What happens when you overhear your wife describe your sex life as just fine?
Unfortunately, some serious eye opening.
Emily With a great job, kickass friends, and an amazing husband, Emily Maxwell knows her life is better than most. She was happy with her job, had girls’ night once a month, and her husband was gorgeous on top of being successful. Married for fifteen years and with the same friends that she’s had since college, Emily has no cause for complaint, she really doesn’t.
Well… almost no cause for complaint. While her marriage is a good one, it lacks the passion that it’d once had. Though her husband treated her like a gem, he treated her like a squeaky-clean gem. A squeaky-clean gem that hasn’t had sex up against the wall in years. Granted, with so many other blessings in her life, the lack of fire in the bedroom was a small price to pay for everything else.
Marcus With a successful business, good friends, and an amazing wife, Marcus Maxwell knows his life is better than most. He was pleased with his job, had plenty of friends, and his wife was the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. Married for fifteen years and with a thriving construction business, Marcus has no cause for complaint as long as he has his wife with him, he really doesn’t.
Well… almost no cause for complaint. While his marriage is a good one, he sometimes thinks it’s too perfect. With no children to take away from the spark in his marriage, he often wonders if there should be more going on in the bedroom. And the kitchen. And the living room. And the bathroom. And the office. And the backyard. Hell, even the front yard.
When everything starts being taken for granted… After Emily overhears Marcus talking about the best sex of his life and hears how it’s not with her, she makes the mistake of ignoring the issue and concentrates on all the other good things in her marriage. Soon, their sex life become lackluster, but sex isn’t everything, right?
After Marcus overhears Emily describing their sex life as just fine , he takes immediate offense because he’s a guy and guys are super stupid sometimes. Now, while it’s not like he needs a blue ribbon pinned on his…uh, manhood for a job well done, he still takes exception to his wife’s choice of adjectives.
When an attempt at shower sex goes horribly wrong, Marcus confronts Emily about their ‘just fine’ sex life, and he ends up with a lot more than he had bargained for. Realizing how much he’s failed his wife, Marcus pulls out all the stops, and nothing will stop him from proving just what she means to him.
This book contains adult language, adult situations, and explicit sexual encounters. If sensitive to any of the aforementioned issues, please do not purchase.
There's not much to add to my bio, I'm pretty boring...LOL. My favorite thing is to read and, last year, I decided to trade in some of those reading hours and try my hand at writing. The experience has been one of the best things I could have ever embarked upon. It's turned into a hobby that is fun and thoroughly enjoyable. When I'm not reading or writing, I'm spending time with my family or friends.
Unintentional my a**. The mess the hero caused was everything but unintentional, it was careless and ugly. Reading this book and feeling my blood pressure rise dangerously, I understood that what I mostly hate in books where one of the characters (usually the hero) royally fucks up and hurts the partner is if the author tries to downplay it. The hero here does an unforgivable thing and he’s the cause for his wife’s misery and for his marriage breakdown. And this thing is not solved! Every thing in this book revolves around this thing and it is not even solved. I try to explain better. The characters have been married for 15 years, no kids, with both amazing and satisfying careers. He comes back home while the h is with her gfs and hears her telling them her sex life is fine. Since he’s a selfish bastard chauvinist he’s quite pissed that his wife thinks their sex like is only ok, it truly should be amazing, especially when one of her gfs is telling them how wonderful is her sex life with her new boyfriend, and how special he makes her feel. The hero is hurt by the competition, and by the unfavorable comparison. So, at night in bed, he tries to do things to the heroine that he doesn’t usually do and she gets very wary. They have an argument and she reveals that two years before she heard him telling one of his friends that the only one woman he was sex crazed with was one of his ex, and that he married the h because ow left him, and he also describes with details- gross and unnecessary- how spectacular the sex and chemistry with ow was. Since then she was so embarrassed to do things with him that she settled with only missionary position and nothing else. For two years. Ok he was drunk that night. Ok he apologizes immediately. But. Is it enough? No! Nononononono! The hero tries to make it up and tells her he loves her, she’s all his life and nothing else matters and it was all very romantic but it doesn’t change the fact that he told his friend that the only woman he was sex crazed was not his wife and that it was her who left him so he settled with the heroine. After 15 fucking years of marriage. Really??? Oh, then it turned out no one of them were satisfied with sex, the heroine was very insecure and never dared to explain her fantasies and the hero thought she was his sweet wife and deserved coddling, so he kept his fantasies all hidden except when he was drunk. The rest of the book is them trying to explore their sexual desires but I may say it’s 15 years too late, and it sounded very forced and pretended. - I didn’t even read all the sex scenes, it all seemed so