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Fostering Love #1
Unbreak My Heart
What do you do when your soul mate marries your best friend?
If you're Kate Evans, you keep your friend Rachel, bond with her kids, and bury your feelings for her husband. The fact that Shane's in the military and away for long periods helps¡ªbut when tragedy strikes, everything changes.
After Rachel, pregnant with her fourth child, dies in a car accident and the baby miraculously survives, Kate upends her entire life to share parenting duties. Then on the first anniversary of Rachel's death, Kate and Shane take comfort in each other in a night that they both soon regret.
Shane's been angry for a year, and now he feels guilty too¡ªfor sleeping with his wife's best friend and liking it... liking her. Kate's ability to read him like a book may have once sent Shane running, but their lives are forever entwined and they are growing closer.
Now with Shane deployed for seven months, Kate is on her own and struggling with being a single parent. Shane is loving and supportive from thousands of miles away, but his homecoming brings a betrayal Kate never saw coming. So Kate's only choice is to fight for the future she deserves¡ªwith or without Shane...
If you're Kate Evans, you keep your friend Rachel, bond with her kids, and bury your feelings for her husband. The fact that Shane's in the military and away for long periods helps¡ªbut when tragedy strikes, everything changes.
After Rachel, pregnant with her fourth child, dies in a car accident and the baby miraculously survives, Kate upends her entire life to share parenting duties. Then on the first anniversary of Rachel's death, Kate and Shane take comfort in each other in a night that they both soon regret.
Shane's been angry for a year, and now he feels guilty too¡ªfor sleeping with his wife's best friend and liking it... liking her. Kate's ability to read him like a book may have once sent Shane running, but their lives are forever entwined and they are growing closer.
Now with Shane deployed for seven months, Kate is on her own and struggling with being a single parent. Shane is loving and supportive from thousands of miles away, but his homecoming brings a betrayal Kate never saw coming. So Kate's only choice is to fight for the future she deserves¡ªwith or without Shane...
368 pages, Paperback
First published June 7, 2016
521 people are currently reading
13.2k people want to read
About the author
Nicole Jacquelyn
34?books3,551?followersNicole Jacquelyn is the mom of two little girls and a full time college student. She hasn¡¯t watched television in well over a year, she still does things that drive her mother crazy, and she loves to read. At eight years old, when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she told people she wanted to be a mom. When she was twelve her answer changed- to author. By the time she was eighteen, when people asked her what she wanted to do with her life, she told them she really wanted to be a writer- but the odds of that happening were so slim that she¡¯d get her business degree ¡°just to be safe¡±. Her dreams stayed constant. First she became a mom, then she went to college, and during her senior year- with one daughter in first grade and the other in preschool, she sat down and wrote a story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,018 reviews
September 2, 2022
Re-read one million: 8/31/2022...ALL the stars in the world. I just love this book. The angst is none other. Definitely a top favorite of all time.
Oringinal Review
5 Awesome 'n' Angsty Stars
If you follow my reviews at all, you might know that one of my top reading "don't's" is the dreaded dead ex.
I know this is a non-issue for some, but every reader has their own no-go list.
And no matter how ridiculous any pet peeve might seem...
...they are all legit because they are your own.
So, as I was saying, along with the cheaters and the dreaded love triangle shape of doom, one thing that can ruin a book for me just by virtue of existing is when one of the main love interests has a dead ex.
In fact, I literally just wrote THIS review lamenting about how that one issue can ruin an otherwise perfect book (for me).
In case you don't feel like reading ^^^that, I will save you the verbal-diarrhea-read and sum it up with this:
The presence of the dead ex makes the new love interest feel like a consolation prize to me. They will never measure up and they are only present because someone else is absent.
So color me a hypocrite when the first book I pick up after the above mentioned dead ex bitch fest...is a book based completely around the happenings of... *drum roll*... a dead fucking ex.
Yeah, I know....
But what can I say....
But alas...being that 1) I would read shit-stained parchment if it had Nicole Jaquelyn's name on it, and 2) this thing was all over my fucking feed...I said to myself, "Self, fuck your standards, pull up your big girl panties, and give this one the old college try."
And boy I'm glad I did.
Because as with any "rule," there are exceptions.
And some dead-ex books can be exceptions to my dead-ex rule...
This book is a prime example.
I.
Fucking.
Loved.
This.
Thing.
Seriously though, from page one I could not put this down.
And I didn't.
Not even to pee.
This thing had some of me favorite lucky charms.
It had ANGST.
It had a QUASI-MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE scenario.
It had an ALPHA ASSHOLE that I got to hate fuck in my mind.
But most of all?
*
*
*
It had GROVELING.
Be still my beating heart, I LOVE me some groveling.
Not only that, I fucking LOVED the .
I am a sucker for that too; plus, it added a whole dimension to the story that was just delicious in my opinion.
As I said above, this was killing it in my newsfeed, so I know there are much better and more detailed reviews out there.
Plus, I find myself unable to clarify my thoughts on this one.
Suffice it to say that I came out of this one feeling that Kate was NOT a consolation prize. In fact - dare I say it - I came out believing Shane loved Kate to a degree that the dead ex never even came close to touching.
HOWEVER.
The things that make dead-ex-hating readers like me feel like the H/h is NOT the consolation prize vary for each reader.
That said, I can't promise that book will work for other dead-ex-haters like it did for me.
But, if you are on the fence, I say give this one a try, as it ended up being one of the best books I've read all year.
Oringinal Review
5 Awesome 'n' Angsty Stars
If you follow my reviews at all, you might know that one of my top reading "don't's" is the dreaded dead ex.
I know this is a non-issue for some, but every reader has their own no-go list.
And no matter how ridiculous any pet peeve might seem...
...they are all legit because they are your own.
So, as I was saying, along with the cheaters and the dreaded love triangle shape of doom, one thing that can ruin a book for me just by virtue of existing is when one of the main love interests has a dead ex.
In fact, I literally just wrote THIS review lamenting about how that one issue can ruin an otherwise perfect book (for me).
In case you don't feel like reading ^^^that, I will save you the verbal-diarrhea-read and sum it up with this:
The presence of the dead ex makes the new love interest feel like a consolation prize to me. They will never measure up and they are only present because someone else is absent.
So color me a hypocrite when the first book I pick up after the above mentioned dead ex bitch fest...is a book based completely around the happenings of... *drum roll*... a dead fucking ex.
Yeah, I know....
But what can I say....
But alas...being that 1) I would read shit-stained parchment if it had Nicole Jaquelyn's name on it, and 2) this thing was all over my fucking feed...I said to myself, "Self, fuck your standards, pull up your big girl panties, and give this one the old college try."
And boy I'm glad I did.
Because as with any "rule," there are exceptions.
And some dead-ex books can be exceptions to my dead-ex rule...
This book is a prime example.
I.
Fucking.
Loved.
This.
Thing.
Seriously though, from page one I could not put this down.
And I didn't.
Not even to pee.
This thing had some of me favorite lucky charms.
It had ANGST.
It had a QUASI-MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE scenario.
It had an ALPHA ASSHOLE that I got to hate fuck in my mind.
But most of all?
*
*
*
It had GROVELING.
Be still my beating heart, I LOVE me some groveling.
Not only that, I fucking LOVED the .
I am a sucker for that too; plus, it added a whole dimension to the story that was just delicious in my opinion.
As I said above, this was killing it in my newsfeed, so I know there are much better and more detailed reviews out there.
Plus, I find myself unable to clarify my thoughts on this one.
Suffice it to say that I came out of this one feeling that Kate was NOT a consolation prize. In fact - dare I say it - I came out believing Shane loved Kate to a degree that the dead ex never even came close to touching.
HOWEVER.
The things that make dead-ex-hating readers like me feel like the H/h is NOT the consolation prize vary for each reader.
That said, I can't promise that book will work for other dead-ex-haters like it did for me.
But, if you are on the fence, I say give this one a try, as it ended up being one of the best books I've read all year.
October 9, 2019
Spoilers.
I didn't like it. But not for the reasons you might think.
Unlike most of the readers who didn¡¯t love this book I didn¡¯t have a problem with the hero. The hero behaves the way he behaves because the heroine lets him.
I didn¡¯t have a problem with the heroine's doormat tendencies either. I was prepared and I knew she was weak from my friends' reviews.
What I had a problem with is:
A) Heroine¡¯s lack of good judgement and invasion of privacy
Why exactly did she go to that hotel?
You do NOT stick your nose where it does not belong, NOT even when someone else asks you to do it. What gives you the right to do it?
The man is grieving and wants to be ALONE. He needs a day, no he needs only ONE night in the whole freaking YEAR to reminisce about his late wife.
You CANNOT take that away from him. Whether he drinks himself to death or decides to cry his eyes out, that is HIS business. He needs to heal completely in order to be able to continue living his life.
And because you are THIRTY years old (for chrissake!), you should know what will happen if you start drinking with him in that hotel room.
The hero was right: she did take advantage of the situation. Maybe not consciously, but, in my opinion, she DID. She shouldn¡¯t have gone there. Period.
B) Heroine¡¯s martyr complex
When you fuck up (because we all do at some point in life) and you feel your world is coming apart, you are entitled to cry and feel desperate. That is a perfectly normal human reaction. But then, after some time, you wipe you tears away, you clench your teeth and you get up. If you get yourself in the shit, you've got to get yourself out of the shit.
You seek help if you need it. You can rely on your friends and family or you can do it all on your own but you do NOT cry all the time vomiting around, you do NOT sob, you do NOT weep, you do NOT drool around and starve yourself wallowing in self-pity.
I swear if I read any form od the word ¡°vomit¡± or any other synonym for "cry" again, I¡¯m gonna lose it. I'm a mother and I'm aware pregnancy can be tough but I don¡¯t have to read about the heroine's vomit, bile and tears on every freaking page.
I can¡¯t stand heroines with a martyr complex. This heroine is helping everybody around her but she can¡¯t take care of herself or stand up for herself. She's a total mess, inside and out. I'm sure she subconsciously enjoys it while pretending to have no other option.
A few days ago I read a book about unrequited love. The hero loved another woman and was totally indifferent towards the heroine. The heroine was poor, uneducated and insecure. And I loved every second of it. You know why? Because despite everything, the heroine didn't feel sorry for herself. She had backbone and recognized when enough is enough.
I¡¯m so sorry, Nikki.
I wanted to like it but I couldn¡¯t. 
May 16, 2016
5 Heartbreaking Stars SPOILER FREE
God. GOD. This book. This heartbreaking, incredibly written, gut wrenching book. If it had any more of my favorite elements in it, I'd feel like it was custom written for me. I don't remember the last time I read a book that gripped me the way this one did. To the point that I felt it on a visceral level. To the point that now days later after finishing it, I still can't stop thinking about it. This was easily one of my top favorite reads this year. I picked it up and read it straight through because I couldn't bear to put it down for even a second. I was an ugly crying, sniveling, raging mess the entire time and loved every painful second of it.
If and had an angst baby, this book would be IT. I'm so book hungover right now, I can't even form words.
Unbreak My Heart is an unbelievably gripping story of love and loss and second chances. This book absolutely owned my heart. It was a compelling, angst-filled, emotional, and completely unputdownable read from beginning to finish. You will love to hate this hero and then you'll just flat out love him.
Nicole Jacquelyn has a true gift with words because her characters are so incredibly compelling, you don't just read about them, you experience them. There is not an ounce of telling in this book. Everything is shown, including the character descriptions. Yeah. I was blown away to say the least.
Shane is not an easy hero to love. As a matter of fact he will make you down right hate him. He will break your heart so many times over, you'll wonder if there is a road back. But there is. Oh but there is.
You may be asking yourself if it's possible to write a book with a dead spouse and not make the heroine feel like a consolation prize prize. And to you I say, abso-freaking-lutely.
Kate is a character with so much depth. She takes so much emotional punishment throughout this book that you want to say that she may be too forgiving. But the author instills so much growth in her throughout the story that you'll love her more and more with each page.
I won't give you anything about the plot, because to be quite honest, everything you need to know is in the blurb. Anything more than that will be a spoiler. And if there's one thing I can recommend is to go into this book absolutely blind with NO preconceived notions.
Everything about this story is brilliant; from the feelings it will wrench from your very soul to the emotional mess it will leave you at the end of it. Shane and Kate's story is not an easy one. It's filled with pain and heart break but it's also beautiful in its own right. You don't read the characters' journey, you experience it. Everything from the fundamental changes in their relationship to their feelings and everything in between.
If you're questioning picking this up, don't! If you're a fellow angst-whore like me, if there's one book I can recommend you read, it's this one! Grab some tissues and some alcohol and prepare to read the whole night through because I guarantee this book will own every piece of you by the time you're finished.
ARC courtesy of publisher in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
I'd pushed her aside for so long that there was no foundation to build on. Just a mess of shattered pieces that I'd crushed with a sledgehammer every time she'd grown closer than I was comfortable with.
God. GOD. This book. This heartbreaking, incredibly written, gut wrenching book. If it had any more of my favorite elements in it, I'd feel like it was custom written for me. I don't remember the last time I read a book that gripped me the way this one did. To the point that I felt it on a visceral level. To the point that now days later after finishing it, I still can't stop thinking about it. This was easily one of my top favorite reads this year. I picked it up and read it straight through because I couldn't bear to put it down for even a second. I was an ugly crying, sniveling, raging mess the entire time and loved every painful second of it.
If and had an angst baby, this book would be IT. I'm so book hungover right now, I can't even form words.
Unbreak My Heart is an unbelievably gripping story of love and loss and second chances. This book absolutely owned my heart. It was a compelling, angst-filled, emotional, and completely unputdownable read from beginning to finish. You will love to hate this hero and then you'll just flat out love him.
