliberate because this is a Christian romance, and we're supposed to see this selfish, hurtful man transformed by a relationship with Jesus. I would prefer to see him transformed by human decency and an appreciation of his wife, but that's not going to happen because he lacks decency and his sad wife turns out to be also awful.
Why the wife is awful
I would be lying to you if I said I thought the wife was awful because she had his secret baby and then hid their son from him for six years, even though she did it quite deliberately. Getting out of town before her pregnancy became evident is the reason she stopped battling for the furniture during their divorce proceedings and accepted a cash settlement. She also never returned to their hometown to visit her parents or settle in their farm after they died because she didn't want anyone who knew her and her husband to learn about their son and inform her ex.
But I don't get angry with fictional women who are treated cruelly and choose not to expose their children to a man who emotionally abused them.
However, after we spent 50% of the book learning what a horrible man her ex-husband is, we discover that the wife had married him as a teenager because he could afford to pay for her college when her parents could not. And maaaaaaybe she was selfish because she put her career as an interior designer before their marriage. (This, admittedly, is a hard sell for me because his career as a baseball player is so disruptive. I don't expect a wife to sacrifice her opportunities just to pay attention to her husband when it's convenient for him.)
So I don't think she's an awful person because she denied him their son, married him for his money, and didn't prioritize him in their marriage. She's awful because (I can't believe I'm writing this) she's a bad Christian.
The wife is a born-again Christian and the husband initially attends church with her and his son just to spend more time with them, but he is eventually converted. She's spiteful about his attending because her friends fawn over his celebrity (so she clearly has no respect for her fellow congregants). Then she both dreads and is jealous of his conversion. Even though I regard most organized religion as hypocrisy and cannot stomach fundamentalism, I cannot comprehend how dark this woman's heart has to be that she would begrudge her ex-husband the relationship she supposedly has with God.
Why the book is awful
But wait, it gets worse.
I have no idea what form of Christianity is being practiced in this book, but I do know that it is being presented as the only true form:
"It's just different at this church."
...
"I liked our church growing up, but it never satisfied me."
"And this does."
"Yes, but not in a way that works just for me. This is what everyone needs. We're all made to worship God. We can't find our own way--this is the way."
...I am duly horrified.
And the cherry on this awfulness sundae is that it turns out the hero had also unknowingly impregnated the first OW, who is now dying from cancer and wants the hero to take his other secret son when she's dead. And all these fine people can think about is how unattractive the OW looks now that she's sick, without expressing any kind of concern for her or offering her comfort. The protagonists' only concern is whether their relationship will be strong enough to handle the inconvenience and embarrassment of having a constant reminder of his affair around once she's dead.
So a marriage that disintegrated because of the couple's individual selfishness is now held together by the common bond of the couple's mutual selfishness. And I never have to read this book again.
October 7, 2016
Cheater who has a child with the ow= nasty read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2017
#rant
I do not recommend!
I do not recommend!
"Behind her, his shoes hit the tile. Bags thudded against the floor, and keys jingled as he picked them up. And then silenced. She stared at cheese that oozed out of the omelet and sizzled. Keep quiet. Make him talk. “Her name’s Brooke.”"
"She didn’t want to do this here. “Mike, come home. We can start over.” “I have.” He took a step back, calling his friends. They stopped and turned. “Don’t come here again.” “Mike, what am I supposed to—” He held his arms out from his sides before turning and jogging away."
"He’d left without warning, without reason. Why was he doing this?"
"“Meghan Connor?” he asked. “Yes?” He held out a manila envelope. “This is for you.” He waited while she opened the screen, but as soon as the envelope was in her hands, he darted for his car at the curb. Her hands shook. She seated herself on the couch and forced herself to open the envelope. Divorce papers."
September 10, 2016
Sorry, didn't seem real to me. The whole God thing was annoying as all hell. AND the forgiving your ex husband for cheating on you.. YEAH... NO THAT WOULD NEVER EVER EVER HAPPEN. In fact if my husband cheated on me, he'd be praying for death. That's the problem, when a man cheats, she should just cut off his balls, problem solved. No way is he NOT going to learn his lesson from that. Finding god, what a fucking joke!
dnf
January 26, 2020Christian authors, please stop! Just because your husbands cheated on you does not mean you should use it as inspiration for your books!
Infidelity is very common in second chance Christian romances and I just do not understand at all. Seriously, what is the point of these books? To show the power of forgiveness? To show true love can overcome anything? To show that a man who loves his wife is still capable of cheating on her? Actions speak louder than words! Cheating is not a mistake, it’s a choice. This lovely hero showed through his actions that he did not love his wife. Yet we are to believe that he did and always has? I don’t think so.
