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Two years.
Who kisses someone and then doesn't say anything for two years?
Greg Moran, that's who.

That kiss might not have started it all, but it sure did change everything. I thought I was living a simple life, keeping to my friends, eating pickles with ice cream, drinking bourbon on the weekends, and taking naps after work. Looking back at it all now, it was anything but simple.

What happens in Vegas was supposed to stay there. But clearly, this time it wasn't.
I married Greg Moran.
My best friend. My boss.
The man who I had loved for five years.

Two years of silence broke me though. It caused me to do something no sane woman in love would do.

I asked for a divorce.

252 pages, ebook

First published March 23, 2018

31 people are currently reading
301 people want to read

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Jordan Bates

12 books194 followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
Profile Image for Lu Bielefeld .
4,304 reviews631 followers
December 17, 2021
3 ⭐⭐⭐ - OK decent reads.
========================
“A kiss.”

“You’re drunk.” He leaned in closer to me. “I can guarantee you, I’m not.”

flashback came from when Greg kissed me two years ago. It had been at a company Christmas party. We had both had a little too much to drink and somehow ended up in a corner by ourselves talking for over three hours.

But now, now I couldn’t afford to let him do that to me again. He’d never called, never said anything about that night. I waited two years for him to acknowledge it, but nothing.

“I also kissed Greg.” Both girls looked at each other like they weren’t surprised. “And we slept together.”

“Sorry, we’re late. Dinner took a little longer than expected.”

I looked to his side where a tall blonde was standing. She looked stunning in her fifties-style dress and with her hair rolled and pinned back and bright red lips painted on. My stomach dropped seeing them together— her hand on Greg’s chest with his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

Greg had done the one thing Tessa had told us not to do. He didn’t communicate with me. He showed up with a woman after going out to dinner with her and then had the audacity to bring her here and introduce her to everyone.
Profile Image for Tracey.
1,475 reviews70 followers
March 21, 2018
Oh my heart, I loved that book.

My first time reading this author, and I am well impressed, I really loved this book. There was something about the characters that drew you in and immersed you in their story.

Greg and Lilly get married in Vegas after attending a friends wedding, but the following morning Lilly starts fretting and regrets her decision, and asks for a divorce!

Greg and Lilly are really good friends, they have an amazing relationship, so this story is basically a friends to lovers story, except Lilly already loves Greg. It's adorable.

Greg is going on my book boyfriend list, his sweet, sexy and more. Greg's family are so warm, I want to go for family dinner and games. The 'could be' couples friends are all supportive and good fun.

My emotions got put through some turmoil as the story unfolded, Lilly is so unsure of her relationship with Greg, I just wanted her to be happy. Moving from friends to lovers is fraught with danger as you could lose your fab relationship if it doesn't work out. Greg is not perfect as the story unfolds, its a learning curve for both of them.

Writing my review for this book has made me want to reread lol.

I really enjoyed this book and will be reading more of this authors books.

5 absolutely loved it stars
Profile Image for Amber.
176 reviews7 followers
March 21, 2018
Another New-to-me author! I loved this book! I love how real and true these characters were. I love how much a spitfire Lilly was!
In No Way in Hell, Lilly and Greg have been best friends since she went to work for him. Greg is used to having people around him. His brother and friends all run a business together. Lilly, she's used to being alone. Her parents had her late in life. They were always gone, and her siblings were older and doing their own things.

Years after being friends, and Greg having feelings for Lilly, They're in Vegas for some friends' wedding and Greg talks Lilly into getting married to him (Because who would say no??)
When Lilly wakes up the next morning and wants an annulment. She rationalized that since everyone else in her life left, Greg would too eventually (Queue me wanting to smack her) Now Greg has to convince Lilly to stay married to him! Can he do it? Or will Lilly make a huge mistake and he loses her forever?
I can't wait to read more from Jordan. She's an amazing author!!
Profile Image for Mick C.
1,640 reviews
March 26, 2018
Communication is key. That's what I always tell anyone in a relationship or who are getting married. Well this couple learns the hard way. They both have good intentions but just the lack the knowledge of how to get to the next step. Will they finally learn how to move forward with their relationship or will they just end it and have to learn how to live with a broken heart?
Profile Image for Nerdy Dirty & Flirty.
3,985 reviews361 followers
April 4, 2018
description
I read the book before this in the Inkwell series Let Me In. That book just so happened to be Jordan Bates' debut novel. But I have to admit I enjoyed this one so much more. I feel like the writing flowed better. The characters were still as likable but just a bit more fine tuned. And the plot and flow just hooked me even more.

