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Inevitable #6
Stronger
Cara has an admitted problem with hot men, falling so deeply and so quickly under their spell that she loses a little bit of herself with each toxic relationship that always seems to end badly. Every man in her young life thus far has let her down – her high school sweetheart, a college fling, and most of all her self-centered playboy father. She’s determined not to be a sucker for a handsome face and a hard body any longer, and has stuck to her guns for more than two years. And then she meets Dante.
Dante knows he has no business messing with cute little Cara. For one thing she works for his best friend, and more importantly she’s all kinds of wrong for him – too young, too innocent, too kindhearted. And given the mood he’s in these days – after the woman he was ready to propose to chose her career over him - a sweetheart like Cara should be running as fast as she can in the opposite direction.
But the only place Cara wants to run is right into Dante’s arms and stay a good long while. Will he wind up being the one for her – or is she destined yet again for another heartbreak?
Dante knows he has no business messing with cute little Cara. For one thing she works for his best friend, and more importantly she’s all kinds of wrong for him – too young, too innocent, too kindhearted. And given the mood he’s in these days – after the woman he was ready to propose to chose her career over him - a sweetheart like Cara should be running as fast as she can in the opposite direction.
But the only place Cara wants to run is right into Dante’s arms and stay a good long while. Will he wind up being the one for her – or is she destined yet again for another heartbreak?
375 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2017
About the author
Janet Nissenson
17 books809 followersJanet is a lifelong resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, and currently resides on the northern California coast with her husband Steve and Golden Retriever Max. She worked for more than two decades in the financial services industry before turning her focus to producing running events. She is a former long-distance runner, current avid yoga practitioner, is addicted to Pinterest, likes to travel and read. She has been writing for more than three decades but Serendipity is her first official published work. There will be a total of six full-length books in the Inevitable series, plus one novella. Up next is the release of book one in the new Splendor trilogy!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
January 13, 2024
2.5 Stars = it was okayish
Full disclosure: I skim-read a lot. Sorry/not sorry.
The issues:
❌ It dragged; too long
❌ I hate it when there's a secondary couple stealing page-time from the main couple.
❌ I hate it when the OW is constantly, ENDLESSLY, described as beautiful--"the girl men dreamed about"--while the h has to settle for 'sweet' (for the most part).
"The contrast between the two women was worlds apart-Cara being the quintessential girl next door while Katie was the girl men dreamed about. One was the girl you brought home to meet your mother, while the other was the woman you paraded arrogantly in front of your friends."
Nice. What a shallow dickhead.
❌ I hated that Dante dropped Cara like a hot potato as soon as Katie came back to him. But what bothered me more was how Cara took him back without hardly any grovel, when he realized Katie was just using him and still pursuing a career in acting. What if Katie hadn't been so obviously selfish upon her return? Would he still have gone crawling back to Cara? I mean, he did say Katie fit his world perfectly, unlike Cara. He was with Katie for 3 whole months before breaking it off. (He had been with her for almost a year the first time.)
Cara, the doormat h with Body Betraying Syndrome. She was a sad girl. Her life came off depressing, and to top it off, she was a doormat of epic proportions. I hated seeing her crying in Dante's arms when he broke off with her, begging him to tell her what she had done wrong. After all, didn't she bend over backwards to make things convenient for him? Ugh. I hated seeing her pining for him after he left her for the OW. Like I said, she was a sad girl, annoyingly self-deprecating. Pathetic is more like it. The fact she forgave him instantly, the very second he uttered the word 'love,' ruined whatever chance this book had of winning me over.
Lucky for Cara, Dante couldn't get over how Katie had broken his heart when she chose an acting career over him, and he ended up dumping Katie. Either that or he realized Katie was not perfect after all. I think that was the only plus, that he did make the choice to leave Katie. Regardless, it still felt like Cara was a consolation prize.
Needless to say, I didn't connect with these characters. Not my fave unrequited love story. Marian Tee did it much better in The Greek Billionaire's Deceived Wife.
No cheating. Though, emotional cheating does apply.
HEA with epilogue ( 1 yr later). He proposes.
Hoopla ebook
Full disclosure: I skim-read a lot. Sorry/not sorry.
The issues:
❌ It dragged; too long
❌ I hate it when there's a secondary couple stealing page-time from the main couple.
❌ I hate it when the OW is constantly, ENDLESSLY, described as beautiful--"the girl men dreamed about"--while the h has to settle for 'sweet' (for the most part).
"The contrast between the two women was worlds apart-Cara being the quintessential girl next door while Katie was the girl men dreamed about. One was the girl you brought home to meet your mother, while the other was the woman you paraded arrogantly in front of your friends."
Nice. What a shallow dickhead.
❌ I hated that Dante dropped Cara like a hot potato as soon as Katie came back to him. But what bothered me more was how Cara took him back without hardly any grovel, when he realized Katie was just using him and still pursuing a career in acting. What if Katie hadn't been so obviously selfish upon her return? Would he still have gone crawling back to Cara? I mean, he did say Katie fit his world perfectly, unlike Cara. He was with Katie for 3 whole months before breaking it off. (He had been with her for almost a year the first time.)
Cara, the doormat h with Body Betraying Syndrome. She was a sad girl. Her life came off depressing, and to top it off, she was a doormat of epic proportions. I hated seeing her crying in Dante's arms when he broke off with her, begging him to tell her what she had done wrong. After all, didn't she bend over backwards to make things convenient for him? Ugh. I hated seeing her pining for him after he left her for the OW. Like I said, she was a sad girl, annoyingly self-deprecating. Pathetic is more like it. The fact she forgave him instantly, the very second he uttered the word 'love,' ruined whatever chance this book had of winning me over.
Lucky for Cara, Dante couldn't get over how Katie had broken his heart when she chose an acting career over him, and he ended up dumping Katie. Either that or he realized Katie was not perfect after all. I think that was the only plus, that he did make the choice to leave Katie. Regardless, it still felt like Cara was a consolation prize.
Needless to say, I didn't connect with these characters. Not my fave unrequited love story. Marian Tee did it much better in The Greek Billionaire's Deceived Wife.
No cheating. Though, emotional cheating does apply.
HEA with epilogue ( 1 yr later). He proposes.
Hoopla ebook
August 31, 2017
I realized after reading
Stronger
that I’ve had the good fortune to read this series in its entirety. How cool is that? No worries though - if you haven’t read any of the other books in the series or read a few not all, this reads completely as a standalone. Past characters are there in the periphery (some are closer than others), but it’s not necessary to know their stories in order to understand, follow along, and fall in love with Dante and Cara’s love story.
Dante had his heart broken. He was in love with a woman who seemed to love herself more than anyone else. He was on the brink of proposing to her when she called off their relationship, choosing her career over a life with him. Dante was deep in despair and his friends and family had had enough and encouraged him to move on. However, doing so is harder than anyone realizes. That is until a sweet, fresh and beautiful woman named Cara brings sunshine to his life. She’s too young for him, too good, and she deserves a man who can give her everything. Dante can’t imagine being who she needs because not only does he not want to travel that road again, but he’s got unresolved feelings for his ex. So what happens when the ex comes crawling back?
I’m a huge fan of Janet Nissenson’s writing. Her writing is almost lyrical and her stories are always passionate. She did an amazing job of drawing a picture in my mind of Dante. And let’s be real, this was Dante’s story more than anyone else’s. He was the star amongst bit players. I could feel his pain, confusion, depression, anger, desire and love. I could not only feel these things, but the author gave me a chance to understand them. I think the only complaint I have is that I wanted more time with Dante and Cara as an everlasting couple. I think an epilogue in the future would have absolutely made my day. However, if you’re looking for angst, drama, intense passion, and fierce love, then this story’s got all that and more.
Note to the author: Janet, in your note to us readers you stated, “I know that for some readers the stories have seemed too long, too detailed…”. I say NO! I wouldn’t change a damn thing. You gave us your all and it was more evident through each book how much of your heart was poured into the pages. I’m sad to say goodbye to this series but I’m glad you’ll be giving us the holiday edition to ease the pain of this farewell.