I never needed you to fucking save me."
Nicole Jacquelyn has a true gift with words because her characters are so incredibly compelling, you don't just read about them, you experience them. There is not an ounce of telling in this book. Everything is shown, including the character descriptions. Yeah. I was blown away to say the least.
Shane is not an easy hero to love. As a matter of fact he will make you down right hate him. He will break your heart so many times over, you'll wonder if there is a road back. But there is. Oh but there is.
You may be asking yourself if it's possible to write a book with a dead spouse and not make the heroine feel like a consolation prize prize. And to you I say, abso-freaking-lutely.
Kate is a character with so much depth. She takes so much emotional punishment throughout this book that you want to say that she may be too forgiving. But the author instills so much growth in her throughout the story that you'll love her more and more with each page.
I won't give you anything about the plot, because to be quite honest, everything you need to know is in the blurb. Anything more than that will be a spoiler. And if there's one thing I can recommend is to go into this book absolutely blind with NO preconceived notions.
Everything about this story is brilliant; from the feelings it will wrench from your very soul to the emotional mess it will leave you at the end of it. Shane and Kate's story is not an easy one. It's filled with pain and heart break but it's also beautiful in its own right. You don't read the characters' journey, you experience it. Everything from the fundamental changes in their relationship to their feelings and everything in between.
If you're questioning picking this up, don't! If you're a fellow angst-whore like me, if there's one book I can recommend you read, it's this one! Grab some tissues and some alcohol and prepare to read the whole night through because I guarantee this book will own every piece of you by the time you're finished.
ARC courtesy of publisher in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
July 27, 2016
I don't know where to start with this review. I have SOOOOO many thoughts. First, this book BLEW ME AWAY. It's a punch to the gut. A tornado of feels so palpable it's a physical experience. It's frustrating, infuriating, yet beautiful in its raw, gritty, and authentic intensity. It will steal your breath and break your heart. Every word is POWERFUL AND GRIPPING.
Unbreak My Heart is a visceral experience. And as I sit here to write my review weeks later, I'm reminded of how much it rocked me as a reader. UNFORGETTABLE from start to finish, the ride was turbulent and utterly perfect. Without a doubt one of my most FAVORITE reads EVER!
Kate Evans has always had a crush on Shane. They were best friends until that friendship crumbled without rhyme or reason. Shane had decided he could no longer deal with Kate. He ends up hooking up and marrying Rachel, Kate's college roommate and really good friend. **cries** Fast forward some time and Shane is now a father to four kids and Rachel has tragically passed away. The family is devastated by the loss and Kate, being the wonderful woman she is, steps in, taking care of those kids as if they were her own.
I'm not sure how much more I should say. This book is full of so many twists and turns, I almost feel as if saying anything more is a spoiler. The blurb itself holds the perfect amount of information.
This book should be experienced.
You should open it up and LIVE it. It's intoxicating.
I'll say this about the characters though! Shane is an anti-hero at times. I can't express how much I wanted to cause him pain. There were times where I hated him. He destroyed me. Over and over and over again, I felt as if I had suffered physical blows from this man. I was in a state of frenzied anger for a good portion of this novel. But that anger was a deep hurt. I was wounded for Kate. I was broken for her. Everything she was going through, all the sacrifices she had made and continued to make for this man and his children, her selflessness, and what she got in return, burned me.
I was incensed.
Shane acted like a self-consumed, arrogant f-k. And Kate took what was given to her because she wanted to do the right thing. She was a good person. Now, don't get me wrong, she wasn't weak by any means. But she was definitely taken advantage of.
This story is not easy. It's a tale of second chances, but it is gritty. It takes time to get to where it needs to be and the time it takes hurts so damn good. It's definitely hopeful and it's healing though! This novel speaks of forgiveness and redemption, of LIVING a FULL life after something tragic.
I loved it deeply.
I loved it even when I got to the point where I thought, "there is no way that this is going to work out! This is too much."
I loved it even when I felt as if I couldn't go on. Even when I felt as if Shane was not someone I could root for.
I LOVED it when I was frantically messaging a friend who had read it, saying, "There is no way he is going to be able to redeem himself. HE. IS. DEAD. TO. ME" ***laughs***
It was INTENSE . The connection I had to these characters was DEEP. I was soulfully invested in this story. I was overwhelmed in the VERY BEST way. I couldn't stop reading!!!!! I didn't want to stop!
I WAS CONSUMED.
It's a beautiful book. I'm telling you, it transformed into something so wonderful by the end!!!!!!! I fell in love against my will. The anger dissipate and love was left in its place. These characters are truly enthralling!!!! They grow before your eyes. It's phenomenal.
The writing. The pacing. The story. The dialogue. The sex. The everything. It's all so perfect. It's a perfect book that will hold you prisoner.
Nicole Jacquelyn SLAYED it. She wrote something that will go down as a book to remember. A story that you'll think about and recommend to everyone. I HIGHLY recommend it. To the angst reader. And the non angst reader. It's a standalone novel THAT NEEDS TO BE READ. It's just so good.
ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
FOLLOW ME ON: | | |
Unbreak My Heart is a visceral experience. And as I sit here to write my review weeks later, I'm reminded of how much it rocked me as a reader. UNFORGETTABLE from start to finish, the ride was turbulent and utterly perfect. Without a doubt one of my most FAVORITE reads EVER!
Kate Evans has always had a crush on Shane. They were best friends until that friendship crumbled without rhyme or reason. Shane had decided he could no longer deal with Kate. He ends up hooking up and marrying Rachel, Kate's college roommate and really good friend. **cries** Fast forward some time and Shane is now a father to four kids and Rachel has tragically passed away. The family is devastated by the loss and Kate, being the wonderful woman she is, steps in, taking care of those kids as if they were her own.
I'm not sure how much more I should say. This book is full of so many twists and turns, I almost feel as if saying anything more is a spoiler. The blurb itself holds the perfect amount of information.
This book should be experienced.
You should open it up and LIVE it. It's intoxicating.
I'll say this about the characters though! Shane is an anti-hero at times. I can't express how much I wanted to cause him pain. There were times where I hated him. He destroyed me. Over and over and over again, I felt as if I had suffered physical blows from this man. I was in a state of frenzied anger for a good portion of this novel. But that anger was a deep hurt. I was wounded for Kate. I was broken for her. Everything she was going through, all the sacrifices she had made and continued to make for this man and his children, her selflessness, and what she got in return, burned me.
I was incensed.
Shane acted like a self-consumed, arrogant f-k. And Kate took what was given to her because she wanted to do the right thing. She was a good person. Now, don't get me wrong, she wasn't weak by any means. But she was definitely taken advantage of.
This story is not easy. It's a tale of second chances, but it is gritty. It takes time to get to where it needs to be and the time it takes hurts so damn good. It's definitely hopeful and it's healing though! This novel speaks of forgiveness and redemption, of LIVING a FULL life after something tragic.
I loved it deeply.
I loved it even when I got to the point where I thought, "there is no way that this is going to work out! This is too much."
I loved it even when I felt as if I couldn't go on. Even when I felt as if Shane was not someone I could root for.
I LOVED it when I was frantically messaging a friend who had read it, saying, "There is no way he is going to be able to redeem himself. HE. IS. DEAD. TO. ME" ***laughs***
It was INTENSE . The connection I had to these characters was DEEP. I was soulfully invested in this story. I was overwhelmed in the VERY BEST way. I couldn't stop reading!!!!! I didn't want to stop!
I WAS CONSUMED.
It's a beautiful book. I'm telling you, it transformed into something so wonderful by the end!!!!!!! I fell in love against my will. The anger dissipate and love was left in its place. These characters are truly enthralling!!!! They grow before your eyes. It's phenomenal.
The writing. The pacing. The story. The dialogue. The sex. The everything. It's all so perfect. It's a perfect book that will hold you prisoner.
Nicole Jacquelyn SLAYED it. She wrote something that will go down as a book to remember. A story that you'll think about and recommend to everyone. I HIGHLY recommend it. To the angst reader. And the non angst reader. It's a standalone novel THAT NEEDS TO BE READ. It's just so good.
ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
FOLLOW ME ON: | | |
June 28, 2016
So disappointed with this one. While I liked the first half of the book, the second was a failure. Nothing happened that would make the hero redeem himself and while heroine finally had the guts to stand up for herself, it was too little too late.
The angst was superb and the book made me furious at times, and I like when book does that, hence 3 stars but to be honest, I'm not completely sure if it deserves.
All because of Shane mostly. Now, I like me some asshole, I really do, the worse the better. But! He needs to grovel, he needs to show, after shitstorm he put heroine through, that he was wrong and that he regrets. Sadly, this hero didn't. Some things he did or said you can't just forget or unhear, you know. "We had the kids in common. That was it. I wasn¡¯t going to pretend that I thought she was interesting or sexy or fun." If you hear several times that Kate wasn't hot enough for him, than one measly sentence "So beautiful." later on isn't enough IMO. And he was always like "I'm sorry. Let's move on." No remorse whatsoever.
The biggest problem I had though, was with his absent dead wife Rachel. I did not like her at all from glimpses of the past. Some best friend she was.
Finally, I haven't felt Kate and Shane's connection. I know they cared about each other and I might even believe in Kate's feelings but Shane? Nope. I didn't see love there. I think she was just convenient for him, at the right place and right time to take care of his kids. Honestly, I had a feeling like any other woman would do for him.
Oh well, can't love them all...
The angst was superb and the book made me furious at times, and I like when book does that, hence 3 stars but to be honest, I'm not completely sure if it deserves.
All because of Shane mostly. Now, I like me some asshole, I really do, the worse the better. But! He needs to grovel, he needs to show, after shitstorm he put heroine through, that he was wrong and that he regrets. Sadly, this hero didn't. Some things he did or said you can't just forget or unhear, you know. "We had the kids in common. That was it. I wasn¡¯t going to pretend that I thought she was interesting or sexy or fun." If you hear several times that Kate wasn't hot enough for him, than one measly sentence "So beautiful." later on isn't enough IMO. And he was always like "I'm sorry. Let's move on." No remorse whatsoever.
The biggest problem I had though, was with his absent dead wife Rachel. I did not like her at all from glimpses of the past. Some best friend she was.
Finally, I haven't felt Kate and Shane's connection. I know they cared about each other and I might even believe in Kate's feelings but Shane? Nope. I didn't see love there. I think she was just convenient for him, at the right place and right time to take care of his kids. Honestly, I had a feeling like any other woman would do for him.
Oh well, can't love them all...
June 17, 2016
This was not my thing. Others have enjoyed it, so YMMV.
I didn't do a word count, but my guess is that the f-bomb was dropped roughly 14,237 times. For me, that's a word that should be used sparingly else you risk sounding uneducated and trashy. Especially when you're constantly using it in front of kids. Jeez.
Also, yes, the hero was an ass. However, I didn't care all that much. I thought it was kind of freaky that the heroine followed him and his wife to another state just so she could take care of their kids so his wife didn't have to. The heroine was creepily obsessed with their family. She couldn't even keep a boyfriend because they all saw that they were second best to her obsession.
I also thought it was very weird that the book begins with the hero lusting over his wife. I get it, they were married and he loved her, but I didn't want to read about that when I knew he'd end up with someone else. I was also never convinced that the heroine was anything more than a replacement for his dead wife.
This is a very kid heavy book. The two of them would have never gotten together had it not been for her determination to be a unpaid nanny. Not so much my thing in a romance.
I didn't do a word count, but my guess is that the f-bomb was dropped roughly 14,237 times. For me, that's a word that should be used sparingly else you risk sounding uneducated and trashy. Especially when you're constantly using it in front of kids. Jeez.
Also, yes, the hero was an ass. However, I didn't care all that much. I thought it was kind of freaky that the heroine followed him and his wife to another state just so she could take care of their kids so his wife didn't have to. The heroine was creepily obsessed with their family. She couldn't even keep a boyfriend because they all saw that they were second best to her obsession.
I also thought it was very weird that the book begins with the hero lusting over his wife. I get it, they were married and he loved her, but I didn't want to read about that when I knew he'd end up with someone else. I was also never convinced that the heroine was anything more than a replacement for his dead wife.
This is a very kid heavy book. The two of them would have never gotten together had it not been for her determination to be a unpaid nanny. Not so much my thing in a romance.
September 13, 2016
4 Stars!!
I can¡¯t believe this was my first book by this author! Why I waited so long to read one of her books...I don't know. I have been meaning to try this author since forever and I¡¯m so glad I finally did, because I really enjoyed her storytelling and I loved her writing. Like many readers I¡¯m not really an angst whore. I like to read angsty books from time to time but I¡¯m not really looking for them. Also, to fully enjoy an angsty read I really have to be in the mood.
'Unbreak My Heart' was not only one of the most gut-wrenching books I¡¯ve read this year, but it also was one of the most gripping emotional books I¡¯ve read in a while. This first book in the series totally blew me away ¨C with its story, with its characters and even with all the f@cking angst that almost killed me. It almost killed me, but surprise, surprise, I totally loved it! It gave me heart palpitations and everything, but I honestly enjoyed every minute of it.
'Unbreak My Heart' tells the story of Kate Evans who has been in love with her best friend¡¯s husband, Shane since they were teens. For years, Kate did the ¡°impossible¡± ¨C she put her feelings aside, being a good friend for her bestie, Rachel, supporting her in everything and caring for her and her three children. The fact that Shane is in the military helped her situations over the years, but everything changes for Kate when Rachel, pregnant with her fourth child dies in a car accident while the baby miraculously survives. From that moment, Kate and Shane¡¯s lives change irrevocably. Kate sacrifices everything and tries to care for her best friend¡¯s children as best as she can. She loves these kids and while Shane¡¯s clearly doesn¡¯t appreciate her help like he was supposed to, she would give her life for any of them.