false after they both behaved very differently for almost 20 years. - the author maybe wanted to show how miscommunication and careless behavior to the one you love can cause damage to your relationship, because it all sums up with hey, you guys should have talked long before, why didn’t you ask if you had fantasies? Why don’t you make your partner feel desired and loved all the time? - well in this case I completely disagree. - it was not a case of miscommunication only. It was a case of someone who actually thought his wife was not the best. And a case of double standard. - the book tells another story. Because if it is true that the heroine had some unfulfilled fantasies, she admits that sex with her husband was nonetheless the best of her life, especially before the moment she heard his words. While the husband never ever tells that she’s the best sex of his life. - he apologizes, very very much for what he told his friend but he never ever took his words back. He never ever denies that ow was better sex than his wife, or that he desired his wife more than ow. He only admits he would have loved to do more with his wife. But he never ever tells his wife that he was more sexually attracted to her than ow. - I mean this when I say that this main gigantic issue was not solved. Ok, let’s say their sex life was not what they both wanted for 15 years. But he should have told the heroine that he was attracted to her and wanted her more than any other woman in his life. That he was afraid to scare the hell out of her if he asked her to do what he wanted, but that he really was sex crazed for her and not for his ex gf. This was very very serious. So we are left thinking that he had more chemistry with his previous gf than with the heroine. Because he told he was crazy for ow and - well I spare you the gross things he said about her because it made me gag and salivate when I read them, but he was willing to do things to her he never wanted for anyone else. - the author wanted to pinpoint the heroine’s insecurities as a cause of marital issues. Well I may say that any woman hearing what he told his friend would have been crushed and hurt and surely had felt very very insecure about her sex appeal. And let’s not forget that he talks that way about a woman he had 15 fucking years ago, not 15 days. That means she made an impression while 15 years with the heroine didn’t. The poor wife was made to be responsible because she left her insecurities rule her sex life and because she didn’t express her deep desires to the hero. So let me tell you something. It was him who admitted that the best sex of his life was with ow, not the heroine. The heroine always said that the hero was the best sex for her. And still it was her fault? - even if she had her insecurities she still was the one who was more satisfied with her life because apparently sex for her was good- before the infamous night- and not everything revolved around her unfulfilled sex fantasies. For her sex was satisfying because she loved him and she loved being intimate with him, while obviously for him love wasn’t enough. - and please, send him to anger management classes, because he destroyed one lamp, one bedroom and one car with his exploits. - another thing I didn’t like was that they decided not to have children. It’s my opinion of course, I’m a romantic and I love that when my heroes marries they at least want to have children. - the book could have been better but as I said the elephant in the living room is still comfortably sitting there at the end of the book, so the 2 stars. This elephant really ruined my perception of the hero’s love for his wife - that ok, it was really great and true but. But. IMO it was cheating, emotional. Even in Diana Palmer or Lynne Graham most naive and inexperienced virgin heroines the heroes are always- always- crazy about them and if it may seems ludicrous- best sex of a playboy’s life with a virgin nonetheless- this makes up for every mistake they make. And it’s what I expect from a romance. This one made me really angry - and my pressure is still high.
The h/wife is 2nd choice, he only married her because the ow left him. He told his friends that his ex/ow was the best sex he ever had (he’s been married to the h for 20yrs). Sex with ow was better than with h, and the insecure h heard the entire discussion. What makes it worse is that, he was drunk, which means no filter, he was being completely honest.
Yuck.
“Emily, I was so drunk that night, I couldn’t tell you much of what me and Scott talked about.” She nodded in these sad jerking motions and my heart started to actually hurt. “I don’t know what all you guys were talking about, but I walked in to hearing you...” She had to clear her throat before continuing. “Uh, you were telling Scott that…that there was only one woman that you’ve ever been with that you’d been sex-crazed for.” What? No. Fuck. “You were telling him how Stacy Spencer had turned you on so much to the point that you’d…uh, you’d eat her pussy, even if she hadn’t showered for a week.” Emily’s spine straightened and I could see her doing her best to be strong despite the tears that were now quietly running down her face. “Scott joked that he loved women so much that there’s nothing he wouldn’t do whether a woman had showered or not.”
“No, Marcus. You’re the one who insisted on having this conversation,” she reminded me, “so we’re going to have it.” She swiped at her face again, but the tears just kept on flowing. “You responded to Scott’s joking by explaining how not you. That…that with the exception of Stacy, you prefer your women clean before you kiss or touch them. How you’re not a fan of salty sweat or the taste of lotions or perfumes and stuff.”
