The Co-Parent

The Relationship Quo #3

by Nicole Strycharz

Brianna: My life has always been a little ironic. I’m afraid of the dark, and I’m blind. My parents were my world, but they died in 9/11. I wouldn’t mind a relationship but men perceive me as a burden. So it shouldn’t have been a shocker that the guy I fall in ‘like’ with ends up being a top of the line player from the UK.

It also shouldn’t have shocked me that the guy that was meant to be a sexy fling; just an erotic encounter to reminisce over, left me more than just a memory. He left me with a bump.

That’s okay, because when life bitch slapped me into being blind, pregnant and single…I just called ‘plot twist’ and carried on.

Besides, this little surprise in my belly is relying on me to get it all right.

So do we really need him?

Gabriel: Party, drink, sex, work, repeat. Sometimes I’ll throw sleep in there. Aside from that the life of a millionaire has brought me everything, but in the night is when I realize I still have nothing. Being a party animal might be frowned upon but it led me to her.

She’s the most fascinating woman I’ve ever met and her body and flaming hair make me wild. Can’t trust women, though. That’s why I left. Best not to give women power, but now she’s carrying my child.

Brianna’s unique, though. She doesn’t want my money, she wants my partnership. She wants to ‘co-parent.’

What the bloody hell is a man like me supposed to do with a child? I still live like one.
So here’s my options.
Persuade her to forget it.
Walk away or Stay.
But can I stay? Can I be the co-pilot she needs and the father our child deserves?

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Contemporary Romance

376 pages, ebook

Published February 17, 2017

About the author

Nicole is a multi-genre author of over a dozen books.

"The Divorce" was nominated in the 2016 Indie Book Awards and won second place in the 2016 Best Cover Design in 'Urban Literature Magazine.'

She was featured on the cover of Words + Magazine for her book "The Affair."

She’s known for delving into sensitive and real topics such as in her title “The Love That Hurts” which explored domestic violence with the hopes of giving victims a voice while exposing the red flags of an abusive relationship. Most of her lead female characters are depicted as survivors or evolving overcomers of trauma. Sending a message to readers that every moment and every day they fight for is a victory.

Being of mixed ethnicity, she keeps her cast of characters diverse and tries to highlight the different cultures around the world.

​Aside from writing, she runs a tarot and rune reading business called, Nikki The Solitary Witch. Interpreting the cards and stones for others, she offers a little clarity to her clients so they can face their path with a little extra confidence.

Nicole lives in Virginia with her family and one pretty Pocket-Pittie. She is always reading or working on the next book between mommyhood adventures.

Reviews

[Leo (Queen of the Rants and Spoilers)]

They don't even end up together. Heroine ends up pathetically alone while the hero is in love with another woman that he also got pregnant .
And this is labeled as romance?

[Rejane]

Even the blurb is a turn off. I would not read this book based on the blurb alone. Now add these reviews.... Poor Bri 🤭

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

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The “heroine “ ends up alone?? Is that right? The hero ends up with another woman? Right again?
Sometimes I think this kind of stories may be some type of autobiography.. maybe the woman who ends up with the hero is someone she knows or is based in real events and the ex wife who ended up alone is the one who was on their way to be together. That happens. You know, always blame the (crazy bitchy) wife.
I don’t need gross reality in my romance books. And this should not be in the romance category. IMHO

[✮ rach ✮]

DNF @22%

While others might not have a problem with this, I was put off by the fact that after a night together where they didn't actually have sex but things happened that would have led to it had he more time, he leaves her and fucks so many girls he loses count, while she just waits for him. Never mind the fact that he's lied to her from the start about who he is, but she's the one he can't trust??!! Maybe it's a good story, but I've been getting more picky with what I choose to read. Besides, he'll probably come back and give her an STD from all the fucking around he's done. Anyhoo, this is definitely not something I'm even the slightest bit interested in.

[Formerly Known as Spoiler W · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars

Editing issues aside this book could have been so much better but then the author decides to do a PLOT TWIST at the last chapter and have the H and h not stay together. There were slight hints that they wouldn't BUT for them to go through what they went through and then for the author to just have the H be okay with his problems with another woman? Fuck that.