This book sucked me in from the very beginning. Even if it was a very heart-breaking read, this story of love and loss, was very addictive. I couldn¡¯t put it down for one minute! I enjoyed the story-line, how everything between the two main characters progressed, the pace of the story and even some plot devices I usually don¡¯t care about¡too much. That being said, I enjoyed my first read by this author tremendously and I loved almost every aspect of the story.
As I mentioned above, I loved the angst in this one. I loved that wasn¡¯t ¡°stupid¡± angst and I loved the fact the author didn¡¯t try to play with my emotions...too much. With such a premise it¡¯s normal for you to expect some drama¡duh¡but the good think is the author didn¡¯t overwhelmed the reader with unnecessary drama. So kudos to the author for that!
I have to say the author this a stellar job with both main characters¡¯ development. I loved their portrayal and also the amount of depth they had as the story unfolded. I loved Kate, our heroine. Kate was first and foremost a genuinely good person. She had such a big heart! I loved the way she cared for the four kids. She was an amazing mother for them and I absolutely loved the relationship she has with them. She felt more like a mother than an auntie in my opinion and I loved that the author made me feel that. I¡¯m sure many readers will think Kate was too forgiving at times or that other times she was a doormat. In my opinion she wasn¡¯t that at all.
Our hero, Shane pissed me off more than any hero I¡¯ve read about in a looong time. At times he was an a$$hole, the biggest a$$hole possible. I lost the numbers of times I wanted to smack him in the head. But yeah, there were many. I had a hard time liking him, understanding him and forgiving him...at least at first. However, I can¡¯t lie¡he was a good father and as the story progressed he redeemed herself...in some way¡kind of. I would have wanted for him to pull his head out of his a$$ a little sooner¡but well¡better late than never. As the story unfolded, he realizes not only that Kate is not the enemy, but also that he loves her. Gahh, he was so infuriating at times, but I have to say I liked how sweet and caring he was with her at times.
Kate and Shane¡¯s relationship development was turbulent to say the least and I really liked the believable way it progressed.
Overall, this was a fantastic emotional read I highly recommend it if you are looking for something angsty that will keep you at the edge of your seat.
¡°Love can overlook a lot of things.¡±
I can¡¯t believe this was my first book by this author! Why I waited so long to read one of her books...I don't know. I have been meaning to try this author since forever and I¡¯m so glad I finally did, because I really enjoyed her storytelling and I loved her writing. Like many readers I¡¯m not really an angst whore. I like to read angsty books from time to time but I¡¯m not really looking for them. Also, to fully enjoy an angsty read I really have to be in the mood.
¡°It was time to step into shoes that were not my own.¡±
'Unbreak My Heart' was not only one of the most gut-wrenching books I¡¯ve read this year, but it also was one of the most gripping emotional books I¡¯ve read in a while. This first book in the series totally blew me away ¨C with its story, with its characters and even with all the f@cking angst that almost killed me. It almost killed me, but surprise, surprise, I totally loved it! It gave me heart palpitations and everything, but I honestly enjoyed every minute of it.
¡°I¡¯d loved him from afar for most of my adult life, and while I didn¡¯t see that changing anytime soon, I also didn¡¯t expect that he¡¯d ever return those feelings.¡±
'Unbreak My Heart' tells the story of Kate Evans who has been in love with her best friend¡¯s husband, Shane since they were teens. For years, Kate did the ¡°impossible¡± ¨C she put her feelings aside, being a good friend for her bestie, Rachel, supporting her in everything and caring for her and her three children. The fact that Shane is in the military helped her situations over the years, but everything changes for Kate when Rachel, pregnant with her fourth child dies in a car accident while the baby miraculously survives. From that moment, Kate and Shane¡¯s lives change irrevocably. Kate sacrifices everything and tries to care for her best friend¡¯s children as best as she can. She loves these kids and while Shane¡¯s clearly doesn¡¯t appreciate her help like he was supposed to, she would give her life for any of them.
¡°I'd pushed her aside for so long that there was no foundation to build on. Just a mess of shattered pieces that I'd crushed with a sledgehammer every time she'd grown closer than I was comfortable with.¡±
This book sucked me in from the very beginning. Even if it was a very heart-breaking read, this story of love and loss, was very addictive. I couldn¡¯t put it down for one minute! I enjoyed the story-line, how everything between the two main characters progressed, the pace of the story and even some plot devices I usually don¡¯t care about¡too much. That being said, I enjoyed my first read by this author tremendously and I loved almost every aspect of the story.
As I mentioned above, I loved the angst in this one. I loved that wasn¡¯t ¡°stupid¡± angst and I loved the fact the author didn¡¯t try to play with my emotions...too much. With such a premise it¡¯s normal for you to expect some drama¡duh¡but the good think is the author didn¡¯t overwhelmed the reader with unnecessary drama. So kudos to the author for that!
I have to say the author this a stellar job with both main characters¡¯ development. I loved their portrayal and also the amount of depth they had as the story unfolded. I loved Kate, our heroine. Kate was first and foremost a genuinely good person. She had such a big heart! I loved the way she cared for the four kids. She was an amazing mother for them and I absolutely loved the relationship she has with them. She felt more like a mother than an auntie in my opinion and I loved that the author made me feel that. I¡¯m sure many readers will think Kate was too forgiving at times or that other times she was a doormat. In my opinion she wasn¡¯t that at all.
¡°I don't need you to save me...I never needed you to fucking save me."
Our hero, Shane pissed me off more than any hero I¡¯ve read about in a looong time. At times he was an a$$hole, the biggest a$$hole possible. I lost the numbers of times I wanted to smack him in the head. But yeah, there were many. I had a hard time liking him, understanding him and forgiving him...at least at first. However, I can¡¯t lie¡he was a good father and as the story progressed he redeemed herself...in some way¡kind of. I would have wanted for him to pull his head out of his a$$ a little sooner¡but well¡better late than never. As the story unfolded, he realizes not only that Kate is not the enemy, but also that he loves her. Gahh, he was so infuriating at times, but I have to say I liked how sweet and caring he was with her at times.
¡°For the past couple of nights when I'd lain down beside her, after she'd called asleep and I knew she couldn't hear me, I'd promised her that she'd never have to forgive me again if she could do it one last time.¡±
Kate and Shane¡¯s relationship development was turbulent to say the least and I really liked the believable way it progressed.
Overall, this was a fantastic emotional read I highly recommend it if you are looking for something angsty that will keep you at the edge of your seat.
¡°I couldn't change the past, but hell if I didn't want to be what Kate needed now.¡±
December 31, 2021
*reloaded review* it was invisible on the app, and my ocd was driving me mad????*
?Rating change?: 2.5 stars ??3.8 stars.
Pre scriptum: today a really weird thing happened to me. I went for a walk with my friends (hehe weird isn't it?) and talked non-fucking-stop about this story and how unfairly roasted and falsely accused my devoted, loyal Shane? is, so naturally I decided that even though I hated how he ended up with the psychotically obsessed with him and his children gal, it would be unfair to give the book anything less than 4 solid stars. Taking into account the fact that I NEVER discuss books outside the Internet and my friends weren't even given the opportunity to get in a single word, poor things... 4 stars it is. ??
Original review
I settled on 2.5 stars solely because he sucked breast milk from her nipples. ???¡â????? The hero's fertility goddess comment mmm. ? One of the best scenes in the entire book, fun times. Go figure how anyone can trust my ratings after that. ???
Backstory.?
I opened the first page of this book knowing practically nothing about it: I happened to read a very intriguing and somewhat vague review that, nonetheless, gave me a general idea about the story. Upon skimming a few more reviews, I came to the conclusion that everyone kinda hates to love (or loves to hate) Shane, the assholish hero of this sweet lil soap opera who according to many deserves to be burned at the stake. As for the heroine, she will either make me fall in love with her sweet personality or annoy me silly thanks to her doormat-ish antics. I was so ready to join Katehaters camp or Katelovers fan club (I didn't even care which one, I just wanted a membership ????? and the sense of belonging that inevitably comes along with it, vale?? ), you wouldn't read about it:D
Well, taking into consideration the circumstances of the birth of this particular love story, I was supposed to be drowned in the hot bathtub filled with delicious, holy, needs-to-be-protected-at-all-costs?angst?! ??
IT DIDN'T CROSS MY MIND ONCE THAT MY ?creep?METER (lemme tell ya, an extremely sensitive thing) WILL PUT ME ON HIGH ALERT AND GO FUCKING BALLISTIC. Other people cried over the book, after all. I fully expected to experience the gregarious feeling of empathetic grief for our heroine's predicament. ??
Honestly, it came as a surprise that I started feeling extremely paranoid right off the bat. The deeper I submerged in the murky waters of the story, the more anxious I became. I kept worrying my lip over the possibility that my best friend crept into my life and laid her psychotically obsessive hands on my husband and our brats. I wouldn't know which option to choose: searching frantically for the place where I could acquire fake IDs for my fam... or hiding them all in the farthest corner of a closet (namely, my loving sexy husband and our lil devil's spawns). Decisions decisions.
Mind you, last time I checked, I had neither a loving hubby nor any rug rats:/
But I got carried away. Meh. ? First things first: let's jump right into the epic love story that is KATE and SHANE'S relationship. Just in case remember the heroine's name or you run the risk of getting confused.
1...
2...
3...
It was ?original?.
The way our hero Shane spent the day of his wife's death first anniversary.
Ce?le?b?r?a?t?ing Mourning the deceased wife, Rachel, in peace and quiet of the hotel room (the same hotel room he used to come to for wild sexcapades with her, as a matter of fact)? It doesn't sound quite as depressing when it turns out that the said process gets interrupted occasionally by the moans of his dead wife's best friend?? ?
The procedure of commemoration that deserves an Oscar.
Kate did her best to preserve the tradition long before the tragic accident, so why stop now, after Rachel's death? Let's appreciate for a second the dedication and sacrifice of this woman in respectful silence. ? Who else, if not you and me???
Definitely not Shane.
I think this was precisely the moment when I was bound to get this tingling sensation of heartbreak flooding my veins as a natural reaction to the heroine's sad fate, hatred slowly sipping into my eyes every time I had to read about the hero... I mean how sadder could the book get at this point?? She sacrificed her body on the altar of her dead friend's annual tradition and all she got from Rachel's husband AND her long term crush all in the same breath was this?: ???
?? SHANE, you ungrateful lil brat, I love you-
But there truly was no turning back for me, I SWEAR MY HEART DID A FUCKING SOMERSAULT IN MY CHEST, after Shane in all his brooding seriousness told Katie that SHE was FORGIVEN after having taken the advantage of his drunkenness. ? This guy woke up and chose to achieve major ?boyfriend goals?.
Little did he know at the time of exchanging pleasantries that she had also stolen his sperm and was already carrying his fifth heir in her belly.
Impeccable timing? Check ?
¡°Are you sure it¡¯s mine?¡± question? Check ?
A long process of estate division among his brats as a bright future? Check?
If she hadn¡¯t died, I had a feeling that she¡¯d probably already be pregnant by now, and I¡¯d be ecstatic about adding to our brood.
Do you think Shane is a disgusting asshole?
You are fairly certain that my whole review is dedicated to dragging his malicious ass??
WRONG.
Lemme tell you the one and only thing that matters: I love Shane and the stars I have given to the story? Are. All. His. ?
My perception of this dumpster fire:
Shane loved his wife Rachel! ? All those small glimpses of how tender and caring he acted around her we were blessed with?? Precious. ? Even though the author oh-so-smoothly jammed and contaminated every small peek into this couple's happy marriage with the irrelevant Kate and the unrequited love she wore on her sleeve, I could physically feel the love, the tenderness and absolute devotion he had for his wife. ?
In the past this hero was disinterested (rightfully so) in the sweet, available and *head over heels in love with him* Kate of 10 years ago.
Call me an asshole but I can relate to finding some sweet and available girl boring. ? The allure of unattainable gets the best of us...
The heroine in her turn has been pining non-stop after the man who happily married her best friend, ignored her for more than a decade (AS HE SHOULD, being a loyal, loving husband to Rachel), and gave Rachel not ONE, not TWO, not THREE? But FOUR CHILDREN. Not gonna lie: that bullshit is kinda hard to relate to. ? I'd love to say that Kate took the allure of unattainable too close to heart, poor thing, but I cannot emphasize this thought enough: the allure of unattainable transforms into idiocy when the said allure has 4 kids and is happily married to another woman, your best friend. ????
I have no desire to put labels on the main characters, calling the heroine an idiot and arguing that the hero was a big fat jerk for lashing out at her the way he did... It's kinda obvious. But am I the only one who was lowkey scared of the chick Kate, I wonder?
She had that creepy *I'd assume control over your household/I'd love your children more than you/I'd not let anything happen to your husband once you're dead * vibe going for her. ?
You young ladies who found her sweet are scaring me shitless too:/
And if you cried over that scene, don't come near me. ?? Keep respectful distance coz I'm not kidding when I say Irunia is SCARED. ?
If the kids' mother passes away, it doesn't mean their caregiver automatically becomes their mother. The way Kate kept calling them her kids and then suffered like a lunatic after Shane had taken HIS CHILDREN away from her???
Kate practically lived with Rachel while Shane was on deployment and honestly I can hardly imagine anything creepier than finding out about your fam's personal shadow (which disappeared every time you came back) a year after your wife's death.
