What do you think?
Rate this book
His Bittersweet Regret
Opal Morgan was always meant to be mine.
And she was, right up until I let everyone else inside my head and threw her away.
Six months after our last goodbye, I was on another lackluster date, regretting my life choices, when I finally saw her again.
She took my breath away for more than just one reason, the biggest being the well-rounded baby bump she couldn’t hide behind her bulky sweatshirt.
Marshall Kennedy was my one true love.
There had never once been a doubt in my mind, even as everyone around us tried to tell me that a love like ours could never last.
Then, one day out of the blue, he told me it was over and just like that, he walked out of my life.
I had to tell him my news via text and all I got back was that it didn’t make a difference. Goodbye meant goodbye.
So, why was he surprised when he finally saw me again?
Maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part, or bittersweet regret on his, either way, he was back and now I was the one second guessing everything.
And she was, right up until I let everyone else inside my head and threw her away.
Six months after our last goodbye, I was on another lackluster date, regretting my life choices, when I finally saw her again.
She took my breath away for more than just one reason, the biggest being the well-rounded baby bump she couldn’t hide behind her bulky sweatshirt.
Marshall Kennedy was my one true love.
There had never once been a doubt in my mind, even as everyone around us tried to tell me that a love like ours could never last.
Then, one day out of the blue, he told me it was over and just like that, he walked out of my life.
I had to tell him my news via text and all I got back was that it didn’t make a difference. Goodbye meant goodbye.
So, why was he surprised when he finally saw me again?
Maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part, or bittersweet regret on his, either way, he was back and now I was the one second guessing everything.
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 6, 2022
436 people are currently reading
1167 people want to read
About the author
Christine Michelle
65 books726 followersChristine Michelle runs on coffee and giggles as she writes her angst-fueled romance stories (motorcycle club, rockstar, paranormal, college, & other contemporary as well as women's fiction and marriage in trouble novels).
She is a mom to four humans (2 girls, 2 boys – all grown now).
When she's not writing books, she enjoys reading, drawing, hiking, or feeding her soul with live music at concerts.
Christine is a traveler and has lived all over the USA (and other parts of the world). She currently lives in Rapid City, South Dakota with her two fur babies.
Universal links to everything
(website, social media, book links, and more)
https://linktr.ee/christinemichelle
She is a mom to four humans (2 girls, 2 boys – all grown now).
When she's not writing books, she enjoys reading, drawing, hiking, or feeding her soul with live music at concerts.
Christine is a traveler and has lived all over the USA (and other parts of the world). She currently lives in Rapid City, South Dakota with her two fur babies.
Universal links to everything
(website, social media, book links, and more)
https://linktr.ee/christinemichelle
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 320 reviews
July 12, 2022
Two stars for the angst and the heroine but it is so -1000000 for the content and the way the writer dealt with this issue.
The plot is very simple. The hero and the heroine have been together since they were 15, now they are 23 and he's about buying her a ring.
They live together and are happy.
Quite.
Sadly he has two brothers and a friend who -continuously- try to break them because they tell him he's crazy not to date ow and he will surely regret not doing it afterwards.
Since he's a spineless beta without a mind of his own, he decides to dump the heroine telling her they will stay six months apart, date op and afterward, if they haven't found anyone better, they will be back together.
Yeah, that's it.
The heroine was goint to tell him she's pregnant, but he doesn't even let her speak.
He leaves her for six months and dates ow.
He kisses ow, makes out with them and never tries to see the heroine.
Oh, he's sad and he knows he made a mistake, but he wants to try this thing or he won't be able to know if he made the right choice. Really?
His friend and brothers, who are 26- yes, you read well, 26 not 12, crazy isn't it?- hate the heroine and during this time:
-send her pictures of him with every date, even making out with them
-mess with his phone: when he receives a sms from the heroine telling him she's pregnant they answer that he's not interested.
His parents:
-never call her
-never try to see if she's ok, even knowing she's living alone in the town, because her parents are in another state.
The heroine of course can't date, since she's pregnant and is also a decent human being who doesn't like to have sex with om while pregnant with the zero's child. This sounds very weird in the middle of all this debasement.
What else can I say.
Oh, the best part, here it comes.
When the hero, who's out with a date, sees the heroine and realizes she's pregnant, he immediately thinks she cheated on him and the baby is another man's.
Even if it were, he shouldn't have had any right to be angry.
But, since his brain is smaller than a jellyfish, he has an angry f**k with his date, who lives in front of the heroine, so she sees him when he goes out of her house after having sex with ow.
Ow tells him the heroine is pregnant with his child.
The second part of the book is about his groveling and the heroine eventually takes him back.
Something I so would have liked she didn't.
The only character who was really good was his younger brother who, at only 17, shows a maturity and a stenght of character who made me weep because he was too young to be with the heroine. LOL!
The heroine is not bad, she doesn't spare anyone a single thing, she makes the hero suffer but not enough and she is really a strong and smart woman. Not too smart though, since she takes the zero back again.
The angst is great, but it's all wrong.
Why one star?
Because the hero was really worthless.
The means to create angst are really cheap.
I hate cheating, but I can understand a drunk ONS or misunderstandings that keep a couple apart and one of them loses himself but this one was something.
-they were happy together, he decided to listen to those people who hated the heroine and bullied her for years. He chose to be with them not with her. Loser.
-He wanted another girl. He left the heroine because he felt something for another woman and this -IMO- means he was tired of the heroine, not in love with her. A girl should always- always- dump a man who acts like this when they are not even married. The time when you're with a person but not yet married should be a trial, if one is tired and doubtful during this trial imagine what happens when you're married and real life happens.
-He met only uninteresting and childish women so he eventually came back to the heroine, what if he met someone good?
-The reason he gave the heroine, that he wanted to be sure of his feelings dating ow is pitiful. They were together for 7 years, either you're sure or you are not. No need dating ow.
-Usual sick and tiring double standars. She doesn't even get to kiss another man. We are in the 21 century, please.
-You can measure a man's value also by his friends and people he surrounds himself with. In this case his choices tell all.
-The writer try to justify herself in the preface saying that this is a story with angst, but I suggest that she read some of older HP authors, as Michelle Reid, Charlotte Lamb, older Lynne Graham and older Carole Mortimer. These authors knew how to write an angsty book without a worthless spineless beta hero in it. At least most of the times. I've never read of a old skool hero who was in love with the heroine for years then he pissed his pants and decided he wanted to date ow because. What???
I'm too old for this bullshit.
There are such narrative devices as misunderstandings, deceptions, all masterly made by conniving people who want to break a couple for some evil reason. There are evil ows, evil parents, evil grandparents, and even if the hero is cruel to the heroine he's usually deceived by ginormous villains that make Satan cringe in shame.
There's no need to make the heroine a whipping dog because the hero is a pussy to create an angsty situation.
There's no need to make her settle for that spineless beta who dumped her then took her back just because the first man she dated was a cheating a** too.
I thought that we were past the date when women had to suffer because of Adam and Eve and original sin and all that stuff but it seems we are still there.
A woman is guilty because she's a woman and has to suffer by the hands of a man.
No, just no.
This hero is worthless and spineless and isn't worth a second chance.
Give me alpha heroes who know what they want and are not influenced by bullies, because his friends and brothers are just that, mean bullies.
This book only made me sad and unhappy.
Unfortunately I realized afterwards that this author loves cheating heroes and martyr heroines who accept any abuse and humiliation just because they are women and have to suffer, and I don't think I'll read any other of her books in future.
I like other ways to create angsty situation. This was cheap.
-100000 stars
The plot is very simple. The hero and the heroine have been together since they were 15, now they are 23 and he's about buying her a ring.
They live together and are happy.
Quite.
Sadly he has two brothers and a friend who -continuously- try to break them because they tell him he's crazy not to date ow and he will surely regret not doing it afterwards.
Since he's a spineless beta without a mind of his own, he decides to dump the heroine telling her they will stay six months apart, date op and afterward, if they haven't found anyone better, they will be back together.
Yeah, that's it.
The heroine was goint to tell him she's pregnant, but he doesn't even let her speak.
He leaves her for six months and dates ow.
He kisses ow, makes out with them and never tries to see the heroine.
Oh, he's sad and he knows he made a mistake, but he wants to try this thing or he won't be able to know if he made the right choice. Really?
His friend and brothers, who are 26- yes, you read well, 26 not 12, crazy isn't it?- hate the heroine and during this time:
-send her pictures of him with every date, even making out with them
-mess with his phone: when he receives a sms from the heroine telling him she's pregnant they answer that he's not interested.
His parents:
-never call her
-never try to see if she's ok, even knowing she's living alone in the town, because her parents are in another state.
The heroine of course can't date, since she's pregnant and is also a decent human being who doesn't like to have sex with om while pregnant with the zero's child. This sounds very weird in the middle of all this debasement.
What else can I say.
Oh, the best part, here it comes.
When the hero, who's out with a date, sees the heroine and realizes she's pregnant, he immediately thinks she cheated on him and the baby is another man's.
Even if it were, he shouldn't have had any right to be angry.
But, since his brain is smaller than a jellyfish, he has an angry f**k with his date, who lives in front of the heroine, so she sees him when he goes out of her house after having sex with ow.
Ow tells him the heroine is pregnant with his child.
The second part of the book is about his groveling and the heroine eventually takes him back.
Something I so would have liked she didn't.
The only character who was really good was his younger brother who, at only 17, shows a maturity and a stenght of character who made me weep because he was too young to be with the heroine. LOL!
The heroine is not bad, she doesn't spare anyone a single thing, she makes the hero suffer but not enough and she is really a strong and smart woman. Not too smart though, since she takes the zero back again.