This book was a total "rage read" for me. It's the story of Marcus, who damaged his marriage with his thoughtless words to a friend during a drunken binge two years ago. (He was raving about how the best sex of his life was with his ex and that the only reason that they had broken up was because her father forced her to leave him. Six months later, he met and married Emily.)
When he found out that Emily had overheard this conversation, he was horrified to realize how much harm he had done to his wife's self esteem with the things he said. He freely admitted that everything was his fault. He begged for her forgiveness. He swore that he would fix things, no matter what he had to do. So, how did he deal with it? He had tantrums. He threw things. He destroyed their bedroom. He yelled at his wife. He got angry. He started a huge fight every time she showed any insecurity. Then, he would go back to thinking to himself how much damage he had done and vowing to fix it. Lots of super raunchy, dirty, filthy sex. Rinse and repeat.
Then, out of the blue, the author totally flipped everything around and made it all Emily's fault! It was HER fault because she didn't tell Marcus right away what she overheard. It was HER fault because she had abandonment issues and it was THAT that had been making her insecure, not the fact that she heard her husband raving about how much more he loved having sex with his ex than with her. When I DNF, she was groveling and begging her husband's forgiveness for the the problems SHE had caused. And he was being very magnanimous, patting her on the head and forgiving her. F#%k that shit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
🎶 Hi, I’m the problem, it’s me! 🎶 You see I skimmed through the book after reading some reviews and my original opinion it’s at the end in case you want to read it but after talking with @Cindy and the author I realize that I’m the one mistaken.
You can see the conversation with Cindy in the comments and This is the conversation with the author:
Me: “Hello! I was having a discussion (a healthy and respectful one) with a friend about “unintentional” and we still haven’t get to a common point in one think. I will love if you can resolve our question. One of us think that when Marcus said that his ex gf was the best sex ever he includes Emily when the other thinks he doesn’t. He says that she is his wife and doesn’t include her in that. But later on he says that he is still not happy in their sex lives but that they will get there. Was he lying when he said that he wasn’t including Emily on the best sex? Or does he thinks Emily is the best sex?”
Author: “He wasn't lying when he said that he hadn't included Emily in that statement. Later on, when he mentions that he's still not happy with their sex life but that they will get there, it's not the sex, so much as knowing that Emily still has doubts when it comes to how he feels about her during sex. His problem is the insecurities that he instilled in her by his thoughtless comments, and not the actual sex. Congratulations to who won! LOL.”
Me: “Thank you so much for replying!!! So, why did he say that if he was more than satisfied in his sex life?”
Author: “That was my mistake. I should have worded it to emphasize that his complaint is about their comfort levels with each other sexually, rather than the sex itself. That was one of the first books that I ever wrote, one that's on my list to go back and polish up a bit. So, I'll keep you question in mind when I do! 😁”
Me: “Yes, the best sex of his life is with Emily. I will definitely let you know when I re-edit it. My plan is to go back to all my earlier writings and fix them once I'm caught up on all my current projects. 🥰”
(YOU CAN SEE HOW SWEET SHE HAS BEEN, but Omg my English has been horrible for a couple of months. I need to reread my text books and do some English homework)
My original opinion: I skimmed through the book: This is at 92% of the book:
“Are you sexually satisfied,” I asked, even though I knew the answer already, more or less. “I wasn’t,” she answered honestly. “But I am now.” “Do you think I’m sexually satisfied?” “No,” she uttered sadly. “But I think we’re making progress there, don’t you?” I nodded. “Yeah,” I responded, not contradicting her. “However, I think that was just a lot of miscommunication on our parts. I think we’ll be fine with that, eventually.” “I…I think that’s possible,” she replied simply. And now for the emotional part of tonight’s program. “Do you believe I love you?” “Yes.”