Release Date: October 10, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: Primarily Dual - 3rd person
Heat: 3.5 out of 5
Type: Standalone - Book 6 of the Inevitable series with character crossover
Dante had his heart broken. He was in love with a woman who seemed to love herself more than anyone else. He was on the brink of proposing to her when she called off their relationship, choosing her career over a life with him. Dante was deep in despair and his friends and family had had enough and encouraged him to move on. However, doing so is harder than anyone realizes. That is until a sweet, fresh and beautiful woman named Cara brings sunshine to his life. She’s too young for him, too good, and she deserves a man who can give her everything. Dante can’t imagine being who she needs because not only does he not want to travel that road again, but he’s got unresolved feelings for his ex. So what happens when the ex comes crawling back?
I’m a huge fan of Janet Nissenson’s writing. Her writing is almost lyrical and her stories are always passionate. She did an amazing job of drawing a picture in my mind of Dante. And let’s be real, this was Dante’s story more than anyone else’s. He was the star amongst bit players. I could feel his pain, confusion, depression, anger, desire and love. I could not only feel these things, but the author gave me a chance to understand them. I think the only complaint I have is that I wanted more time with Dante and Cara as an everlasting couple. I think an epilogue in the future would have absolutely made my day. However, if you’re looking for angst, drama, intense passion, and fierce love, then this story’s got all that and more.
Note to the author: Janet, in your note to us readers you stated, “I know that for some readers the stories have seemed too long, too detailed…”. I say NO! I wouldn’t change a damn thing. You gave us your all and it was more evident through each book how much of your heart was poured into the pages. I’m sad to say goodbye to this series but I’m glad you’ll be giving us the holiday edition to ease the pain of this farewell.
Release Date: October 10, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: Primarily Dual - 3rd person
Heat: 3.5 out of 5
Type: Standalone - Book 6 of the Inevitable series with character crossover
March 30, 2021
Reread, I saw this come up on a friends feed, and got the urge to read again. (happens a lot) I still enjoyed it, there’s a little bit of everything, and nothing that is unforgivable for me…my fav type of angst.
******original review*****
4 Solid Stars
Bring on the pain!! This book is not for everyone; it’s for the readers that love to see our beloved h knocked around for 12 rounds before finding her way to HEAville. Stronger is the final book in the Inevitable series, and IMO the best of the bunch…If you’re in the mood for angst. Unfortunately, high angst typically requires the h to go through some pain, which can be off-putting for those looking for true romance. Personally, I love these kinds of drama-llama plots, so I gobbled this down, and was up until 4am finishing it!
Bottom Line- If you subscribe to the “what doesn’t kill her makes her stronger” school of romance, then this is for you, because poor little Cara goes through the ringer. It was also kinda nice to have buckets of angst and not having to absolutely hate the H. He isn’t perfect, but was workable…just the right level of stupid for me. 😊 (they can’t all be Prince Charming or I find them boring) I really liked it, BUT, if you’re in the mood for an easy romance, or perfect H…keep looking. Dante will disappoint you. I only really had one complaint, and it could be a big one for some readers. The “HEA” moment is lightening quick, like no discussion, groveling, etc. All is perfect immediately. I would have preferred a little work.
*It’s hard to navigate the safety without giving spoilers so I’ll just say this. There’s technically no cheating; no relationship overlap. (only 1 short scene that some may think counts, but it's between the H & h) There’re also no on-page sexual shenanigans other than between Dante and Cara. There’s no mention /confirmation of any other shenanigans… that would need to be assumed.
**This has an entire chapter dedicated to Nick & Angela, and their future. So for those who had questions about their HEA and some things that were left open-ended. You’ll get your answers here.
******original review*****
4 Solid Stars
Bring on the pain!! This book is not for everyone; it’s for the readers that love to see our beloved h knocked around for 12 rounds before finding her way to HEAville. Stronger is the final book in the Inevitable series, and IMO the best of the bunch…If you’re in the mood for angst. Unfortunately, high angst typically requires the h to go through some pain, which can be off-putting for those looking for true romance. Personally, I love these kinds of drama-llama plots, so I gobbled this down, and was up until 4am finishing it!
Bottom Line- If you subscribe to the “what doesn’t kill her makes her stronger” school of romance, then this is for you, because poor little Cara goes through the ringer. It was also kinda nice to have buckets of angst and not having to absolutely hate the H. He isn’t perfect, but was workable…just the right level of stupid for me. 😊 (they can’t all be Prince Charming or I find them boring) I really liked it, BUT, if you’re in the mood for an easy romance, or perfect H…keep looking. Dante will disappoint you. I only really had one complaint, and it could be a big one for some readers. The “HEA” moment is lightening quick, like no discussion, groveling, etc. All is perfect immediately. I would have preferred a little work.
*It’s hard to navigate the safety without giving spoilers so I’ll just say this. There’s technically no cheating; no relationship overlap. (only 1 short scene that some may think counts, but it's between the H & h) There’re also no on-page sexual shenanigans other than between Dante and Cara. There’s no mention /confirmation of any other shenanigans… that would need to be assumed.
**This has an entire chapter dedicated to Nick & Angela, and their future. So for those who had questions about their HEA and some things that were left open-ended. You’ll get your answers here.
May 9, 2024
Re-read 4-29-2025
I am SUCH a sucker for a poor, down on her luck heroine, who just can't catch a break before meeting up with her dream man. A dream man, who takes her for granted and pretty much shits all over her feelings and leaves her gutted when he walks away. This "dirty secret/second best" side piece story hit the mark all over again. Dante had his head so far up his First Love's ass, it was unbelievable. I got to feel all of Cara's devastation all over again. And I loved it every second of it.
This story felt like a very fleshed out harlequin romance, and it worked! I love second best stories, and this author had me completely heartbroken for poor Cara. My review is filled with spoilers, so don't read further if you don't want a lot of this story ruined for you.
Whew, this whole story had such lovely angst to it, and I adored every second of it. I'll be the first one to admit, it could definitely have used a little more grovel from Dante, but I'm not a grovel enthusiast, so it was still an awesome story for me. This one is definitely going onto my re-read shelf so I can experience this angsty goodness all over again in the future.
I am SUCH a sucker for a poor, down on her luck heroine, who just can't catch a break before meeting up with her dream man. A dream man, who takes her for granted and pretty much shits all over her feelings and leaves her gutted when he walks away. This "dirty secret/second best" side piece story hit the mark all over again. Dante had his head so far up his First Love's ass, it was unbelievable. I got to feel all of Cara's devastation all over again. And I loved it every second of it.
This story felt like a very fleshed out harlequin romance, and it worked! I love second best stories, and this author had me completely heartbroken for poor Cara. My review is filled with spoilers, so don't read further if you don't want a lot of this story ruined for you.
Whew, this whole story had such lovely angst to it, and I adored every second of it. I'll be the first one to admit, it could definitely have used a little more grovel from Dante, but I'm not a grovel enthusiast, so it was still an awesome story for me. This one is definitely going onto my re-read shelf so I can experience this angsty goodness all over again in the future.
October 9, 2017
I’m sad to see this series come to an end. I haven’t read every book in the series yet, but I’ve been fortunate enough to read Ian/Tessa and Matt/Sasha’s story and have loved these characters. You can read these as standalones but you also get couples from each book popping up in the others enough that I feel like I know them all already.
I’m going to admit here that Stronger wasn’t my favorite out of the series. That is 100% due to personal preference than having anything to do with the writing. I’m all about the Hero and love a good Cinderella type story but I personally struggle when the Hero is in love with another woman while he’s with the heroine.
Dante has been dating Katie for a year now and he’s at the point where he is ready to propose. Unfortunately, Katie has had a break in her acting career and has been offered a roll on a sitcom. Looking forward to her upcoming celebrity status, she dumps Dante to move to LA and enjoy the spotlight.
Dante is heartbroken. He can’t believe Katie was so callous and dropped him without looking back when he was willing to do anything to keep them together. A couple months after she leaves he starts seeing pictures of her and a different guy in each photo, living it up in LA. He realizes he needs to move on.
This is where Cara comes in. Cara works for his best friend, Nick who also handles his investments. When Dante stops in to see him, he notices it’s Cara’s birthday. Cara admits she isn’t doing anything to celebrate and Dante isn’t having it and offers to take her out to dinner.
Dante just wants to do something nice for Cara and has no plans to start anything with her. She’s too young for him and doesn’t see her as a women...until she shows up for the date and she’s stunning. Seeing Cara all dressed up has really transformed her appearance. Dante is immediately attracted, but still has no plans of leading her on. When she kisses him at the end of there date he doesn’t see why he can’t enjoy a friends with benefits relationship with Cara.