The angst is great, but it's all wrong.
Why one star?
Because the hero was really worthless.
The means to create angst are really cheap.
I hate cheating, but I can understand a drunk ONS or misunderstandings that keep a couple apart and one of them loses himself but this one was something.
-they were happy together, he decided to listen to those people who hated the heroine and bullied her for years. He chose to be with them not with her. Loser.
-He wanted another girl. He left the heroine because he felt something for another woman and this -IMO- means he was tired of the heroine, not in love with her. A girl should always- always- dump a man who acts like this when they are not even married. The time when you're with a person but not yet married should be a trial, if one is tired and doubtful during this trial imagine what happens when you're married and real life happens.
-He met only uninteresting and childish women so he eventually came back to the heroine, what if he met someone good?
-The reason he gave the heroine, that he wanted to be sure of his feelings dating ow is pitiful. They were together for 7 years, either you're sure or you are not. No need dating ow.
-Usual sick and tiring double standars. She doesn't even get to kiss another man. We are in the 21 century, please.
-You can measure a man's value also by his friends and people he surrounds himself with. In this case his choices tell all.
-The writer try to justify herself in the preface saying that this is a story with angst, but I suggest that she read some of older HP authors, as Michelle Reid, Charlotte Lamb, older Lynne Graham and older Carole Mortimer. These authors knew how to write an angsty book without a worthless spineless beta hero in it. At least most of the times. I've never read of a old skool hero who was in love with the heroine for years then he pissed his pants and decided he wanted to date ow because. What???
I'm too old for this bullshit.
There are such narrative devices as misunderstandings, deceptions, all masterly made by conniving people who want to break a couple for some evil reason. There are evil ows, evil parents, evil grandparents, and even if the hero is cruel to the heroine he's usually deceived by ginormous villains that make Satan cringe in shame.
There's no need to make the heroine a whipping dog because the hero is a pussy to create an angsty situation.
There's no need to make her settle for that spineless beta who dumped her then took her back just because the first man she dated was a cheating a** too.
I thought that we were past the date when women had to suffer because of Adam and Eve and original sin and all that stuff but it seems we are still there.
A woman is guilty because she's a woman and has to suffer by the hands of a man.
No, just no.
This hero is worthless and spineless and isn't worth a second chance.
Give me alpha heroes who know what they want and are not influenced by bullies, because his friends and brothers are just that, mean bullies.
This book only made me sad and unhappy.
Unfortunately I realized afterwards that this author loves cheating heroes and martyr heroines who accept any abuse and humiliation just because they are women and have to suffer, and I don't think I'll read any other of her books in future.
I like other ways to create angsty situation. This was cheap.
-100000 stars
September 26, 2024
3 ⭐⭐⭐ Ok Decent reads
=======================================
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
A
N
D
R
A
N
T
Shit show of disrespect from Zero.
Zero and Zeroine have been together for 7 years and supposedly happy. But Zero decides to listen to his brothers and best friend, who hate Zeroine and want him to have sex with other people and participate in their parties.
He decides to empty the house that the two share and leave Zeroine for six months, in search of something better and to have sexual experiences with other women, since he was attracted to a woman at a party.
On the day that Zeroine was to announce her pregnancy, she finds her apartment empty and he dumps a bucket of cold water on her, letting her know he's leaving and dumps her like a disposable trash.
The brothers intercept her message and reply that he doesn't care about the pregnancy. She spends 6 miserable months of abandonment and lack of means to survive. Zero leaves her penniless, without a car and without alternatives.
Meanwhile he has dates with other women, dinners, parties, making out and unprotected sex with one of the women. Zero is a lord!
In my view he is a backboneless cheater who is easily influenced by his brainless brothers. I know he kicked Zeroine before he went out with other women…but he was attracted to the other woman and set the plan in motion when they were still together. He's not worth it. He was looking for an excuse to kick her out.
And Zeroine was suffering without any support while Zero was a selfish SOB who only thinks about his own well being.
Zero had unprotected sex with another woman the first time they went out together, with our Zeroine claiming that he waited three years with her to discard the condom. This fully demonstrates the lack of respect for her.
Unfortunately she didn't have sex with anyone else, I was hoping she would find another partner and at least have a good experience. But no…she remained faithful to him, while he tarnished their entire relationship with cheap dates and cheap sex.
I'm pissed off about all this. Why does Zeroine have to remain chaste and pure while Zero taints their entire relationship as if it were nothing?
=======================================
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
A
N
D
R
A
N
T
Shit show of disrespect from Zero.
Zero and Zeroine have been together for 7 years and supposedly happy. But Zero decides to listen to his brothers and best friend, who hate Zeroine and want him to have sex with other people and participate in their parties.
He decides to empty the house that the two share and leave Zeroine for six months, in search of something better and to have sexual experiences with other women, since he was attracted to a woman at a party.
On the day that Zeroine was to announce her pregnancy, she finds her apartment empty and he dumps a bucket of cold water on her, letting her know he's leaving and dumps her like a disposable trash.
The brothers intercept her message and reply that he doesn't care about the pregnancy. She spends 6 miserable months of abandonment and lack of means to survive. Zero leaves her penniless, without a car and without alternatives.
Meanwhile he has dates with other women, dinners, parties, making out and unprotected sex with one of the women. Zero is a lord!
In my view he is a backboneless cheater who is easily influenced by his brainless brothers. I know he kicked Zeroine before he went out with other women…but he was attracted to the other woman and set the plan in motion when they were still together. He's not worth it. He was looking for an excuse to kick her out.
And Zeroine was suffering without any support while Zero was a selfish SOB who only thinks about his own well being.
Zero had unprotected sex with another woman the first time they went out together, with our Zeroine claiming that he waited three years with her to discard the condom. This fully demonstrates the lack of respect for her.
Unfortunately she didn't have sex with anyone else, I was hoping she would find another partner and at least have a good experience. But no…she remained faithful to him, while he tarnished their entire relationship with cheap dates and cheap sex.
I'm pissed off about all this. Why does Zeroine have to remain chaste and pure while Zero taints their entire relationship as if it were nothing?
do-not-read-cheating
May 26, 2024SPOILERS
Sigh…
—the MCs were each other’s firsts
—together for 7 years
—the H’s brothers convince him to f others because he can’t only have sex with his soul mate 🤬
—he tells the h peace out for 6 months. I’m gonna date (f***) other women. Basically let me sow my wild oats. But you can wait for me while I do this 🤬
—the h is pregnant and his brothers interfere with her telling the H
—the H can’t seem to f ow, until he sees the h pregnant and the ow tells him it’s some om’s baby
—so he sows his wild oats 🥴
—the h lives across the ow, so of course she sees the H leaving the ow’s place
—oh and he doesn’t use protection with ow
—the h goes on ONE bad date… because, duh, why the HELLLLL would it be a good date 🙄🤬
—which means, she’s celibate, while he clearly was not
—he leaves her with no car, no money
—so she has to walk everywhere (like her doctor appointments, the store, etc) and struggles to keep their place so has to move out to a shitty one
—at least she tells him like it is
—but she takes him back way too easily 🙄😑
Raffaella has all the spoilers https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sigh…
—the MCs were each other’s firsts
—together for 7 years
—the H’s brothers convince him to f others because he can’t only have sex with his soul mate 🤬
—he tells the h peace out for 6 months. I’m gonna date (f***) other women. Basically let me sow my wild oats. But you can wait for me while I do this 🤬
—the h is pregnant and his brothers interfere with her telling the H
—the H can’t seem to f ow, until he sees the h pregnant and the ow tells him it’s some om’s baby
—so he sows his wild oats 🥴
—the h lives across the ow, so of course she sees the H leaving the ow’s place
—oh and he doesn’t use protection with ow
—the h goes on ONE bad date… because, duh, why the HELLLLL would it be a good date 🙄🤬
—which means, she’s celibate, while he clearly was not
—he leaves her with no car, no money
—so she has to walk everywhere (like her doctor appointments, the store, etc) and struggles to keep their place so has to move out to a shitty one
—at least she tells him like it is
—but she takes him back way too easily 🙄😑
Raffaella has all the spoilers https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
September 11, 2022
I used to enjoy some of this authors books before but because she did write the male characters besotted with their females. Her recent books though nearly all seem to have cheating between main couples. Why is cheating such a popular trope with some authors? I have read enough books where you can have angst and drama without needing to make your main characters into cheaters. Books like this I need to avoid now as it leaves such a horrible feeling after reading. Another author I need to avoid now thanks to her recent love of writing cheating “hero!s”!
August 5, 2022
OM ever loving G! Because he's a big, fat wussy coward, he moves his stuff out before telling her he wanted to break up so he can go have sex with other women for six months. AND HE TAKES THE SHEETS OFF THE BED so she has to go lie and sob on an unmade bed!!!!! What a loser.
And, AND he "didn't worry about her going out with other men. She would still be there when the six months were up. I knew it.
***************************************************
Despite my hissy fit, this almost ended up being a 4 star book. Highly readable and very entertaining!
The h starts out as a sweet little dweeb who gets hurt, and I was sure that given the epic idiocy of the H it would be followed by an equal idiocy of the h as in accepting a facile, insta-apology. Nope, apologies go to the author and the heroine. She turns into a fierce ninja h that won’t accept false promises, all-about-me apologies, or bad behavior from any wrongdoers. Wrongdoers include the H, his manipulative brothers, his overbearing mother, and a seemingly nice guy who isn’t. Who’s the standout hero? The H’s awesome little brother who stands by the heroine from the very beginning, and schools and scolds ALL his older brothers as well his parents.