“I love you,” I said again. “I know you do, Chill,” he simply responded, searching my eyes. He was probably searching for a sign that I hadn’t lost my mind. “And you love me,” I stated confidently. “Yes, I do,” he confirmed just as confidently before he went on to say, “Emily, what I said-” I stopped him. “It’s okay, Marcus. It was just the truth,” I assured him. “I can’t be mad at you for telling the truth.” He sounded so sincere when he asked, “Christ, Em, what are we doing to each other?” “Fucking shit up, I think.” He barked out a laugh. “Jesus, Em.” I smiled up at him, and then the severity of the past few weeks washed over me, and I couldn’t stop the scratch in my voice. “I’m so sorry, Marcus. I’m so, so sorry for everything. I just-” He dropped his forehead to mine. “I don’t need you to be sorry, Chill. I need you to tell me that you don’t really believe I’m not in love with you. I live to love you, so if you don’t believe that I’m in love with you, then I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with myself. How am I supposed to exist?” The tears started, but with as much as I’ve been crying these past few weeks, it wasn’t a big deal to me anymore. “I’m sorry I said I didn’t believe you. I do believe you. I do.” I took a steady breath. “I think I’m just a coward. I think it’s just safer to believe to be happy with settling than to believe it’s the real deal, and then having it all fall apart.” I closed my eyes. “God, it sounds so stupid when I say it out loud.”
He still thinks ow was better sex than his own wife. Yuck
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Ridiculous pseudo psychology manual against women… At the end it’s all her fault and her childhood traumas, it’s not at all about listen to your drunken man talking about how good and dirty the sex with his ex girlfriend was…
As usual, heroine said sorry too many times and he said “I’m going to fix it” and did nothing too many times,
Okay, I think the author was trying to show that even a good marriage has problems. I think. From what I got from this book the husband was oblivious to his wife’s needs and to the slow deterioration of his marriage. While the wife had self esteem issues long before their marriage, some random events in their marriage over time seemed to erode her self esteem even more.
What I didn’t get from this book was why there was so much s e x. Once the husband woke up enough to start noticing his wife was basically his roommate and started asking wtf, the author kept throwing s e x out as how they were going to fix their lackluster marriage. They became somewhat mean towards each other with their words but the s e x went through the roof. Really?? I highly doubt that’s what would have happened. And I’m absolutely sure that instead of trying to use unfulfilled sexual fantasies to help their issues, any logical modern day person would have suggested marriage counseling.
Towards the 90% mark the author FINALLY starts to show that the initial issue the wife laid claim to all along in the book could have simply been addressed from the beginning and not been allowed to fester for two years while her husband being the ding bat that he is just goes along that entire time clueless. The wife should have just ASKED a few fu€king questions of her husband and maybe the problem would have been squashed from jump.
But no, that wasn’t enough for the author to end it there. As full circle, the wife apologizes and they work it out. No. The author had to really make it ALL THE WOMANS FAULT even further by the 95% mark by throwing in that she had daddy abandonment issues and a critical mother issue left over from childhood that was NEVER ONCE MENTIONED BEFORE IN THE ENTIRE BOOK!!
Yeah, you just made an already dragged out pointless book even worse. Smdh. At the end, you get an epilogue but NOT an HEA. The author does a epilogue on the husbands POV of how a husband should always be working to make his wife happy. It was a good epilogue. Honestly, I would have preferred to have ONLY read the epilogue in place of this worthless garbage of a book. It was basically marital drama p o r n. And not even good p o r n at that. Just hyped up talk and no follow through p o r n.
This is the first time I've read this author but she has several books available on Amazon. Not sure what genre she would be in though. Not really hotwife/sharing for sure.
This story is about a couple that has let their marriage go flat. Their sex life suffering the most. The wife because of overhearing something her husband said over two years ago and then something he heard her say to her girlfriends just recently.
He finally decides to confront her about it and is blindsided when she tells him she has been feeling like second best for the last two years. So after a long conversation with tears and anger, they try for better communication.
The rest of the book is about their journey to try and restore trust, honesty, and sexual satisfaction. With a lot of makeup sex. I mean a whole lot of makeup sex.
There are not any other significant characters involved. Certainly, none that they are involved with sexually.
So basically I guess it's a love story with a lot of husband and wife sex.
What I liked: I liked Marcus (H), he really did everything he could to fix their marriage. Best part was when he threatened ow and told his employees that his wife came first. I also liked how Emily’s(h) friends told her that she was wrong too.
What I didn’t like: I didn’t understand why Emily(h) just didn’t tell Marcus that she heard him say that about his ex. I also felt something were repetitive.