[Cc · Rating 3 out of 5]

***********original review, I gave it 1 ⭐️ bc I really disliked the ending. I do feel like it's NOT a romance and shouldn't be listed there, but NS feels like it's a non-traditional HEA. I guess I'll have to agree to disagree. But I am changing my rating to 3 stars bc writing is good and I was just really disappointed when I rated it sow low and that's not really fair. I will say that this book has made me check, carefully, what I read. I'm a lllleeetttllleee intolerant of "non-traditional HEA's" lol.*************


This isn't a romance. Truth in advertising is important because I feel it makes the author look bad if she's not honest about it. Romance sells. A romance includes a HEA, this did not. If you want chick lit read by all means, romance? No.

[Ludmila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers ahead. Very good plot... very good written... A solid 4 star book up until 95% of the book. But then... 😳
The author decided in the last 5% of the book that the couple shouldn’t end up together. It didn’t make sense to me and I really felt like I lost my precious time with this book. What’s worse is that the guy found a happy ending and the girl didn ‘t. She moved back with her dad’s... So lame...

[Lu Bielefeld]

Review Here


Review Here

[Amy Butler · Rating 2 out of 5]

WTF!

Hated it. Hated the fact that there was so much invested into these two characters then it nothing but disappointment. There was such a build up. Why? It sucked. I'm done with this series, not interested in any further books.

[Lidia's Romance]

Can’t imagine reading about two people slowly falling in love for an entire book, seeing them together and happy at the end…ONLY to see him marrying someone else in the epilogue, with the h ending up alone. Yes, he loved the other woman and has a baby with her, too. Fuck that. This isn’t a HEA or a romance. Hard pass.

[Al Del · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was really tough to read. I love Nicole's raw, gritty portrayals of a relationship but that was like a car wreck to me, I wanted to DNF but I just couldn't put it down even though it was stressing me out to read, in the hopes that the hero would get his sh#*t together but he didn't and ended up with another woman, WTF? Loved Bri, an amazing character which didn't deserve that book ending.

[Ajla Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story up until the epilogue. Let me just say that I do not require a traditional HEA by any means. I felt the ending here basically discredited the feelings the main characters had for each other. Literally, 250+ PAGES of feelings. Maybe the time jumps near the end were too short? Maybe the time jumps were too close together? Rushed? I'm not sure. I don't want to ruin the 'plot twist' for anybody so I won't touch on it further.

In other news, there was some clear lack of editing here but unless you're a psychopath like me, it probably won't be too noticeable. Again, I enjoyed this up until the end. Based on the other reviews, I'm sure this is a case of, "It's not you, it's me". 3/5 for me.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book,very nice to read,but I'm giving it only 3 stars because of the ending. How can Bri and Gabe NOT end up together? I was rooting for them through the whole book,no other piece of this book has made me cry as much as the ending knowing there's some Molly and a new baby,not to mention he moved on kinda quickly,epilogue is 18 months later after his "date with Brianna and he already has a 1 month old baby with this other lady. I cannot get over the ending,it hurt me way too much.

[Amo Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm getting to know the style of writing Nikki has and I can feel through her words that this comes from a sense of knowing in her stories.

I also love how she brings such different struggles into a day to day life and makes it powerful & beautiful Real & honest.

I absolutely adored the banter between Gabe & Bri they were hilarious and the things they bickered on are the things that yes us real people do, who's paying for what, who's going where, who gets on with who.

Life throws us is different directions and sometimes the land for the good and others we think why me, what did I do & how the hell do I move on.
& who gets a happy ending?

Life love bonding family luxuries, they all mean nothing without trust & the belief they value isn't money.

I adored this story & im so bloody happy that we got to hear Brianna finally it was great to "see" into her world.

5 Gorgeous ⭐️

Trust me when i tell you this is a must read, it really is.

[Martha Sweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Nikki brings forth a love story that is heart-wrenchingly beautiful and realistic! The characters suck you and you feel like you're right there with them through it call. I had certain expectations for where the story was going to go (where I wanted it to go) and it went in a different direction.