What I thought would follow was a Cinderella type romance. Extremely rich man meets very poor, but sweet woman. He showers her with love, affection and beautiful gifts. (Insert record scratch) This is what really happens... Dante tells Cara that he would like to continue seeing her but he doesn’t want a relationship. It would be purely for benefits and they would see each other only once or twice a week. No commitment and oh yeah, let’s keep this on the down-low cause Nick won’t approve of us.
I’ll give Dante this much, he would have showered Cara with gifts, but Cara has enough self worth to not take gifts from a man who only wants to see her for the “benefits”. He hides their relationship, only sees her twice a week but completely on his terms. She never meets his friends or family and doesn’t even get to know where he lives and then pretty much dumps her when his ex comes crawling back.
Man, I really struggled with that. What’s kind of worse is Dante isn’t really a jerk. He sounds like one and the evidence sure is overwhelming but really his only fault is being in love with a manipulative woman and not being able to see past her to what he could have with Cara. Obviously, he comes to his senses eventually, but man, by that point I really wanted better for Cara.
Cara is the only reason I even enjoyed this book. She has had so many tragic things happen to her and so many people who treated her badly that I wanted her to get Prince Charming so badly! Why would Cara accept this from Dante? She’s had a huge crush on hm since she first met him and has decided she will accept his terms just so she can spend time with him. She likes him so much she was willing to accept his crumbs.
The ending soothes the ache I have for Cara and she finally gets her Prince Charming but he doesn’t really deserve her. Dante finally steps up and treats her like the princess she deserves to be treated and he knows he has a lot to make up for and he’s all in.
This is a warped version of a Cinderella story but I know there are a lot readers who like the real life version and will enjoy this book. ARC provided by NetGalley.
I’m going to admit here that Stronger wasn’t my favorite out of the series. That is 100% due to personal preference than having anything to do with the writing. I’m all about the Hero and love a good Cinderella type story but I personally struggle when the Hero is in love with another woman while he’s with the heroine.
Dante has been dating Katie for a year now and he’s at the point where he is ready to propose. Unfortunately, Katie has had a break in her acting career and has been offered a roll on a sitcom. Looking forward to her upcoming celebrity status, she dumps Dante to move to LA and enjoy the spotlight.
Dante is heartbroken. He can’t believe Katie was so callous and dropped him without looking back when he was willing to do anything to keep them together. A couple months after she leaves he starts seeing pictures of her and a different guy in each photo, living it up in LA. He realizes he needs to move on.
This is where Cara comes in. Cara works for his best friend, Nick who also handles his investments. When Dante stops in to see him, he notices it’s Cara’s birthday. Cara admits she isn’t doing anything to celebrate and Dante isn’t having it and offers to take her out to dinner.
Dante just wants to do something nice for Cara and has no plans to start anything with her. She’s too young for him and doesn’t see her as a women...until she shows up for the date and she’s stunning. Seeing Cara all dressed up has really transformed her appearance. Dante is immediately attracted, but still has no plans of leading her on. When she kisses him at the end of there date he doesn’t see why he can’t enjoy a friends with benefits relationship with Cara.
What I thought would follow was a Cinderella type romance. Extremely rich man meets very poor, but sweet woman. He showers her with love, affection and beautiful gifts. (Insert record scratch) This is what really happens... Dante tells Cara that he would like to continue seeing her but he doesn’t want a relationship. It would be purely for benefits and they would see each other only once or twice a week. No commitment and oh yeah, let’s keep this on the down-low cause Nick won’t approve of us.
I’ll give Dante this much, he would have showered Cara with gifts, but Cara has enough self worth to not take gifts from a man who only wants to see her for the “benefits”. He hides their relationship, only sees her twice a week but completely on his terms. She never meets his friends or family and doesn’t even get to know where he lives and then pretty much dumps her when his ex comes crawling back.
Man, I really struggled with that. What’s kind of worse is Dante isn’t really a jerk. He sounds like one and the evidence sure is overwhelming but really his only fault is being in love with a manipulative woman and not being able to see past her to what he could have with Cara. Obviously, he comes to his senses eventually, but man, by that point I really wanted better for Cara.
Cara is the only reason I even enjoyed this book. She has had so many tragic things happen to her and so many people who treated her badly that I wanted her to get Prince Charming so badly! Why would Cara accept this from Dante? She’s had a huge crush on hm since she first met him and has decided she will accept his terms just so she can spend time with him. She likes him so much she was willing to accept his crumbs.
The ending soothes the ache I have for Cara and she finally gets her Prince Charming but he doesn’t really deserve her. Dante finally steps up and treats her like the princess she deserves to be treated and he knows he has a lot to make up for and he’s all in.
This is a warped version of a Cinderella story but I know there are a lot readers who like the real life version and will enjoy this book. ARC provided by NetGalley.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2017
Stronger (inevitable #6) by Janet Nissenson
This book features characters previously met in the other books in this series, it’s not necessary to have read the previous books but I think you’ll be intrigued enough to want to!
Dante thought he had found the one, the woman to settle down and make a life with but she had different ideas and leaves him heartbroken. He is extremely close to his family and seeks their love and comfort.
“But trust your Nonna, hmm? The right girl will come along for you one day I have a feeling that something good is going to happen to you very soon now.”
Cara has been let down by men before, in particular her father. She vows not to be led by a man and used again. Celebrating her birthday, she is feeling sorry for herself when Dante (the man she has a massive crush on) invites her out to celebrate her big day. Suddenly she isn’t feeling very sorry for herself anymore.
Dante is very taken with Cara, he finds her a breath of fresh air.
“I had a rough time of it for a while, but I’m happy to say that things are finally starting to look up for me.”
Dante and Cara enjoy a night out and after an explosive ending agree to spend time with each other. Dante is keen to point out not to expect anything long term – once they’ve enjoyed their time with each other they’ll move on. Cara agrees then she realises she risks losing her heart.
“She wondered how much longer she could hold herself back from asking him for more.”
Dante enjoys his time with Cara but realises she deserves more than he can give, then his ex returns and wants him back.
Dante wasn’t my favourite male lead (I am very in love with Ian Gregson from Claim by Janet). I wanted him to be more assertive and stronger in his decisions. Once he had made his final decision there was no stopping him but I felt he used Cara a bit too much.
Cara was amazing. A real strong character. She knew who to listen to, who to turn to for help. When she made a decision, she stuck to it.
This was all about finding family where you can, either the one you’re born into or the one that welcomes you during your life. Cara made changes in her life she made it clear it was all for her, not a man. Just her.
“I did all of this for me! To make myself happy. To feel good about myself. I’ll be damned if I’ll ever be weak enough to let some man walk all over me again, to take advantage of me and use me.”
I was cheering Cara on throughout this story, she took care of herself and grew in strength. By finding herself she made it clear we can change, make huge changes and still accomadte the ones we love.
Another great read Janet!
This book features characters previously met in the other books in this series, it’s not necessary to have read the previous books but I think you’ll be intrigued enough to want to!
Dante thought he had found the one, the woman to settle down and make a life with but she had different ideas and leaves him heartbroken. He is extremely close to his family and seeks their love and comfort.
“But trust your Nonna, hmm? The right girl will come along for you one day I have a feeling that something good is going to happen to you very soon now.”
Cara has been let down by men before, in particular her father. She vows not to be led by a man and used again. Celebrating her birthday, she is feeling sorry for herself when Dante (the man she has a massive crush on) invites her out to celebrate her big day. Suddenly she isn’t feeling very sorry for herself anymore.
Dante is very taken with Cara, he finds her a breath of fresh air.
“I had a rough time of it for a while, but I’m happy to say that things are finally starting to look up for me.”
Dante and Cara enjoy a night out and after an explosive ending agree to spend time with each other. Dante is keen to point out not to expect anything long term – once they’ve enjoyed their time with each other they’ll move on. Cara agrees then she realises she risks losing her heart.
“She wondered how much longer she could hold herself back from asking him for more.”
Dante enjoys his time with Cara but realises she deserves more than he can give, then his ex returns and wants him back.
Dante wasn’t my favourite male lead (I am very in love with Ian Gregson from Claim by Janet). I wanted him to be more assertive and stronger in his decisions. Once he had made his final decision there was no stopping him but I felt he used Cara a bit too much.