Infidelity is very common in second chance Christian romances and I just do not understand at all. Seriously, what is the point of these books? To show the power of forgiveness? To show true love can overcome anything? To show that a man who loves his wife is still capable of cheating on her? Actions speak louder than words! Cheating is not a mistake, it’s a choice. This lovely hero showed through his actions that he did not love his wife. Yet we are to believe that he did and always has? I don’t think so.
March 19, 2024
Redemption not really believable here. The guy cheated, and left the apparent love lf his life for the OW. But most shocking was his behaviour after, failing to sit down and discuss it with her, ignoring her, mocking her at divorce meetings, and fighting her over every item they owned (even though he cheated and was a baseball player), to then just get rid off every personal item he fought her for, screams bitter and toxic asshole to me. The real cherry on the cake was his feelings for the OW. So we are meant to believe Mike never got over the heroine, always thought of her? Really well then why did the OW leave him for someone else? He did not leave her, she left him? So he loved his ex so much, but would happily have stayed with Brooke? Oh also, Mike tells The heroine he felt her pain and suffering, but not when he and her broke up, oh no, but when Brooke, The OW left him! What the hell? Apparently this is not a big deal as it is does not really get called out in the book! But to me it says that Mike’s OW meant more to him! He is trying to win back the Meg. and this is what he tells her?! So his worst break up apparently was with hismistress who he was with for a couple of years, and not his high school sweetheart who he married? Man this make sense! What was the author thinking? This book was a mess, with a secret child to boot! Mike did not change to me, he just did not have the OW and missed the comfortability of the heroine, then he has a son and hey presto a ready made family! If Brooke had not been dying of cancer, who knows if he would of chosen her again? Forgiveness is fine, but who would let a man who destroyed you so thoroughly back into your life? I think there is a reason this book is no longer available on amazon kindle! One of the worst men I have read about.
This review says it all
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This review says it all
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2020
I really tried to make this brief, but I just couldn't. I don't like to give lower ratings, and feel like I need to explain if I do. Unfortunately, I can't do that without giving some spoilers.
OK, I missed the memo that this was a Christian romance. I don’t think I’ve ever read one… and was fuzzy on what to expect… but I charged on. I also believe in Jesus, so I figured... why not. 😋There’re several reviews out there, and I don’t want to waste a lot of time on the plot, so I’ll focus on points that hopefully will help others determine if this is a good read for them.
I didn’t love this for a few reasons. 1. Christian romance & OTT soapy plot elements … do not mix… at all. 2. I don’t like judgy/hypocrites. 3. The pacing is S-U-P-E-R SLOW….yawn. 4. These two should not be together, and there was no romance. I’m spoiler tagging the rest so I don’t have to be careful.
OK, I missed the memo that this was a Christian romance. I don’t think I’ve ever read one… and was fuzzy on what to expect… but I charged on. I also believe in Jesus, so I figured... why not. 😋There’re several reviews out there, and I don’t want to waste a lot of time on the plot, so I’ll focus on points that hopefully will help others determine if this is a good read for them.
I didn’t love this for a few reasons. 1. Christian romance & OTT soapy plot elements … do not mix… at all. 2. I don’t like judgy/hypocrites. 3. The pacing is S-U-P-E-R SLOW….yawn. 4. These two should not be together, and there was no romance. I’m spoiler tagging the rest so I don’t have to be careful.
September 9, 2016
Pathetic characters!!!!! Meh! I really tried to liked this book but there's nothing to like. 80% of reading this book and I was done, I just can't finished it because its so horrible. Wasted my time reading this book. Worst book that I have read. For those who are planning to read this book, just read another book because you will just be wasting your time. You've been warmed!
October 11, 2016
Homestands is a story of forgiveness and healing and even courage. It’s also romantic and suspenseful and heartbreaking and funny and sweet and incredibly touching.
In the characters of Meg and Mike, Sally Bradley gives us a look at a marriage that fell apart and what it will take to bring restoration. This isn’t your typical second chance romance though. I found the dynamic between Meg and Mike to be really intriguing, particularly as it relates to a) who they are six years later and b) how I thought it was going to play out. Bradley’s story set my expectations on end and presents us instead with a story rich in depth and meaning.