The author really did present this kind of a shit show in a favorable light, huh??
Kate (yes, I'm talking to a psychopathic fictional character, why wouldn't I), moving to California to take care of your married long-time crush' children in his absence, at the expense of your career opportunities is a psychotic obsession in my dictionary, but it can be defined as "sweet, caring and selfless personality" in others. Not sure. But every other character in this goddamn book tried to convince me that all I should feel for her is blind admiration. ??
If I were Shane, I'd sprint for the nearest closet to hide my lil spawns from this lonely, lovely woman.
Call me an asshole (take 2), but that kind of accusations thrown at the hero seemed kinda irrelevant to me since the poor guy didn't even express a sliver of interest in Kate in the first place (that might have fuelled her feelings and led her on, you know?). He's not responsible for every crazy chick lusting eerily after his *married with children* ass:)
Conveniently delegating responsibility for "controlling Kate's life" on the unassuming guy's shoulders and making him feel guilty? Not cool, bro, but guess what? Every secondary character in the goddamn book did just that!! The bitch said '?sacrifice? makes perfect' but our poor, innocent, unsuspecting baby boy Shane had to be held accountable for a grown-ass woman's poor life choices?? NOT ON MY WATCH.
Kate being obsessively fixated on the guy's family didn't look good at all.
#Notgood #freedomtoshaneandhiskids
Nonetheless, the moral of the story: behavioral tactics stinking of obsession turn rude assholes into pussy whipped men. ?
To be fair, Shane wasn't an asshole per se, those antics were stored away for Kate exclusively (half the time the dude was just confused af I daresay?), so shall we assume the girl held a special place in his heart from the beginning? Probably. Probably not.
Did I find it anti-climatic how fast he fell for Kate and forgot his beloved wife? How quickly he stamped all over his old feelings remorselessly as if it were nothing? As if his previous happy family life meant nothing in comparison to his new and shining coexistence with Kate? YES. Rachel was only a passing figure in the book and how sad is that that I grew to care about her more than I did about the heroine??
Kate was so toxic and gaslighting, playing house with the guy's wife and his children, laying her life on the altar of OTHER people's children, rooting herself deeply into their family. By the looks of it I should have fallen hard for her creepy ass character... but the whole martyr antics she disguised her manipulating behavior as is just not my thing. I'm very particular when it comes to manipulation. ?
Don't tell me that her friend Rachel forced her to raise those kids. Or that Kate couldn't "ignore" a cry for help, lmao. Let's be a lil more realistic for once: Rachel and her husband Shane could afford a nanny. (I bet Rachel just felt lonely in her husband's absence and needed the company of a close friend...how selfish of her and noble of Kate, hope you see the sarcasm here ?). Thus, Kate single-handedly turned Shane's children into the purpose of her life... which doesn't sound creepy at all.
Back to positives, I didn't bother mentioning. I loved the banter between the main characters, it sounded oddly endearing and vivacious.
I just hope that our girlie Kate feels comfortable living in the same house where Shane fucked her best friend, had tender family moments with their children and didn't suspect that nothing much would change for him after his wife's death... just another beautiful woman at his side to hug at night is all. ? On second thought, I'm sure Kate is more than comfy with this particular knowledge/outcome. ?
I'm delirious with delight I joined the review bacchanal in honor of thiS story. ?
?Rating change?: 2.5 stars ??3.8 stars.
Pre scriptum: today a really weird thing happened to me. I went for a walk with my friends (hehe weird isn't it?) and talked non-fucking-stop about this story and how unfairly roasted and falsely accused my devoted, loyal Shane? is, so naturally I decided that even though I hated how he ended up with the psychotically obsessed with him and his children gal, it would be unfair to give the book anything less than 4 solid stars. Taking into account the fact that I NEVER discuss books outside the Internet and my friends weren't even given the opportunity to get in a single word, poor things... 4 stars it is. ??
Original review
I settled on 2.5 stars solely because he sucked breast milk from her nipples. ???¡â????? The hero's fertility goddess comment mmm. ? One of the best scenes in the entire book, fun times. Go figure how anyone can trust my ratings after that. ???
Backstory.?
I opened the first page of this book knowing practically nothing about it: I happened to read a very intriguing and somewhat vague review that, nonetheless, gave me a general idea about the story. Upon skimming a few more reviews, I came to the conclusion that everyone kinda hates to love (or loves to hate) Shane, the assholish hero of this sweet lil soap opera who according to many deserves to be burned at the stake. As for the heroine, she will either make me fall in love with her sweet personality or annoy me silly thanks to her doormat-ish antics. I was so ready to join Katehaters camp or Katelovers fan club (I didn't even care which one, I just wanted a membership ????? and the sense of belonging that inevitably comes along with it, vale?? ), you wouldn't read about it:D
Well, taking into consideration the circumstances of the birth of this particular love story, I was supposed to be drowned in the hot bathtub filled with delicious, holy, needs-to-be-protected-at-all-costs?angst?! ??
IT DIDN'T CROSS MY MIND ONCE THAT MY ?creep?METER (lemme tell ya, an extremely sensitive thing) WILL PUT ME ON HIGH ALERT AND GO FUCKING BALLISTIC. Other people cried over the book, after all. I fully expected to experience the gregarious feeling of empathetic grief for our heroine's predicament. ??
Honestly, it came as a surprise that I started feeling extremely paranoid right off the bat. The deeper I submerged in the murky waters of the story, the more anxious I became. I kept worrying my lip over the possibility that my best friend crept into my life and laid her psychotically obsessive hands on my husband and our brats. I wouldn't know which option to choose: searching frantically for the place where I could acquire fake IDs for my fam... or hiding them all in the farthest corner of a closet (namely, my loving sexy husband and our lil devil's spawns). Decisions decisions.
Mind you, last time I checked, I had neither a loving hubby nor any rug rats:/
But I got carried away. Meh. ? First things first: let's jump right into the epic love story that is KATE and SHANE'S relationship. Just in case remember the heroine's name or you run the risk of getting confused.
1...
2...
3...
It was ?original?.
The way our hero Shane spent the day of his wife's death first anniversary.
Ce?le?b?r?a?t?ing Mourning the deceased wife, Rachel, in peace and quiet of the hotel room (the same hotel room he used to come to for wild sexcapades with her, as a matter of fact)? It doesn't sound quite as depressing when it turns out that the said process gets interrupted occasionally by the moans of his dead wife's best friend?? ?
The procedure of commemoration that deserves an Oscar.
Rachel and Shane had a silly tradition to meet up after every deployment at a certain hotel downtown. Before they got back to daily life, with kids and bills and taking out the garbage, they¡¯d take one night just for themselves. And every year, I¡¯d keep the kids for the night while they met up and had marathon sex with no interruptions.
Kate did her best to preserve the tradition long before the tragic accident, so why stop now, after Rachel's death? Let's appreciate for a second the dedication and sacrifice of this woman in respectful silence. ? Who else, if not you and me???
¡°You knew I wouldn¡¯t fuck you sober, so you waited until I was shit-housed and got what you wanted.¡± I shook my head as I picked up my keys and wallet off the table. ¡°You feel better now, Katie? Was it everything you¡¯d imagined? I didn¡¯t disappoint, did I?¡±
Definitely not Shane.
I think this was precisely the moment when I was bound to get this tingling sensation of heartbreak flooding my veins as a natural reaction to the heroine's sad fate, hatred slowly sipping into my eyes every time I had to read about the hero... I mean how sadder could the book get at this point?? She sacrificed her body on the altar of her dead friend's annual tradition and all she got from Rachel's husband AND her long term crush all in the same breath was this?: ???
¡°You were a lousy fuck, Kate. I won¡¯t be back for seconds.¡±
?? SHANE, you ungrateful lil brat, I love you-
But there truly was no turning back for me, I SWEAR MY HEART DID A FUCKING SOMERSAULT IN MY CHEST, after Shane in all his brooding seriousness told Katie that SHE was FORGIVEN after having taken the advantage of his drunkenness. ? This guy woke up and chose to achieve major ?boyfriend goals?.
Little did he know at the time of exchanging pleasantries that she had also stolen his sperm and was already carrying his fifth heir in her belly.
Impeccable timing? Check ?
¡°Are you sure it¡¯s mine?¡± question? Check ?
A long process of estate division among his brats as a bright future? Check?
If she hadn¡¯t died, I had a feeling that she¡¯d probably already be pregnant by now, and I¡¯d be ecstatic about adding to our brood.
Do you think Shane is a disgusting asshole?
You are fairly certain that my whole review is dedicated to dragging his malicious ass??
WRONG.
Lemme tell you the one and only thing that matters: I love Shane and the stars I have given to the story? Are. All. His. ?
My perception of this dumpster fire:
Shane loved his wife Rachel! ? All those small glimpses of how tender and caring he acted around her we were blessed with?? Precious. ? Even though the author oh-so-smoothly jammed and contaminated every small peek into this couple's happy marriage with the irrelevant Kate and the unrequited love she wore on her sleeve, I could physically feel the love, the tenderness and absolute devotion he had for his wife. ?
In the past this hero was disinterested (rightfully so) in the sweet, available and *head over heels in love with him* Kate of 10 years ago.
Call me an asshole but I can relate to finding some sweet and available girl boring. ? The allure of unattainable gets the best of us...
The heroine in her turn has been pining non-stop after the man who happily married her best friend, ignored her for more than a decade (AS HE SHOULD, being a loyal, loving husband to Rachel), and gave Rachel not ONE, not TWO, not THREE? But FOUR CHILDREN. Not gonna lie: that bullshit is kinda hard to relate to. ? I'd love to say that Kate took the allure of unattainable too close to heart, poor thing, but I cannot emphasize this thought enough: the allure of unattainable transforms into idiocy when the said allure has 4 kids and is happily married to another woman, your best friend. ????
I have no desire to put labels on the main characters, calling the heroine an idiot and arguing that the hero was a big fat jerk for lashing out at her the way he did... It's kinda obvious. But am I the only one who was lowkey scared of the chick Kate, I wonder?
She had that creepy *I'd assume control over your household/I'd love your children more than you/I'd not let anything happen to your husband once you're dead * vibe going for her. ?
You young ladies who found her sweet are scaring me shitless too:/
I knew that time had passed since Shane had taken my kids away, but I wasn¡¯t sure how long it had been. It felt like an eternity.
And if you cried over that scene, don't come near me. ?? Keep respectful distance coz I'm not kidding when I say Irunia is SCARED. ?
If the kids' mother passes away, it doesn't mean their caregiver automatically becomes their mother. The way Kate kept calling them her kids and then suffered like a lunatic after Shane had taken HIS CHILDREN away from her???
Kate practically lived with Rachel while Shane was on deployment and honestly I can hardly imagine anything creepier than finding out about your fam's personal shadow (which disappeared every time you came back) a year after your wife's death.
The author really did present this kind of a shit show in a favorable light, huh??
Kate (yes, I'm talking to a psychopathic fictional character, why wouldn't I), moving to California to take care of your married long-time crush' children in his absence, at the expense of your career opportunities is a psychotic obsession in my dictionary, but it can be defined as "sweet, caring and selfless personality" in others. Not sure. But every other character in this goddamn book tried to convince me that all I should feel for her is blind admiration. ??
I only knew of one way that Gunner would settle down so late at night. Inhaling a shaky breath, I dug my fingertips into my eyes, trying to control the feeling of helplessness. My baby was crying for me, and I couldn¡¯t hold him or rub his back¡ªbut this, I could do this.
If I were Shane, I'd sprint for the nearest closet to hide my lil spawns from this lonely, lovely woman.
¡°In one way or another you¡¯ve been controlling her life and happiness for almost half her life, you self-important prick. It¡¯s always been you. She fucking revolves around you, like you¡¯re the sun or some shit,¡± Alex growled in frustration. ¡°And now, when she¡¯s pregnant with your child, you take her kids and leave her?¡±
Call me an asshole (take 2), but that kind of accusations thrown at the hero seemed kinda irrelevant to me since the poor guy didn't even express a sliver of interest in Kate in the first place (that might have fuelled her feelings and led her on, you know?). He's not responsible for every crazy chick lusting eerily after his *married with children* ass:)
Conveniently delegating responsibility for "controlling Kate's life" on the unassuming guy's shoulders and making him feel guilty? Not cool, bro, but guess what? Every secondary character in the goddamn book did just that!! The bitch said '?sacrifice? makes perfect' but our poor, innocent, unsuspecting baby boy Shane had to be held accountable for a grown-ass woman's poor life choices?? NOT ON MY WATCH.
¡°What the hell else is there to say? I¡¯ve given you everything, Shane,¡± I yelled back, my hands fisting. ¡°I took your shit like I was thankful for the fertilizer! I took care of everything so you wouldn¡¯t worry. Even when you were gone, even when you acted like you¡¯d never known me. What the hell else could you want from me at this point?¡±
Kate being obsessively fixated on the guy's family didn't look good at all.
¡°Katiebear, I¡¯m so sorry.¡±
¡°I hate you,¡± she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. ¡°I wish you were dead because then I could have my children back.¡±
#Notgood #freedomtoshaneandhiskids
Nonetheless, the moral of the story: behavioral tactics stinking of obsession turn rude assholes into pussy whipped men. ?
¡°I wish I could touch you right now.¡± I watched his Adam¡¯s apple bob as he swallowed hard. ¡°I wish I could feel her moving around in your belly. I wish I could rub your back and kiss you. I hate it that I¡¯m missing everything.¡±
To be fair, Shane wasn't an asshole per se, those antics were stored away for Kate exclusively (half the time the dude was just confused af I daresay?), so shall we assume the girl held a special place in his heart from the beginning? Probably. Probably not.
