Megged

Texas Mutiny #3.5

by M.E. Carter

Megged: noun.
/meg-d/
a playing technique where the aim is to kick, roll, dribble, throw, or push the ball between an opponent's legs

See examples Santos and Mariana DeLaGuajardo:

It’s been two years and three months since Santos has had sex. Not that he’s keeping track. After the way he betrayed the love of his life, he’s willing to give up sex altogether as long as it means keeping her in his life. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t thought about it…

Despite living in the same house for months, Mariana is still hesitant to cross that final, physical line. The wounds that Santos left combined with her insecurities stop her from taking what she really wants.

When a misunderstanding makes them realize they’re finally on the same page, Santos and Mari must decide what’s most important to them. But this time, it’ll be Mari’s way or nothing.

*****MEGGED IS A 13,000 WORD SHORT FOLLOW UP TO GOALIE. IT IS INTENDED FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY*****

Genres: Sports, Second Chance, Romance, Novella, Sports Romance, Audiobook, Contemporary

53 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2017

Reviews

[GimmeAllTheWerdssss · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because the prior book (Goalie) about this couple left on a really disappointing NON-ENDING. Its simple curiosity that made me read this and even then I don't know if this is a real HEA. The only thing this book shows is them coming back together sexually and then TALKING about getting re-married.

The only good thing I got out of this is that the couple has been in therapy since the end of the prior book and will probably be in therapy for the rest of their lives.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Goalie but felt the ending was lacking. See, I didn't think they were going to make it and didn't even call the ending a HFN, rather a WIP (work in progress). So I was thrilled the author put this out, it's the perfect conclusion to Santos and Mari's story and now I do feel they got their HEA - even though it was really hard fought for.

[Wil Loves Books! · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this one

This is essentially a long epilogue to Goalie and you get to see Mariana and Santos working towards their HEA. Even if I don’t condone his behavior on Goalie or previous books, I felt strangely satisfied. They did the work, they deserved their second chance and have it. I love that it was realistic and real.

[Heroesinbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes! Now that's the HEA I was looking for.
After a brutal journey to salvage their relationship with each other, Santos and Mari finally got their HEA.
Short, sexy and left me smiling.

[Lu Bielefeld · Rating 2 out of 5]

Completely unnecessary.
Could be the epilogue of the story of the couple (Goalie (Texas Mutiny #3)).

[Formerly Known as Spoiler W · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Tami · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this little HEA for Mariana and Santos

[LaBlue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a blatant money grab. There was nothing in here that warranted a separate book. This should have been in the original book “Goalie”. It was the final recommitment of the couple and nothing more.

If it had been a look into their future maybe it could have validated a separate short story but it isn’t.

If you want to waste your money, then be my guest but I wouldn’t. As I can see now how this author is going to be then I won’t be investing in her books anymore. Just because you can get people to pay again for the end of a story doesn’t mean you should. I miss the days of publication houses that respected their readers more than this cheap tactic would have garnered them in the short run.

Good luck.

[Kimberly (Kimmy Loves to Read) · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have read and enjoyed Goalie this is a must read. It is a perfect follow up! LOVE Mari & Santos!

[Elena Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75 stars <3

[Amy Malek Concepcion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick short story that’s really like an extended epilogue for Goalie. Much better closure for Mariana and Santos.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je n'attendais pas de suite à l'histoire de Santos et Mari mais ce petit complément était sympathique à lire.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this conclusion of Santos and Mari's story. You see both characters growing the love between the two of them.
I couldn't wait to see what was happening next with each turn of the page.

[Tricia Hamlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent follow up to Goalie! Almost like an epilogue.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Contentment Stars

This book is the icing on the “Goalie” cake ! I’ll never forget this couple and their hard won love!


“I’m fully aware that most women wouldn’t have done things the way I did. People who have never been in the situation seem to vocalize their opinions the most. And truth is, most marriages can never be repaired after such significant betrayals. But the reality is, I love him more than I hate what he did. I love our family more than I hate coming to therapy once a week.
It’s hard work. We’ll never not be in therapy and I may always have a breakdown here and there. But as long as we’re both committed to this one hundred percent, the hard work and judgement, even by my own mother, are still worth it.” - Mariana

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the perfect accompaniment to Goalie. I loved that we could get a little more Santos and Mariana. Their story had so many layers, and it was such a surprise to find myself cheering this couple on for their second-chance. ME Carter brought all the feels to the table for this book.

[Kadeen · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s an epilogue

I gave this a 2 because I didn’t like that the author made us pay for an epilogue. Could have been included in Goalie. It was such an expected HEA, nothing to see here

[Maria Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Should have just been the epilogue of Goalie.

[Kj__ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this novella was everything i hoped it would be, continuous growth from both the mmc and fmc, and continued therapy for both as well. and not just rainbow and sunshine and unicorn poop. it felt real.

[Virna · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a good thing this was a novella, because it was boring, the characters and plot were ok.

[Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novella is a short continuation of Goalie and shows what happens with Santos and Mari a couple of years after they decided to give it another try. At the end of Goalie they moved back in together, but here we see that they’re still in separate rooms, slowly rebuilding their relationship from the ground up.

Most of the book focuses on healing and trust. Santos has completely changed his lifestyle — he’s left the toxic team culture behind, become a teacher, focused on family, and continues therapy with Mari. He’s very open with her now, telling her the truth about things that happen, even little flirtations. He also admits that the last time he actually slept with someone was with her — though he does confess to getting a blowjob from a groupie. What he doesn’t tell her is that in the six months they were separated (before the divorce), he was still hooking up with other women. From Mari’s POV, she assumes he wasn’t celibate, but they never have that conversation outright.