Both Meg and Mike have made a lot of mistakes, not the least of which are some pretty big secrets they’ve each kept from the other all this time. It’s going to take some supernatural strength for them even to be in the same room together… and supernatural Strength happens to be in the wings. The healing in Homestands isn’t easy or simple or the “pat answer” kind that puts a band-aid on real pain. This healing goes deep down to where the pain is the sharpest and where the darkness is the heaviest and it sits down in the pit with these authentic characters.
It’s not all so serious, though. There’s an adorable little boy whose Daddy is absolutely adorable with him. As healing begins to weave through their story, some flirting lightens the air a bit too. Additionally, a suspense subplot keeps you on the edge of your seat and wondering how it’s going to affect everything else.
Bottom Line: Homestands combines romance as well as the truest Love with “real” characters who struggle and react and fail… and succeed. Bradley’s writing evokes emotion even as it soothes and engages readers from the very beginning. There are moments when you’ll smile, moments when you’ll laugh, moments when you’ll hold your breath, moments when you’ll cry, and moments when you’ll feel your stomach sink with dread. This may be fiction but it’s also life at its rawest. Faith at its realest. Hope at its most beautiful. Love at its truest. If you enjoy reading Katie Ganshert, Varina Denman, Tammy L. Gray then you need to check out Homestands too!
(I received a complimentary copy of this book.)
See my full review at Reading Is My SuperPower
In the characters of Meg and Mike, Sally Bradley gives us a look at a marriage that fell apart and what it will take to bring restoration. This isn’t your typical second chance romance though. I found the dynamic between Meg and Mike to be really intriguing, particularly as it relates to a) who they are six years later and b) how I thought it was going to play out. Bradley’s story set my expectations on end and presents us instead with a story rich in depth and meaning.
Both Meg and Mike have made a lot of mistakes, not the least of which are some pretty big secrets they’ve each kept from the other all this time. It’s going to take some supernatural strength for them even to be in the same room together… and supernatural Strength happens to be in the wings. The healing in Homestands isn’t easy or simple or the “pat answer” kind that puts a band-aid on real pain. This healing goes deep down to where the pain is the sharpest and where the darkness is the heaviest and it sits down in the pit with these authentic characters.
It’s not all so serious, though. There’s an adorable little boy whose Daddy is absolutely adorable with him. As healing begins to weave through their story, some flirting lightens the air a bit too. Additionally, a suspense subplot keeps you on the edge of your seat and wondering how it’s going to affect everything else.
Bottom Line: Homestands combines romance as well as the truest Love with “real” characters who struggle and react and fail… and succeed. Bradley’s writing evokes emotion even as it soothes and engages readers from the very beginning. There are moments when you’ll smile, moments when you’ll laugh, moments when you’ll hold your breath, moments when you’ll cry, and moments when you’ll feel your stomach sink with dread. This may be fiction but it’s also life at its rawest. Faith at its realest. Hope at its most beautiful. Love at its truest. If you enjoy reading Katie Ganshert, Varina Denman, Tammy L. Gray then you need to check out Homestands too!
(I received a complimentary copy of this book.)
See my full review at Reading Is My SuperPower
October 29, 2016
I would have given this book 5 stars if the the H Mike didn't cheat on his ex wife and then later on he finds out that he fathered a child with the ow and if Meg the h his ex wife had decided not to take him back.
I didn't like how it was his last girlfriend that persuaded him to see Meg and that Meg had his child and didn't tell him, I didn't like how he took his ex girlfriend to an event that was going to be televised and for Meg to see him holding hands with her, I thought he wasn't serious in winning her back by doing that despite that Meg didn't want to go with him.
I was happy that Meg divorced him after the affair as he would have carried on having affairs seeing as he was a bit of a playboy despite that not being mentioned in the book.
I liked the sport theme seeing as Mike was a baseball player and I liked their little boy Terrell and the relationship he had with his dad despite only meeting him, I liked the suspense that played around Mike and I guessed earlier on what was going on with the ow so I wasn't shocked.
I didn't like how his ex wife blamed herself for his affair and I didn't like how she quickly forgave him and easily accepted his child with the ow and in no way did he grovel and I was in a way hoping that she would find peace and happiness because it was afterall a christian romance theme and she did but I hoped she wouldn't take him back but the book was all about forgiveness.
I didn't like how it was his last girlfriend that persuaded him to see Meg and that Meg had his child and didn't tell him, I didn't like how he took his ex girlfriend to an event that was going to be televised and for Meg to see him holding hands with her, I thought he wasn't serious in winning her back by doing that despite that Meg didn't want to go with him.