Greg and Lilly had this subtle chemistry in book one, but this time I got to see all the behind the scenes thoughts and feelings. That really helped me enjoy the book even more. And while in the end I liked Greg, I was team Lilly all the way. Maybe I shouldn't be on one of the main characters' side versus the other, but I can't help it. I was team Lilly 100%. She was kind, a great friend, and yet so fragile. She had been through so much with her family and then with Greg. I just wanted her to be happy.

I was very happy in the end with how Jordan Bates pulled everything together. She had me a little worried for a moment. But she ended it beautifully. I look forward to reading more from this author in future.
Profile Image for Ellie.
546 reviews162 followers
December 18, 2021
Holy shit, this is bad. Anyone who lacks even the most BASIC insight into how real people think and act should not - NOT - write a book about people. It's bad enough that the proofread errors are such that several times I had to read and reread passages to make sense of them.
The characterisation was shite. The h was all over the place. Her thought processes were nonsense, her behaviour contradictory. An utterly spineless waste of space. She made no sense and there really was no point to her. At all.
She doesn't want to be married to the H. She loves him but doesn't want to be with him. She wants a divorce but she throws herself at him every other page.
What. Ev. Er.
From where I'm sitting, she's not only unstable, she's a tease.
A tease doesn't get the awesome guy, just saying.
No worries here since the H is not awesome. First off, he's apparently short.

Short guys don't say 'hot and sexy' to me. I don't need a man to be six-and-a-half feet tall but he MUST be taller than me, if only by a few inches. I insist. The heroine towers over him in heels, and hey, way to literally diminish your hero, writer person.

But the biggest problem with the hero wasn't his lack of height but that he was just another generic, overbearing arsehat with no respect for boundaries. Fuck what the heroine wants though, right? It's just not hot if she actually has some self-will and more than a tablespoon of grey matter in her skull.
Sarcasm aside, this man had no respect for this heroine.
I'm sorry, but coming full on in someone's face is repellant and rude. It is not sexy nor is it romantic. I'm feeling pretty poorly after getting my Covid booster and that scene around 70% nearly made me hurl.

Yeah, sorry. This kind of story might work for some, but I'm not really into trash. This book was just weird. People don't act like any of these characters did. There wasn't anything organic to the prose and the flow was choppy. The sex left the realm of good taste right away and was simply cringey filth.

The writer needs to go back to high school and brush up on her grammar. Maybe take an actual writing course. Better yet, find another hobby.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Alison.
1,122 reviews13 followers
March 24, 2019
Wow this one of those books that pulls you from pila to post. The chemistry between these two was smoking hot my kindle nearly combusted.
Profile Image for Lisa Marie ~ Words We Love By.
996 reviews64 followers
March 26, 2018
No Way I Hell is the second in the Inkwell Chronicles series and is about Lilly and Greg, friends and co-workers who impulsively married during a trip to Vegas to see mutual friends get married. Lilly realizes that it was a mistake and tries to get it annulled before leaving but cannot. Once home, she tries to divorce Greg but he doesn't want to divorce. The judge sends them to marriage counselling for month after which if she still wants to be divorced the judge will grant it.

While I was able to follow the story, I often felt like you do when walk into a movie 10 minutes after the beginning. The story itself was clear but the reasons why the characters were doing what they were doing were missing. Lilly is all over the place. Her inner monologues and even her conversations with her friends seemed as if there was backstory that should have been known. It is unclear for a while what she wants and why. Greg is no better. He says that he doesn't want a divorce but makes zero effort to let Lilly (and hence the reader) know why.

I think, for me, the biggest issues was that the scenes seemed to be out of order and that the two character never really speak to each other. I kept waiting for Lilly to ask Greg why he wanted to stay married, to ask him what he was thinking but it wasn't until much, much later that they have one simple conversation.

Based on other's reviews this seems to be a me problem, which it very well may be. This is a case of one reviewer just not connecting with the characters.
Profile Image for Nathalie.
520 reviews
March 17, 2018
ARC received for an honest review

Book two of The Ink Well Chronicles is finally here and it was well worth the wait! With that said, hurry up and give us book three!!