Redemption occurs for the H, but the heroine makes him work for it while expressing doubt and disdain over his choices.
What was entertaining? The H’s supreme stupidity as well as the h’s ability to lay it on the line to anyone who crossed her boundaries once she was done.
The main MMP (main male person as I can’t call him a hero) in this story is like the universe…correction, his stupidity is like the universe as it is ever expanding and infinite. There are no depths his stupidity will not plumb whether he has just dumped his “soul mate” for sexier times or, more pathetically, tries to get her back with the reasoning that his unprotected sex didn’t count because he didn’t finish and it was only the one time.
Other INSANELY, and sometimes entertaining, stupid stuff.
All in all, this worked despite the dumping and cheating.What kept it from being 4 stars was the author abandoning the bad twin brothers 3/4 of the way. They had only begun to grovel. The other issue is that no matter the grovel, the attempts to make things right, the redemption, the LOVE, the hero was still a clueless idiot. The heroine is now an awakened, inner snarky and dark h that I don't think will put up with him long term.
And, AND he "didn't worry about her going out with other men. She would still be there when the six months were up. I knew it.
***************************************************
Despite my hissy fit, this almost ended up being a 4 star book. Highly readable and very entertaining!
The h starts out as a sweet little dweeb who gets hurt, and I was sure that given the epic idiocy of the H it would be followed by an equal idiocy of the h as in accepting a facile, insta-apology. Nope, apologies go to the author and the heroine. She turns into a fierce ninja h that won’t accept false promises, all-about-me apologies, or bad behavior from any wrongdoers. Wrongdoers include the H, his manipulative brothers, his overbearing mother, and a seemingly nice guy who isn’t. Who’s the standout hero? The H’s awesome little brother who stands by the heroine from the very beginning, and schools and scolds ALL his older brothers as well his parents.
Redemption occurs for the H, but the heroine makes him work for it while expressing doubt and disdain over his choices.
What was entertaining? The H’s supreme stupidity as well as the h’s ability to lay it on the line to anyone who crossed her boundaries once she was done.
The main MMP (main male person as I can’t call him a hero) in this story is like the universe…correction, his stupidity is like the universe as it is ever expanding and infinite. There are no depths his stupidity will not plumb whether he has just dumped his “soul mate” for sexier times or, more pathetically, tries to get her back with the reasoning that his unprotected sex didn’t count because he didn’t finish and it was only the one time.
Other INSANELY, and sometimes entertaining, stupid stuff.
All in all, this worked despite the dumping and cheating.What kept it from being 4 stars was the author abandoning the bad twin brothers 3/4 of the way. They had only begun to grovel. The other issue is that no matter the grovel, the attempts to make things right, the redemption, the LOVE, the hero was still a clueless idiot. The heroine is now an awakened, inner snarky and dark h that I don't think will put up with him long term.
July 10, 2022
Let’s start by saying he’s a moron, an absolute moron. It’s hard to come back from this. He’s a moron with a toxic family, holy crap with the exception of one brother, these people are horrible.
Why is he a moron? Because for 7 years his brothers and bestie torment him about only being with his high school sweetheart. He needs more experience, he needs to live more, he needs to break up and date other woman.
And when he finds himself slightly attracted to someone else, he breaks up with her. Breaks up with her the day she was going to tell him she’s pregnant. He announces they need a 6 month break and walks out the door.
When she realizes he really isn’t coming back, she texts him she’s pregnant. And the response isn’t nice. The reader isn’t told, but it’s obviously not from him.
So basically, the hero ghosts her for 6 months, he unhappily dates other women, and assumes she is dating too—he’s miserable. And has no clue she’s struggling to make ends meet, and hold everything together while pregnant. His younger brother knows this and is supportive of the heroine, and believes his idiot brother actually sent the nasty text.
Blah, blah, blah… at 6 months he finds out she’s pregnant, and actually thinks it’s not his, and he does the one thing he won’t be able to come back from. Only to find out uh oh, the baby is his.
And he has one pissed off ex. This is the only thing that works for me. She’s burning with anger and she’s beyond hurt and heartbroken, and she holds on to the hurt and anger for the entire book. She has no problem verbalizing everything, she makes sure everyone of them knows exactly what she thinks and feels, and it’s not pretty.
By the 3/4 point, I’m thinking this may be a bait and switch book, that she might actually move on with someone else—and honestly, that probably would have worked for me.
And that’s why this only has 2 stars, it takes too long to fix, her anger with him and his pathetic family is justified. Everything he and his crazy family does adds salt to her wounds. There’s no real healing. He tries but is so clueless for so long that the end feels rushed and was very unsatisfying.
2 this needed less build up and more healing stars
Why is he a moron? Because for 7 years his brothers and bestie torment him about only being with his high school sweetheart. He needs more experience, he needs to live more, he needs to break up and date other woman.
And when he finds himself slightly attracted to someone else, he breaks up with her. Breaks up with her the day she was going to tell him she’s pregnant. He announces they need a 6 month break and walks out the door.
When she realizes he really isn’t coming back, she texts him she’s pregnant. And the response isn’t nice. The reader isn’t told, but it’s obviously not from him.
So basically, the hero ghosts her for 6 months, he unhappily dates other women, and assumes she is dating too—he’s miserable. And has no clue she’s struggling to make ends meet, and hold everything together while pregnant. His younger brother knows this and is supportive of the heroine, and believes his idiot brother actually sent the nasty text.
Blah, blah, blah… at 6 months he finds out she’s pregnant, and actually thinks it’s not his, and he does the one thing he won’t be able to come back from. Only to find out uh oh, the baby is his.
And he has one pissed off ex. This is the only thing that works for me. She’s burning with anger and she’s beyond hurt and heartbroken, and she holds on to the hurt and anger for the entire book. She has no problem verbalizing everything, she makes sure everyone of them knows exactly what she thinks and feels, and it’s not pretty.
By the 3/4 point, I’m thinking this may be a bait and switch book, that she might actually move on with someone else—and honestly, that probably would have worked for me.
And that’s why this only has 2 stars, it takes too long to fix, her anger with him and his pathetic family is justified. Everything he and his crazy family does adds salt to her wounds. There’s no real healing. He tries but is so clueless for so long that the end feels rushed and was very unsatisfying.
2 this needed less build up and more healing stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
avoid
February 16, 2023Worst book ever.
Cheating h.
Doormat preg h.
Cheating h.
Doormat preg h.
August 25, 2022
Whew!! This was angsty. Marshall was hands down the most stupid Hero I have ever read before, but him having his head up his ass for most of the story sure made for some decent angst. Everything Opal went through was heartbreaking. Marshall's dating other women was awful, but his family treating Opal like crap during her abandonment instead of supporting her was equally as horrible. Lucky for me, I thrive on dumbass heroes acting hurtful, as well as mistreated/misjudged heroines in my stories! I loved all the angsty goodness this story elicited, and I enjoyed Marshall finally pulling his head out of his ass and becoming a better human again.
dnf
April 26, 2023DNFed @ 62% - no rating
As angsty as this should have been, it failed, miserably. I got very bored. And much of this story felt incredibly contrived. The hero was just a dummy who gave in to pressure from his brothers and friends; he was immature. There was a lot of groveling which normally is my absolute favorite thing in romance, but here, it became predictable and exasperatingly repetitive.
As angsty as this should have been, it failed, miserably. I got very bored. And much of this story felt incredibly contrived. The hero was just a dummy who gave in to pressure from his brothers and friends; he was immature. There was a lot of groveling which normally is my absolute favorite thing in romance, but here, it became predictable and exasperatingly repetitive.
September 5, 2022
Opal the long suffering and Marshall the Nitwit. ( 3.5 stars rounded up)
I really did enjoy this, much the same way I enjoyed The Forgotten Wife.
The only way to redeem Marsh is to make him a fool. -sigh-
But I still enjoyed his self recriminations and grovel.
...and there has to be a pseudo villain I guess
So Marsh and Opal have been together since early high school. They are in a bit of rut as they finished school and start their careers as teachers (at least I think he's a teacher too?)
So the trifecta leading to their downfall is;
Jealousy, idiocy and cowardice.
Not attractive qualities but there ya go.
Jealousy because lots of people are jealous of Marsh and Opal's easy happiness.
Idiocy because Marsh exhibits a distinct lack of logical thinking processes.
Cowardice because Marsh doesn't have the guts and commitment to discuss all of it with Opal before taking all the bad advice.
His brothers are even bigger idiots than Marsh and they and his conniving best friend talk Marsh into telling Opal that they are taking a 6 month break to see other people.
Opal was devastated because she thought he was about to propose and she had just found out she is pregnant. She tries to tell him about the baby (not very hard though) and his brothers delete her text.
I cut her some slack because of how he left her... no discussion or heads up. Basically no respect. But for the sake of her baby, she should have gone to a lawyer and made the selfish sh*ts pay!
Anyways, 6 months pass and Marsh hates the whole fiasco (still not knowing Opal is carrying their child), but does he call an end to it early or try to contact Opal? NO no the stupid self centered idiot does NOT. I loved reading about how poorly his first date with an OW went. Especially as it was someone he had the crass, conceited idiocy to ogle this woman at a party while Opal watched.
Fortunately Opal has his younger brother and her best friend to help her out. Because Marsh's parents, who were there for her for years, are not now. And her own parents are the worst characters in the book. They took negligence to a whole new level!
Opal ends up in a shitty apartment with only her pride to keep her warm
It takes months for Marsh to gain his way back into her good graces. And it will likely take years for her to fully trust him again. I was OK with Marsh's grovel by the end. She does get to go on a date with an OM although it doesn't end well. But it served to show Marsh just how poorly he'd thought out his dumbass plan. 'Cause of course he doesn't like it.