Did I find it anti-climatic how fast he fell for Kate and forgot his beloved wife? How quickly he stamped all over his old feelings remorselessly as if it were nothing? As if his previous happy family life meant nothing in comparison to his new and shining coexistence with Kate? YES. Rachel was only a passing figure in the book and how sad is that that I grew to care about her more than I did about the heroine??
Kate was so toxic and gaslighting, playing house with the guy's wife and his children, laying her life on the altar of OTHER people's children, rooting herself deeply into their family. By the looks of it I should have fallen hard for her creepy ass character... but the whole martyr antics she disguised her manipulating behavior as is just not my thing. I'm very particular when it comes to manipulation. ?
Don't tell me that her friend Rachel forced her to raise those kids. Or that Kate couldn't "ignore" a cry for help, lmao. Let's be a lil more realistic for once: Rachel and her husband Shane could afford a nanny. (I bet Rachel just felt lonely in her husband's absence and needed the company of a close friend...how selfish of her and noble of Kate, hope you see the sarcasm here ?). Thus, Kate single-handedly turned Shane's children into the purpose of her life... which doesn't sound creepy at all.
Back to positives, I didn't bother mentioning. I loved the banter between the main characters, it sounded oddly endearing and vivacious.
I just hope that our girlie Kate feels comfortable living in the same house where Shane fucked her best friend, had tender family moments with their children and didn't suspect that nothing much would change for him after his wife's death... just another beautiful woman at his side to hug at night is all. ? On second thought, I'm sure Kate is more than comfy with this particular knowledge/outcome. ?
I'm delirious with delight I joined the review bacchanal in honor of thiS story. ?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2020
3.5 ??
What do I say about this one? I am so torn, because I hated Shane (the hero) with the intentity of a thousand suns.. but at the same time I can't say that the story wasn't well told or good, cause it was. It was sad, heartbreaking and it made me cry because I was frustrated with the heroine on how much she would put up with. The amount of times I felt murderous towards the hero, should qualify me for a jail sentence..
I'm gonna do a play by play of what happens in this one (mostly backstory on the characters) just so you understand why I'm so confused as to how I feel.
The hero, Shane has known Kate (the heroine) since he was 17. He was a foster kid taken in by Kate's aunt and uncle. They became friends. He knew she always had a crush on him but he didn¡¯t reciprocate. We have him saying numerous times that she was too pushy and physically she wasn't his type. He mentiones that he likes slender girls who "take care of themselves", meaning they use make up and are always put together. Which is the opposite of Kate.
When Kate brought her roommate from college home, he liked what he saw instantly (apparenly she was a bombshell) and wasn¡¯t deterred by the fact that he was hurting Kate. (there is a flashback in which he kisses Rachel on purpose in front of Kate, and she burst into tears, also in the same scene he assuress Rachel that he feels nothing for Kate and that her thing is one sided, that was after Rachel questioned him because according to her, Kate seemes infatuated with him- what a good friend that bitch was ...) Shane told himself that she (Kate) should have gotten over it by then and why would he lose the chance of getting to know the girl just because he might hurt her feelings.
Anyway, even though they both know they are hurting Kate they start dating and eventually marry. After he married said girl who remained Kate¡¯s best friend, he started acting like he didn¡¯t like Kate or was annoyed by her so that he didn¡¯t have to interact with her and that goes on for 10 years. Mind you they were friends at a point in their lives and she was there for him when he moved in with their family.. and this is how he treats her. During these 10 years, Shane is rarely home because he gets deployed months and months at a time, during which period Kate basically becomes a second mother to his kids (he has 3 at that point and one on the way). His wife Rachel, can't handle being alone and a parent so she takes advantage of Kate who loves the kids dearly. She never tells Shane that she has help just pretends she's wonder woman and when he's back from deployment, Kate is booted out of their lives by Rachel until the time comes again for him to leave.
Fast forward and Rachel dies, Kate takes care of the kids but Shane treats her like dirt on his shoe for no apparent reason. After a drunken night they sleep together and that's how she gets pregnant. The scene in which Shane wakes up in the hotel the morning after.. it was brutal, the things he said..I would never forgive the guy. I teared up for Katie, she didn't deserve that.
For more than half of the book, Shane treats Kate like she was a pariah. He is so awful and hurtful towards her. The things he says.. I don't even want to remember those.
After things get put into perspective, I realized and felt like his marriage to Rachel was about him proving that he can have the perfect life: a gorgeous independent wife, a few kids, a respected job and balance it all with objectivity. I¡¯m not saying he didn¡¯t love his wife, only that there¡¯s different kinds of love and he grew to love her cause with her he gets to tick everything on his list. He always felt inadequate due to his upbringing and I suppose that his need to have that perfect illusion and a wife who sees the surface stuff he lets her see, was stronger than his need for a true connection with someone like Kate who didn't see him like an invincible perfect guy. Katie reminded him of his shortcomings, of a past he wanted to leave behind..
I hated how much she tolerated from him and honestly it was for no reason at all. I mean she loved him for over 10 years and stayed true to the meaning of unconditional. At times she was definitely pathetic because he was giving her crumbs and she was greedily waiting for the next one and begging for more. She was soaking up every bit of attention or care that he threw her way and she was his punching bag at the same time, emotionally that is. I get that whole thing of pride has no place in love or whatever but this was beyond that. She had the guy hate her and have 4 kids with her best friend but she was still head over heels for him.
I suppose in a way, this book wants to show this kind of story, a broken type of love with far from perfect but realistic people..
What really puzzles me is: why did this girl love this guy so much and for so long? I can¡¯t comprehend it. I could see it, if he was a very nice person and treated her like a friend or family but he was a dick.
Eventually Katie admitted that she knew she tolerated and forgave him a lot because of his childhood history and probably because he lost his wife as well.
I¡¯m thorn. I mean yes it¡¯s pathetic from the outside. But is that how it feels to love someone so much, so unconditionally? Eventually she does put her foot down and says that she has had enough, that she forgives him but she is tired and has no trust left for him..
Tbh I would never have forgiven Shane. He didn¡¯t deserve it. Some people mess up so bad but they atone and deserve good things to come to them eventually. But Shane.. as cruel as it sounds, he needs a drop of his own medicine, and he needs to find himself alone and realize he can't treat people like that or he'll end up a bitter, lonely jerk.
Have I read anything more angsty?! Hmm ? don¡¯t know but this one is top 3 for sure. God it made me cry, it made me angry and it made me furious.
A romantic fairytale this is not.
Even the happy ever after feels wrong to be called just that, because well.. there¡¯s just so much history, so much pride, so much hurt.. someone always has to be the bigger person in order for it to work and someone was the bigger person, the one who got their heart trampled on, over and over until the jackass noticed that if he did it anymore there¡¯d be nothing left of it.
This reminded me so much of.. reality, not that reality is always that complicated but people are.
I gave this 3 stars because even if I hated Shane and I wanted to burn him at the stake and hear him beg for mercy and atone (yeah I know how creepy I sound), I can't deny that it was a good story. It had a realistic vibe to it and it didn't pull any punches.
What do I say about this one? I am so torn, because I hated Shane (the hero) with the intentity of a thousand suns.. but at the same time I can't say that the story wasn't well told or good, cause it was. It was sad, heartbreaking and it made me cry because I was frustrated with the heroine on how much she would put up with. The amount of times I felt murderous towards the hero, should qualify me for a jail sentence..
I'm gonna do a play by play of what happens in this one (mostly backstory on the characters) just so you understand why I'm so confused as to how I feel.
The hero, Shane has known Kate (the heroine) since he was 17. He was a foster kid taken in by Kate's aunt and uncle. They became friends. He knew she always had a crush on him but he didn¡¯t reciprocate. We have him saying numerous times that she was too pushy and physically she wasn't his type. He mentiones that he likes slender girls who "take care of themselves", meaning they use make up and are always put together. Which is the opposite of Kate.
When Kate brought her roommate from college home, he liked what he saw instantly (apparenly she was a bombshell) and wasn¡¯t deterred by the fact that he was hurting Kate. (there is a flashback in which he kisses Rachel on purpose in front of Kate, and she burst into tears, also in the same scene he assuress Rachel that he feels nothing for Kate and that her thing is one sided, that was after Rachel questioned him because according to her, Kate seemes infatuated with him- what a good friend that bitch was ...) Shane told himself that she (Kate) should have gotten over it by then and why would he lose the chance of getting to know the girl just because he might hurt her feelings.
Anyway, even though they both know they are hurting Kate they start dating and eventually marry. After he married said girl who remained Kate¡¯s best friend, he started acting like he didn¡¯t like Kate or was annoyed by her so that he didn¡¯t have to interact with her and that goes on for 10 years. Mind you they were friends at a point in their lives and she was there for him when he moved in with their family.. and this is how he treats her. During these 10 years, Shane is rarely home because he gets deployed months and months at a time, during which period Kate basically becomes a second mother to his kids (he has 3 at that point and one on the way). His wife Rachel, can't handle being alone and a parent so she takes advantage of Kate who loves the kids dearly. She never tells Shane that she has help just pretends she's wonder woman and when he's back from deployment, Kate is booted out of their lives by Rachel until the time comes again for him to leave.
Fast forward and Rachel dies, Kate takes care of the kids but Shane treats her like dirt on his shoe for no apparent reason. After a drunken night they sleep together and that's how she gets pregnant. The scene in which Shane wakes up in the hotel the morning after.. it was brutal, the things he said..I would never forgive the guy. I teared up for Katie, she didn't deserve that.
For more than half of the book, Shane treats Kate like she was a pariah. He is so awful and hurtful towards her. The things he says.. I don't even want to remember those.
After things get put into perspective, I realized and felt like his marriage to Rachel was about him proving that he can have the perfect life: a gorgeous independent wife, a few kids, a respected job and balance it all with objectivity. I¡¯m not saying he didn¡¯t love his wife, only that there¡¯s different kinds of love and he grew to love her cause with her he gets to tick everything on his list. He always felt inadequate due to his upbringing and I suppose that his need to have that perfect illusion and a wife who sees the surface stuff he lets her see, was stronger than his need for a true connection with someone like Kate who didn't see him like an invincible perfect guy. Katie reminded him of his shortcomings, of a past he wanted to leave behind..
I hated how much she tolerated from him and honestly it was for no reason at all. I mean she loved him for over 10 years and stayed true to the meaning of unconditional. At times she was definitely pathetic because he was giving her crumbs and she was greedily waiting for the next one and begging for more. She was soaking up every bit of attention or care that he threw her way and she was his punching bag at the same time, emotionally that is. I get that whole thing of pride has no place in love or whatever but this was beyond that. She had the guy hate her and have 4 kids with her best friend but she was still head over heels for him.
I suppose in a way, this book wants to show this kind of story, a broken type of love with far from perfect but realistic people..
What really puzzles me is: why did this girl love this guy so much and for so long? I can¡¯t comprehend it. I could see it, if he was a very nice person and treated her like a friend or family but he was a dick.
Eventually Katie admitted that she knew she tolerated and forgave him a lot because of his childhood history and probably because he lost his wife as well.
I¡¯m thorn. I mean yes it¡¯s pathetic from the outside. But is that how it feels to love someone so much, so unconditionally? Eventually she does put her foot down and says that she has had enough, that she forgives him but she is tired and has no trust left for him..
Tbh I would never have forgiven Shane. He didn¡¯t deserve it. Some people mess up so bad but they atone and deserve good things to come to them eventually. But Shane.. as cruel as it sounds, he needs a drop of his own medicine, and he needs to find himself alone and realize he can't treat people like that or he'll end up a bitter, lonely jerk.
Have I read anything more angsty?! Hmm ? don¡¯t know but this one is top 3 for sure. God it made me cry, it made me angry and it made me furious.
A romantic fairytale this is not.
Even the happy ever after feels wrong to be called just that, because well.. there¡¯s just so much history, so much pride, so much hurt.. someone always has to be the bigger person in order for it to work and someone was the bigger person, the one who got their heart trampled on, over and over until the jackass noticed that if he did it anymore there¡¯d be nothing left of it.
This reminded me so much of.. reality, not that reality is always that complicated but people are.
I gave this 3 stars because even if I hated Shane and I wanted to burn him at the stake and hear him beg for mercy and atone (yeah I know how creepy I sound), I can't deny that it was a good story. It had a realistic vibe to it and it didn't pull any punches.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2023
5 stars!!!
¡°Love can overlook a lot of things.¡±
Good gawd, this book and all of the emotions and feels. It ripped me apart inside and tore out my guts. I picked up this book because a fellow reviewer/blogger said ANGST and I was sold. Honestly I am that much of an angst whore and I have no shame.
Ten years ago Kate and Shane were friends, until Shane met Kate¡¯s friend Rachel, fell in love and married her. Rachel and Kate were best friends at this point, yet over the years Shane and Kate grew apart. Kate was there for Rachel when Shane was deployed and essentially another parent to Rachel and Shane¡¯s four kids.
But when Rachel dies, everything changes. Having been around their entire lives, Kate steps in to help raise the kids with Shane. About a year after her death, Shane and Kate take comfort in each other, an action that leads to a lot of awkwardness and regret.
¡°I¡¯d loved him from afar for most of my adult life, and while I didn¡¯t see that changing anytime soon, I also didn¡¯t expect that he¡¯d ever return those feelings.¡±
This book broke me. For those of you who love angst like me, this book is an all you can eat buffet of it. I can honestly say if you don¡¯t care for angst, this isn¡¯t the book for you. I loved this book, I loved Kate, I loved the kids. Shane¡¡ well he¡¯s a hard man to love. He¡¯s not a sweet hero, in fact he can be a real big dick. But, he grew on me.