I was happy that Meg divorced him after the affair as he would have carried on having affairs seeing as he was a bit of a playboy despite that not being mentioned in the book.
I liked the sport theme seeing as Mike was a baseball player and I liked their little boy Terrell and the relationship he had with his dad despite only meeting him, I liked the suspense that played around Mike and I guessed earlier on what was going on with the ow so I wasn't shocked.
I didn't like how his ex wife blamed herself for his affair and I didn't like how she quickly forgave him and easily accepted his child with the ow and in no way did he grovel and I was in a way hoping that she would find peace and happiness because it was afterall a christian romance theme and she did but I hoped she wouldn't take him back but the book was all about forgiveness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2018
If religious identification is on the decline, books like this don’t help. Really.
Why, why, oh why, do Christian themed relationship books insist on featuring emotionally stunted women with cheating husbands?
This book jumped the shark for me when the heroine blamed herself for the abortion had by an ex-lover of her cheating ex! Why? Because if she had loved the cheating SOB enough he wouldn’t have left...annnnnd if he hadn’t left he wouldn’t have had sex with that woman (although he was screwing around before he left and that particular woman was one of many) annnnd if he’d hadn’t screwed the other woman she wouldn’t have gotten pregnant (Condom anyone?) annnnnnd if she hadn’t gotten pregnant she wouldn’t have had an abortion. Really?!!?
Ladies—hear ye, hear ye! Harken to my voice. Just. Because. You. Are. A. Christian. Does. Not. Mean. You. Have. To. Abandon. Good. Sense.
The grammar is fine and the story flows relatively well, hence the two stars.
Why, why, oh why, do Christian themed relationship books insist on featuring emotionally stunted women with cheating husbands?
This book jumped the shark for me when the heroine blamed herself for the abortion had by an ex-lover of her cheating ex! Why? Because if she had loved the cheating SOB enough he wouldn’t have left...annnnnd if he hadn’t left he wouldn’t have had sex with that woman (although he was screwing around before he left and that particular woman was one of many) annnnd if he’d hadn’t screwed the other woman she wouldn’t have gotten pregnant (Condom anyone?) annnnnnd if she hadn’t gotten pregnant she wouldn’t have had an abortion. Really?!!?
Ladies—hear ye, hear ye! Harken to my voice. Just. Because. You. Are. A. Christian. Does. Not. Mean. You. Have. To. Abandon. Good. Sense.
The grammar is fine and the story flows relatively well, hence the two stars.
September 8, 2016
DNF.
My God, the hero was a jerk, who cheated on the heroine and thought she had to forgive him because he was sorry for everything he did >:(
My God, the hero was a jerk, who cheated on the heroine and thought she had to forgive him because he was sorry for everything he did >:(
November 8, 2016
this one went way past what I could forgive - hero was unforgivable
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2016
I just read Sally Bradley's debut, Kept, last month so some of my thoughts are a comparison of the two novels.
Homestands is primarily about Mike and Meg. They married at a young age and their marriage didn't endure. Mike is a professional baseball player and Meg a successful interior designer. Their paths cross again about six years after their divorce. All that time Meg kept their son a secret. I enjoyed the faith journey that Mike and Meg went through in the novel. At times I was frustrated with Meg.
A secondary story was regarding Ben and Dana. This part of the story didn't add to the novel and I likely would have enjoyed it more without this thread.
Now for the comparison...with Kept I was so engrossed in the novel and couldn't read fast enough. I felt the pain the main character went through, laughed at the humor and was overall much more emotionally engaged with Kept. While I enjoyed Homestands, I wasn't swept away by the story as I was with Kept.
Homestands is a solid contemporary romance novel and I look forward to reading others by the author.
Homestands is primarily about Mike and Meg. They married at a young age and their marriage didn't endure. Mike is a professional baseball player and Meg a successful interior designer. Their paths cross again about six years after their divorce. All that time Meg kept their son a secret. I enjoyed the faith journey that Mike and Meg went through in the novel. At times I was frustrated with Meg.
A secondary story was regarding Ben and Dana. This part of the story didn't add to the novel and I likely would have enjoyed it more without this thread.
Now for the comparison...with Kept I was so engrossed in the novel and couldn't read fast enough. I felt the pain the main character went through, laughed at the humor and was overall much more emotionally engaged with Kept. While I enjoyed Homestands, I wasn't swept away by the story as I was with Kept.
Homestands is a solid contemporary romance novel and I look forward to reading others by the author.