After all is said and done the only person who doesn't get forgiven is Marsh's judgmental mother.
When all is said and done, I quite enjoyed Opal's making Marsh prove himself. She was seriously not going to take him back for the longest time. None of that melt in a puddle and forgive without a serious apology. Nope. She stuck to her guns.
Safety is OK
There's a cute little epilogue but it's only from a couple months later.
I really did enjoy this, much the same way I enjoyed The Forgotten Wife.
The only way to redeem Marsh is to make him a fool. -sigh-
But I still enjoyed his self recriminations and grovel.
...and there has to be a pseudo villain I guess
So Marsh and Opal have been together since early high school. They are in a bit of rut as they finished school and start their careers as teachers (at least I think he's a teacher too?)
So the trifecta leading to their downfall is;
Jealousy, idiocy and cowardice.
Not attractive qualities but there ya go.
Jealousy because lots of people are jealous of Marsh and Opal's easy happiness.
Idiocy because Marsh exhibits a distinct lack of logical thinking processes.
Cowardice because Marsh doesn't have the guts and commitment to discuss all of it with Opal before taking all the bad advice.
His brothers are even bigger idiots than Marsh and they and his conniving best friend talk Marsh into telling Opal that they are taking a 6 month break to see other people.
Opal was devastated because she thought he was about to propose and she had just found out she is pregnant. She tries to tell him about the baby (not very hard though) and his brothers delete her text.
I cut her some slack because of how he left her... no discussion or heads up. Basically no respect. But for the sake of her baby, she should have gone to a lawyer and made the selfish sh*ts pay!
Anyways, 6 months pass and Marsh hates the whole fiasco (still not knowing Opal is carrying their child), but does he call an end to it early or try to contact Opal? NO no the stupid self centered idiot does NOT. I loved reading about how poorly his first date with an OW went. Especially as it was someone he had the crass, conceited idiocy to ogle this woman at a party while Opal watched.
Fortunately Opal has his younger brother and her best friend to help her out. Because Marsh's parents, who were there for her for years, are not now. And her own parents are the worst characters in the book. They took negligence to a whole new level!
Opal ends up in a shitty apartment with only her pride to keep her warm
It takes months for Marsh to gain his way back into her good graces. And it will likely take years for her to fully trust him again. I was OK with Marsh's grovel by the end. She does get to go on a date with an OM although it doesn't end well. But it served to show Marsh just how poorly he'd thought out his dumbass plan. 'Cause of course he doesn't like it.
After all is said and done the only person who doesn't get forgiven is Marsh's judgmental mother.
When all is said and done, I quite enjoyed Opal's making Marsh prove himself. She was seriously not going to take him back for the longest time. None of that melt in a puddle and forgive without a serious apology. Nope. She stuck to her guns.
Safety is OK
There's a cute little epilogue but it's only from a couple months later.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2022
3 ⭐'s
The attention this book has gotten called out to my cold, angsty heart and I couldn’t wait to read it. The reviews were harsh so my expectations were high. Unfortunately, the reviews were a bit over the top.
Marsh's brothers and friends have been giving him a hard time about Opal for years. Marsh and Opal got together when they were about 15 and now they are 23. They don't want Marsh to have regrets. The turning point for Marsh was hearing his own parents have the same problem.
He decided for them to take a six month break. He didn't discuss it with her and moved his things out of their apartment before she got home and that was pretty bad.
However, I didn't think what Marsh did after that was terrible. He didn't know about certain events that happened and when he found out, it was understandable how he felt.
Also, Opal was in no way a push over. She took control of her life and knew what she could do and what she couldn't. She didn't let Marsh get his way and that was a good thing.
There was one character that was too exaggerated and out of left field. I felt circumstances could have been handle differently or better yet, this plot just left out.
Overall, the story was just ok. I wanted more angst and heartbreak. Oh well.
The attention this book has gotten called out to my cold, angsty heart and I couldn’t wait to read it. The reviews were harsh so my expectations were high. Unfortunately, the reviews were a bit over the top.
Marsh's brothers and friends have been giving him a hard time about Opal for years. Marsh and Opal got together when they were about 15 and now they are 23. They don't want Marsh to have regrets. The turning point for Marsh was hearing his own parents have the same problem.
He decided for them to take a six month break. He didn't discuss it with her and moved his things out of their apartment before she got home and that was pretty bad.
However, I didn't think what Marsh did after that was terrible. He didn't know about certain events that happened and when he found out, it was understandable how he felt.
Also, Opal was in no way a push over. She took control of her life and knew what she could do and what she couldn't. She didn't let Marsh get his way and that was a good thing.
There was one character that was too exaggerated and out of left field. I felt circumstances could have been handle differently or better yet, this plot just left out.
Overall, the story was just ok. I wanted more angst and heartbreak. Oh well.
July 5, 2022
Things I liked:
The h was strong and didn’t give in to the H.
The h worked hard to make it on her own after the H selfishly left her with no warning
Things I didn’t like:
The author warns it a slow burn. She wasn’t kidding.
The story was loooooong.
A few words about the story. I think that this could read like a real life story. The family drama was a little unbelievable but it was still ok. The H’s ability to be manipulated was eye roll worthy. This author has written the dumbest H I have ever read about award.
The h was strong and didn’t give in to the H.
The h worked hard to make it on her own after the H selfishly left her with no warning
Things I didn’t like:
The author warns it a slow burn. She wasn’t kidding.
The story was loooooong.
A few words about the story. I think that this could read like a real life story. The family drama was a little unbelievable but it was still ok. The H’s ability to be manipulated was eye roll worthy. This author has written the dumbest H I have ever read about award.
February 28, 2023
The f’king book was hysterical! The MMC straight blew up his life for the most absurd reason all the while SERIOUSLY thinking that the FMC would be okay with him dating/f’king other women before coming back to her. I was dying! I couldn’t put it down. I absolutely LOVED the pain, angst, real world struggles that went on in this book!! The FMC was incredibly fantastic to me!! She was clear and no holds barred on anyone who needed to hear about themselves. She was kind but direct in pointing out when you were simply wrong. She stood up for herself and that was that!!
I felt all the pain and strength from the FMC. She wasn’t a betrayed body typical FMC. However, the end was too quick and not on page.
The entire book is the drama the MMC unleashed on all their lives. Some characters were villains some were shades of grey and some were just good people. The shades of grey ones confused me. You can’t do such massive wrongs on people but then turnaround and claim repentance or simply ignorance. The twins were this. What they did should never be forgiven. Point blank period. As for the other grey’ish person the mother in law, I didn’t get what happened. She was normal one moment and the next she needed to be institutionalized. It was literally that quick! So I’m not sure how to see her character or what the author was trying to do with her. Last grey character’s was the FMC’s parents. The FMC should have straight cut them out of her life. Just as they seemed to have done to her but more permanently. If your parents literally leave you in dire straits and have ZERO desire to be a part of not just your life but that of their grand child’s then f’kem.
I have three complaints regarding this story and they are we don’t see what happens to one of the most vilest characters I’ve ever read. The texted photos of every single date is the most despicable, insidious, vulgar thing I’ve ever heard of. The MMC’s supposed best friend Cramer was sick, in my opinion. We don’t hear about him other than that he would get handled, but did he? Or did the book just seriously close with no resolution on that part?
Which leads me to my second complaint. It just ends. The whole book is drama but as soon as they start actually talking and not just engaging with their feelings it quickly escalates to the HEA without the reader seeing the work they did to get there. We never see the true forgiveness as it’s sort of glossed over easily at the end. We don’t see any intimate scenes between the main characters except one dream scene, which doesn’t count in my opinion and one ugly hate f’k that the MMC did when he thought the absolute worst thing a moron can think of of the FMC, the supposed love of his life.
My last and more serious complaint. The MMC got exactly what he set out to do. He set out to experience others and while it wasn’t exactly what everyone expected, it was still experience and his plan that he would still get his girl back did in fact happen. Smh. I absolutely LOVED the FMC but she should have made him work for YEARS(!), to get her back. End of. He told her to her face this was what he was going to do and that’s exactly what happened. While I was totally into this story, them ending up back together less then a year after the “break” and less than 4 months after she witnessed the proof of his one and only other sexual encounter, negated all my built up respect for this character and this author. The author wrote the HEA as a rushed closing of this story without regard for how the characters should have played out. It should have taken years for them to get back to each other. Years! If at all.
I loved this story. I was literally hooked on every word. I will absolutely reread this book. I will absolutely buy more of these hot mess stories from this author and I look forward to reading them. I would love a story for ryker but I won’t hold my breathe. I gave four stars because I was highly entertained but that was a generous rating. It wasn’t worth five stars though due to the three issues I mentioned above. Enjoy.
I felt all the pain and strength from the FMC. She wasn’t a betrayed body typical FMC. However, the end was too quick and not on page.
The entire book is the drama the MMC unleashed on all their lives. Some characters were villains some were shades of grey and some were just good people. The shades of grey ones confused me. You can’t do such massive wrongs on people but then turnaround and claim repentance or simply ignorance. The twins were this. What they did should never be forgiven. Point blank period. As for the other grey’ish person the mother in law, I didn’t get what happened. She was normal one moment and the next she needed to be institutionalized. It was literally that quick! So I’m not sure how to see her character or what the author was trying to do with her. Last grey character’s was the FMC’s parents. The FMC should have straight cut them out of her life. Just as they seemed to have done to her but more permanently. If your parents literally leave you in dire straits and have ZERO desire to be a part of not just your life but that of their grand child’s then f’kem.