Cara was amazing. A real strong character. She knew who to listen to, who to turn to for help. When she made a decision, she stuck to it.
This was all about finding family where you can, either the one you’re born into or the one that welcomes you during your life. Cara made changes in her life she made it clear it was all for her, not a man. Just her.
“I did all of this for me! To make myself happy. To feel good about myself. I’ll be damned if I’ll ever be weak enough to let some man walk all over me again, to take advantage of me and use me.”
I was cheering Cara on throughout this story, she took care of herself and grew in strength. By finding herself she made it clear we can change, make huge changes and still accomadte the ones we love.
Another great read Janet!
August 31, 2017
Book Review For: Stronger' by Janet Nissenson 'Stronger' by Janet Nissenson is book 6 in The "Inevitable" series. This is the story of Dante Sabattini and Cara Bregante. Dante and Cara had met earlier in this series but this can be read as a standalone book. Dante thought he was in love with Katie and was about to ask her to marry him, but she up and broke things off with him. This has left Dante feeling sour toward love. Cara has had a big crush on Dante since first meeting him but he was in a relationship and never thought she would be with him. Then Cara too has some bad relationship and swore to keep to working toward her college degree. Dante has been in the dumps since the break up but when he sees Katie seems to have moved on with her life vows to ask the next women on a date. Which turns out to be Cara. I really enjoyed their story building up to what it became. It was a hot read and hard to put down. I ended up reading this book twice. "My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2H... https://twitter.com/soapsrus68 https://www.facebook.com/RomanceBookR... http://booklikes.com/bloghttps://roma... https://www.tumblr.com/blog/romancebo...
Merged review:
'Stronger' by Janet Nissenson is book 6 in The "Inevitable" series. This is the story of Dante Sabattini and Cara Bregante. Dante and Cara had met earlier in this series but this can be read as a standalone book.
Dante thought he was in love with Katie and was about to ask her to marry him, but she up and broke things off with him. This has left Dante feeling sour toward love. Cara has had a big crush on Dante since first meeting him but he was in a relationship and never thought she would be with him. Then Cara too has some bad relationship and swore to keep to working toward her college degree. Dante has been in the dumps since the break up but when he sees Katie seems to have moved on with her life vows to ask the next women on a date. Which turns out to be Cara.
I really enjoyed their story building up to what it became. It was a hot read and hard to put down. I ended up reading this book twice.
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
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Merged review:
'Stronger' by Janet Nissenson is book 6 in The "Inevitable" series. This is the story of Dante Sabattini and Cara Bregante. Dante and Cara had met earlier in this series but this can be read as a standalone book.
Dante thought he was in love with Katie and was about to ask her to marry him, but she up and broke things off with him. This has left Dante feeling sour toward love. Cara has had a big crush on Dante since first meeting him but he was in a relationship and never thought she would be with him. Then Cara too has some bad relationship and swore to keep to working toward her college degree. Dante has been in the dumps since the break up but when he sees Katie seems to have moved on with her life vows to ask the next women on a date. Which turns out to be Cara.
I really enjoyed their story building up to what it became. It was a hot read and hard to put down. I ended up reading this book twice.
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2H...
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1...
https://twitter.com/soapsrus68
https://www.facebook.com/RomanceBookR...
http://sissymaereads.blogspot.com/
http://booklikes.com/blog
https://romancebookreviewforyou.wordp...
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/romancebo...
September 10, 2017
I loved this book for so many reasons, but the biggest of them all is the heroine - Cara. Strong characters are so important to me when reading & I think when one is written so well rounded & relatable, it elevates every single emotion & makes the story so much more powerful.
For me Cara was stunningly strong, fiercely independent & deeply courageous. Against all the odds, she dug deep into her reserve, refusing to be beaten in order to be the best version of herself. Stubborn & proud she pushes her way through life, one day at a time, making so many sacrifices it made my heart hurt so much for her, but damn I was also proud. Because she never once gave up, no matter what was thrown at her & let me tell you, she would put so many other heroines to shame.
This girl should be rough around the edges, bitter with her circumstances & more than a bit resigned & defeated, but nope, she's the complete opposite. I could feel her love & joy for life's simple pleasures, I could touch her warmth that she graces those round her with & I could hear her laughter so natural & free. Yes she longs for better chances, or even the occasional break, but that never stops her, or leaves her wallowing in the tragedy of life & I just loved even harder for being so light, bright & kind. I just wanted more for her. I wanted the best of what life had to offer because she so deserved it & so much more.
Now I have to mention our hero, Dante. Because he is by no means the bossy dominant alpha you see in a lot of this genre, more like a passionate, loving Italian Casanova, who at times I seriously wanted to smack hard with a shovel. God his attitude was shitty at times & this man really should have known better, but if you give him a chance I promise he will win your heart. For his heart is actually huge. He's kind, generous, caring & very loving. It just takes him a while to blossom & be the man worthy of girl like my Cara.
I loved their journey, even if some of it hurt to watch & tugged something terrible at my heart strings. It was a fabulous story of second chance love & how sometimes all you need to do is open your eyes & see what's in front of you. It's was bumpy, sad & touching, but also warm, passionate & loving. A perfect mix.
My favourite JN couple so far!!
For me Cara was stunningly strong, fiercely independent & deeply courageous. Against all the odds, she dug deep into her reserve, refusing to be beaten in order to be the best version of herself. Stubborn & proud she pushes her way through life, one day at a time, making so many sacrifices it made my heart hurt so much for her, but damn I was also proud. Because she never once gave up, no matter what was thrown at her & let me tell you, she would put so many other heroines to shame.
This girl should be rough around the edges, bitter with her circumstances & more than a bit resigned & defeated, but nope, she's the complete opposite. I could feel her love & joy for life's simple pleasures, I could touch her warmth that she graces those round her with & I could hear her laughter so natural & free. Yes she longs for better chances, or even the occasional break, but that never stops her, or leaves her wallowing in the tragedy of life & I just loved even harder for being so light, bright & kind. I just wanted more for her. I wanted the best of what life had to offer because she so deserved it & so much more.
Now I have to mention our hero, Dante. Because he is by no means the bossy dominant alpha you see in a lot of this genre, more like a passionate, loving Italian Casanova, who at times I seriously wanted to smack hard with a shovel. God his attitude was shitty at times & this man really should have known better, but if you give him a chance I promise he will win your heart. For his heart is actually huge. He's kind, generous, caring & very loving. It just takes him a while to blossom & be the man worthy of girl like my Cara.
I loved their journey, even if some of it hurt to watch & tugged something terrible at my heart strings. It was a fabulous story of second chance love & how sometimes all you need to do is open your eyes & see what's in front of you. It's was bumpy, sad & touching, but also warm, passionate & loving. A perfect mix.
My favourite JN couple so far!!
August 28, 2017
Stronger is the sixth and last book in the Inevitable series, and features two characters that we met somewhat briefly in Shattered, book three of the series – Cara, the sweet, adorable, and somewhat geeky assistant to Angela, and Dante, the sexy, flirty best friend (and client) of Nick’s.
Cara’s had a massive crush on the hunky Dante for months now, but never thought she had a chance with him, especially since he was involved with someone else. She’s made some poor decisions in the past regarding her relationships with men, and has more or less sworn off on dating for awhile while she concentrates on finishing up her college degree. She’s also had incredibly bad luck with the men in her life, including her really horrible father who’s more or less ignored Cara’s existence since her mother died and he remarried a much younger woman very quickly thereafter. He’s also left Cara to fend for herself financially, which means she works fulltime and goes to school at night and has to pay for everything herself. But she promised her mother that she would get her degree, and she’s determined to keep that promise.
Dante, meanwhile, is really broken up about his recent breakup with Katie, the woman he was about to propose to, and can’t get over the fact that she chose her acting career over him. He’s been moping around for a few months, not interested in dating anyone else, until he sees Katie on TV out on a date. He gets good and mad at that point, and vows to ask the first attractive woman he meets out on a date.
Fortunately/unfortunately for Cara, that woman happens to be her. It’s her birthday, so Dante takes her to dinner, though to his credit he only means for it to be a friendly dinner and nothing more serious. But the evening ends unexpectedly, and Dante finds himself intrigued by Cara. He’s impressed that she’s so smart and that at the age of twenty-two she’s supporting herself and putting herself through school. She’s also funny and sweet and makes him feel good about himself again.