Over time, we see their bond slowly rebuilding. They start over as friends, working their way back to trust, and finally finding intimacy again. Santos is patient, devoted, and willing to wait forever if he has to. Mari is cautious but not a pushover; she knows how badly he broke her trust, and she doesn’t hand forgiveness over easily.

By the end, they’re back together — more honest, more open sexually, and in a place where their marriage feels stronger, even if it’s not perfect.

It was a quick, heartfelt read. I’m still not Santos’s biggest fan (his past is just too much for me), but I did like him a bit more here because he genuinely seemed remorseful and committed. As a couple, I’m still iffy on them, but this novella gave a satisfying look at how they’re trying to rebuild after everything.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

♥️ Soccer Romance
🤍 Life after cheating ⚠️
♥️ Rebuilding marriage
🤍 Check TW

🗺 Plot: 3/5
🌎 World Building: 2/5
📔 Cover: 4/5
💁🏻‍♂️ MMC, Santos: 3/5
💁‍♀️ FMC, Mariana: 4/5
🌶 Spice: 2.5/5
♥️ Pulls at heart strings: 3.5/5
📄 Page Turner: 4/5
🫣 Angst: 3/5
🔚 Ending: 4/5
⚠️ Triggers: 5/5
🥰 Overall view: 4/5

🫶🏼 HEA: Yes
✖️ Multiple POVs: Yes
🤥 Cheating: Not in book 2

This is my first book by this author.

Summary 🗣

Santos met Mariana 10 years ago in college and after dating got married and now have 3 small children. Santos plays as a goalie and realized many years ago that he cannot come down from the adrenaline after a game and he uses groupies to come off his high and this is where our story begins....this is part 2 of their story

Thoughts 💭

I think it is great that the author didn't hurry the therapy sessions, what happened between these characters takes time to rebuild.

I feel like I really could feel the love in this part of the book. I mean book 1 you knew they loved one another but you didn't really feel it because it was all raw and hurt. Now that they have been through the wringer and on the other side of rebuilding, you can just feel how deep they love one another ♥️

This duet just shows that there are people out there willing to do anything for that one special person even after they made the worst mistake. I think the author did a wonderful job rebuilding this couple and I loved reading this.

[Rogina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basically an epilogue to Goalie. I like it. Like a novella, it has a conflict, climax and resolution. Lack of trust, respect, self-respect, and self-awareness were the demons inside and sex was the act they manifested into. Majorly with Santos' cheating and, in small part, with Mariana's passive behavior and insecurity. How do you become intimate again after a long battle through reconciliation after the magnitude of betrayal Santos doled out? It's incomprehensible to me. So while I like that Goalie ended with the conditional HEA. I like that Megged dealt with just the topic of sex between the two. It's too important to condense with Goalie, and it doesn't have the same tone that Goalie did. Goalie is fragile yet determined, realistic with extremely cautious hope. Megged is more upbeat. It's contentment and calming and clarity. I'm glad the author decided to do a novella for this part of Santos and Mariana's reconciliation.

I wouldn't mind if she writes more about these two!

[Noël · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stength.

When I think of Mari I think of Strength.
Many people may think she's weak or wrong for letting Santo's back into her life in any way I mean what he did is inexcusable that's plain to see. But she is the ultimate woman of Strength and courage. She stands up for herself and for her family. For what and whom she loves, herself included in this.
This story shows how yes, he did an awful thing, he felt with it he caught back to overcome and get his family back. But more then that it shows how Mari grew, changed, and overcame it all to be this empowering women that she always was that she just needed to find in herself and bring to the forefront.

ME Carter is an amazing women for bringing Mari to life!

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really more of an extended epilogue for the pervious book. Basically two years later in their relationship. Things have moved slow and I'm glad that it has taken them that long. This was not something to be rushed.

And I like that the topic of who supports Mari and who does not in her decision to be back with Santos. As you can see with the reviews from Goalie, MANY people disagreed with Mari's choice to be back with Santos, but I think it was brave of her. This was the harder path to take, the rocky mountain climb as opposed to the hilly stroll. But I also think they are stronger as a couple from the challenge.

[Cat Ciolko-Sutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Santos and Mariana DeLaGuajardo. It’s been two years and three months since Santos has had sex. After the way he betrayed the love of his life, he’s willing to give up sex altogether as long as it means keeping her in his life. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t thought about it…

Despite living in the same house for months, Mariana is still hesitant to cross that final, physical line. The wounds that Santos left combined with her insecurities stop her from taking what she really wants.

When a misunderstanding makes them realize they’re finally on the same page, Santos and Mari must decide what’s most important to them. But this time, it’ll be Mari’s way or nothing.

[Angela Schmangela · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about two people.

It wasn’t exciting and intense. No huge conflict or disagreement. No cheating, no soccer, not even really any other character except their therapist at a joint therapy session. No, this was only about Mari and Santos and their journey back to each other. This book deals a lot with their physical relationship, something that had seemingly shattered beyond repair after Santos cheating repeatedly with groupies. But nothing is impossible when there is love, and these two deserve their happy ever after.

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually quite enjoyed this epilogue to Goalie; it finished the couple's story off nicely. The reason I'm not rating it higher is that I don't agree with authors charging separately for two halves of a book. In my opinion, this is an essential part of the main story, not an epilogue, therefore it should have been included.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story was a perfect finishing touch to Santos and Mari's story. Just as it was with Goalie, there was no neat, tidy little bow for this messy story. However, there was resolution that left me feeling satisfied with their journey.

I'm hoping they make an appearance in Deflected, just so I don't have to say goodbye forever. I love this couple.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved all that Santos did to save his marriage and now it's time for Mari to fully put her trust back into Santos and see if they can move forward.

I would consider Megged - a love epilogue for Goalie - as we get to see how these two continue the healing from their divorce and now heading back to a happily ever after.