No Way in Hell is Lilly and Greg’s story, and it is absolutely amazing. Lilly and Greg get married while in Vegas and regret and fear hits her hard. She asks for a divorce, but that’s just the beginning.

What I love about this book and what makes these characters so relatable is that Lilly is a such a fire cracker, and yet has the most tender and beautiful heart. She’s witty but encompasses all of these insecurities in regards to people, especially Greg, who by the way is absolutely sneaky and smooth and amazing and worthy of many swoons. Get ready to put him on the top of your book boyfriend list.

I also love how this story itself is written. This author has found her voice and it makes the book an absolute delight to read. Get those tissues ready, you’ll need them.
Profile Image for Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read.
3,440 reviews117 followers
March 24, 2018
I finished this one with mixed feelings. The story is well-written and the characters are likable and interesting. As far as the romance goes, it felt at times like Greg and Lilly were acting more like teenagers than adults with things running so hot and cold. Most of the story is a series a miscommunications and misunderstandings with the couple being ruled by their hormones more than anything else. They are good together on that front, but it reached a point that I could see the next bump in the road coming before it happened. There was just too much jumping to conclusions and too little actually saying what needs to be said. There are a few chuckle-worthy moments in some of the banter between characters, but there's more angst than I would expect from a RomCom. In fact, the story is pretty emotional with the highs and lows and Lilly's insecurities. The author clearly has talent for weaving a tale, but I think this one was just not for me.
Profile Image for Natalie Johnson.
283 reviews5 followers
March 19, 2018
Lilly and Greg have been friends ever since she went to work for him. Lilly was a late in life baby who never saw her family. Her parents were always traveling and her brothers and sisters had their own lives.

Greg, his brother Jack, and friends Max and Chase all worked together running a publishing company. Greg has cared about Lilly for five years. While in Vegas for Max and Alexa’s wedding he convinces her to marry him in a chapel.

Now Morning has come and Lilly wants it annulled. Despite loving him, everyone she knows has left her and she fears Greg will too. Can he convince her to stay married or will she make the biggest mistake? This is the first book I have read by Jordan Bates, but it won’t be my last!
Profile Image for Dana.
655 reviews59 followers
March 21, 2018
Just going to preface this with: I LOVED this book!!!

We’ve all heard that saying “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”.....well what if that isn’t true?

Lilly and Greg are “friends” who are in Vegas and one thing leads to another and they get hitched then try to divorce....but that isn’t as easy as they thought.

No Way In Hell follows their journey through marriage.....and that journey is WILD!!!

Profile Image for A.BookNerd.Bookseller&Bibliophile.Blog.
2,787 reviews107 followers
March 21, 2018
Just going to preface this with: I LOVED this book!!!

We’ve all heard that saying “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”.....well what if that isn’t true?

Lilly and Greg are “friends” who are in Vegas and one thing leads to another and they get hitched then try to divorce....but that isn’t as easy as they thought.

No Way In Hell follows their journey through marriage.....and that journey is WILD!!!

Reviewed by: Dana D.
Profile Image for Julie Jackson.
2,308 reviews10 followers
March 22, 2018
Reviewed for SNS

Greg and Lilly have been friends and coworkers for several years now. One trip to Vegas turns into a marriage. These two take on a journey of finding trust, love and a future. With no trust between them, they both have issues to work through to see if they can salvage this relationship.
Beautiful read.
Excellent writing.
Awesome storyline.
Profile Image for Kristina.
282 reviews2 followers
April 19, 2018
This was a cute book and I'm glad I read the first book of the series before reading this one. I felt this book was a little longer, but it was worth it in the end. The happily ever after doesn't do justice for Lilly and Greg. I just love how the story ends perfectly, who wouldn't want Greg as their book boyfriend? The most romantic planned ending was everything for this book. Thank you Jordan for your stories. Is there a book for the rest of the group at Ink Well Chronicles???
Profile Image for Life on Readpeat.
1,444 reviews106 followers
March 30, 2018
* Read more of my reviews at Whoo Gives A Hoot *
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OMG! Be still my heart...Book 2 in The Ink Well Chronicles is here and let me just say that I freaking loved every minute of this story!