This is a MUST READ love story that contains the add elements and importance of self-love and self-acceptance.

[may · Rating 2 out of 5]

so they went thru all them ups and downs for them to not even end up together...????

I didn't like how the hero was allowed to fvck about and the heroine was always waiting for him just for him to get a happy ending with another woman and for the cheek of it they named their child GAVIN IM SO MAD

this book was easily leading up to a 5 star review for me until the last 5% so disappointed felt like I've wasted my time espeically cos I've loved all of nicoles other books and bri has been my favourite female heroine so far and she didn't get the ending she deserved

[Elaine]

I swear I don't get authors sometimes https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

First one star I ever gave

Hated the ending. Stayed up til 330am to end up like this. Ugh. I am so disappointed because I loved the first two books.

[Margo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a romance, immensely depressing. I wish I had known.

[Donna Wrightham Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well wot can I say other than plot twist this book has you on your toes from the start I absolutely loved every minute of the ride even the total ugly cry at the end you have done it again awesome read.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Co-Parent is the third book in the relationship Quo series by Nicole Strycharz. Though each book can stand alone, I recommend you read them in order because the characters reappear.
If you've read the other two books, you've already met Brianna, a witty, and badass woman who is blind. She meets Gavin at a party after being left by her "blind" date.

This story is so crazy and has you going around in a million circles. If you have no idea what co-parenting is, I recommend you read this. It is beautifully described and perfectly executed.
I am looking forward to the rest of the books in this series. Whether you have been in these situations or are just looking for something to read, this book is so real, that you could picture it perfectly.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a good solid 4* almost 5* until that last 5% of the book. That end, 0* or flipping negative stars. Damn stupid book. Sorry, I am letting my bitterness show.

[Daphne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Writing this on my phone because f*cking hell. I spent a week reading this book. Like it legit took me a week to finish a book! It's so frustrating that I had to read different books in between and I managed to finish three while reading few bits of this.

This book is definitely a rollercoaster and not the good one. What a ride it was.

I was so excited to read this book because Chloe, Brianna and Moses were the only characters in this series that I actually liked so far. Everybody else I hated.


Gabriel, the alcoholic, lying British ass got Brianna, our blind but super independent heroine preggers! I wanted to like him, I really did but then he does shit that makes me detest him and then at the end, I thought this guy has finally redeemed himself but effing hell. The ending was shit!

What kind of build up was that huh? I don't wanna get into all the details and yeah there is an HEA but not the one I wanted. I spent a week reading this trainwreck of a relationship/book expecting a happy ending for the couple. The book legit followed through with it. Y'all made me fall in love with the idea of Brianna and Gabriel only to take it away from me in the end.

I wanted to read the whole series but I'm stopping here. Book 2 is the only book I've read so far that I actually liked. Book 1 I tolerated enough because of Moses.

Also, sorry for the angry rant. I was invested in these two. I hated the ending even if it was a happy one. Not the one I wanted and yeah I know most real life situations don't end up like in the books or movies but I read this book hoping like hell it didn't end up like that. Sorry for the 1 star but yeah, should've come with a warning that says don't get our hopes up. I went in blind, not reading the reviews beforehand. I wouldn't do that again.

I read romance to escape the crappy reality of the world, okay.

[Ela · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m so angry with this book because I wasted so much time on it.

This book is NOT a romance. It’s a book about two people who become friends and how they try to overcome obstacles.

Throughout this whole book, Gabe makes excuses and constantly lies to Bri. He says that he’s attracted to her and wants nothing more than to be with her but then he goes around sleeping with every other woman he meets.

There were some side characters, but they weren’t mentioned often and most of this book is about the ridiculous situation between Bri and Gabe. He keeps saying that he’s not able to be there for Bri, then he comes back and says that he will try his best. Few weeks pass and he tries to leave again. It was a constant cycle where he says one thing but never stops engaging in his bad habits and he never even thinks to stop sleeping with other women.

I hated Gabe, and Bri sort of felt like a side character herself as most of this book is about Gabe and how everyone should feel sorry for him and keep forgiving him.

