The Affair: Cristiana's Story

The Affair #1-2.5

by Aidèe Jaimes

Her husband’s affair won her a golden ticket for a night with anyone, but what happens when the man she chooses wants more than her body?

Cris didn’t believe in forgiving a cheat, but when her own husband betrays her, she is faced with the hardest decision of her life. Does she stay or does she leave him?

She doesn't know which way to go, but she does know one thing. The only way she will stay is if they can level the playing field. And now armed with a ticket and a tall dark and sexy as hell prospect, she can do just that.

***This is Cristiana's Complete Story, and includes both novels The Ticket and The Red Dress, as well as the short story, The Other Side.***

333 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 8, 2019

About the author

When Mexican-American, USA Today Bestselling author Aidèe Jaimes isn’t chasing after her energetic daughter and spending time with her happily ever after husband in their Florida home, she writes dangerously addictive dark romance filled with sexy criminals and the women that bring them to their knees!

Reviews

[Tmstprc · Rating 1 out of 5]

Train freaking wreck!

Wife meets new neighbor’s hot son, falls into instant lust, but doesn’t act on it. Husband has a one night stand on a business trip. Friend shares how a get out of jail free pass for a one night stand saves her marriage. Now, wife wants this.

Be careful what you wish for.

One time turns into two... Cheating book turns into love triangle. Who does she pick? The man she’s been with for 15 year? Why no, she picks the new man, which may have been fine if their relationship seemed like more than lust. And, we justifies this mess with their exes falling for one another and everyone lives HEA.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book in this series follows Owen and Cris (short for Christina), a married couple who’ve been together for about 15 years. They share a daughter and have what seems like a happy, passionate, and loving relationship. They’re best friends, deeply connected, and have an active sex life. Owen frequently travels for work, and one of these trips initially seems routine—until Cris finds a note with a woman’s name (Cassandra) and a hotel receipt after he returns.

When she confronts Owen, he immediately confesses: he slept with a hotel waitress while drunk. It was a one-time mistake, he insists, and he deeply regrets it. Cris is devastated. She never imagined he would do something like this, and although she tries to move past it, the pain lingers.

The turning point comes when Owen invites her to a barbecue. While there, a colleague introduces his new girlfriend—Cassandra. The name triggers Cris, and she has a breakdown, even slapping someone in front of the guests. Owen tries to reassure her that it’s just a coincidence, but the damage is already done. Feeling stuck, she confides in a friend, who offers an unconventional solution: a “ticket”—permission for Cris to sleep with someone else, no questions asked, as a way to even the scales. Her friend had done the same in her own marriage.

Cris takes the idea to Owen. Although he’s heartbroken by the suggestion, he agrees because he wants to save their relationship. That’s when Bo enters the picture—he’s their neighbor’s son, someone Cris had noticed before and felt drawn to, though she’d never acted on it. Now, with the ticket, she knows exactly who she wants. She and Bo plan a weekend in New Orleans, and what was meant to be a one-time encounter turns into a deeply emotional and passionate weekend. Their chemistry is undeniable. Bo confesses he’s falling for her, but Cris tells him she’s married and still committed to Owen. The book ends with Cris choosing Owen, while Bo fades into the background.

The second book picks up several months later. Cris and Owen seem to be doing better; they’ve reconnected and are trying to move on. Cris still thinks about Bo now and then, but she keeps it to herself. Owen still doesn’t know who she used her ticket with—he believes it was a random stranger.

Things take a turn when they go out to lunch and run into Bo’s brother and sister-in-law—people Cris met during that weekend in New Orleans. Bo’s brother is shocked to find out she’s married, and soon Owen learns the truth: Bo was the man she slept with. He’s devastated but tries to work through it with Cris. They go to therapy and attempt to move forward.

Later, Owen goes away on another work trip. Cris and her friend go out for a night on the town, and on her way to meet her friend, she runs into Bo again. The attraction is still there, and this time, they give in to it. They sleep together again—but unlike the first time, this isn’t a “permitted” encounter. It’s full-on cheating. Cris knows immediately she’s crossed a line and tells Owen when he returns. This time, he’s completely heartbroken.

A particularly emotional moment in the second book is when we finally get the full story of Owen’s original infidelity. Though he did invite the woman to his room and kissed her, he stopped before things went too far. Realizing his mistake, he pushed her away. Finding out that he didn’t even go through with it fully, and that the woman from the barbecue was indeed the same one, makes the situation even more complicated.

In the end, Cris chooses Bo. She and Owen part ways, and she begins her own healing journey through therapy. The epilogue shows Cris and Bo happily together, while Owen finds peace and happiness with Bo’s ex (the mother of his children). Everyone ends up in a good place, with no hard feelings.

This isn’t the kind of story I usually read, but I really enjoyed it. It showed how even the strongest relationships can break under the weight of betrayal, and how healing doesn’t always mean staying together. I truly believe that if Owen hadn’t cheated, Cris never would have pursued Bo—she might have admired him from afar, but she wouldn’t have crossed that line. Owen’s betrayal was the turning point that changed everything.

The book was beautifully written—emotional, raw, and realistic. I haven’t read the companion book about Cris’s friend yet, but I definitely plan to. This series surprised me in the best way.

[Dawn Chic · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[norangal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Chapter 1 and she’s already a horny mom….
Just one look of him and she’s in lust with him. One look.

“A bead of sweat drips down his neck and into his clavicle, and I think, Ooh, I could lick that.”

Eww…you’d lick a stranger’s sweat?

I’m 3 chapters away in The Ticket, but I’ve had it, not gonna read some more.

I love cheating trope but this book is not it.
Didn’t like the writing plus she’s too horny and she’s a plain doormat >:(
No personality and all she does is being horny >:(
Didn’t like the way Bo was chosen and they way they flirting and stuff was plain boring….no chemistry no fireworks no goosebumps, no.

Soooo, yeah

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

100 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Even though there is taboo and a lot of people don’t go with that, the love and the passion in these books was so palpable it had me on the edge of my feet. I will like to cash my ticket with Bo please!!! I did love Owen, and felt a great connection with his character as well. All in all one of the best book series I’ve read!

[Digital · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I love a cheating romance as much as any eternally faithful housewife would but really?

[Kim Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lust over love

Hated it. Wife chose lust over love

[Kim Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as the first time.