I have three complaints regarding this story and they are we don’t see what happens to one of the most vilest characters I’ve ever read. The texted photos of every single date is the most despicable, insidious, vulgar thing I’ve ever heard of. The MMC’s supposed best friend Cramer was sick, in my opinion. We don’t hear about him other than that he would get handled, but did he? Or did the book just seriously close with no resolution on that part?
Which leads me to my second complaint. It just ends. The whole book is drama but as soon as they start actually talking and not just engaging with their feelings it quickly escalates to the HEA without the reader seeing the work they did to get there. We never see the true forgiveness as it’s sort of glossed over easily at the end. We don’t see any intimate scenes between the main characters except one dream scene, which doesn’t count in my opinion and one ugly hate f’k that the MMC did when he thought the absolute worst thing a moron can think of of the FMC, the supposed love of his life.
My last and more serious complaint. The MMC got exactly what he set out to do. He set out to experience others and while it wasn’t exactly what everyone expected, it was still experience and his plan that he would still get his girl back did in fact happen. Smh. I absolutely LOVED the FMC but she should have made him work for YEARS(!), to get her back. End of. He told her to her face this was what he was going to do and that’s exactly what happened. While I was totally into this story, them ending up back together less then a year after the “break” and less than 4 months after she witnessed the proof of his one and only other sexual encounter, negated all my built up respect for this character and this author. The author wrote the HEA as a rushed closing of this story without regard for how the characters should have played out. It should have taken years for them to get back to each other. Years! If at all.
I loved this story. I was literally hooked on every word. I will absolutely reread this book. I will absolutely buy more of these hot mess stories from this author and I look forward to reading them. I would love a story for ryker but I won’t hold my breathe. I gave four stars because I was highly entertained but that was a generous rating. It wasn’t worth five stars though due to the three issues I mentioned above. Enjoy.
March 6, 2023
This was kind of fun in a nonsensical, soapy, drama-llama sort of way, but if you’re in the mood for anything swoony, realistic/serious feels, or drama not dependent on the H being an idiot or his family acting like crazy people… this isn’t for you.
The blurb sets this up, Marsh and Opal have been together many years when he decides to dump her (at his brothers’ urging) to see if the grass is greener and all that jazz. Unfortunately, he doesn’t realize Opal is with child, and the shit really hits the fan.
I don’t mind an ASSHOLE in fiction, especially in soapy-reads… cuz someone needs to generate the drama-llama. The key for me… and what many authors’ struggle with… is that there needs to be a dickwad-drama ➖ grovel ➖ make-up balance to pull it off. And this has a WAY better balance than my last read (To Dream a Dream), but it rushed through some of the good parts.
Marsh was a stupid jerk, but a lot of the dickwad-drama was rushed because the 6-month separation is raced through, and there aren’t any face-to-face gut punch H/h interactions. There’s several chapters of groveling (👍) but we fly through the actually reconciliation skipping days, weeks, and pivotal steps like having sex the first time after making up.
Bottom Line- Ok read if you enjoy OTT/trashy reads. The h isn’t a pushover, she goes at the H, his brothers, his crazy mother, and stays bitter for the majority of the book. The H was weak and dumb for letting people make him doubt his relationship, but his POV never waivered from questioning/regretting his decision and loving the h. The plot is paced pretty well, the breakup happens within the first few chapters, and the groveling picks up around 30% and last almost until the end.
BUT it’s overdramatic and relies on the characters not acting like regular people (illogical decisions, foolish reasoning, personality changes, etc.) so nothing feels realistic at all. Like…
Basically, this is a go where the plot blows you type of book.
This reminded me a bit of Love, Hate & Us with a long-time/one and only couple with a H wanting to test the waters after his brother gave him a hard time. Except Marsh is being manipulated by his horrible family rather than an evil OW.
Safety-
The blurb sets this up, Marsh and Opal have been together many years when he decides to dump her (at his brothers’ urging) to see if the grass is greener and all that jazz. Unfortunately, he doesn’t realize Opal is with child, and the shit really hits the fan.
I don’t mind an ASSHOLE in fiction, especially in soapy-reads… cuz someone needs to generate the drama-llama. The key for me… and what many authors’ struggle with… is that there needs to be a dickwad-drama ➖ grovel ➖ make-up balance to pull it off. And this has a WAY better balance than my last read (To Dream a Dream), but it rushed through some of the good parts.
Marsh was a stupid jerk, but a lot of the dickwad-drama was rushed because the 6-month separation is raced through, and there aren’t any face-to-face gut punch H/h interactions. There’s several chapters of groveling (👍) but we fly through the actually reconciliation skipping days, weeks, and pivotal steps like having sex the first time after making up.
Bottom Line- Ok read if you enjoy OTT/trashy reads. The h isn’t a pushover, she goes at the H, his brothers, his crazy mother, and stays bitter for the majority of the book. The H was weak and dumb for letting people make him doubt his relationship, but his POV never waivered from questioning/regretting his decision and loving the h. The plot is paced pretty well, the breakup happens within the first few chapters, and the groveling picks up around 30% and last almost until the end.
BUT it’s overdramatic and relies on the characters not acting like regular people (illogical decisions, foolish reasoning, personality changes, etc.) so nothing feels realistic at all. Like…
Basically, this is a go where the plot blows you type of book.
This reminded me a bit of Love, Hate & Us with a long-time/one and only couple with a H wanting to test the waters after his brother gave him a hard time. Except Marsh is being manipulated by his horrible family rather than an evil OW.
Safety-
July 23, 2022
Angsty
Boyfriend of 7 years worries he might be missing out and will regret being in his relationship in the future if he isn’t sure that she is the one. He moves everything out of their joint apartment, empties their bank account and announces a 6 month break. She comes home to find the place empty of his stuff and has to listen to his 5 min announcement before he leaves. She had come home to give him news that she was pregnant.
2/4 of H’s brothers have never been kind to the h. They encouraged the H to take a break. The H’s dad nearly had an affair as he regretted never dating others before the mother and wondered if they were the right match. Both of these things influenced the H to make this decision.
The h holds her own when the H tries to make amends. There is additional family drama but most of them regret their actions and want to fix things. It’s a bit weird the path the author had the mother go down.
All in all-a solid angsty read.
Boyfriend of 7 years worries he might be missing out and will regret being in his relationship in the future if he isn’t sure that she is the one. He moves everything out of their joint apartment, empties their bank account and announces a 6 month break. She comes home to find the place empty of his stuff and has to listen to his 5 min announcement before he leaves. She had come home to give him news that she was pregnant.
2/4 of H’s brothers have never been kind to the h. They encouraged the H to take a break. The H’s dad nearly had an affair as he regretted never dating others before the mother and wondered if they were the right match. Both of these things influenced the H to make this decision.
The h holds her own when the H tries to make amends. There is additional family drama but most of them regret their actions and want to fix things. It’s a bit weird the path the author had the mother go down.
All in all-a solid angsty read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2022
This H was dumber than a bucket of hair. Bless his heart.
July 6, 2024
I can't believe I will say this, but I despise this story and its MMC. I should have DNF'ed it at the start.
October 11, 2022
2.7 stars. This is not a good romance. But it IS a somewhat cathartic “men are dumb” book, if you want a drama-filled story where the hero is very stupid and the heroine makes him face the consequences of his actions. And, when he grovels, she doesn’t forgive him for a LONG time, until close to the end.
Opal and Marshall are 22. They’ve been together since they were 15 and have never been with anyone else. Marsh (which is a very unsexy name, but he deserves it) has terrible brothers who pressure him to dump Opal, in order to experience other girls. This moron thought that he could take “a break” for 6 months and Opal would still be waiting – even though he blindsided her and abruptly ended their 7 year relationship without discussing any of this with her. To add to the OTT angstfest, he leaves her the day she finds out she’s pregnant. She tries to tell him, but his brothers intercept the text. So, Marsh doesn’t know she’s pregnant for a few months while he’s dating other girls, and Opal thinks he’s abandoning the baby.
Marsh might be the most small-dick energy hero I’ve ever read (IF I hadn’t read Nox from Tragic Bonds). Marsh causes so much misery for Opal not even on purpose, just because he’s an idiot. When he leaves her, he takes money out of their joint account, leaving her with hardly any funds (he later says he didn’t even think about that, and feels guilty once he learns how it impacted her). So, she has to move to the bad part of town, and she can’t afford a car, so she has to walk everywhere while PREGNANT. The two OW that Marsh messes around with during their break also HAPPEN to work in the hospital. So, they keep getting shoved in Opal’s face during her pregnancy.
There isn’t a circle of hell deep enough for this man.
Once Marsh realizes that he’s a dumbass and tries to make it up to Opal, she doesn’t take him back for a long time, and does have a spine. She throws a lot of angry monologues at him about how his actions have effected her, and we get a lot of his guilt and suffering. That part of the book is satisfying.
If only Opal ended up with a different guy by the end, I might have given this a higher rating. But it feels like she eventually forgives him not because he truly earned it, but because the author was like, “This book is getting long, time to wrap it up!”
Opal also forgives his brothers too easily (but she DOES make them cry, which is good, they deserve it). And, when Opal tries to date another guy, he conveniently turns out to be skeevy. Since Marsh got to mess around with two OW during their separation, Opal should have been able to have an OM, too. So, I don’t like that aspect of the story.
I do believe that Marsh genuinely regrets his actions. But when I read a story where the hero wrongs the heroine (especially THIS deeply!), I need the consequences and follow up to be as huge as that wrong he did to her. So, while I felt his guilt and regret, I still didn't feel like this book delivered enough satisfying comeuppance, to balance out what he did to Opal. (There's also a weird subplot with his mom that distracts from the main story between him and Opal, that should have been cut from the book).