Read
April 24, 2022I don’t even know how to rate this. Christian themed romances are not my usual bag. However, I love marriage in trouble/ second chance stories. This is the usual sports star that gets too big for his britches and wants to see if the grass is really greener on the other side. He blindsides the h/wife by disappearing for a week then serving her divorce papers and refused to talk to her…as one does. 😡 She’s like, you don’t want to talk to me? Fine! Me and my pregnant belly are outta here. 7-10 yrs later 😆 he’s like, my life sucks being so rich and successful as a baseball player and with all these women I’ve been with over the years there’s just something missing. 🙄 He sees her at a game and tracks her down and becomes a general nuisance. He basically wears her out and uses the kid to get to her. And the icing on the cake is she takes half the blame for their breakup because she wasn’t attentive enough? 🤦🏻♀️🔪
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
June 8, 2019Another author who uses God as an excuse to justify unforgivable attitudes. The God that I know want that we do love others, as ourselves, that is, respect others, not CHEAT the other. My God wants us to be strong and wants us to be with people who respect us! This God who forgives everything is only for those who want ragged justification to stay in a mediocre life. People should stop using God as an excuse and start thinking of healthier ways to deal with this kind of shit!So pleaseeee stop doing this shit!
hell-fucking-no
August 18, 2017Cheating trash
April 8, 2024
I cannot withstand this atrocity even when I am clutching the Bible deep into my god-given bosom.
December 7, 2020
It's her fault that he repeatedly cheated.
November 30, 2023
When the grovel is not good, or the hero thinks he’s in the right even if he definitely is not. Or when the OW never gets what he deserves…. I really don’t love the story.
Now let’s imagine having all of it together.
The H was horrible and she just let him. ☹️
Now let’s imagine having all of it together.
The H was horrible and she just let him. ☹️
January 8, 2020
———SPOILERs——-
I don’t like second chances after a cheating incident stories in general, but there are exceptions, my mentality is that mistakes get made and there is never a black and white reason or story for that matter sooo.. now that I got that out of the way, this particular book made me angry,hurt and it exemplified the worst of cheating stories - and to make this a HEA felt wrong and ughhh it made me so angry. No matter what she said or didn’t say during the marriage. No matter how lonely or neglected he felt, he should have talked to her, told her the way he feels and gotten a divorce after. The way he acted, and the vengeful way he went about the divorce, it was gross, there are some people that deserve compassion after they try atoning for mistakes made - Him? Not so much.
He was selfish, mean, vengeful, childish, the kind of guy that thinks everything revolves around him.
And when he realises he’s not all that and that women are not on earth to make him feel great about himself and worship at his altar he remembers the person who was unconditional with him - the one he screwed over and of course he thinks he deserves to get back in her life and stir the pot of hurt.
Regardless of the kid he would have looked her up, and that was selfish.
And you know what, he deserved to have his kid hidden from him, with the way he was at the time he would have only inflicted more hurt onto Meg and his kid.
There might never be good reason to hide a child from a parent unless in extreme circumstances but honestly I don’t think he was equipped to deal with it in a mature manner at the time.
He’s just despicable and does not deserve her!!
September 1, 2016
4.5 Stars!
Bradley quickly drew me into Meg and Mike's story; and once I started this novel I did not want to stop! Fans of Bradley's first novel, Kept will not be disappointed. We have real hurt and pain here, and circumstances that are not easy to brush away. I felt the pain and even the anger along with Meg. Of course, I was quicker to forgive than her (wink). This story felt authentic and brought forth so many truths.
We in Christ, are called to forgive. It is easy to say but sometimes hard to do. While Meg might have taken longer than I liked, I was glad to see the struggle, it made the novel and her character more real. I enjoyed seeing Mike grow and work through things in this novel. He was determined and kept coming back, despite how difficult Meg made things.
I do not want to say too much and ruin the story for you. I enjoyed the struggle, the relationships developing and even the touch of suspense added in. This was a well written and captivating novel, and one I definitely recommend.
I read this as part of the Whispers of Love: 12 Christian Romance Novels bundle. I have noticed that it is set to be released on its' own on September 5 and will be available with Kindle Unlimited.
Bradley quickly drew me into Meg and Mike's story; and once I started this novel I did not want to stop! Fans of Bradley's first novel, Kept will not be disappointed. We have real hurt and pain here, and circumstances that are not easy to brush away. I felt the pain and even the anger along with Meg. Of course, I was quicker to forgive than her (wink). This story felt authentic and brought forth so many truths.
