This book was fascinating! It kept me riveted until the very end. All the feels are here, elation, despair, hope, anger and desire of revenge. In the previous book, I loved Hunter and Sara, so I was very happy to read their story. It was as angsty as the previous one, with the happy addition that the characters in this one are much nicer, and the general vibe is happier with a side of angst.
Hunter and Sara have been married for fifteen years and have had a fantastic marriage. Hunter is very involved in his job as CFO of Cabot Tea and at the moment is dealing with a tense sellout attempt by his father and his second wife Jenna. A lot of his attention is diverted towards his effort to stop the sale, but at the same time, Sara is undergoing fertility treatments. She waited a long time to get pregnant because she and Hunter had decided to enjoy their marriage and when they decided to procreate, her body didn’t cooperate. For the past two years, Sara’s priority is to get pregnant. So from the get-go, we know there’s going to be conflict between these two.
As the book progresses, Hunter’s and Sara’s communication deteriorates because each is pulling to their side, they each understand that their goal has a higher priority. Sara had always been able to pull Hunter away from work and force him to participate in family stuff, but since his father and stepmother are the ones pushing to sell, there’s an all out war that is pulling the family apart.
Sara is such a beautiful character; considerate, funny, loving, generous, kind. Hunter knew he was lucky to have her. Hunter was intense, driven, and he loved his wife with all his being. I loved to read about how Sara was his world.
In the middle of all the family strife, Colby, Hunter’s sister, is happy with Alec and their restaurant is enjoying success. As before, she is supporting to Hunter and sides with him in all Cabot Tea issues. She’s also very supportive to Sara and shares with her all her hopes and dreams. She’s very diplomatic and tries to help everyone. Gentry, the flighty and irresponsible younger half-sister, throws a wrench in the middle of the battle.
All the issues go in a crescendo mode, where Sara feels abandoned by her husband in her quest, her failures and her new interests, Hunter feels harassed by everyone in his family who wants something from him and he’s too stressed and busy to satisfy any demands, and he feels sort of abandoned and betrayed by his wife, who looks at all the side and sees the pros and cons. Hunter has turned obsessive towards one goal in detriment to all the other goals they had as a couple. At one time, I thought they were both being too obsessed by their personal agendas and selfish and blind to the other’s needs and desires. It was a very tense and volatile period and I just wanted something to give because the pace of the book was relentless. I got a little tired of Hunter’s controlling manner too.
I won’t comment on what happens because it would spoil the story but suffice to say that there are very intense and emotional moments. The family strife doesn’t let on for a lot of the book. Everyone had a lot of growing to do: Hunter, Sara, his father, Jenna, and Gentry. In a sudden moment of clarity, when Hunter was touching the bottom of despair, I loved how he allowed his emotion to clear the way towards Sara. I loved that throughout the whole book, the love and devotion that Hunter and Sara felt towards each other never flagged, there was never any doubt that they loved and were loved. They were just lost for a while. I totally loved this book, it was heartfelt and angsty and loving. This author writes great characters, with flaws and strengths and humanity. Can’t wait for Gentry’s book!