They have something of a friends with benefits arrangement for the next few months, though Cara definitely wants more from their relationship but doesn’t dare say so for fear that he’ll end things. But it’s when Katie arrives back in town and sets her sights on Dante again that things get really complicated.
I won’t say more at this point, because it will definitely give away major spoilers. But I will say that out of all the heroines in the Inevitable books, I think Cara might just be my favorite. Tessa will probably always be the one book heroine that I would most want to actually be, but Cara is probably the most likeable and genuine of all of them. She’s goofy and insecure, knows that she doesn’t have a perfect body, and worries that she’s not enough for Dante sexually. She’s suffered through a lot of loss and lives paycheck to paycheck, but she never complains and is always cheerful and upbeat. And in spite of how young she is, she’s probably one of the strongest female characters around.
Mixed feelings about Dante. On the plus side, he’s totally devoted to his family, a great son and brother, and always treats the women he dates well. And while it’s true that he does take advantage of Cara a little, it’s obvious that he also cares about her and tries to make her life better. He was something of an idiot when it came to Katie, and there were times I wanted to yell at him to wise up.
As usual, there are some great supporting characters in the book, especially Cara’s BFF Mirai, who is both snarky and supportive. And it was so great to have an entire chapter devoted to Angela and Nick from Shattered, and to see how their lives have unfolded. Things were left a little unresolved between them at the end of Shattered, and I was happy to see a more definitive conclusion to their story.
Overall, Stronger tugged at my heartstrings, made me laugh, and left me with a warm feeling about the power of friendship and family. A beautiful, touching end to this incredible series (though I am keeping my fingers crossed that it isn’t really the end!)
Cara’s had a massive crush on the hunky Dante for months now, but never thought she had a chance with him, especially since he was involved with someone else. She’s made some poor decisions in the past regarding her relationships with men, and has more or less sworn off on dating for awhile while she concentrates on finishing up her college degree. She’s also had incredibly bad luck with the men in her life, including her really horrible father who’s more or less ignored Cara’s existence since her mother died and he remarried a much younger woman very quickly thereafter. He’s also left Cara to fend for herself financially, which means she works fulltime and goes to school at night and has to pay for everything herself. But she promised her mother that she would get her degree, and she’s determined to keep that promise.
Dante, meanwhile, is really broken up about his recent breakup with Katie, the woman he was about to propose to, and can’t get over the fact that she chose her acting career over him. He’s been moping around for a few months, not interested in dating anyone else, until he sees Katie on TV out on a date. He gets good and mad at that point, and vows to ask the first attractive woman he meets out on a date.
Fortunately/unfortunately for Cara, that woman happens to be her. It’s her birthday, so Dante takes her to dinner, though to his credit he only means for it to be a friendly dinner and nothing more serious. But the evening ends unexpectedly, and Dante finds himself intrigued by Cara. He’s impressed that she’s so smart and that at the age of twenty-two she’s supporting herself and putting herself through school. She’s also funny and sweet and makes him feel good about himself again.
They have something of a friends with benefits arrangement for the next few months, though Cara definitely wants more from their relationship but doesn’t dare say so for fear that he’ll end things. But it’s when Katie arrives back in town and sets her sights on Dante again that things get really complicated.
I won’t say more at this point, because it will definitely give away major spoilers. But I will say that out of all the heroines in the Inevitable books, I think Cara might just be my favorite. Tessa will probably always be the one book heroine that I would most want to actually be, but Cara is probably the most likeable and genuine of all of them. She’s goofy and insecure, knows that she doesn’t have a perfect body, and worries that she’s not enough for Dante sexually. She’s suffered through a lot of loss and lives paycheck to paycheck, but she never complains and is always cheerful and upbeat. And in spite of how young she is, she’s probably one of the strongest female characters around.
Mixed feelings about Dante. On the plus side, he’s totally devoted to his family, a great son and brother, and always treats the women he dates well. And while it’s true that he does take advantage of Cara a little, it’s obvious that he also cares about her and tries to make her life better. He was something of an idiot when it came to Katie, and there were times I wanted to yell at him to wise up.
As usual, there are some great supporting characters in the book, especially Cara’s BFF Mirai, who is both snarky and supportive. And it was so great to have an entire chapter devoted to Angela and Nick from Shattered, and to see how their lives have unfolded. Things were left a little unresolved between them at the end of Shattered, and I was happy to see a more definitive conclusion to their story.
Overall, Stronger tugged at my heartstrings, made me laugh, and left me with a warm feeling about the power of friendship and family. A beautiful, touching end to this incredible series (though I am keeping my fingers crossed that it isn’t really the end!)
September 20, 2017
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book, it has such an amazing story line. This is part of a series which can be read as a stand alone.
Cara was such a sweet character that seemed to have her life on track, no matter what obstacles lay in her path. She loves her job and bosses, who are more like family to her. Cara has had a lot dealt to her, so it makes perfect sense to have a no strings attached relationship with Dante, until it doesn't make sense.
Dante doesn't realize what he gets himself into until its too late. He should know better than to mess with his friend's assistant, but he convinces himself that it's completely innocent. He falls completely in love with Cara! But will it survive? You'll have to read the book to find out.
I loved the characters in the book! Angela was an awesome character and I am pretty sure she is a main character in the earlier books, but I have only read this one so far. There is so much going on this book, it seems like a tiny world you can be apart of.
Book Blurb:
Cara has an admitted problem with hot men, falling so deeply and so quickly under their spell that she loses a little bit of herself with each toxic relationship that always seems to end badly. Every man in her young life thus far has let her down – her high school sweetheart, a college fling, and most of all her self-centered playboy father. She’s determined not to be a sucker for a handsome face and a hard body any longer, and has stuck to her guns for more than two years. And then she meets Dante.
Dante knows he has no business messing with cute little Cara. For one thing she works for his best friend, and more importantly she’s all kinds of wrong for him – too young, too innocent, too kindhearted. And given the mood he’s in these days – after the woman he was ready to propose to chose her career over him - a sweetheart like Cara should be running as fast as she can in the opposite direction.
But the only place Cara wants to run is right into Dante’s arms and stay a good long while. Will he wind up being the one for her – or is she destined yet again for another heartbreak?
Cara was such a sweet character that seemed to have her life on track, no matter what obstacles lay in her path. She loves her job and bosses, who are more like family to her. Cara has had a lot dealt to her, so it makes perfect sense to have a no strings attached relationship with Dante, until it doesn't make sense.
Dante doesn't realize what he gets himself into until its too late. He should know better than to mess with his friend's assistant, but he convinces himself that it's completely innocent. He falls completely in love with Cara! But will it survive? You'll have to read the book to find out.
I loved the characters in the book! Angela was an awesome character and I am pretty sure she is a main character in the earlier books, but I have only read this one so far. There is so much going on this book, it seems like a tiny world you can be apart of.
Book Blurb:
Cara has an admitted problem with hot men, falling so deeply and so quickly under their spell that she loses a little bit of herself with each toxic relationship that always seems to end badly. Every man in her young life thus far has let her down – her high school sweetheart, a college fling, and most of all her self-centered playboy father. She’s determined not to be a sucker for a handsome face and a hard body any longer, and has stuck to her guns for more than two years. And then she meets Dante.
Dante knows he has no business messing with cute little Cara. For one thing she works for his best friend, and more importantly she’s all kinds of wrong for him – too young, too innocent, too kindhearted. And given the mood he’s in these days – after the woman he was ready to propose to chose her career over him - a sweetheart like Cara should be running as fast as she can in the opposite direction.
But the only place Cara wants to run is right into Dante’s arms and stay a good long while. Will he wind up being the one for her – or is she destined yet again for another heartbreak?
September 18, 2017
When you stay up until 4am to finish reading a book you know it's been a god one. Stronger had me hooked from the very first page and Cara and Dante's journey wasn't an easy one. They are so different in every possible way however the chemistry they have together is electric. I am delighted to have read the final book of the series but I am sad that it has come to an end. All the couples within this series were brilliant characters and very likeable.
Can't wait to see what is next from the author.
Can't wait to see what is next from the author.
September 17, 2017
We meet the main characters in other books in this series, it’s not necessary to have read the previous books but I think you should definitely read the other books in the series.Dante thought he had found the one, the woman to settle down and make a life with but she had different ideas and leaves him.Cara is sweet and adorable.The book is amazing. When I started reading I couldn't put it down.Keep up the good work.I received this book from Netgalley for honest review.