The last few chapters were bad but the last chapter was absolutely awful. Gabe is marrying some other woman. Their first meeting and interactions are briefly described and it’s basically his whole story with Bri but this time he actually proposes to the woman.

I hated Gabe and I hated this story too. This author isn’t for me and I definitely don’t want to read any other books by her.

[Celeste · Rating 1 out of 5]

So the blurb of this book is seriously misleading.

It reads like a romance between a blind baby mama and a playboy millionaire, and how they overcome their individual issues and live happily ever after with each other and their kid.

The blurb would be wrong. Spoilers below.

The story is about a blind baby mama and the playboy millionaire getting to know each other and co parenting (this takes place over a period of nearly 3 years) and slowly falling in love with each other while having an on and off physical relationship with minor angst and quite a few flings on the H's side, though only 2 after their kid is born because he finds himself obsessed with the h.

And then, he confesses his love and so does she (sort of), cut to an epilogue 18 months later where the H is getting married to someone else and everyone is happy.

What the actual fuck just happened?

I feel cheated. Why is this marketed as a romance; it isn't. I'm not sure what it is tbh, apart from a major disappointment.

[Anjori · Rating 1 out of 5]

I generally don't read anything below a rating of 3.5 but I took chance with this book because the h was present in the last book and I was intrigued. But boy do I regret ever picking this book up and giving it a chance.
I'm not the one who believes that every love story ends in happily ever after but this book was plain shitty.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone to read this book coz you'll invest your time and emotions in the characters, feel bad for them, get irritated by their actions and in the end would be left hanging because the h is still where she was in the beginning of the book, just with the addition of her baby and a "co-parent".
When I started reading this book I genuinely enjoyed it and I remember thinking this could be a great story despite some major editing issues. Sad to see it end this way. Most probably won't pick up any more books by this author coz this caused plenty of disappointment.

[Elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm so pissed that I invested my time in these characters and in the end, the heroine is alone and the asshole gets the HEA with another woman and baby....I mean what the actual fuck? I read to escape and somewhat live vicariously through the characters I read. This was not an escape. This book wasn't what it claims to be. Don't advertise as a romance when that's not what it is. I feel like I'm being scammed. If the author wants to write about co-parenting then put it in the self-help section, not romance. I will NEVER READ ANY OF THIS AUTHORS BOOKS AGAIN. I pulled all her books from both of my book clubs and return the ones I could.

[Alma R · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing ending!

I loved Brianna and Gabriel characters and relationship, everything was good until the last chapter! Very disappointed with the ending.

Spoiler Alert!


The heroin didn't get her HEA, at the last chapter Gabe gets married to another woman that was never introduced until then, and Brianna is the bestman on Gabe wedding, Gabriel get the OW pregnant and have a baby boy, Brianna ends up with Rex a cop Chloe dated. The ending felt rushed and disappointing!

[Andrea Bau · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seamos honestos, la idea de leer un buen libro de romance es salir de nuestra realidad y escaparnos a una burbuja en donde todo termina con un "y vivieron felices para siempre" de alguna u otra manera. Por eso, no me pueden gustar estos libros "de romance" en donde los protagonistas ni siquiera terminan juntos... y, lo peor de todo, es que no se explica porque no lo hacen. La verdad este libro me deja con muy mal sabor de boca, porque la historia en realidad es buena y casi todo el libro llama la atención. Me quedé muy insatisfecha y con un bloque de lector enorme. Nope, no lo recomiendo. 😞

[Desiree · Rating 3 out of 5]

On The Fence

(Spoiler)
This book is not what I expected at all! It is well written and you fall in love with all the characters. They go through a lot and you want them to end up happy at the end, the only problem is your idea of happy might look different than the author’s. I was happy with the journey but not with the final destination so for that I gave it a three. So, if you like books where the main characters don’t end up together you will love it!

[L.A. Cataldo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, what a beautiful story. I LOVED IT! If you looking for a story with a strong independent woman, this is it! Also, "plot twists." It will keep you on your toes. I could not put this book down!!!
This is definitely worth the buy/credit!