There was this one part, and those who have read the book will understand, that freakin killed me to read. I felt the hero wouldn¡¯t be redeemable after reading this part of the book but I was wrong, because he did. I also feel Kate responded to his actions exactly how I would, and in fact she was more understanding than most because she truly loved this man. Even though he wasn¡¯t perfect, even though he wasn¡¯t always the nicest, she saw him for who he was and she every part of him.
I think this is a special story and was the perfect book to read for my mood. I cannot believe I¡¯ve never read anything by this author until now and I¡¯ll have to read more of her stuff very soon. Fans of author Natasha Anders will love this book.
¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing Kate, but I know that I want you.¡±
ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
¡°Love can overlook a lot of things.¡±
Good gawd, this book and all of the emotions and feels. It ripped me apart inside and tore out my guts. I picked up this book because a fellow reviewer/blogger said ANGST and I was sold. Honestly I am that much of an angst whore and I have no shame.
Ten years ago Kate and Shane were friends, until Shane met Kate¡¯s friend Rachel, fell in love and married her. Rachel and Kate were best friends at this point, yet over the years Shane and Kate grew apart. Kate was there for Rachel when Shane was deployed and essentially another parent to Rachel and Shane¡¯s four kids.
But when Rachel dies, everything changes. Having been around their entire lives, Kate steps in to help raise the kids with Shane. About a year after her death, Shane and Kate take comfort in each other, an action that leads to a lot of awkwardness and regret.
¡°I¡¯d loved him from afar for most of my adult life, and while I didn¡¯t see that changing anytime soon, I also didn¡¯t expect that he¡¯d ever return those feelings.¡±
This book broke me. For those of you who love angst like me, this book is an all you can eat buffet of it. I can honestly say if you don¡¯t care for angst, this isn¡¯t the book for you. I loved this book, I loved Kate, I loved the kids. Shane¡¡ well he¡¯s a hard man to love. He¡¯s not a sweet hero, in fact he can be a real big dick. But, he grew on me.
There was this one part, and those who have read the book will understand, that freakin killed me to read. I felt the hero wouldn¡¯t be redeemable after reading this part of the book but I was wrong, because he did. I also feel Kate responded to his actions exactly how I would, and in fact she was more understanding than most because she truly loved this man. Even though he wasn¡¯t perfect, even though he wasn¡¯t always the nicest, she saw him for who he was and she every part of him.
I think this is a special story and was the perfect book to read for my mood. I cannot believe I¡¯ve never read anything by this author until now and I¡¯ll have to read more of her stuff very soon. Fans of author Natasha Anders will love this book.
¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing Kate, but I know that I want you.¡±
ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
July 2, 2016
4.5 stars!
Unbreak My Heart is my first book by Nicole Jacquelyn and in a lot of ways, it completely blew me away. Emotional, angsty, and very well written, this book made me feel so many emotions I could hardly think straight while reading. I was sad, happy, angry, worried, stressed and content. At all different times. I love books that bring the feels and this one most certainly did! Shane and Kate¡¯s story had an impact on me and kept me completely riveted.
I¡¯m sure different people have different ways they would handle this. Kate handed it by staying true to her best friend, Rachel, and helping with her children when Shane was away serving his country. She also completely ignored the feelings she¡¯s always had for him. When tragedy strikes and Kate¡¯s best friend and Shane¡¯s wife passes away, Kate takes on a different role in his and the kids lives. She¡¯s still there. No matter what, she¡¯s still there. She doesn¡¯t expect anything from Shane at this point, but she needs to be there for him and the kids either way.
Lets talk about the characters in this book. Kate is a character that I really felt for. There were a few moments I wish she would have stood up for herself more, but I feel like she more than makes up for that later in the book by completely standing her ground. She¡¯s selfless, caring, forgiving and such a special person. Then there is Shane. Calling all book lovers who love the jerks, the assholes, and the hard to love heroes. Shane is your guy. I loved to hate Shane, and hated to love him. He infuriated me more times than I can count. Did he redeem himself? I think so. For the most part anyway. The more I got to know him and see into his past, the more I could somewhat understand his behaviors. I feel like he did grow and change throughout the story and although he really upset me to start, I ended up loving him by the end.
Another character I really loved was Kate¡¯s brother Bram. I¡¯m very excited we¡¯re getting a book for him. I can¡¯t wait to pick that one up! I loved his twin, Alex, too. I hope she continues this series with him as well.
Unbreak my Heart is full of angst, stress and emotional turmoil. Be prepared to feel when you start reading. You will feel from the beginning to the end. It¡¯s beautifully written, and a book I¡¯d highly recommend to all angst lovers.
Unbreak My Heart is my first book by Nicole Jacquelyn and in a lot of ways, it completely blew me away. Emotional, angsty, and very well written, this book made me feel so many emotions I could hardly think straight while reading. I was sad, happy, angry, worried, stressed and content. At all different times. I love books that bring the feels and this one most certainly did! Shane and Kate¡¯s story had an impact on me and kept me completely riveted.
What do you do when your soulmate marries your best friend?
I¡¯m sure different people have different ways they would handle this. Kate handed it by staying true to her best friend, Rachel, and helping with her children when Shane was away serving his country. She also completely ignored the feelings she¡¯s always had for him. When tragedy strikes and Kate¡¯s best friend and Shane¡¯s wife passes away, Kate takes on a different role in his and the kids lives. She¡¯s still there. No matter what, she¡¯s still there. She doesn¡¯t expect anything from Shane at this point, but she needs to be there for him and the kids either way.
I¡¯d loved him from afar for most of my adult life, and while I didn¡¯t see that changing anytime soon, I also didn¡¯t expect that he¡¯d ever return those feelings.?Fast forward a year after Rachel¡¯s death. Kate is still trying to juggle her own life and taking care of the kids. Shane is full of anguish, pain and guilt. One night they are together. It¡¯s just one night. But that one night changes everything.
Lets talk about the characters in this book. Kate is a character that I really felt for. There were a few moments I wish she would have stood up for herself more, but I feel like she more than makes up for that later in the book by completely standing her ground. She¡¯s selfless, caring, forgiving and such a special person. Then there is Shane. Calling all book lovers who love the jerks, the assholes, and the hard to love heroes. Shane is your guy. I loved to hate Shane, and hated to love him. He infuriated me more times than I can count. Did he redeem himself? I think so. For the most part anyway. The more I got to know him and see into his past, the more I could somewhat understand his behaviors. I feel like he did grow and change throughout the story and although he really upset me to start, I ended up loving him by the end.
I didn¡¯t know how to be with someone like Kate. She¡¯d demanded more from me than anyone ever had before, and that was terrifying. Because even though the history between us had proven that she wasn¡¯t going anywhere, I¡¯d learned over the course of my life that people left.
Another character I really loved was Kate¡¯s brother Bram. I¡¯m very excited we¡¯re getting a book for him. I can¡¯t wait to pick that one up! I loved his twin, Alex, too. I hope she continues this series with him as well.
Unbreak my Heart is full of angst, stress and emotional turmoil. Be prepared to feel when you start reading. You will feel from the beginning to the end. It¡¯s beautifully written, and a book I¡¯d highly recommend to all angst lovers.
June 12, 2016
I can barely round it up to 3 but as I enjoyed the first part of the book I will. So fucking disappointed. Saw all the rave reviews. I think my expectations were way too high. Did not like either of the characters. Thought Shane was a douchebag nearly all of the time and I usually love a good asshole of a hero. Kate, a doormat, from day one.
Not going to say "maybe it's just me"! Found Shane and Kate quite immature. She was 30, he was probably older. Not sure. Didn't fucking care at the end.
I don't think I am an insensitive, cold hearted bitch. I can get emotional while reading books and have done so with a lot of books but this one left me cold.
Had to force myself to finish it.
Not going to say "maybe it's just me"! Found Shane and Kate quite immature. She was 30, he was probably older. Not sure. Didn't fucking care at the end.
I don't think I am an insensitive, cold hearted bitch. I can get emotional while reading books and have done so with a lot of books but this one left me cold.
Had to force myself to finish it.
June 8, 2016
4 STARS
¡°Love can overlook a lot of things.¡±
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Nicole Jacquelyn delivered a very angsty and frustrating story with a hero that will try your patience.
The heroine, Kate Evans has been in love with the hero Shane since they were teens (would have like to read a page or two of them and their connection). Shane falls and marries Kate¡¯s best friend and so she puts her feelings aside and supports her friend until tragedy strikes.
¡±I cared for children that I loved more than myself, gave up the small semblance of a life I'd had before, and became a stand-in. And I didn't regret. Not for a second".
Kate steps in to assist with taking care of Shane¡¯s four children and Shane struggles with his attraction and assortment of feelings he has for Kate.
¡±I didn't know how to be with someone like Kate. She'd demand more from me than anyone ever had before, and that was terrifying. Because even though the history between us had proven that she wasn't going anywhere, I'd learned over the course of my life that people left".
I think the hero will evoke an assortment of emotions from any reader who picks this book up their journey was indeed well written. However, when it came time to win Kate I found the story short of a 5 Star rating. I wanted so more from his character ¨C I needed more to highlight and embrace. To say to myself he really truly loved her more than that he appreciated her. I never got to the point of thinking of them as Shane and Kate that couple that shared such an epic love. Also, a situation with one of the children was left unresolved as well. Still, the story was entertaining and well paced and I just loved the dual povs delivery.
¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing Kate, but I know that I want you.¡±
¡°Love can overlook a lot of things.¡±
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Nicole Jacquelyn delivered a very angsty and frustrating story with a hero that will try your patience.
The heroine, Kate Evans has been in love with the hero Shane since they were teens (would have like to read a page or two of them and their connection). Shane falls and marries Kate¡¯s best friend and so she puts her feelings aside and supports her friend until tragedy strikes.
¡±I cared for children that I loved more than myself, gave up the small semblance of a life I'd had before, and became a stand-in. And I didn't regret. Not for a second".
Kate steps in to assist with taking care of Shane¡¯s four children and Shane struggles with his attraction and assortment of feelings he has for Kate.
¡±I didn't know how to be with someone like Kate. She'd demand more from me than anyone ever had before, and that was terrifying. Because even though the history between us had proven that she wasn't going anywhere, I'd learned over the course of my life that people left".
I think the hero will evoke an assortment of emotions from any reader who picks this book up their journey was indeed well written. However, when it came time to win Kate I found the story short of a 5 Star rating. I wanted so more from his character ¨C I needed more to highlight and embrace. To say to myself he really truly loved her more than that he appreciated her. I never got to the point of thinking of them as Shane and Kate that couple that shared such an epic love. Also, a situation with one of the children was left unresolved as well. Still, the story was entertaining and well paced and I just loved the dual povs delivery.
¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing Kate, but I know that I want you.¡±
December 11, 2020
Ten years of unrequited angst, srsly the woman needed to just get herself a whip and a Dom and give that masochism some relief. I canna believe the idiocy. I did not buy the HEA.
October 13, 2022
i don¡¯t know how i¡¯m expected to hate men when men like ?shane? exist and root for women when women like ?kate? exist
feminism has completely disintegrated from my body
? 3 stars for shane
? actual rating: 2 stars
feminism has completely disintegrated from my body
? 3 stars for shane
? actual rating: 2 stars
June 2, 2017
If I could rename this book it would be something like Unsee My Eyes. I did read it after all, and I wish I hadn't. Alternatively, I could call this book A Textbook: Emotional Abuse 101.
I'm not going to go into the plot. There are enough reviews with plot summaries out there. I won't waste my time with it.
This piece of shit (I refuse to call him hero) is one of the worst male 'protagonists' (*snorts*) I've come across in a long time. As for the woman who is supposed to act as the heroine of the book: Wow! Just, wow! Words fail me. I'm glad that I've never had such a weak female role model in my formative years. Who knows how I might have turned out? Probably an apologetist for physical and emotional abusers.
The premise sounded interesting and I love me some angst. What I didn't see was my friend Jill's review. So, have a guess how bummed I felt after reading this 'incredible' book, only to see that I could have spared myself the pain, had I scrolled down...just a little and seen her review. Edit: even worse, I had read her review, but forgotten all about it when I bought it. Great!
I, as the reader, am supposed to feel sympathy for a man who, over a period of months insults, demeans, undermines the one woman in his life who has directly and indirectly made his life easier for over a decade. And all because he's lost his beloved wife in a car accident. Apparently, grief gives this obnoxious prick a free pass at being an obnoxious prick. Oh, by the way, he doesn't stop insulting, demeaning and undermining this doormat heroine when she falls pregnant with his child.
I am also supposed to feel sympathy for a woman who has never learned to walk away from this toxic person and build her own life. Nooooo, she's loved him since they were children.
All is explained, of course, but I didn't buy it. People hurt each other. Fact of life. However, there's no excuse for prolonged abuse, not even for emotional abuse. What an utter dreck!
I'm not going to go into the plot. There are enough reviews with plot summaries out there. I won't waste my time with it.
This piece of shit (I refuse to call him hero) is one of the worst male 'protagonists' (*snorts*) I've come across in a long time. As for the woman who is supposed to act as the heroine of the book: Wow! Just, wow! Words fail me. I'm glad that I've never had such a weak female role model in my formative years. Who knows how I might have turned out? Probably an apologetist for physical and emotional abusers.
The premise sounded interesting and I love me some angst. What I didn't see was my friend Jill's review. So, have a guess how bummed I felt after reading this 'incredible' book, only to see that I could have spared myself the pain, had I scrolled down...just a little and seen her review. Edit: even worse, I had read her review, but forgotten all about it when I bought it. Great!