***Major Spoilers/ Details/Triggers: H and h have been married for 15 years. Two years earlier h overhears the H telling his friend that only one woman made him sex-crazed and it was an ex. For two years the h doesn’t tell the H and she starts having insecurities which causes their sex life to be lacking. H doesn’t even realize that they haven’t done any foreplay in the last two years. H overhears the h telling her friends that their sex life is fine and wants her friend to describe hers. H upsets decides to s spice things up and h keeps asking him what’s wrong. H gets mad and asks her and h tells him what she overheard. H is truly upset because he loves his wife and goes about to show her how much he needs her. Their sex life gets spicy and they both realize that they were both the cause of what the marriage has become. Ow does go to the H’s work place to try to get him to have sex with her. h overhears her and thinks the worse. H and h get into fight in front of his employees. H also threatens ow. H and h talk get their HEA
Descriptive Sex: Yes
Final thoughts: I thought this book was good. 3 stars for the Hero alone. 1/2 stars goes to the heroine’s friends for telling her that she was an idiot for not confronting him. Overall I will definitely read more books from this author seeing how this isn’t my first book and I like the way she writes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was a solid 4 star read until the ending. I thought it all being Emily's fault was a crock of shit.
Should she of confronted Marcus when he was talking about his ex.... yes but there is no way that wouldn't of messed with her self esteem or their sex life. To turn it all around and say the majority of their problems stem from Emily having daddy issues is to put it quite bluntly complete and utter bullshit.
Marcus didn't even realize somthing was wrong with his wife. He had his head stuck so far up his ass that he didn't realize that he wasn't kissing her, touching, cuddling really anything and on top of that giving her mediocre sex. It took eavesdropping to realize his wife wasn't happy.
Do I think they'll live happily ever after? Probably. I mean if they start having problems again I'm sure Emily will martyr herself and say it's all her fault 🙄
Ok, so I was pleasantly surprised by this, and was enjoying the read until the end. 🤔 I decided to read it after seeing my girl Cindy's comments on it, and I trust her because she knows my limits.. but she'll still push them 😂. That ending where everyone starts placing blame on Emily. Look I get it. She has abandonment issues and a shitty mother who gave her self esteem issues, but it takes two to tango, and two to keep a marriage. And both the H and h screwed up. Equally to be honest. And my reasoning is they both just didn't know any better here. They didn't know how to express their feelings. So of course they wouldn't be able to help one another. And damn! How Emily kept calm and walked away after hearing what her hubby was saying about his ex. If I overheard my hubby saying that he'd be in a headlock in 1 second. So her keeping that to herself for two freaking years? That was ridiculous. Then we have Marcus. He seriously a man's man basically. He legit did not know shit about emotions or feelings, and it was awesome the effort he started putting towards Emily after she started opening up. Look I live in a household full of men and if I'm not verbal they have no clue. This book seriously wasn't that far off from reality to be honest. Did I think he was still in love or thinking about his ex? Nope. Absolutely not. I did not get that vibe. To be honest I liked Marcus and I did feel bad for Emily. That's real life, and marriages take serious work. Believe me. I've been married for 22 yrs. It's not easy. So to put almost all the blame on Em in the end kinda sucked in my opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Sometimes we forget we have to actually work at our relationships. Especially once the sparkle wears off and men turn into fathers and women turn into mothers. One minute you’re hot and heavy and can’t keep your hands off one another and the next you’ve turned into roommates who barely speak to each other. Marcus Maxwell and his wife Emily have been married for fifteen years. It took him overhearing a conversation between his wife and her friends for him to realize Emily thought of their sex life as just fine. This was the kick in the ass he needed to see how much he missed his wife and how much he wanted her back.
★★. Fully did not mean to read this but then I had to see if reviews were lying or not. Emily and Marcus are going to get divorced after that epilogue or he’ll cheat. There’s no way they last because they never fixed the issue. Instead, Emily had this fear of abandonment that came out of nowhere and was the one who apologizes. Marcus did apologize yet he also didn’t understand the damage of saying his ex was the best sex ever. He still was holding back until the epilogue.
The ow drama was dumb as hell. For him to even acknowledge the ow and let her be in the office with her hands on him and then speak privately to not make a scene. Yet he didn’t care if he hurt his wife until said wife found out? Proves he would cheat if Stacy or any woman who has his kinks came along. Emily would forgive him too because even though she stood up for herself, the girl folded faster than ever.
It gets two stars fully for Terri and Christopher, but I don’t get why their love confession had to be in front of the friends.
Overheard private conversations lead to gross misunderstandings between a once loving couple! While the wife had self esteem issues long before their marriage, some random events in their marriage over time seemed to erode her self esteem even more. She has insecurities about him, he has begone taking her for granted.
This was listed as a romance, and it's definitely more erotica. While there is some romance in it, there is far more smut than story. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some good erotica too. But if I am reading a romance, I am looking for more storyline.