April 23, 2019
Loved Cara. Loved her.
March 8, 2025
It’s obvious when an author hates the heroine she’s writing. Because why else would that same author have the heroine take the hero back without any fuss whatsoever (the same hero who dumped her for his ex and stayed in a relationship with that ex the WHOLE time they’re apart. Oh and of course she’s just celibate/pining for the man who didn’t give enough of a shit about her).
I prefer to read about characters who have some self-respect and even just a hint of a backbone. And the story dragged on too long.
Not for me.
I prefer to read about characters who have some self-respect and even just a hint of a backbone. And the story dragged on too long.
Not for me.
December 22, 2025
4.5⭐️
October 21, 2017
I received a copy of this through NetGalley for my honest review. 3.5 stars. This is the story of Cara, who has been a little over the moon for older, more settled Dante for some time. Cara is pretty down-trodden, lacks self-confidence, think she is overweight (ummm, since when is needing to lose 20 pounds considered disgustingly overweight???), and has pretty much gotten a totally crappy deal in life. Dante invites her out to dinner one night because she is spending her birthday alone, and a relationship (friends with benefits only) ensues. Dante is coming off of a breakup with a woman he was about to propose to, who decides she'd rather follow her dreams to be an actress. They both understand the friends with benefits rules, and Cara is more than happy to take whatever Dante will give her, but she develops feelings. Oh, but fate is not kind to Cara, and Dante's former love comes back into his life. He, of course, decides to give his former love a chance, he hurts our dear Cara, and....well, the rest you just have to read to find out. Cara frustrated me because she was so down on herself, and was willing to take whatever Dante was willing to give her - she wouldn't stand up for herself and demand to be treated better. And Dante, thinking he knew what was good for Cara better than Cara herself, made some dumb decisions. The storyline we've seen a zillion times before, but it was pretty well done. The sex scenes, which were supposed to be pretty racy, felt a little clinical to me at times. There were great side characters and the story was told from several points of view. And, I do have to say, I would love to be a part of Dante's big crazy Italian family.
October 14, 2017
Loved Cara! Wanted to give Dante a good kick in the a** a few times but he came through when it counted. Sorry to see this great series end but it ended with a good one!
January 16, 2025
3.25+ stars
Good amount of angst and growth from both characters and decent grovel.
Good amount of angst and growth from both characters and decent grovel.
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October 9, 2017Less than twenty-four hours now until the release of Stronger, the sixth and final book in the Inevitable series! This is typically when I like to take a few minutes and give readers a bit of background/insight into the writing process of the book, and my own observations about the characters, etc. It's technically not a review, and I never rate my own books, but I do like to share some of my thoughts on the characters and plot.
Cara will likely end up being the heroine that the majority of us will be able to identify with most in some shape or form. She’s adorable and perky, kindhearted and unselfish, but she’s also filled with insecurities, and can’t quite believe her luck that a guy as rich, good-looking, and charming as Dante is actually interested in her. Cara’s also had more than her share of bad luck, with life dealing her one lousy blow after another, and yet she keeps pushing on, keeps trying to make her life better, and rarely if ever complains about her circumstances.
Dante is the sort of hero who will both enrage you and endear himself to you at various points during the story. I won’t give away too much about the story, specifically why he’ll tick you off with some of the things he does, but I will say that he redeems himself in a big way during the last few chapters. And despite some of the boneheaded moves he makes, Dante remains fiercely loyal to his family throughout the entire book, and has always treated the women in his life with respect and consideration.
Cara and Dante at first appear to be complete opposites, and their relationship doesn’t seem all that likely. But as they get to know each other better it quickly becomes apparent that they’re really made for each other.
Mostly, though, this books really focuses on the theme of family, specifically Dante’s closeness with his own large group of relatives, and Cara’s longing to have a real family of her own.
And there are also a couple of chapters devoted to Angela and Nick, the MC’s from Shattered (the book where Cara and Dante were originally introduced). Angela and Nick’s story ended in an HEA, but their relationship at the time was still somewhat fragile and uncertain. The continuance of their story in Stronger will find them in a more stable situation, with their relationship continuing to develop, and I think you’ll be very happy with the direction things take for them.
I hope that you enjoy reading Stronger! And for those of you who may be feeling a little sad that the Inevitable series is concluding with this sixth and final book, never fear! I’ll be releasing a holiday anthology featuring all six of the couples from the books. It will be available as a free read to newsletter subscribers, and should be out in early to mid December.
Cara will likely end up being the heroine that the majority of us will be able to identify with most in some shape or form. She’s adorable and perky, kindhearted and unselfish, but she’s also filled with insecurities, and can’t quite believe her luck that a guy as rich, good-looking, and charming as Dante is actually interested in her. Cara’s also had more than her share of bad luck, with life dealing her one lousy blow after another, and yet she keeps pushing on, keeps trying to make her life better, and rarely if ever complains about her circumstances.
Dante is the sort of hero who will both enrage you and endear himself to you at various points during the story. I won’t give away too much about the story, specifically why he’ll tick you off with some of the things he does, but I will say that he redeems himself in a big way during the last few chapters. And despite some of the boneheaded moves he makes, Dante remains fiercely loyal to his family throughout the entire book, and has always treated the women in his life with respect and consideration.
Cara and Dante at first appear to be complete opposites, and their relationship doesn’t seem all that likely. But as they get to know each other better it quickly becomes apparent that they’re really made for each other.
Mostly, though, this books really focuses on the theme of family, specifically Dante’s closeness with his own large group of relatives, and Cara’s longing to have a real family of her own.
And there are also a couple of chapters devoted to Angela and Nick, the MC’s from Shattered (the book where Cara and Dante were originally introduced). Angela and Nick’s story ended in an HEA, but their relationship at the time was still somewhat fragile and uncertain. The continuance of their story in Stronger will find them in a more stable situation, with their relationship continuing to develop, and I think you’ll be very happy with the direction things take for them.
I hope that you enjoy reading Stronger! And for those of you who may be feeling a little sad that the Inevitable series is concluding with this sixth and final book, never fear! I’ll be releasing a holiday anthology featuring all six of the couples from the books. It will be available as a free read to newsletter subscribers, and should be out in early to mid December.
October 2, 2017
*I voluntarily read this book. All opinion stated are solely my own and no one else's*
Wow I absolutely loved Dante and Cara’s story.
Cara was beautiful yet so very strong to keep her head above water despite, the crappy cards she was dealt with. She didn’t complain about her circumstances and cherished the simple things others took for granted. I admired her spirit throughout - I smiled and even cried for her loss of not just her mum but her waste of space dad too.
Dante was charming yet sexy but at times came across snobby. I hated it when he compared Katie to Cara because let’s face it, without a doubt, Cara would outright win every time. Katie got on nerves with her pathetic crocodile tears and her manipulative attitude. Dante took way too long to come to his senses - I felt like smacking him half the time to knock some common sense into him.
The chemistry between Dante and Cara was mind blowing.
I adored Dante’s family - they’re big, loud and nosy but they welcome Cara into their family as one of their own.
This was a beautiful story and I truly enjoyed every second of it.
Wow I absolutely loved Dante and Cara’s story.
Cara was beautiful yet so very strong to keep her head above water despite, the crappy cards she was dealt with. She didn’t complain about her circumstances and cherished the simple things others took for granted. I admired her spirit throughout - I smiled and even cried for her loss of not just her mum but her waste of space dad too.
Dante was charming yet sexy but at times came across snobby. I hated it when he compared Katie to Cara because let’s face it, without a doubt, Cara would outright win every time. Katie got on nerves with her pathetic crocodile tears and her manipulative attitude. Dante took way too long to come to his senses - I felt like smacking him half the time to knock some common sense into him.
The chemistry between Dante and Cara was mind blowing.
I adored Dante’s family - they’re big, loud and nosy but they welcome Cara into their family as one of their own.
This was a beautiful story and I truly enjoyed every second of it.
August 7, 2023
I think this one just wasn't for me. The characters never felt fully developed and neither did their relationship. Most things weren't shown and instead we were either briefly told about their dates or we sometimes got a past scene thrown in to show a little part of them together. And then of course the majority of the middle and end of the book they weren't together at all and yet I was supposed to feel like they were suddenly back in love at the end. Again, just not for me.