We in Christ, are called to forgive. It is easy to say but sometimes hard to do. While Meg might have taken longer than I liked, I was glad to see the struggle, it made the novel and her character more real. I enjoyed seeing Mike grow and work through things in this novel. He was determined and kept coming back, despite how difficult Meg made things.
I do not want to say too much and ruin the story for you. I enjoyed the struggle, the relationships developing and even the touch of suspense added in. This was a well written and captivating novel, and one I definitely recommend.
I read this as part of the Whispers of Love: 12 Christian Romance Novels bundle. I have noticed that it is set to be released on its' own on September 5 and will be available with Kindle Unlimited.
August 23, 2016
I did buy this in a collection (Whispers of Love) which I can no longer find on Amazon (though, surely it is there) nor can I find this book on Amazon (though again, it must be there.) I did find it on Goodreads. If you are interested in this book, you might consider contacting Ms. Bradley for advice on how to purchase it if you don't have better luck finding it than I did.
I bought the collection, because I wanted to read Ms. Comer's new book, and at the time this was the only way to get it. I used to be a critique partner of Ms. Bradley (many long years ago) and this was the book she sent through the critique group. I remembered the jist of the story, there were a few surprises I didn't remember (though they might've been added since Ms. Bradley and I parted ways (again, many long years ago).
I enjoyed getting "re"acquainted with Mike and Meg and their son Terrill and the pastor and wife who played a key role. There is a mystery/suspense involved. We know who the bad guy is, we know why, but we don't know when he will attack or how.
This was a great book, and the only one by Ms. Bradley I've read. I will have to look into her other books at some point. HOMESTANDS was a great book, highly recommended. I hope you can find it! You won't be sorry getting this book.
I bought the collection, because I wanted to read Ms. Comer's new book, and at the time this was the only way to get it. I used to be a critique partner of Ms. Bradley (many long years ago) and this was the book she sent through the critique group. I remembered the jist of the story, there were a few surprises I didn't remember (though they might've been added since Ms. Bradley and I parted ways (again, many long years ago).
I enjoyed getting "re"acquainted with Mike and Meg and their son Terrill and the pastor and wife who played a key role. There is a mystery/suspense involved. We know who the bad guy is, we know why, but we don't know when he will attack or how.
This was a great book, and the only one by Ms. Bradley I've read. I will have to look into her other books at some point. HOMESTANDS was a great book, highly recommended. I hope you can find it! You won't be sorry getting this book.
January 5, 2018
I'm 40% in and I seriously cant believe this guy. Whether their marriage was in a bad way or not, he cheated on her and then the way he ended it was atrocious - he was beyond callous and cruel and he gets angry at her for being unforgiving after 6 YEARS of no contact. and he left her for another woman. abandoned her with no explanation - Selfish selfish man... so far not looking good for believable redemption.
This story got worse and worse. Shame - had so much potential. The H was a completely selfish man. He was a horrible horrible person at the end of the marriage and unless i missed it he never explained why he cheated on her, then callously left her, then cruely divorced her. Then to make it worse, she actually blames herself - not just for him cheating but for all the consequences of their divorce. WTF?
Religious early on but over the top religious middle and end and of course that enables everyone to be forgiven. HE WAS A HORRIBLE PERSON. Ok, yes, i felt his regret and remorse even but this all comes from him not being able to find happiness without her 6 YEARS LATER! - oh opps. His bad. All forgiven.
THis story made me mad.
I gave it 1.5 stars as it is well written but just lacked so much but had the opportunity to do it.
This story got worse and worse. Shame - had so much potential. The H was a completely selfish man. He was a horrible horrible person at the end of the marriage and unless i missed it he never explained why he cheated on her, then callously left her, then cruely divorced her. Then to make it worse, she actually blames herself - not just for him cheating but for all the consequences of their divorce. WTF?
Religious early on but over the top religious middle and end and of course that enables everyone to be forgiven. HE WAS A HORRIBLE PERSON. Ok, yes, i felt his regret and remorse even but this all comes from him not being able to find happiness without her 6 YEARS LATER! - oh opps. His bad. All forgiven.
THis story made me mad.
I gave it 1.5 stars as it is well written but just lacked so much but had the opportunity to do it.
March 28, 2019
how can you make me take this author seriosly.. the coment about his worst break up ever about his mistress was not addressed... impregnated 2 OW... my god!! this is very UGLY story...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2017
Homestands reunites interior designer Meg with pro baseball player Mike, the man who abruptly divorced her. But when they divorced, Meg had a secret—she was pregnant with their son, Terrell. When Mike crosses paths with Meg again and learns they have a son, he's at first livid, but he soon realizes he wants to be both a father to Terrell and a husband to Meg.