Setting that issue aside and focusing on just the story, I really liked how they both took responsibility for their marriage or lack of. And how they both needed to talk openly about what was in their head.
Wasn’t the biggest fan of Emily as a heroine. She needed a therapist to work on her self esteem issues. But I did like seeing a married couple get their spark back.
Ok, so I’m going to stop at 55% in. Honestly? There’s nothing wrong with it. The writing is pretty good (with the exception of the worst editing— if there even was any— I’ve ever seen). I know she had a disclaimer about the editing at the beginning, but if there were enough reviews criticizing the editing of this book that she felt it necessary to add a disclaimer at the beginning of it, then I’d say it’s worth going back through and editing it AGAIN. I could not put something out into the universe with my name attached to it, knowing it’s full of mistakes, and just say, “whatever”, but I digress.
The problem with this book is there’s not really a story here. Yeah, the concept is amazing and I was eagerly eating it up in the beginning with him feeling like a complete and total jackass for saying something TWO years ago that he doesn’t even remember. For context purposes, he was t-totaled trashed and talking with a friend about past sexual experiences and was glorifying an ex he had dated before his wife. His wife overheard him and thought she was included in his evaluation of the ex versus other women. This hit her self esteem pretty hard and she started to only do missionary with him and there was no foreplay or anything. He not only felt like a jackass for saying it — when she finally told him about during their argument at the very beginning of the book— but also because he hadn’t even noticed how their sex life had changed. He then makes it a goal to show her how unbelievably sexy he finds her, amongst other things.
But back to the problem of how this book is structured. Thus far— 55% in, mind you— the entire plot of this story is hinged on that one argument. And, quite frankly, it doesn’t hold well. I mean they’re banging passionately with abandon, getting it on in the bathroom at the company picnic… and it just seems like it’s run its course, ya know? There seems to be no reason as to why they should still be at odds with one another and the momentum has just fizzled on out. Basically, I have no motivation to keep picking the book back up when I’m forced to put it down.
I must commend the author for her skill in crafting such steamy, intimate scenes, though, and I LOVE how adamant she makes the hero’s conviction of trying ANYTHING the heroine wants in the bedroom outside of bringing someone else— man OR woman— into the mix. He doesn’t want any other woman than his wife and it would literally kill him to see another man with her. With whychoose and RH having reached such a height in popularity, it just makes my heart happy to see an author showing a monogamous union still being so valued and in such a titillating light as well.
In conclusion, I would try another work from this author for sure, but hopefully the next one would have a more developed and complex plot than this one so it would make sense to continue the conflict further.
Pre-read Thoughts: Hmmm, on the surface, I don’t think this seems like a book I would enjoy— but deeper down— despite the people I know on here hating it, I think this could really be a winner for me. We shall see…
These two needed talking therapy, not dicking down therapy. Still, my anger reading of this felt a bit cathartic. Or like watching a train wreck. Either way, 2 stars
Interesting story on a pretty good premise. The author has some very insightful and thoughtful things to say, well worth reading. In the end, the issue that almost broke this couple was a lack of trust furthered by a lack of communication on both sides. The author highlights how married couples slip so easily into the ‘roommate with tepid benefits zone’ a warning to all couples.
I am surprised that the author laid the principal blame for the lack of honest communication on the wife Emily, which in part resulted from childhood experiences. While I’m sure it contributed to her lack of trust which fostered her poor communication, it didn’t absolve the husband Marcus, for avoiding challenging topics within the marriage.
I also thought the husband, all macho and stuff, was happy to bring about multiple orgasms for both, including face fucking to completion and delivering facials to his wife, but was squeamish about going down on her if he’d completed intercourse. I was surprised his wife never stepped up to call him on the double standard.
It’s too bad this book was written as if it was a soap opera. None of it felt real to me, with over the top passions and simple solutions - generally more sex, particularly anal. Also, the number of typos was annoying and distracting.
That said, I feel this is an insightful read if you are in a relationship you want to last longterm. I recommend you endure the soap opera scenes to glean the insights the author serves up.
The insights raised this melodrama from 2 stars to 3 with a positive endorsement.
I loved this story. It is about the break down of a marriage told mostly from the husband’s point of view. Marcus overhears his wife say their sex life is fine. He is insulted by the word fine. Determined to change her mind, he tries to do little things to improve their love life. He kisses her on top of the head, hugs her, and tries to have sex with her in a funny shower scene. It’s been so long since he has done these things that his wife, Emily, thinks he is having an affair. After an argument they both realize they have been living like roommates. Trying to repair their marriage lads to some sexy love scenes. But what Marcus doesn’t realize is most of their problems stem from a conversation Emily overheard him having with a friend. The only thing I didn’t like about this book was some of the crude names he called Emily while trying to talk dirty during sex.