Overall, this book is a train wreck…but parts of it are oddly enjoyable, in the way that train wreck books can sometimes be.
Opal and Marshall are 22. They’ve been together since they were 15 and have never been with anyone else. Marsh (which is a very unsexy name, but he deserves it) has terrible brothers who pressure him to dump Opal, in order to experience other girls. This moron thought that he could take “a break” for 6 months and Opal would still be waiting – even though he blindsided her and abruptly ended their 7 year relationship without discussing any of this with her. To add to the OTT angstfest, he leaves her the day she finds out she’s pregnant. She tries to tell him, but his brothers intercept the text. So, Marsh doesn’t know she’s pregnant for a few months while he’s dating other girls, and Opal thinks he’s abandoning the baby.
Marsh might be the most small-dick energy hero I’ve ever read (IF I hadn’t read Nox from Tragic Bonds). Marsh causes so much misery for Opal not even on purpose, just because he’s an idiot. When he leaves her, he takes money out of their joint account, leaving her with hardly any funds (he later says he didn’t even think about that, and feels guilty once he learns how it impacted her). So, she has to move to the bad part of town, and she can’t afford a car, so she has to walk everywhere while PREGNANT. The two OW that Marsh messes around with during their break also HAPPEN to work in the hospital. So, they keep getting shoved in Opal’s face during her pregnancy.
There isn’t a circle of hell deep enough for this man.
Once Marsh realizes that he’s a dumbass and tries to make it up to Opal, she doesn’t take him back for a long time, and does have a spine. She throws a lot of angry monologues at him about how his actions have effected her, and we get a lot of his guilt and suffering. That part of the book is satisfying.
If only Opal ended up with a different guy by the end, I might have given this a higher rating. But it feels like she eventually forgives him not because he truly earned it, but because the author was like, “This book is getting long, time to wrap it up!”
Opal also forgives his brothers too easily (but she DOES make them cry, which is good, they deserve it). And, when Opal tries to date another guy, he conveniently turns out to be skeevy. Since Marsh got to mess around with two OW during their separation, Opal should have been able to have an OM, too. So, I don’t like that aspect of the story.
I do believe that Marsh genuinely regrets his actions. But when I read a story where the hero wrongs the heroine (especially THIS deeply!), I need the consequences and follow up to be as huge as that wrong he did to her. So, while I felt his guilt and regret, I still didn't feel like this book delivered enough satisfying comeuppance, to balance out what he did to Opal. (There's also a weird subplot with his mom that distracts from the main story between him and Opal, that should have been cut from the book).
Overall, this book is a train wreck…but parts of it are oddly enjoyable, in the way that train wreck books can sometimes be.
May 5, 2023
If you’re in the mood to be extremely irritated read this book. The wimpy H has been with the h for 7 years. He’s picking out a ring to ask her to marry him and his slimy twin brothers talk him into breaking up with the h. The 3 stars are for the Hero’s teenage brother and the fmc. The story is angsty but ludicrous as the H is tstl. His reasoning is juvenile… let’s break up for 6 months and get back together… oh btw I’m gonna eff around and date a million sluts but you just hangout and wait for me and don’t you dare do the same! I absolutely hate this prototype plot. He does grovel but I wish she had kicked his a$$ to the curb. Not w to author you can never convince a reader that the H loves the h when he pulls this shiz.
January 1, 2026
So I've had this downloaded for awhile and finally got the energy to read through it. Honestly? It's ok, but a bit ridiculous with how Marsh acts. His two older brother's are f*** boys and they finally pull him to the dark side. He does everything juvenile while completely removing every memory of himself from their apartment after dumping the h. She's pregnant. She tries telling him through text, but his brother intercepts and basically tells her to f*** off. She sees him around town with girls on dates. While his bf sends her pictures of his hook-ups. He sees her preggers in the street and automatically thinks hobag. Sleeps with one of her bullies without a condom, but he didn't finish so you know everything's ok. 🙄 Then once he finds out it's his kid he tries worming his way back in. It doesn't work at first, but in the end he get's his HEA with the h. His and her family are both dysfunctional with zero communication while everyone jumps to conclusions until the end. The only good character was Marsh's brother Ryker who was 17 going on 40. The h was ok, but a little to emotionless for me. Though she was ridiculous at first not asking for help. But she also gave grace when people didn't deserve it. Overall it ended up being like I thought it would. Not terrible, but not great either.
November 20, 2024
It's kind of repetitive in places but over all I liked it.
It's well written and the author kept it interesting. I’ve read stories like this before and they’re all very cliche but this story had me captivated from the very first page.
I would've liked to have seen more of them rebuilding their relationship but it was cute and I'm glad it worked.
It's well written and the author kept it interesting. I’ve read stories like this before and they’re all very cliche but this story had me captivated from the very first page.
I would've liked to have seen more of them rebuilding their relationship but it was cute and I'm glad it worked.
August 21, 2022
4 stars
Why need enemies when you have your family and your best friend?
I just burned the midnight oil on this one. I could not go to sleep until I had read all of it. The drama, angst and emotional crash were that captivating.
Even with my lack of rest, I can say that the entirety of plot of this book is far from what would happen in real life. Not because the heartache and relationship shipwreck being improbable, but because the whole painful chain of well-orchestrated events/ face-offs, with honed spot-on discourses and visceral reactions from all the characters would not be likely to happen all together in the dramatic unfolding of a RL couple's romance. And I am not saying that to shoot down the book, bien au contraire. Yes, the book can be read as OTT drama, but for my part, there is much more than that. I am sure that CM's aim in sharing this book was not to pretend that everything in the book could happen in real life exactly as written but rather to bring out the maximum of realistic angles on what could happen to derail and challenge a seemingly solid relationship. I see this book more like the excellent result of a thought experiment where CM expertly brainstormed on the complexity of love, human nature, mistakes and forgiveness. In that sense, this book was just epically wow.
The high level angst, the emotional heartbreak, the deep, deep hurt, the sense of loss, the loaded questions and answers... all contributed for me to have a good cryfest on behalf of Opal and Marshall. CM's creative talent shined through as she came up with all the perfect dramatic triggers that would recount the tortuous journey of Opal and Marshall. And hopefully, that will help some couples in RL out there having experienced similar issues. I will not add more details, because one has to actually experience the hurt, torture and redemption in this book along with the characters. I will just advise to prepare tissues and uninterrupted reading time.
Did the grovel work? It was well-written and realistic. It worked for Opal and I understand her. And Marshall was genuinely there to work for it, even if he is definitely not the brightest one out there. I am not sure if I would have been as big hearted as Opal because I personally do have a problem with things that can never be undone. Opal's best friend got it right though, and maybe I should learn from her:
Beth’s motto was that all men were idiots, you just had to discover the level of idiocy you could tolerate.
I did not rate it 5 stars because I felt that some of the characterisation, including for the MCs, showed at times a duality of personality that, while serving to heighten the drama (to great effect!), also disserviced my reading experience because the contrast in the duality bumped against my logical mind. Also, given that the story was really all the way in, there should have been a huge epilogue at the end to show what the lives of Opal and Marshall were in the future, to see how the healing and lessons learned were integrated into their lives.
100% recommended to angst/heartbreak junkies as well as those readers looking to cry buckets of cathartic tears.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2023
Finally all the angst and Drama I needed - definitely on my reread list
My emotions were all over the place. This Author knows how to write a emotional book for sure that will tear your heart out, have your heart in your throat, and then slowly put it back together.
Marshal needed to be knocked upside his head many times. Opal she was so strong to go through what she did. She definitely knows how to stand up for herself and make sure the people that did her wrong know it.
Now where can I get a RYKER???? Omg! Swoon he was perfect in all ways was there for Opal and stood up to his family. Fantastic!
My emotions were all over the place. This Author knows how to write a emotional book for sure that will tear your heart out, have your heart in your throat, and then slowly put it back together.
Marshal needed to be knocked upside his head many times. Opal she was so strong to go through what she did. She definitely knows how to stand up for herself and make sure the people that did her wrong know it.
Now where can I get a RYKER???? Omg! Swoon he was perfect in all ways was there for Opal and stood up to his family. Fantastic!
August 18, 2022
⭐ 4.5 ⭐
Second chance.. Yes? No? Yes? Maybe or maybe not? Hmm... This book and this story is very realistic one. Never say never!
Through whole book I was like: GO GIRL, GO GIRL! 💪 Just like that, bravo! 👏 Make him suffer!!! And God, how he suffered...! 😁 She made it!
Opal, my girl... Wow, just wow. Finally, we got this kind of female main character. What "backbone" we got here. 😅 This heroine here, is so strong and so brave. We all need to have some of her character and determination in us.
“What happened to you?” He whispered.
“YOU DID! You happened to me. You broke me! Now get the hell out of my house!”
“No. Marsh, just no. You don’t get to feel bad about that. It’s what you wanted.”
"You put yourself in that situation and kept yourself there, Marsh. No one else. And now, you have regrets about your decision. Imagine that. You went from not wanting to have regrets about staying with me to having regrets about throwing me away and losing me forever.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
And Marsh... You... You are so stupid, foolish, selfish and weak boy, asshole and BIG IDIOT. Like she said: "Stupid brain. Stupid man."
Karma... Karma... Karma...
But somehow I was rooting for you. God... 🤦
"I was not just an asshole, I was a complete piece of shit."
"In fact, it was one of the worst, and most regretful experiences of my life.”
"It had all been about me and what I thought I needed in order to prove that I’d never become my dad. The crazy thing is, looking back, what I did was far worse than what my father put Mom through.