October 5, 2017
Loved this book and this entire series. Janet takes you on such a ride with her books and characters, that I can see it all playing out in my mind. Dante and Cara's story wasn't an easy one and was on emotional roller coaster that made me laugh and cry at times but it's always worth it in the end.
April 17, 2022
I hate giving low rating but I can't help with this one. How is she any stronger? Can't believe how she took him back without even a wee bit of grovel after everything he did. The second the OW returned, he dropped her like hot potato so I wonder he'd have ever gone back, if it weren't for Katie's greed. He ain't my hero.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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October 7, 2017I wasn't a fan of Dante anyway but
February 25, 2025
I almost did 1 star but the writing was good. The premise of this book had promise but it was poorly executed.
H Dante at the start of the book was madly in love with ow Katie an inspiring actress and is about to pop the big question. Yep he wanted to marry her. Katie had other ideas and broke up with him to take a role in a sitcom. She did not want to do the long distance thing as it would be better for her career to date around. She leaves poor Dante heart broken. First disappointment was the author did a bit too good of a job showing how in love he was with Katie and how hurt he was that she chose her career over him.
So a few months after they break up he is at his best friend’s office where the h Cara works. Second disappointment was that Dante knows Cara sees her all the time but never really noticed her. It would have been more believable how this all played out if she had been newly hired and they just met or he had always noticed her and been attracted. He is at the office and long story short ends up taking her to supper for her birthday he is attracted to her and they hook up. This starts an affair that lasts several months.
Cara is the opposite of Katie, she is sweet and kind and refuses gifts and money from Dante. She just wants him. He keeps her hidden, does not introduce her to his family or tell his friends. Then Katie comes back and wants to try again having gotten cut from the sitcom. He secretly meets her for coffee over a couple of weeks and decides he can’t resist Katie, he loves her and wants it to work so he breaks up with Cara. He had an emotional affair with Katie but broke up with Cara before it turned physical.
He wants to take things slow with Katie so he refuses letting her move in with him. That being said he was still fully back with her and fucking her. He feels bad about Cara and tries to talk to her about being friends she says no. He starts noticing things about Katie and slowly comes to terms with the fact that she lied and is still trying to become an actress and is using him for money and security. Meanwhile Cara goes on working and going to school and gets a makeover starts to exercise losing some weight. There are a few scenes with Dante that are cringe with him making comments about why she did that. Yet he continues to see Katie. It comes to a head at his best friend’s wedding where Cara brought a date. He kisses her when his girlfriend is in the next room. He apologizes after Cara tells him off. Texts her a few times. Here is the main reason for the low rating. He tells his mom everything still on the fence if he was going to break up with Katie.
Finally he does and the next day goes to Cara’s office. See a pattern here dumped Cara for Katie than dumps Katie for Cara. Anyway, he gets to the office to find out Cara was mugged and in the hospital. He goes there and basically says sorry I made a mistake I broke up with Katie last night I love you. She proceeds not to take him over the coals not to tell him how badly he had hurt her that she was not sure if she could trust him oh no she says I love you too. They are then back together he takes her to meet his parents is open with his friends. They start living together the end. Oh they get engaged too.
The thing is I don’t believe he loved her. I wanted her to get a new H. He dumped her for Katie. He was madly in love with Katie. He thinks how he can’t resist her. How lucky he was she went out with him. He was back with her for months. Sleeping with her, taking her on trips. Spending thousands of dollars on gifts or letting her go on shopping sprees. He would think about Cara in terms of how he felt bad but he showed no true remorse regret or longing. He finally got his head out of his ass but he did not even have to work to get Cara back. He got to break up with Cara go back with Katie and once he decided he wanted Cara there was no grovelling just ok. If someone dumps you for ow had meet with them for a few weeks before breaking up with you. How can you blindly trust that they won’t do something similar if they met someone else they liked.
I felt like Cara got the shitty end of the deal here. She deserved to have had some grovel and grand gestures. It should not have taken so long for him to realize he had made a mistake. He should have realized before having sex with Katie again. There was no talk of STDs either which is a pet peeve. I also with Cara had gotten a new boyfriend and was having great sex if it was going to take that long for Dante to realize he made a mistake. Dumping a h for ow and having a relationship for months after does not make it seem the h is the love of his life.
H Dante at the start of the book was madly in love with ow Katie an inspiring actress and is about to pop the big question. Yep he wanted to marry her. Katie had other ideas and broke up with him to take a role in a sitcom. She did not want to do the long distance thing as it would be better for her career to date around. She leaves poor Dante heart broken. First disappointment was the author did a bit too good of a job showing how in love he was with Katie and how hurt he was that she chose her career over him.
So a few months after they break up he is at his best friend’s office where the h Cara works. Second disappointment was that Dante knows Cara sees her all the time but never really noticed her. It would have been more believable how this all played out if she had been newly hired and they just met or he had always noticed her and been attracted. He is at the office and long story short ends up taking her to supper for her birthday he is attracted to her and they hook up. This starts an affair that lasts several months.
Cara is the opposite of Katie, she is sweet and kind and refuses gifts and money from Dante. She just wants him. He keeps her hidden, does not introduce her to his family or tell his friends. Then Katie comes back and wants to try again having gotten cut from the sitcom. He secretly meets her for coffee over a couple of weeks and decides he can’t resist Katie, he loves her and wants it to work so he breaks up with Cara. He had an emotional affair with Katie but broke up with Cara before it turned physical.
He wants to take things slow with Katie so he refuses letting her move in with him. That being said he was still fully back with her and fucking her. He feels bad about Cara and tries to talk to her about being friends she says no. He starts noticing things about Katie and slowly comes to terms with the fact that she lied and is still trying to become an actress and is using him for money and security. Meanwhile Cara goes on working and going to school and gets a makeover starts to exercise losing some weight. There are a few scenes with Dante that are cringe with him making comments about why she did that. Yet he continues to see Katie. It comes to a head at his best friend’s wedding where Cara brought a date. He kisses her when his girlfriend is in the next room. He apologizes after Cara tells him off. Texts her a few times. Here is the main reason for the low rating. He tells his mom everything still on the fence if he was going to break up with Katie.
Finally he does and the next day goes to Cara’s office. See a pattern here dumped Cara for Katie than dumps Katie for Cara. Anyway, he gets to the office to find out Cara was mugged and in the hospital. He goes there and basically says sorry I made a mistake I broke up with Katie last night I love you. She proceeds not to take him over the coals not to tell him how badly he had hurt her that she was not sure if she could trust him oh no she says I love you too. They are then back together he takes her to meet his parents is open with his friends. They start living together the end. Oh they get engaged too.
The thing is I don’t believe he loved her. I wanted her to get a new H. He dumped her for Katie. He was madly in love with Katie. He thinks how he can’t resist her. How lucky he was she went out with him. He was back with her for months. Sleeping with her, taking her on trips. Spending thousands of dollars on gifts or letting her go on shopping sprees. He would think about Cara in terms of how he felt bad but he showed no true remorse regret or longing. He finally got his head out of his ass but he did not even have to work to get Cara back. He got to break up with Cara go back with Katie and once he decided he wanted Cara there was no grovelling just ok. If someone dumps you for ow had meet with them for a few weeks before breaking up with you. How can you blindly trust that they won’t do something similar if they met someone else they liked.
I felt like Cara got the shitty end of the deal here. She deserved to have had some grovel and grand gestures. It should not have taken so long for him to realize he had made a mistake. He should have realized before having sex with Katie again. There was no talk of STDs either which is a pet peeve. I also with Cara had gotten a new boyfriend and was having great sex if it was going to take that long for Dante to realize he made a mistake. Dumping a h for ow and having a relationship for months after does not make it seem the h is the love of his life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2024
This book annoyed me on so many levels.
Heroine kept bringing up her tragic life, repeatedly, and innocently overstated her tragic circumstance every chance she got.
Hero physically cheated with her at the wedding, where he came with his current girlfriend, the lady he chose her over. And heroine later told her best friend about it and they defined the act as not cheating. This left me baffled.
Hero treated heroine like cr@p. No matter what he said he was definitely embarrassed to be seen with her. Mentally he always compared heroine to his ex, and she always fell short in the superficial ways he assessed them. He took her to far away cheap places where no-one could see them together. He didn't respect her and kept her hidden even though they agreed to this arrangement, at the back of his mind he knew he was taking advantage of her because she was younger, alone in the world, and lonely.