I really liked it, but I do have a couple of issues.... One, Marcus saying what he said was never really addressed. Yes he apologized but he never said that his opinion was changed. Two, suddenly it all became Em's fault. Suddenly it was her deep seated insecurities that caused all the problems. It was going great for me, they were talking more openly (still not sure why it took 15 years) exploring their sexuality together (most of the book) and reconnecting, so why did a "fault" need to be brought forward. I loved that is was a reminder that marriage, any relationship really, is work. No one is a mind reader, and never stop growing emotionally.
I really want to love this story, I really do, but it's frustrating. Everytime I thought the story was actually beginning to send a good message, right back to square one.
For starters, this was listed as a romance, and it's definitely more erotica. While there is some romance in it, sure, and even better that it's long-standing romance as opposed to the typical just met insta-love (which is refreshing), there is far more smut than story. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some good erotica too. But if I am reading a romance, I am looking for more storyline. The smut can be thrown in (and is appreciated when it is), but it shouldn't be the focus of the story. I would guess over 50% of this book is smut, making it erotica not romance.
Setting that issue aside and focusing on just the story, I had high hopes. When considering the majority of marriages end in divorce, it's good to see stories that are looking at the issue and why and what can be done. The issues that Emily and Marcus have in their marriage probably reverberate with many. They are complacent, internalize issues, and don't communicate effectively. Spot on stuff! But then they try and solve every problem with s€x. * insert eyeroll here * Then, they say they know s€x can't fix every issue while simultaneously resorting right back to s€x at every given turn. * double eyeroll * How frustrating! And to top it off, the ending, though it started off well and again had my hopes up (Yes! Thank you for saying your kids are hella important but you also have to focus on each other because ultimately your kids will grow up and leave! And thank you for noting that when issues arise in a marriage it will take a lot of work to fix and won't occur overnight. Thank you!), it ended with more toxic monogamous rhetoric - your spouse should be your everything, they should never want or need or look at or appreciate anyone or anything else ever again otherwise you're doing it wrong. * insert eye strain from all the eyerolling * Come on people! You are absolutely allowed and should have other fulfilling and meaningful relationships, and it is perfectly okay to appreciate others outside your marriage. Sheesh.
There was so much potential for this story. So much potential. And I am so disappointed. As a good romance story, I would say it's less than mediocre.
If, however, you want some decent smut and don't much care about the storyline, this one is in par. If I was looking for some erotica and had found this, I probably would have loved it, maybe even given it five stars. But as it was advertised as romance, and I expected a good romance story, I can't give it a better rating than two.
Marcus and Emily made a beautiful and sexy couple, and a successful family and professional life. One day Marcus Overheard Emily to tell her girlfriends that her sex life is fine!!! Just Fine!!!! Marcus had a shock of his life after 15 years of a loving married life... He tried to work on it change it ,but it leads to another shocking revelation from his loving wife... She evasdrop him telling his friend Scott in a drunken revelation that"the Best sex of his life was with Stacy ,he could lick her pussy forever even if she hadn't had shower for days.." Why didn't he marry Stacy instead? the answer came "that Stacy left him and married for money after six months he met Emily and married her" 😢😥 Emily had the shock of her life then , after 13 years of marriage she realised that her husband neither loved her not desired her.. He married her bocoz his ex. left him for a rich man... The whole night Emily kept stipulating on her marriage and she realised though she is not her husband s first choice,but he had been loyal to her taken care her well and she loved him enough to still stay with him... But from then on passing dies from her marriage,she could never get over this felling that her husband still fancy sex with his ex...she stopped expecting any warmth love from her husband!!!! Other hand Marcus was blissfully happy and contented with his wife,he loved her , respected her,he didn't even realised her with drawing herself😕😟 He this as a wake up call ,it was a reawakening for both of them... How he makes Emily to trust him that she is the only love of his life,he loves and breath her only.. How he realised that both of them have hidden passion and fullfil their sexual fantasies hidden and hurried from past 15 years... 💓 a beautiful story of love The best part no children involved...it says a man and woman can have a hot and loving 😍 married life being with each other only👏👏👏👏👏 *****For the way Marcus thought a lesson to Rebecca and her slut of a cousin Mellory who sneaked in his office and thrown herself over him.. The way he rebuked them and cut them to size in presence of everyone is commendable👏👏👏👏👏
the grovel worked for me, but maybe it's because i've done similarly to the H where i've gotten together w my girlfriends and talked about exes i've had who threw down in bed. i never meant it disrespectfully to my partner, it's just... something some ppl do.