Homestands is both a second-chance-at-love story and a suspense novel. The suspense aspect definitely surprised me, but it was a welcome addition to the novel. The suspense revolves around Meg's assistant Dana and her fiancé, Ben, a former baseball player with an ax to grind. Then Mike's ex-girlfriend Brooke (the woman he left Meg for) gets involved, and the plot, while a bit convoluted at times, careens toward a very satisfying, touching resolution.
How's that for being vague? 😉 It's just that I don't want to explain too much about the plot (beyond the romance), as it's best discovered for yourself.
One other thing I should mention is that Homestands has a very strong faith thread ... without veering into "preachy" territory. When Meg and Mike were married, neither was a believer. Meg became a Christian shortly after their divorce, and she raised Terrell to know and love Jesus. Homestands traces Mike's faith journey from skeptic to believer, and it's done in a compelling, realistic way.
Homestands is the first of Sally Bradley's books I've read, and it makes me want to pick up her others. I already own Kept (I got it as a Kindle freebie a while back), and I'm thinking it should move its way up my TBR pile. 4 stars.
Homestands is both a second-chance-at-love story and a suspense novel. The suspense aspect definitely surprised me, but it was a welcome addition to the novel. The suspense revolves around Meg's assistant Dana and her fiancé, Ben, a former baseball player with an ax to grind. Then Mike's ex-girlfriend Brooke (the woman he left Meg for) gets involved, and the plot, while a bit convoluted at times, careens toward a very satisfying, touching resolution.
How's that for being vague? 😉 It's just that I don't want to explain too much about the plot (beyond the romance), as it's best discovered for yourself.
One other thing I should mention is that Homestands has a very strong faith thread ... without veering into "preachy" territory. When Meg and Mike were married, neither was a believer. Meg became a Christian shortly after their divorce, and she raised Terrell to know and love Jesus. Homestands traces Mike's faith journey from skeptic to believer, and it's done in a compelling, realistic way.
Homestands is the first of Sally Bradley's books I've read, and it makes me want to pick up her others. I already own Kept (I got it as a Kindle freebie a while back), and I'm thinking it should move its way up my TBR pile. 4 stars.
February 22, 2021
With two very flawed characters, Sally Bradley had a lot of redeeming to do here, but by the final chapters, I'd become fully convinced of Mike's and Meghan's contrition, resolve, and, finally, love. The genuine, sacrificial kind, not the fickle, self-serving style of love they'd begun their marriage with. Add an element of suspense, and you've got an entertaining second-chance romance with some side servings of self-examination, forgiveness, and, ultimately, conversion. The professional baseball is an added bonus for this fan of the game.
June 17, 2019
Don’t you just love when authors portray women as weak and have the heroine take a cheater back!
February 18, 2020
This story stayed with me long after I finished reading the novel. In fact, I re-read it after de-emotionalizing a little. Initially, it was difficult to avoid flushing the H immediately and awarding the h almost angel status. On the second reading, several facts really stood out: they married very young and both brought baggage to the marriage (the h more than the H). Both were selfish and wanted to follow their own dreams and achieve their goals without having to compromise or negotiate. Both suffered loneliness. Both contributed to the breakdown of their marriage. The H was a popular enough athlete that life came easy for him and his wants and needs were normally instantly met. The h had walls that mask her insecurities and fears. When their loneliness was exaggerated by long absences and an unwillingness to compromise on scheduling, things rapidly deteriorated more. The H dealt with his ego needs and loneliness by having an affair. He served the h with divorce papers and then essentially 'punished her' by taking everything they had as a couple during the proceedings. The h then felt justified in withholding information about her pregnancy from the H.
Fast forward 6 years and they accidentally meet through the actions of their son and the story ramps up rapidly. The H was tired of a meaningless life. He had money, fame and mansions and was hallow. He had never gotten over the h. The h had opened her own business and felt herself to be a success. Even though she was still angry at and fearful of the H, she felt she was the only victim in their marriage disaster and that everything was the fault of the H.
The h and her son was practicing their faith and their best friends were a pastor and his wife. In establishing a relationship with his son and ex-wife, he came to realize just how toxic and disgusting his behavior during their marriage had been. During this same period, the h realized that she had made little effort to sync their schedules to spend more time together. She also realized that one important reason why she agreed to marry him was so that she could fund her college studies.