I, as the reader, am supposed to feel sympathy for a man who, over a period of months insults, demeans, undermines the one woman in his life who has directly and indirectly made his life easier for over a decade. And all because he's lost his beloved wife in a car accident. Apparently, grief gives this obnoxious prick a free pass at being an obnoxious prick. Oh, by the way, he doesn't stop insulting, demeaning and undermining this doormat heroine when she falls pregnant with his child.
I am also supposed to feel sympathy for a woman who has never learned to walk away from this toxic person and build her own life. Nooooo, she's loved him since they were children.
All is explained, of course, but I didn't buy it. People hurt each other. Fact of life. However, there's no excuse for prolonged abuse, not even for emotional abuse. What an utter dreck!
January 15, 2023
? 2nd read, Oct. 2021 ¡ª 3.5 stars
im more PAINED, horrified, and disturb by the fact that this re-read wasnt as glorifyingly, deliciously, and satisfyingly painful as the first time i read the book. idk what went wrong.
ps. fyi i ended up binging all the books in the series (on audio), but have decided against adding them to GR. there wont be any trace of me reading the other three books on this site.
? 1st read, Jun. 2021 ¡ª 4.5 stars
in other words, something you will experience while reading this book.
or in my case, this read also felt like having salt poured into your wound over and over again (not that its ever happened to me ?). even so, despite my sleep deprived state and after all the cryfest, ive never been more sated and at peace because i LOVE this... thing that was...
so despicable, yet it was beguiling...
so raw, yet it seemed unreal...
so painful, yet it gave me pure bliss...
so infuriating & frustrating, yet i was addicted...
so heart-wrenching, yet i felt like being on cloud nine...
sSoOoo freaking MUCH. i dont mind having all that inflicted upon me all over again on any given day (well, i guess when im in the mood).
tropes:
==> dead ex (the h¡¯s best friend married to the H)
==> single dad (4 kids under 8yo)
==> unrequited love
==> surprise pregnancy
==> military spec
==> second chance, hate to love
==> grovelling H (last 40%)
sounds like ingredients for a Nicholas Spark movie??? hmm, maybe - if NS reads Shakespeare while also on steroids.
the only other warning you should be aware of is that the H is a one ~giAnT DiCkHeAD~ and a completeirredeemable asshole pretty much the enTiRe book - yes, even when he grovels, he can still be a jerk. god, i wanted to lit a dynamite up his ass. thank goodness, hes a decent father to his kids.
but even if you detest him, the book is told in dual POV, so youre at least privy to his thoughts, feelings, and can see his guilt and remorse. tbh i reveled in him being a massive cocksucker cuzi quite like harboring the feeling of a knife being twisted in my chest it made for a pretty satisfying grovel.
the h puts up with his shit - you might find that pathetic - but she doesnt take it at face value. she always lets him know when hes being an ass. i honestly think shes incredibly tough. someone who forgives easily and loves unconditionally. plus, shes sarcastic & funny. i loved the way she was with the children.
the beginning of the book was awkward just bcs i dont like reading about a hero with his OW - even if thats his wife WHOM he loves. i was also apprehensive about not buying into the romance. but these two had so much history to unpack, and as the story progressed, i no longer thought the h was second best.
overall, this is one heck of a messy, angsty romance thats understandably not easy to love, but its unputdownable and the writing is impeccable. not to mention, audio production is top notch. read it if youre feeling like being a masochist or you just wanna scream and cry in anger, sadness, and frustration.
similar recs:
? (similar setup, minus the kids)
? (same type of h & angst)
? (more feel-good, less dramatic)
? (good grovel)
? (good grovel)
im more PAINED, horrified, and disturb by the fact that this re-read wasnt as glorifyingly, deliciously, and satisfyingly painful as the first time i read the book. idk what went wrong.
ps. fyi i ended up binging all the books in the series (on audio), but have decided against adding them to GR. there wont be any trace of me reading the other three books on this site.
? 1st read, Jun. 2021 ¡ª 4.5 stars
Lingchi (Chinese: Áèßt), translated variously as the slow process, the lingering death, or slow slicing, and also known as DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS, was a form of torture and execution used in China from roughly 900 until it was banned in 1905.
in other words, something you will experience while reading this book.
or in my case, this read also felt like having salt poured into your wound over and over again (not that its ever happened to me ?). even so, despite my sleep deprived state and after all the cryfest, ive never been more sated and at peace because i LOVE this... thing that was...
so despicable, yet it was beguiling...
so raw, yet it seemed unreal...
so painful, yet it gave me pure bliss...
so infuriating & frustrating, yet i was addicted...
so heart-wrenching, yet i felt like being on cloud nine...
sSoOoo freaking MUCH. i dont mind having all that inflicted upon me all over again on any given day (well, i guess when im in the mood).
tropes:
==> dead ex (the h¡¯s best friend married to the H)
==> single dad (4 kids under 8yo)
==> unrequited love
==> surprise pregnancy
==> military spec
==> second chance, hate to love
==> grovelling H (last 40%)
sounds like ingredients for a Nicholas Spark movie??? hmm, maybe - if NS reads Shakespeare while also on steroids.
I didn¡¯t know how to be with someone like Kate. She¡¯d demanded more from me than anyone ever had before, and that was terrifying. Because even though the history between us had proven that she wasn¡¯t going anywhere, I¡¯d learned over the course of my life that people left.
the only other warning you should be aware of is that the H is a one ~giAnT DiCkHeAD~ and a complete
but even if you detest him, the book is told in dual POV, so youre at least privy to his thoughts, feelings, and can see his guilt and remorse. tbh i reveled in him being a massive cocksucker cuz
For the past couple of nights when I'd lain down beside her, after she'd called asleep and I knew she couldn't hear me, I'd promised her that she'd never have to forgive me again if she could do it one last time.
the h puts up with his shit - you might find that pathetic - but she doesnt take it at face value. she always lets him know when hes being an ass. i honestly think shes incredibly tough. someone who forgives easily and loves unconditionally. plus, shes sarcastic & funny. i loved the way she was with the children.
the beginning of the book was awkward just bcs i dont like reading about a hero with his OW - even if thats his wife WHOM he loves. i was also apprehensive about not buying into the romance. but these two had so much history to unpack, and as the story progressed, i no longer thought the h was second best.
¡°Sometimes I think I would have always found my way back to you.¡±
overall, this is one heck of a messy, angsty romance thats understandably not easy to love, but its unputdownable and the writing is impeccable. not to mention, audio production is top notch. read it if youre feeling like being a masochist or you just wanna scream and cry in anger, sadness, and frustration.
similar recs:
? (similar setup, minus the kids)
? (same type of h & angst)
? (more feel-good, less dramatic)
? (good grovel)
? (good grovel)
August 2, 2019
My god this book ..... was so freaking awesome !!I'm gonna keep this review vague because it would be very easy for me to spoiler, which in this case, I don't want to do
Katie has been best friends with her foster cousin Shane for two years, and she has been in love with him almost as long. Doesn't seem like he returns her feelings, especially when she brings home her one and only friend Rachel... and Shane starts seducing her.
Rachel and Shane start a relationship together, which is hard for Katie, but she just wants her friends to be happy, so she deals. What's harder though, is that he drops her as a friend, going as far as pretending that she doesn't even exist.
Rachel and Katie remain friends though, even when Shane marries Rachel and even when Rachel and Shane have kids. One thing is for sure though... Rachel is gaining much more from this friendship than Katie. Whenever Shane is deployed, Katie is welcome to help wherever and whenever ...when Shane is back home though...Katie isn't so welcome anymore..
Tragedy strikes hard and everything changes from there on out ......
I'm not gonna say much more than this because you should just read the book !!!
I will say this though.....this book gutted me. I was an emotional mess...but in the best way possible. I love when a book makes me feel so many feelz ;P
I cried, laughed, cursed and swooned. It was delicious.?
If you like your hero to be an utter asshole and if you've enjoyed books like Natasha Anders' Unwanted series, then you should definitely give this one a try.?
I loved the characters in this book. Shane was a complete asshole for most of the time, so you are warned ... In the end, I was still rooting for him though. Katie was amazing. She was so sweet and strong. Yes, she took a lot of crap, but it wasn't because she was a doormat. She was so devoted to the kids and she always put them first !! I really admired her for that! She was a real Momma bear.?
I highly recommend this one ;)?
June 6, 2016
¡ï¡ï¡ï 3.5 Stars ¡ï¡ï¡ï
Well, well, well, this is a book that will appeal to all the angst lovers who love to hate their hero, and technically this kind of book should have had me handing out stars all over the place, but something was holding me back and I can't quite put my finger on what it was.
Unbreak My Heart was a gripping read that's for sure, it sure kept me on my toes, and I quite literally devoured this book in a short space of time.
Kate is a heroine who is pretty much flawless, she is kind and generous, and when her best friend dies in a car accident, she is left to help look after her 4 children, alongside their father Shane. She does this without question, and becomes a mother in all aspects of these children's lives, and she does it with love and genuine intentions.
Shane is serving in the military, and he's a man with a whole truck load of issues that stem from his childhood in foster care. He was very hard to relate to, and I found myself getting so frustrated with him that I just wanted to transport myself into the story and have a word.
Unbreak My Heart is a story of unrequited love, where two childhood friends have an immense amount of guilt to overcome after falling victim to their feelings, and many hurdles to jump in order to move forward. What starts off as a love/hate trope, slowly turns into a friends-to-lovers romance, and whilst it had some delicious steamy off the charts sexual chemistry, it was far more on the contemporary side rather than erotic.
Kate makes Shane work for it, she wasn't a doormat for too long, and I loved her for it, but in the end I just wanted her to get over it and forgive him for his bad behaviour. I thought they were both as bad as each other by that point.
This book had so much potential to give me all the feelings I usually experience when reading these types of books, but I think what with the drama that seemed to drag on unnecessarily, and a few unresolved issues with the kids, my overall enjoyment waned a bit towards the end.
Still, I did really like it overall, and definitely recommend it to those of you who love angst/arsehole heroes/capable heroines/cute kids.
Unbreak My Heart is a standalone contemporary romance, told from the heroine's POV.
ARC gratefully received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Images featured in this review were created by me using stock images either purchased from deposit photo or from free stock sites.
Well, well, well, this is a book that will appeal to all the angst lovers who love to hate their hero, and technically this kind of book should have had me handing out stars all over the place, but something was holding me back and I can't quite put my finger on what it was.
Unbreak My Heart was a gripping read that's for sure, it sure kept me on my toes, and I quite literally devoured this book in a short space of time.
Kate is a heroine who is pretty much flawless, she is kind and generous, and when her best friend dies in a car accident, she is left to help look after her 4 children, alongside their father Shane. She does this without question, and becomes a mother in all aspects of these children's lives, and she does it with love and genuine intentions.
Shane is serving in the military, and he's a man with a whole truck load of issues that stem from his childhood in foster care. He was very hard to relate to, and I found myself getting so frustrated with him that I just wanted to transport myself into the story and have a word.
Unbreak My Heart is a story of unrequited love, where two childhood friends have an immense amount of guilt to overcome after falling victim to their feelings, and many hurdles to jump in order to move forward. What starts off as a love/hate trope, slowly turns into a friends-to-lovers romance, and whilst it had some delicious steamy off the charts sexual chemistry, it was far more on the contemporary side rather than erotic.
Kate makes Shane work for it, she wasn't a doormat for too long, and I loved her for it, but in the end I just wanted her to get over it and forgive him for his bad behaviour. I thought they were both as bad as each other by that point.
This book had so much potential to give me all the feelings I usually experience when reading these types of books, but I think what with the drama that seemed to drag on unnecessarily, and a few unresolved issues with the kids, my overall enjoyment waned a bit towards the end.
Still, I did really like it overall, and definitely recommend it to those of you who love angst/arsehole heroes/capable heroines/cute kids.
Unbreak My Heart is a standalone contemporary romance, told from the heroine's POV.
ARC gratefully received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Images featured in this review were created by me using stock images either purchased from deposit photo or from free stock sites.
July 30, 2017
3 Stars
Overall Opinion: This sucked me in. I was hooked, as I am always a sucker for a good cry over unrequited love. BUT....I need redemption! The H decided that he needed to change way too late for me, and he had made way too many mistakes for him to be worth the h's time. He was downright cruel and nasty for most of the book. She crossed that line into doormat status at times, and I just wanted her to wake up and demand better treatment. I understand that her love for the children prevented her from making some big demands, but I still felt like she could've communicated better (or just some at all) about how his poor treatment made her feel. I got that the H loved her but just in a much different way than his wife -- but it wasn't enough for me! I kept on being hooked though, because I was anxiously waiting for it to turn around for them. Because of the fact that I was fully engaged, I give it 3 stars -- but I can't justify any higher rating due to both the h and H.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Kate and Shane's story. Kate's aunt and uncle take in Shane as a foster child when he is an older teen and they become best-friends. When Kate develops a crush on him, he freaks out and pushes her away. For the final push, he gets with her best-friend from college. He ends up marrying and having kids with the h's best-friend, and the h is actively in their kids lives as an "aunt" (especially when he is deployed). After a horrible accident, Kate and Shane find themselves having to tolerate each other enough to care for the children. After some major ups and downs, they fall in love and get a HEA ending.
POV: This alternated between Kate and Shane's POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed, and I thought it flowed well.
Instalove: No. The H developed stronger feelings over time, but the h had always loved him.