The second I finished Let Me In I was fortunate enough to be able to immediately dive right into No Way in Hell. For once it seems like my busy schedule worked in my favor because I was able to read both of the books in The Ink Well Chronicles back to back. I really liked Alexa and Max's story, but I must say that I FLOVED Lilly and Greg's even more! Gosh their story just hooked me right in and kept me engaged until the very end. I devoured this story and now I kind of miss these two, but I am sure we will get plenty of them in the next book (one can hope right). Jordan Bates has an incredible way with words and her characters speak to me (not literally because that would be weird 😛), they are truly one of a kind.

Make sure to pick up your copy of No Way in Hell today...
Profile Image for Jennifer Alexander.
1,296 reviews4 followers
March 23, 2018
Enjoyable

Ok I have never wanted to slap 3 people so much in my life. Lol. They were stubborn and neither communicated to the other. But the love they felt and showed each other fought through and that is why I enjoyed this book
Profile Image for Autumn Bryant.
482 reviews1 follower
April 19, 2018
A beautifully written story about two people who marry in Vegas and try make it work. I was drawn in by this story from the first chapter. The chemistry between the characters is off the charts, but the communication problems keep you invested to see what happens next. The ending was everything that I hoped it would be.
1,374 reviews14 followers
April 22, 2018
you may need tissues towards the end but it is super sweet. they have been best friends for years and they work together and live next door to each other but one thing leads to another and an event happens. it was very good
I am voluntarily reviewing this arc of this book
Profile Image for Spunky N Sassy.
5,385 reviews119 followers
March 27, 2018
Spunky N Sassy Rating: 4.5

~~~~~~~~~~~Julie's ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review~~~~~~~~~~~

Greg and Lilly have been friends and coworkers for several years now. One trip to Vegas turns into a marriage. These two take on a journey of finding trust, love and a future. With no trust between them, they both have issues to work through to see if they can salvage this relationship.

Beautiful read.
Excellent writing.
Awesome storyline.

~~~~~~~~~~Lindsey's ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review~~~~~~~~~~

This book was absolutely crazy. It was relatable and it made my heart break. Jordan Bates readers need to read this book.
Profile Image for Melissa Marx.
47 reviews
April 21, 2018
This book truly is a standalone. I didn’t NEED to read book 1. Lilly is me! Snarky and stubborn. Greg is kind and caring, and quite an “alpha male” the story flows. I laughed and even swooned a bit. However there is a lesson learned here. With every relationship communication is key.
Profile Image for Megan.
546 reviews2 followers
November 27, 2018
Such a good story!

I loved this book! Lily and Greg’s story was full of drama but also a lot of love. I absolutely recommend this book!
2,617 reviews25 followers
April 18, 2018
this book was really good. she has had a crush on her boss for years. now she finds out one drunk night they are married. what will she do? read to find out.
Profile Image for Meagan Hunt.
236 reviews1 follower
July 12, 2020
It took me a really long time to get to the Ink Well Chronicle books, despite being friends with Jordan since she started publishing, for no other reason than that I was reading other books and now I kick myself for not reading them as she released them because holy wow.

We first meet Greg and Lilly in Let Me In and you can definitely tell that Lilly has an attraction to Greg, we just didn't know how deep it went until we read their story. They've been best friends for 5 years, hiding their friendship from their other friends because Greg is also Lilly's boss and that's just a whole mouthful to explain. Personally, I would have hid my friendship too, only to keep him to myself. Selfish of me? Probably, but I can't say I care much. I also don't have a best friend that's my boss either so..

The drama in No Way in Hell is there, in full force, but at the same time it's not too much and that's just the way that I like it. Just enough drama to keep us turning each page but not too much to make us give up on the book. I will say that one of the reasons I love the Ink Well Chronicles is that they're interconnected with all of the other characters. It's one of the things I love about all of these series I read, to see how they're doing, like we're real life friends.