The H came into his faith slowly but sincerely. Surprisingly, this greatly upset the h and increased her stress. She had not forgiven either herself or the H. Both were carrying guilt.
In the first third of the book, the H was a douche and the h the 'heroine.' In the second third, the H was the more positive character over the embittered h. In the last third, they both shed their guilt, acknowledged their part in the marriage failure and practiced forgiveness.
I found the introduction of the H's entry into faith, well done and powerful. I did not find it overdone. In the beginning, the feelings between these two did not seem deep or meaningful. In the end, I could appreciate the love between them and their children.
I highly recommend this book.
Fast forward 6 years and they accidentally meet through the actions of their son and the story ramps up rapidly. The H was tired of a meaningless life. He had money, fame and mansions and was hallow. He had never gotten over the h. The h had opened her own business and felt herself to be a success. Even though she was still angry at and fearful of the H, she felt she was the only victim in their marriage disaster and that everything was the fault of the H.
The h and her son was practicing their faith and their best friends were a pastor and his wife. In establishing a relationship with his son and ex-wife, he came to realize just how toxic and disgusting his behavior during their marriage had been. During this same period, the h realized that she had made little effort to sync their schedules to spend more time together. She also realized that one important reason why she agreed to marry him was so that she could fund her college studies.
The H came into his faith slowly but sincerely. Surprisingly, this greatly upset the h and increased her stress. She had not forgiven either herself or the H. Both were carrying guilt.
In the first third of the book, the H was a douche and the h the 'heroine.' In the second third, the H was the more positive character over the embittered h. In the last third, they both shed their guilt, acknowledged their part in the marriage failure and practiced forgiveness.
I found the introduction of the H's entry into faith, well done and powerful. I did not find it overdone. In the beginning, the feelings between these two did not seem deep or meaningful. In the end, I could appreciate the love between them and their children.
I highly recommend this book.
Want to read
May 12, 2020I honestly thought I'd love this book. I am a sucker for children reuniting with their long lost parents storylines.
But this one didn't work for me.
Quite frankly, Mike was a wanker. Who just turns up on his ex-wife's doorstep and expects her to pick up where they left off after he cheated on her, cleaned out his house while her back was turned and then had her served with divorce papers. Then he took her for everything. And apparently just before they split Mike wanted Meg off birth control to have kids in their early 20's???? Definitely sounds like a man prepared for children. NOT!!! He's gone months out of the year for his job and she's in college studying for her degree.
So while Mike is divorcing her and in a relationship with the woman he had an affair with, Meg discovers she's pregnant with his child. I usually never agree with reasons for keeping kids away from a parent but in this case, I was on TEAM MEG!!!! I would have made the same decision. I wanted her to move on from him far away to be honest.
He finds out 6 years later when he sees Meg with her son at one of his baseball games. And boy, does he use the information to his advantage. In his head, because she kept her son from him that means she has to forgive him for his affair and take him back. Um, no. How about trying to win back your wife and son by being there for them, by being a good guy, someone patient and understanding... instead of demanding and forcing things to go your way. And he does get his way. And the worse thing is, Meg lets him just come in and take over. Because apparently after seeing him 2 times and he's been "nice" about the situation she can see the old him, not the cheating mongrel so she starts to thaw.
That's when I was out.
But this one didn't work for me.
Quite frankly, Mike was a wanker. Who just turns up on his ex-wife's doorstep and expects her to pick up where they left off after he cheated on her, cleaned out his house while her back was turned and then had her served with divorce papers. Then he took her for everything. And apparently just before they split Mike wanted Meg off birth control to have kids in their early 20's???? Definitely sounds like a man prepared for children. NOT!!! He's gone months out of the year for his job and she's in college studying for her degree.
So while Mike is divorcing her and in a relationship with the woman he had an affair with, Meg discovers she's pregnant with his child. I usually never agree with reasons for keeping kids away from a parent but in this case, I was on TEAM MEG!!!! I would have made the same decision. I wanted her to move on from him far away to be honest.
He finds out 6 years later when he sees Meg with her son at one of his baseball games. And boy, does he use the information to his advantage. In his head, because she kept her son from him that means she has to forgive him for his affair and take him back. Um, no. How about trying to win back your wife and son by being there for them, by being a good guy, someone patient and understanding... instead of demanding and forcing things to go your way. And he does get his way. And the worse thing is, Meg lets him just come in and take over. Because apparently after seeing him 2 times and he's been "nice" about the situation she can see the old him, not the cheating mongrel so she starts to thaw.
That's when I was out.
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