Far. Far. Worse."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * P.S. * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
If you want to see if this book is for you, see below (only from Opal's POV)...
* * * * * * * * * * SOME SPOILERS * * * * * * * * * *
“It was you who wanted your freedom. You who wanted to fuck other women. You who wanted to know what it was like to date someone other than me. I never wanted any of that, so you, Marshal Kennedy, can go fuck yourself and stay far away from me while you do it.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Marsh sat slumped into himself on the couch, face buried in his hands, and shoulders shaking as he cried. He wasn’t just crying, it was full-on sobbing, the likes of which I had never seen him do. For a minute, my heart broke for him. Then, I remembered he had been the one to put me in the same position, only I was left crying for many days and nights, for months on end."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Was he a moron? Yes. Did he do idiotic things? Yes, again. Did he break your heart to pieces and make me want to break his legs and his dick in much the same way? Also yes. Does any of that mean you aren’t the love of his life? No. Anyone with a pair of working eyeballs can see that you two are soulmates. Hell, even a blind person could see it just by spending five minutes ina room with you. The energy you two put off is electric.”
“A soulmate wouldn’t do that to their other half,” I whispered.
“Normally, I’d agree with you. I’m not saying you should forgive him, forget what he did, or not go on living your life and making decisions like he doesn’t exist beyond his connection to your son. I’m just saying that the man never stopped loving you. It’s obvious.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Christ! Opal, I swear to you, the whole time we were apart all I could think of was you. I wished away the six months, in hopes that we could get back together sooner.”
I scrunched my nose, whether in distaste or disbelief I couldn’t be certain. Probably a mix of both. “That is the grossest thing you could have ever said to me.”
“What? Why?” His voice grew excited, and I could see it plain on his confused face that he had no clue what he’d just implied.
“All you could think of was me? So, you went out on dates with a bunch of other women, and you thought of me?” He nodded his head. “Did you think about how knowing you were were with other women made me ache like my heart was going to beat right out of my chest and I would die?”
“You keep mentioning these six months, like there was some sort of Hallmark event that was supposed to happen. What did you think would happen after six months trying to find an upgrade for a girlfriend?”
“I was never looking for an upgrade. That could never happen,” he denied.
“Then why were you looking at all? If you already had the best person for you, then why were you out there searching for something else?”
“I thought we needed to both experience the things we never did when we were younger, so that neither of us would have doubts later, like my father did. I meant what I said, I only thought of you during that time.”
I scoffed at that. “So, when you were fucking Monica unprotected you were thinking of me? Thinking of the diseases you would bring home in a couple days? Thinking of the baby that you’d have me raise if you knocked her up?”
“I wasn’t thinking about anything, except how angry I was that some other man put a baby in your belly and you didn’t seem to wait very long before you went there with someone else,” he yelled at me.
I shook my head. “It never occurred to you that you were the asshole who left me with a baby in my belly to go off and sleep with other women? You thought so little of me that you left without so much as a conversation, and your first thought upon seeing me pregnant was that I was somehow more of a whore than you were, and slept around?”
“Opal, that’s not fair. What was I supposed to think?”
“I don’t know, Marsh, maybe that you left me so fucking heartbroken that I couldn’t function for months on end, especially since I was carrying your baby and having to listen to the gossip about your latest dates around town. You couldn’t even respect me enough to go on your dates somewhere else. No. I had people sending me pictures of you. Did you know I had to change my phone number to get it to stop? And all the while, I was sick every day because the baby we made together didn’t like the smell of food, or my anxiety, or my sadness.”
“Opal,” his voice broke...
“No. Marsh, just no. You don’t get to feel bad about that. It’s what you wanted.”
“It’s not what I wanted. It’s never been what I wanted! I didn’t want to see you in so much pain…”
“What in the hell did you think would happen when I got home that day to find the apartment cleaned out and have a less than five-minute conversation where you told me that you needed six months to date other people? Did you think I would be happy about that?”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"You put yourself in that situation and kept yourself there, Marsh. No one else. And now, you have regrets about your decision. Imagine that. You went from not wanting to have regrets about staying with me to having regrets about throwing me away and losing me forever.”
“No! Don’t say that! How can you say that?”
“Because it is the truth. You think I want a man who would so easily cast me aside for others? Who would think the worst of me and go sleep with another woman as an act of revenge when I did nothing wrong? You think I want a man who values everyone else’s opinions above our relationship? I don’t want you anymore, Marsh.
If I hadn’t been pregnant, I would have already been dating, or moved to another town to start my life over without you. That would have been the better option for me. Since you left me with child, I don’t even get the dignity of a fresh start in a town where I haven’t been made a mockery of.”
“Fuck!” He hissed under his breath as he turned away from me.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Austin Jason Kennedy, these are your uncles, Bastion and Brixton,” I told my son. “You will never again see them in the same room with your mother for any reason. If you see them again, it will be because your father took you to see them. I hope you never hold that against me and know that it’s a rule I’m setting in place to protect myself from the two people who have bullied me for years – for no apparent reason – other than it was entertaining to them.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“I’m scared. I know you didn’t betray me by cheating, but you betrayed me by leaving the way you did. I don’t know if I could ever trust being with that version of you again.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Second chance.. Yes? No? Yes? Maybe or maybe not? Hmm... This book and this story is very realistic one. Never say never!
Through whole book I was like: GO GIRL, GO GIRL! 💪 Just like that, bravo! 👏 Make him suffer!!! And God, how he suffered...! 😁 She made it!
Opal, my girl... Wow, just wow. Finally, we got this kind of female main character. What "backbone" we got here. 😅 This heroine here, is so strong and so brave. We all need to have some of her character and determination in us.
“What happened to you?” He whispered.
“YOU DID! You happened to me. You broke me! Now get the hell out of my house!”
“No. Marsh, just no. You don’t get to feel bad about that. It’s what you wanted.”
"You put yourself in that situation and kept yourself there, Marsh. No one else. And now, you have regrets about your decision. Imagine that. You went from not wanting to have regrets about staying with me to having regrets about throwing me away and losing me forever.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
And Marsh... You... You are so stupid, foolish, selfish and weak boy, asshole and BIG IDIOT. Like she said: "Stupid brain. Stupid man."
Karma... Karma... Karma...
But somehow I was rooting for you. God... 🤦
"I was not just an asshole, I was a complete piece of shit."
"In fact, it was one of the worst, and most regretful experiences of my life.”
"It had all been about me and what I thought I needed in order to prove that I’d never become my dad. The crazy thing is, looking back, what I did was far worse than what my father put Mom through.
Far. Far. Worse."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * P.S. * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
If you want to see if this book is for you, see below (only from Opal's POV)...
* * * * * * * * * * SOME SPOILERS * * * * * * * * * *
“It was you who wanted your freedom. You who wanted to fuck other women. You who wanted to know what it was like to date someone other than me. I never wanted any of that, so you, Marshal Kennedy, can go fuck yourself and stay far away from me while you do it.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Marsh sat slumped into himself on the couch, face buried in his hands, and shoulders shaking as he cried. He wasn’t just crying, it was full-on sobbing, the likes of which I had never seen him do. For a minute, my heart broke for him. Then, I remembered he had been the one to put me in the same position, only I was left crying for many days and nights, for months on end."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Was he a moron? Yes. Did he do idiotic things? Yes, again. Did he break your heart to pieces and make me want to break his legs and his dick in much the same way? Also yes. Does any of that mean you aren’t the love of his life? No. Anyone with a pair of working eyeballs can see that you two are soulmates. Hell, even a blind person could see it just by spending five minutes ina room with you. The energy you two put off is electric.”
“A soulmate wouldn’t do that to their other half,” I whispered.
“Normally, I’d agree with you. I’m not saying you should forgive him, forget what he did, or not go on living your life and making decisions like he doesn’t exist beyond his connection to your son. I’m just saying that the man never stopped loving you. It’s obvious.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Christ! Opal, I swear to you, the whole time we were apart all I could think of was you. I wished away the six months, in hopes that we could get back together sooner.”
I scrunched my nose, whether in distaste or disbelief I couldn’t be certain. Probably a mix of both. “That is the grossest thing you could have ever said to me.”
“What? Why?” His voice grew excited, and I could see it plain on his confused face that he had no clue what he’d just implied.
“All you could think of was me? So, you went out on dates with a bunch of other women, and you thought of me?” He nodded his head. “Did you think about how knowing you were were with other women made me ache like my heart was going to beat right out of my chest and I would die?”
“You keep mentioning these six months, like there was some sort of Hallmark event that was supposed to happen. What did you think would happen after six months trying to find an upgrade for a girlfriend?”
“I was never looking for an upgrade. That could never happen,” he denied.
“Then why were you looking at all? If you already had the best person for you, then why were you out there searching for something else?”
“I thought we needed to both experience the things we never did when we were younger, so that neither of us would have doubts later, like my father did. I meant what I said, I only thought of you during that time.”
I scoffed at that. “So, when you were fucking Monica unprotected you were thinking of me? Thinking of the diseases you would bring home in a couple days? Thinking of the baby that you’d have me raise if you knocked her up?”
“I wasn’t thinking about anything, except how angry I was that some other man put a baby in your belly and you didn’t seem to wait very long before you went there with someone else,” he yelled at me.
I shook my head. “It never occurred to you that you were the asshole who left me with a baby in my belly to go off and sleep with other women? You thought so little of me that you left without so much as a conversation, and your first thought upon seeing me pregnant was that I was somehow more of a whore than you were, and slept around?”
“Opal, that’s not fair. What was I supposed to think?”