After they break up, he feels shame and guilt about her poor lifestyle and the hardship she goes through, all alone when she has no family and a handful of friends - even though he witnessed it while they were together and did not help in any way (this includes his empty gestures to buy her things). He later tries to give her money for her inconvenience. Also - One time he asked what her plans were for Christmas. He felt sad that she would be alone, said he would invite her to his family christmas but his family don't know her and he's taking his girlfriend. LOOL so instead he ordered food to be delivered to her closet of an apartment. So she still spent Christmas on her own. What a Hero!
He literally chose his ex over the heroine. He said he's not a cheater and broke it off with her before he moved onto his ex again. But he emotionally cheated. He left the relationship weeks prior to him dumping the heroine, and he continued to talk, text and meet up with his ex while he was together with the heroine.
The heroine is a class A doormat. She gets injured, he shows up at the hospital and confessed to loving her and asking to give him a chance to redeem himself. No grovel what so ever, she asks him to repeat himself and confesses her undying love to him in return. Pathetic.
UGGHHH.
Got a few more pages left. Don't know who is more pathetic; hero or heroine. Going to muddle through to the end but I have no hopes for this 'romance'.
I'm intrigued to know more about Angela and Nicks story as the couple plays a big role in this book. Could this be my first and last book by this author...
Heroine kept bringing up her tragic life, repeatedly, and innocently overstated her tragic circumstance every chance she got.
Hero physically cheated with her at the wedding, where he came with his current girlfriend, the lady he chose her over. And heroine later told her best friend about it and they defined the act as not cheating. This left me baffled.
Hero treated heroine like cr@p. No matter what he said he was definitely embarrassed to be seen with her. Mentally he always compared heroine to his ex, and she always fell short in the superficial ways he assessed them. He took her to far away cheap places where no-one could see them together. He didn't respect her and kept her hidden even though they agreed to this arrangement, at the back of his mind he knew he was taking advantage of her because she was younger, alone in the world, and lonely.
After they break up, he feels shame and guilt about her poor lifestyle and the hardship she goes through, all alone when she has no family and a handful of friends - even though he witnessed it while they were together and did not help in any way (this includes his empty gestures to buy her things). He later tries to give her money for her inconvenience. Also - One time he asked what her plans were for Christmas. He felt sad that she would be alone, said he would invite her to his family christmas but his family don't know her and he's taking his girlfriend. LOOL so instead he ordered food to be delivered to her closet of an apartment. So she still spent Christmas on her own. What a Hero!
He literally chose his ex over the heroine. He said he's not a cheater and broke it off with her before he moved onto his ex again. But he emotionally cheated. He left the relationship weeks prior to him dumping the heroine, and he continued to talk, text and meet up with his ex while he was together with the heroine.
The heroine is a class A doormat. She gets injured, he shows up at the hospital and confessed to loving her and asking to give him a chance to redeem himself. No grovel what so ever, she asks him to repeat himself and confesses her undying love to him in return. Pathetic.
UGGHHH.
Got a few more pages left. Don't know who is more pathetic; hero or heroine. Going to muddle through to the end but I have no hopes for this 'romance'.
I'm intrigued to know more about Angela and Nicks story as the couple plays a big role in this book. Could this be my first and last book by this author...
October 9, 2017
Janet Nissenson does it again with Stronger! She pulled me into this story from the first word on the page.
Dante has met the love of his life, he absolutely knows without a doubt that Katie is the one, so much so he is ready to ask her to marry him after dating less than a year. A self-made multi-millionaire he has it all and he knows that Katie will say yes, that is until she breaks up with him for greener pastors. Now nursing a broken heart he knows the next women he gets involved with will be no strings and Cara is the perfect candidate for that role.
Cara has had a crush on Dante forever. A PA at Dante's financial firm Cara has always thought the Dante was sexy but he is also sweet and friendly to her. Working hard to finish college while maintaining a fulltime job has been rough for Cara and when Dante asks her out for her birthday she knows that this is what she has dreamed about. All she wants is to spend time with Dante to get to know him and hopefully not fall more in love with him in the process.
I absolutely love Cara and Dante - they are very different characters from each other and their romance shouldnt work, but Ms Nissenson does a great job peeling back the layers of these two characters for us and them to realize that they are more alike than they even think. Told in 3rd person dual POV's the story is told seamlessly from both Dante and Cara's POV's. I also loved that we get to see Angela and Nick again from Shattered (Cara is Angela's PA - loved it) and we get to see their story move forward as well. It is a great touch. this is the last book in the Inevitable series and its a standalone so even if you havent read the first 5 I promise you wont be lost.
This being the last book in the Inevitable series I am sad to see these characters go - but I am so looking forward to what Ms Nissenson comes up with next!
Dante has met the love of his life, he absolutely knows without a doubt that Katie is the one, so much so he is ready to ask her to marry him after dating less than a year. A self-made multi-millionaire he has it all and he knows that Katie will say yes, that is until she breaks up with him for greener pastors. Now nursing a broken heart he knows the next women he gets involved with will be no strings and Cara is the perfect candidate for that role.
Cara has had a crush on Dante forever. A PA at Dante's financial firm Cara has always thought the Dante was sexy but he is also sweet and friendly to her. Working hard to finish college while maintaining a fulltime job has been rough for Cara and when Dante asks her out for her birthday she knows that this is what she has dreamed about. All she wants is to spend time with Dante to get to know him and hopefully not fall more in love with him in the process.
I absolutely love Cara and Dante - they are very different characters from each other and their romance shouldnt work, but Ms Nissenson does a great job peeling back the layers of these two characters for us and them to realize that they are more alike than they even think. Told in 3rd person dual POV's the story is told seamlessly from both Dante and Cara's POV's. I also loved that we get to see Angela and Nick again from Shattered (Cara is Angela's PA - loved it) and we get to see their story move forward as well. It is a great touch. this is the last book in the Inevitable series and its a standalone so even if you havent read the first 5 I promise you wont be lost.
This being the last book in the Inevitable series I am sad to see these characters go - but I am so looking forward to what Ms Nissenson comes up with next!
October 30, 2024
Well, I have to say this is one of the shallowest books I've ever read. The MMC is constantly only interested in money and nice bodies. The FMC is obsessed with being chubby and wanting to lose weight. It got old fast. Plus, this book was just too long and boring. Their relationship was very lackluster. The h Cara had zero personality and I figured the author was trying to make her look pathetic at first so she'd find some backbone. By the time she found it I didn't really care. And Dante... Such a sexy alpha name that should not have been used for you. So beta and obsessed with the most narcissistic girlfriend that you just couldn't get over and dropped Cara for. His inner monologue of comparing their looks was appalling. Really showed just how shallow this character was and I wasn't at all convinced he loved either women to be honest. Love of himself was more convincing which he proved everytime.
September 17, 2018
DNF. I struggled with this book, I didn't find the characters very likable, except Cara did grow on me once all her hardships were revealed, how she held her head up high and worked hard to build a life for herself. I wanted someone to shower her with love and affection and attention. I didn't like the way Dante spoke to her using the term "Honey", it felt condescending. I didn't like the secrecy either, why would he want to keep their relationship a secret? Dante didn't deserve Cara, she needed someone who treated her like a princess and showed her off.
Having not finished the book, Dante could well have turned out to be a deserving partner for Cara, but I did go back and read some comments, only to find out that he went running back to his ex the minute she arrived back on the scene. Not nice. Not respectable. If Cara were real, I would shout at her to run, and keep running!
Having not finished the book, Dante could well have turned out to be a deserving partner for Cara, but I did go back and read some comments, only to find out that he went running back to his ex the minute she arrived back on the scene. Not nice. Not respectable. If Cara were real, I would shout at her to run, and keep running!
October 5, 2017
This was an enjoyable read but I must admit there were times that I wanted to give Dante a good smack up the side of his head. Seriously why he was still hung up on a shallow egotistical woman? I couldn't for the life of me figure this one out, he was down to earth with a deep love of family and friends and Katie was the total opposite.
You can see my full review along with an excerpt and #Giveaway here: https://nadineisobsessedwithbooks.blo...
You can see my full review along with an excerpt and #Giveaway here: https://nadineisobsessedwithbooks.blo...
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