so in my case i didn't think he said or did anything unforgivable. especially because from his POV, he self flagellates the entire book and it seems pretty obvious he didn't mean Emily was second best, a consolation prize. i got the vibe that six months later, he saw Emily and "that was that," ie; he fell in love and didn't think about Stacy again until the drunken convo.
and as far as sex w this ow being the best he had... well thats just a touchy subject in general. the h/H both explain in their own words how their sex life had become straightforward with no frills or thrills. it's human to reminisce on some fiery lay from back in the day. not to discount Emily's feelings, but it's an honest look in a long term relationship and it was done well. there wasn't any doubt in Marcus' POV that he was gone for Emily and ONLY Emily. it was a lapse in judgment and poor communication later on that allowed it to become such a huge issue.
but that specific instance opened the door for Marcus and Emily to explore their intimacy in a new way and i really liked that. they were committed to their marriage despite the tension and awkward feelings. sex doesn't have to be a static string of experience and i think these two proved that. maybe once upon a time Stacy was the best he ever had, but by the end of the book i believe with full confidence that Marcus felt like Emily was the perfect everything, the best of anyone.
not for everyone but it's a softer touch on the ow drama in my opinion. there's so much in Marcus' POV that i never felt jilted or had my blood pressure spiking. he's in love with her, he's regretful, he's dedicated. he's a flawed mmc but still a good one. 4 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I had no.problem with what the husband norms I've wanted to do with each other in bed but they were talk dry broken people with emotional , mental.anger and.trust problem. No.communication and it seems at.the only a sexual path of communication . There never was once I. This story words spoken of getting professional.help The husband destroying the furniture the way bedroom ,the wife getting g jealous and Calling her husband a cheating bastard in front of all her husbands emp!oyees. Then they both claim they love and adore each other . I.am. member of a 47 year marriage and have spent muchnof.my time. Away from in combat areas.but if my wife had ever said.those words to.me without having seen or heard or given any other way to.believe one of twon.things would have happened ,....serious counseling or a divorce. When a man starts to.tear a bedrooms.furniture part he is a dangerous Person to himself and his wife or.anyone e around d him .its a screed up story but it does tell a story about how supposed marriages can become explosive situations . communication may have helped but in real.life it turns into you did this or that and I didn't do it . The book gives off a sad ,horrifying feeling . The husband is try I g to prove his love thru sex of any kind but his wife is not .believing his wods it has to work in this story but of you do not have trust and then wife really does not trust her husband or her own feelings at this point in the marriage . Bottom line ...all the sex in this world will not give you love without trust . His wife hasvery strong feelings of no.worth to her husband . I could go on but the entire story is a mental.mess. A great story of you like dirty sex and a submissive wife and a husband who starts to test his wife as a common street gal and she likes it and I have worded that lightly
Marcus overhears Emily and her friends talking about their current sexual relationships. While his wife didn’t share any details, she described married sex life as fine. Marcus realizes he doesn’t like his sex life described as “fine” and sets out to rekindle the spark AND BOY DID THEY!
Why did he kiss my head, why did he hug me, why is he in my shower, why is he washing my hair, why was he trying to initiate foreplay after eons of just sex.
How sad to find out that two years of indifference in the marriage stemmed from Emily overhearing a conversation between two drunk friends. A conversation that changed the route of her intimacy with her husband. Her husband admitting to the best sex of his life, his preferences for cleanliness, and it wasn’t the wife he was bragging about. His wife quietly accepted this information, never confronted him, just lived with it, conformed to it by showering before bed, knowing she wasn’t first choice. In her head, every sexual activity, he was thinking of another.
Underlying insecurities concerning the hot male and insecure female exacerbate the miscommunication between them but they each love the other and are committed to each other.
Together they embark on a journey to get their marriage back by exploring their desires.
Personal Opinion: Best scenes of how the MMC handled unwanted advances from a want-to-be other woman, well two out of three times!
Only negative – Emily was insecure from the beginning and overhearing the conversation sent her in a downward spiral of insecurity, but she expected Marcus to be a mind reader and let’s face it, men are not equipped with that ability. Everyone saw how he worshipped her; he gave a speech to his entire company about how she would always come first before food and water, but she couldn’t see it, or her mind overrode reality due to abandonment issues.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.