“I don’t know, Marsh, maybe that you left me so fucking heartbroken that I couldn’t function for months on end, especially since I was carrying your baby and having to listen to the gossip about your latest dates around town. You couldn’t even respect me enough to go on your dates somewhere else. No. I had people sending me pictures of you. Did you know I had to change my phone number to get it to stop? And all the while, I was sick every day because the baby we made together didn’t like the smell of food, or my anxiety, or my sadness.”
“Opal,” his voice broke...
“No. Marsh, just no. You don’t get to feel bad about that. It’s what you wanted.”
“It’s not what I wanted. It’s never been what I wanted! I didn’t want to see you in so much pain…”
“What in the hell did you think would happen when I got home that day to find the apartment cleaned out and have a less than five-minute conversation where you told me that you needed six months to date other people? Did you think I would be happy about that?”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"You put yourself in that situation and kept yourself there, Marsh. No one else. And now, you have regrets about your decision. Imagine that. You went from not wanting to have regrets about staying with me to having regrets about throwing me away and losing me forever.”
“No! Don’t say that! How can you say that?”
“Because it is the truth. You think I want a man who would so easily cast me aside for others? Who would think the worst of me and go sleep with another woman as an act of revenge when I did nothing wrong? You think I want a man who values everyone else’s opinions above our relationship? I don’t want you anymore, Marsh.
If I hadn’t been pregnant, I would have already been dating, or moved to another town to start my life over without you. That would have been the better option for me. Since you left me with child, I don’t even get the dignity of a fresh start in a town where I haven’t been made a mockery of.”
“Fuck!” He hissed under his breath as he turned away from me.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Austin Jason Kennedy, these are your uncles, Bastion and Brixton,” I told my son. “You will never again see them in the same room with your mother for any reason. If you see them again, it will be because your father took you to see them. I hope you never hold that against me and know that it’s a rule I’m setting in place to protect myself from the two people who have bullied me for years – for no apparent reason – other than it was entertaining to them.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“I’m scared. I know you didn’t betray me by cheating, but you betrayed me by leaving the way you did. I don’t know if I could ever trust being with that version of you again.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
October 24, 2023Dedication from the author.
This is for all the readers out there who want the longer story, the dirty details of a relationship on the brink before things get better. This is for the people who don’t want to skip the angst of heartbreak before the characters find their happy ending. It’s a little bit women’s fiction, a little bit romance, and a whole world of real.
What it is not, is overly steamy. There will only be a few small portions where things get a little spicy. If that’s what you’re looking for, this won’t be the book for you.
This book is for everyone who wants to experience a little life, heartache, and
Specific note about His Bittersweet Regret:
There isn’t any cheating in this story (by main characters), but that doesn’t mean seeing your significant other with another person (during a breakup) isn’t just as tough. So, if that type of thing bothers you, then this story might not be the right one for you!
This is for all the readers out there who want the longer story, the dirty details of a relationship on the brink before things get better. This is for the people who don’t want to skip the angst of heartbreak before the characters find their happy ending. It’s a little bit women’s fiction, a little bit romance, and a whole world of real.
What it is not, is overly steamy. There will only be a few small portions where things get a little spicy. If that’s what you’re looking for, this won’t be the book for you.
This book is for everyone who wants to experience a little life, heartache, and
Specific note about His Bittersweet Regret:
There isn’t any cheating in this story (by main characters), but that doesn’t mean seeing your significant other with another person (during a breakup) isn’t just as tough. So, if that type of thing bothers you, then this story might not be the right one for you!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2024
Dear gawd, this woman was annoying
June 19, 2023
3.5✨️
i thought i would hate this, but surprisingly, i didn't. i think that the H gave good grovel, and i liked that the h did not fold immediately. all in all this was dramatically entertaining.
i thought i would hate this, but surprisingly, i didn't. i think that the H gave good grovel, and i liked that the h did not fold immediately. all in all this was dramatically entertaining.
August 26, 2024
Throwing everything but the kitchen seat for drama, there were slow parts at wrapping the story up
H was a big tool and he just barely met my redemption scale. Barely.
H was a big tool and he just barely met my redemption scale. Barely.
July 22, 2022
My take on this book will probably raise some eyebrows and I don't care about that. What I do care about is someone coming onto a review they know they won't like and starting a lot of b.s. This is a review site for people to voice their opinions. So, for anyone who would have an issue with someone actually liking this story, move on. I don't come onto reviews I disagree with and start drama, so kindly extend that same courtesy.
This story was well-written. Yes, the book contains an intent to cheat/cheating premise.
Yes, the hero's actions were unconscionable...
okay, he was a stupid twat. Let's be honest. And for a good bit of the story he gets stupider. He's weak-minded, insecure, selfish and easily intimidated by his older brothers.
That said, I'm of the opinion that this was precisely the writer's intent.
We are not supposed to like Marsh at first. I didn't. Indeed, many readers will never like him nor be able to get past what he did. And that's fine. He's not the true star of this story.
However, I actually believed his journey from idiot man-child to enlightened, maturing young man. I believed in his remorse. I was convinced by his willingness to keep grovelling no matter how many times Opal cut him off at the knees. He was never going to make a mistake like that again and I can't say that I've ever been that sure a hero learned his lesson.
As a result, I was able to accept Opal's decision without hesitation...and let's be real. Opal was every-fucking-thing here.
What a kick up the arse she was! Even if you loathe this type of story Opal will resonate with readers who despair over the present-day portrayal of women as spineless, dependent and stupid. This was by far the BEST heroine I've encountered in a lot of years. She was a near perfect blend of softness and vulnerability, resilience, steel, independence and snark, without a whiff of doormat. She was fierce without being obnoxious and sweet without being weak. She had moments of insecurity, despair and bitterness but those were only followed up by a stronger resolve to make it on her terms and not be influenced or pushed around. You have to respect that. Not only did she repeatedly stand up for herself with Marsh and not cut him an inch of slack, she did the same with his entire f-ed up family. She went head to head with all of them and never backed down. This girl didn't pull her punches and I loved that. I loved that she said how she felt and didn't apologise for any of it. I can't stand it when a heroine is wronged and is made to feel guilty or that she must apologise for being angry and hurt and speaking her mind. Fuck that.
I really don't think I have ever encountered a heroine I liked more than Opal. She did nothing that pissed me off or disappointed me - and that includes her final decision about Marsh. I was so satisfied with how the story played out I wasn't even a little annoyed that the pair ultimately reconciled.
Like it or not, in this story there could have been no other outcome. The writer knows her own mind and knew what she was doing here. I also believe she knew the risks and embraced them anyway. Well done.
I am no fan of dual-POV. I'm not a lover of the cheating scenario or of romances with pregnancies/babies/children. But to me this book wasn't strictly a romance. It felt more chick-lit - if such a thing is possible when it includes a male perspective. Whatever genre it falls into - and despite containing elements I generally avoid - this story worked for me. I'm notoriously hard to please when it comes to books and I haven't felt this satisfied with a read in years. So, for that reason this book gets 5 stars from me.
This story was well-written. Yes, the book contains an intent to cheat/cheating premise.
Yes, the hero's actions were unconscionable...
okay, he was a stupid twat. Let's be honest. And for a good bit of the story he gets stupider. He's weak-minded, insecure, selfish and easily intimidated by his older brothers.
That said, I'm of the opinion that this was precisely the writer's intent.
We are not supposed to like Marsh at first. I didn't. Indeed, many readers will never like him nor be able to get past what he did. And that's fine. He's not the true star of this story.
However, I actually believed his journey from idiot man-child to enlightened, maturing young man. I believed in his remorse. I was convinced by his willingness to keep grovelling no matter how many times Opal cut him off at the knees. He was never going to make a mistake like that again and I can't say that I've ever been that sure a hero learned his lesson.
As a result, I was able to accept Opal's decision without hesitation...and let's be real. Opal was every-fucking-thing here.
What a kick up the arse she was! Even if you loathe this type of story Opal will resonate with readers who despair over the present-day portrayal of women as spineless, dependent and stupid. This was by far the BEST heroine I've encountered in a lot of years. She was a near perfect blend of softness and vulnerability, resilience, steel, independence and snark, without a whiff of doormat. She was fierce without being obnoxious and sweet without being weak. She had moments of insecurity, despair and bitterness but those were only followed up by a stronger resolve to make it on her terms and not be influenced or pushed around. You have to respect that. Not only did she repeatedly stand up for herself with Marsh and not cut him an inch of slack, she did the same with his entire f-ed up family. She went head to head with all of them and never backed down. This girl didn't pull her punches and I loved that. I loved that she said how she felt and didn't apologise for any of it. I can't stand it when a heroine is wronged and is made to feel guilty or that she must apologise for being angry and hurt and speaking her mind. Fuck that.
I really don't think I have ever encountered a heroine I liked more than Opal. She did nothing that pissed me off or disappointed me - and that includes her final decision about Marsh. I was so satisfied with how the story played out I wasn't even a little annoyed that the pair ultimately reconciled.
Like it or not, in this story there could have been no other outcome. The writer knows her own mind and knew what she was doing here. I also believe she knew the risks and embraced them anyway. Well done.
I am no fan of dual-POV. I'm not a lover of the cheating scenario or of romances with pregnancies/babies/children. But to me this book wasn't strictly a romance. It felt more chick-lit - if such a thing is possible when it includes a male perspective. Whatever genre it falls into - and despite containing elements I generally avoid - this story worked for me. I'm notoriously hard to please when it comes to books and I haven't felt this satisfied with a read in years. So, for that reason this book gets 5 stars from me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2023
she should have never taken him back. i know the baby deserves a father but she deserved so much better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 320 reviews