Jordan, she's an incredible writer, she brought these characters to life in a way that is different from other books I've read, and I don't say this because we're friends, I would absolutely tell her if I hated them. They have real struggles, not made up ones that are so far fetched it's obvious. But Lilly, well, I don't want to spoil anything and explain why Lilly feels the way she does, but her life isn't all rainbows and sunshine and that's important to the story line.
Profile Image for Lisa   cheney.
207 reviews1 follower
April 9, 2018
I like finding new authors, Jordan Bates is new to me and her book no way in hell was excellent. I loved the whole story that it drew you in from the first words, Greg and Lilly were meant to be together, one night in Vegas after their friends wedding they find them self's getting married themselves. can the two make a go of it, Lily is afraid to let Greg will leave her alone like all the rest of her family, being as her parents were later in life having her. going to a court ordered marriage counseling can the two find the happiness they deserve. i am a sucker for friends to lovers romance and Jordan Nailed this one. thanks for such a great read.
Profile Image for Mary Mccormack.
1,345 reviews
April 8, 2018
Finishing this book my mind screams fight or flight, fight or flight, flight.... FLIGHT. Lilly spends most of this story trying to fight her flight instinct because she has been hurt, used, and neglected by her family so many times in her life she doesn’t think she can survive it again. She is desperately trying to get a divorce from Greg before he ends up breaking her heart by leaving her. She would rather have his friendship and presence in her life then give him a chance to hurt her again. Be prepared to be really, really, REALLY MAD at a few points in the journey, but also crying with happy tears. It is worth the journey.
Profile Image for Nicole Lloyd.
285 reviews13 followers
April 10, 2018
Jordan Bates delivers us another amazing book! Once I started I couldn’t put it down.

After a night of drinks in Vegas Lilly and Greg end up married. Lilly wakes up realizing they are married, and wants an annulment right away. Greg on the other hand wants the married life. Can He convince her that this is the real deal?

I can’t wait to see what’s next from Jordan.

Nicole
Book Haven Book Blog
Profile Image for Dora Ruiz Davalos Books and Tequila Blog.
344 reviews11 followers
March 27, 2018
This story had so much to offer and I really loved the blurb, unfortunately it caused me a few headaches while reading it; I kept banging my head against whatever was close by, out of sheer frustration. I have no patience with adults, in their mid-twenties, that have the maturity level of adolescent teenagers and that might be the issue I had with No Way in Hell, the second book in the Ink Well Chronicles.

Lily and Greg have known each other for five years and work together at Ink Well, a publishing company. He’s her boss and best friend and when they shared a kiss two years ago it must’ve meant more to Lily than Greg, because it was as if it never happened, something Lily has never been able to let go of. When they go to Vegas, to attend a wedding between mutual friends and co-workers they get married, too. And Lily immediately wants an annulment (which they can’t have, natch) or divorce; all because she can’t let go that kiss.

This is the entire premise of the story, an incident that happened two years earlier that they wouldn’t or couldn’t discuss as grown adults; never mind supposed best friends. Something we’re reminded of repetitiously, throughout the story. I never felt a connection with the main characters and was very disappointed I couldn’t like them or find something positive about either one.

There’s also an underlying theme that Lily harps on throughout the story. She doesn’t have anyone in her life that truly cared for her. Being the baby in the family, with much older parents and siblings, she felt as if she was an afterthought. She was very attached to Greg’s family, and felt like a member of it, so losing him would be a double whammy.

“Because no one stayed forever, so how could I expect the man I love to do so?”
Profile Image for Jennifer Pierson.
11.7k reviews189 followers
March 28, 2018
OMG this is the first book that I've read by Jordan Bates, and I completely LOVED every minute of it! Lilly has a whole waiting for other shoe to drop attitude, which keeps her from taking chances on relationships. So when she ends up married to her best friend, Greg, all she wants to do is undo it before any damage is done to their friendship. However, Greg isn't down to get rid of the marriage so quickly. And that's all that I'm giving away because this was a story with so many angst filled layers, that I don't want to give away one iota of the goodness. I LOVED Lilly, even when I wanted the choke her out, because even with her stubbornness & fear, she was a strong woman. Greg was mouth watering hot, but I did want to junk punch him more than once, as he made some very questionable douchey decisions that made me mad! But I couldn't deny that flammable chemistry they had, because when it ignited, it lit those sheets up during sexy times. and will destroy panties everywhere. And the cast of secondaries added in depth to the story, as they were a close knit group of friends. Add in a twist that I didn't see coming, which raised my blood pressure until I understood it, had the f-bombs were dropping along with some serious name calling. I CANNOT WAIT to read more of this amazingly talented author, and HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO ALL!
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