H rating: 2 stars. Shane. I couldn't get past his cruelty towards the h. I never understood why he was so nasty (even though we get his POV), and honestly didn't think he was worth the h putting up with his abuse.
h rating: 3 stars. Kate. I wanted her to be stronger when it came to how the H treated her. She was a strong character otherwise, but I guess her love for the H allowed her to put up with anything he did to her. I'd even say she was a doormat for some of it.
Sadness level: Moderate. I had a few times where I cried, but it never turned into an ugly cry.
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Moderate/low. Not that many scenes, but they have some decent chemistry.
Descriptive sex: Yes
Safe sex: Yes, but no. Birth control is used, but I don't remember any mention of std status or previous practices.
OW/OM drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: Not technically
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This had a cute epilogue with a HEA ending.
How I got it: I paid the $3.99 on Amazon.
Safety: Safe with exception/Not Safe depending on personal preferences
Overall Opinion: This sucked me in. I was hooked, as I am always a sucker for a good cry over unrequited love. BUT....I need redemption! The H decided that he needed to change way too late for me, and he had made way too many mistakes for him to be worth the h's time. He was downright cruel and nasty for most of the book. She crossed that line into doormat status at times, and I just wanted her to wake up and demand better treatment. I understand that her love for the children prevented her from making some big demands, but I still felt like she could've communicated better (or just some at all) about how his poor treatment made her feel. I got that the H loved her but just in a much different way than his wife -- but it wasn't enough for me! I kept on being hooked though, because I was anxiously waiting for it to turn around for them. Because of the fact that I was fully engaged, I give it 3 stars -- but I can't justify any higher rating due to both the h and H.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Kate and Shane's story. Kate's aunt and uncle take in Shane as a foster child when he is an older teen and they become best-friends. When Kate develops a crush on him, he freaks out and pushes her away. For the final push, he gets with her best-friend from college. He ends up marrying and having kids with the h's best-friend, and the h is actively in their kids lives as an "aunt" (especially when he is deployed). After a horrible accident, Kate and Shane find themselves having to tolerate each other enough to care for the children. After some major ups and downs, they fall in love and get a HEA ending.
POV: This alternated between Kate and Shane's POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed, and I thought it flowed well.
Instalove: No. The H developed stronger feelings over time, but the h had always loved him.
H rating: 2 stars. Shane. I couldn't get past his cruelty towards the h. I never understood why he was so nasty (even though we get his POV), and honestly didn't think he was worth the h putting up with his abuse.
h rating: 3 stars. Kate. I wanted her to be stronger when it came to how the H treated her. She was a strong character otherwise, but I guess her love for the H allowed her to put up with anything he did to her. I'd even say she was a doormat for some of it.
Sadness level: Moderate. I had a few times where I cried, but it never turned into an ugly cry.
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Moderate/low. Not that many scenes, but they have some decent chemistry.
Descriptive sex: Yes
Safe sex: Yes, but no. Birth control is used, but I don't remember any mention of std status or previous practices.
OW/OM drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: Not technically
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This had a cute epilogue with a HEA ending.
How I got it: I paid the $3.99 on Amazon.
Safety: Safe with exception/Not Safe depending on personal preferences
October 28, 2018
3.5 Stars
Well, this book was a bit more difficult to rate than expected. The writing was exceptional but I hated the hero, Shane, for a good portion of the book and felt the heroine, Kate, was pretty much a doormat where the hero was concerned. I¡¯ll admit, in one aspect I do understand why she continued to allow the Shane to treated her so cruelly. She would have put up with pretty much anything to keep his (HER) kids in her life. She did, finally, tell him where to go and he spent a good portion of the second half of the book groveling.
One things for sure, I couldn¡¯t put this book down. I can¡¯t say I enjoyed reading it...because I didn¡¯t. I can¡¯t even say liked the main characters...because I didn¡¯t. I can¡¯t explain why, Unbreak My Heart captured my attention, had me pondering, and kept me reading to the last page, but it did. And I¡¯m still thinking about it days later. For that reason I¡¯m giving it 3.5 stars. I did like the ending so I guess there¡¯s that.
Well, this book was a bit more difficult to rate than expected. The writing was exceptional but I hated the hero, Shane, for a good portion of the book and felt the heroine, Kate, was pretty much a doormat where the hero was concerned. I¡¯ll admit, in one aspect I do understand why she continued to allow the Shane to treated her so cruelly. She would have put up with pretty much anything to keep his (HER) kids in her life. She did, finally, tell him where to go and he spent a good portion of the second half of the book groveling.
One things for sure, I couldn¡¯t put this book down. I can¡¯t say I enjoyed reading it...because I didn¡¯t. I can¡¯t even say liked the main characters...because I didn¡¯t. I can¡¯t explain why, Unbreak My Heart captured my attention, had me pondering, and kept me reading to the last page, but it did. And I¡¯m still thinking about it days later. For that reason I¡¯m giving it 3.5 stars. I did like the ending so I guess there¡¯s that.
August 10, 2016
Kate Evans has loved Shane Anderson since she was a child. Shane didn't reciprocate those feelings, in fact, he full-on shut them down and moved on to pursue Kate's best friend, Rachel. Fast-forward, Shane and Rachel are in their late-twenties married with children. Shane works for the military so he is often deployed. During his deployments, Kate practically moves in with Rachel and the kids, eager to offer the family all the support she can. When Rachel dies suddenly in a tragic car accident, it is Kate who steps in, not to fill the void necessarily, but to again, offer the family all the support she can. Shane and Kate, who have previously kept their distance from one another, are forced to coexist in close proximity. Shane (who's notably grieving and cracking under the stress of raising 4 children) often lashes out at Kate, referring to her as a "nanny" (when his children call her "Auntie Kate") and practically barring her from family dinners, because he has some twisted notion that Kate is trying to replace his dead wife. Kate has been able to compartmentalize her emotions, she's long since pushed her childhood love for Shane to the side. Kate's focus is on doing the best by the children. BUT, when Kate and Shane hook up (on the one year anniversary of Rachel's death, no less) and Kate winds up pregnant with his baby, things go a little ... BATSHIT CRAZY.
This book was like Bollywood-soap-opera-meets-twisted-porno. I don't read many stories with the "best-friend's-in-love-with-their-best-friend's-partner" storyline, because they creep me out. I'm generally not a fan of "second-chance" romances, especially when the "first" romance interest dies because I find it difficult to read the "second" romance interest as anything more than a "consolation prize". Shane was a dick and Kate was a doormat - despite Shane's assertion that she wasn't: "just because she puts up with my shit doesn¡¯t mean that she¡¯s some fucking doormat" ... UH that's literally the definition of doormat - doormat (noun): someone who puts up with shit they shouldn't have to. To get into the semantics, you could argue that Kate was a bit of a saint, but I'm pretty sure HOOKING UP WITH YOUR DEAD-BEST-FRIENDS-HUSBAND ("true love" be damned) isn't a prerequisite for sainthood.
Kate's narration is alright, for the most part she's just tired and running around ragged trying to take care of like 5 kids. Shane's narration is him saying offensive shit, throwing tantrums to rival his 7-year-old sons, and adjusting his boners (in all seriousness, WHY does adjusting boners comprise like 58% of ALL men's POVs in contemporaries).
The turning-point for the story's plot stems from a miscommunication *BLECH*.
This is the first book in a series, and the following books (I assume) will cover relationships between other characters introduced in this book. With that being said, the whole family situation thing that's going on here was A NIGHTMARE to keep track of. Here's my understanding: Kate has an Aunt Ellie and an Uncle Mike, who fostered kids, one of whom was Shane. Aunt Ellie and Uncle Mike legally adopted two foster sons called Trevor and Henry. Kate's parents then started doing the whole foster thing, and they adopted twin boys called Alex and Abraham, they also fostered a girl called Anita, but they never adopted her, although she remains close to the family (Anita and Abraham are the focus of the next book). But like, am I just a prude? Because intimate relationships between foster siblings? WHY? I guess the intention behind the incorporation of the fostering was to convey that Kate's family is very altruistic. This was nice. BUT, when you add Shane and Rachel's 4 kids: Keller, Sage, Gavin, and Gunner, keeping track of who was who was challenging, and it just seemed really extra.
To wrap things up: Unfortunately, this one was a bust.
This book was like Bollywood-soap-opera-meets-twisted-porno. I don't read many stories with the "best-friend's-in-love-with-their-best-friend's-partner" storyline, because they creep me out. I'm generally not a fan of "second-chance" romances, especially when the "first" romance interest dies because I find it difficult to read the "second" romance interest as anything more than a "consolation prize". Shane was a dick and Kate was a doormat - despite Shane's assertion that she wasn't: "just because she puts up with my shit doesn¡¯t mean that she¡¯s some fucking doormat" ... UH that's literally the definition of doormat - doormat (noun): someone who puts up with shit they shouldn't have to. To get into the semantics, you could argue that Kate was a bit of a saint, but I'm pretty sure HOOKING UP WITH YOUR DEAD-BEST-FRIENDS-HUSBAND ("true love" be damned) isn't a prerequisite for sainthood.
Kate's narration is alright, for the most part she's just tired and running around ragged trying to take care of like 5 kids. Shane's narration is him saying offensive shit, throwing tantrums to rival his 7-year-old sons, and adjusting his boners (in all seriousness, WHY does adjusting boners comprise like 58% of ALL men's POVs in contemporaries).
The turning-point for the story's plot stems from a miscommunication *BLECH*.
This is the first book in a series, and the following books (I assume) will cover relationships between other characters introduced in this book. With that being said, the whole family situation thing that's going on here was A NIGHTMARE to keep track of. Here's my understanding: Kate has an Aunt Ellie and an Uncle Mike, who fostered kids, one of whom was Shane. Aunt Ellie and Uncle Mike legally adopted two foster sons called Trevor and Henry. Kate's parents then started doing the whole foster thing, and they adopted twin boys called Alex and Abraham, they also fostered a girl called Anita, but they never adopted her, although she remains close to the family (Anita and Abraham are the focus of the next book). But like, am I just a prude? Because intimate relationships between foster siblings? WHY? I guess the intention behind the incorporation of the fostering was to convey that Kate's family is very altruistic. This was nice. BUT, when you add Shane and Rachel's 4 kids: Keller, Sage, Gavin, and Gunner, keeping track of who was who was challenging, and it just seemed really extra.
To wrap things up: Unfortunately, this one was a bust.
August 11, 2021
They both need treatment not marriage ??
June 9, 2016
4.5 stars!
4.5 stars!
I went into this book with lots of trepidation especially since I didn't really liked the last two Jacquelyn books I read.
It was all for naught since I loved this book.
Unbreak my Heart has all the elements that would make any angst lover happy.
Unrequited love? Check!
Dead ex? Check!
Hero fighting his feelings? Check!
And those are just some of the major ones. There were so many things that made this book worked for me.
Aside from the emotional hook, Unbreak My Heart, also has two very flawed main characters. And when I say flawed, I mean, they make decisions that might make readers want to throw their Kindles across the wall. But they do get to a place where you can't help but root for them to get it right. And that's part of why this book appealed to me.
The situation that Kate found herself in, watching the love of her life marry her best friend was like a punch in the gut. Despite that, I couldn't bring myself to hate Rachel, the best friend, or Shane because there were a lot of good things that came out of their marriage. Mainly, the kids.
That said, it's easy to point fingers and hate Shane but for me, the author did a great job of showing me why Shane made the decision he did. She also showed me that the boy who fell in love with the woman wasn't the man who fell in love with the heroine. It's so easy to hate Shane and Rachel for the past but Kate still made the decision to attach herself to them. She could've chosen not to be there for them all those years but she still did it. What made me not hate Kate for that decision was the fact that she was self-aware enough to acknowledge that.
This wasn't an easy book to read. The presence of the kids in the story made this even more gut wrenching. And some of most emotional scenes between Kate and Shane involved them and they left me emotionally drained and battered. But the pay off was so worth it in the end. I finished the book with a smile on my face despite the emotional wringer I went through reading it.
It wasn't all doom and gloom though. Kate's unconventional family was front and center in this book. They were loud and loving and they brought a much needed lightness to the story. And oh man, I already am in love with some of the secondary characters, which I'm hoping will have their own books soon.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
4.5 stars!
I went into this book with lots of trepidation especially since I didn't really liked the last two Jacquelyn books I read.
It was all for naught since I loved this book.
Unbreak my Heart has all the elements that would make any angst lover happy.
Unrequited love? Check!
Dead ex? Check!
Hero fighting his feelings? Check!
And those are just some of the major ones. There were so many things that made this book worked for me.
Aside from the emotional hook, Unbreak My Heart, also has two very flawed main characters. And when I say flawed, I mean, they make decisions that might make readers want to throw their Kindles across the wall. But they do get to a place where you can't help but root for them to get it right. And that's part of why this book appealed to me.
The situation that Kate found herself in, watching the love of her life marry her best friend was like a punch in the gut. Despite that, I couldn't bring myself to hate Rachel, the best friend, or Shane because there were a lot of good things that came out of their marriage. Mainly, the kids.
That said, it's easy to point fingers and hate Shane but for me, the author did a great job of showing me why Shane made the decision he did. She also showed me that the boy who fell in love with the woman wasn't the man who fell in love with the heroine. It's so easy to hate Shane and Rachel for the past but Kate still made the decision to attach herself to them. She could've chosen not to be there for them all those years but she still did it. What made me not hate Kate for that decision was the fact that she was self-aware enough to acknowledge that.
This wasn't an easy book to read. The presence of the kids in the story made this even more gut wrenching. And some of most emotional scenes between Kate and Shane involved them and they left me emotionally drained and battered. But the pay off was so worth it in the end. I finished the book with a smile on my face despite the emotional wringer I went through reading it.
It wasn't all doom and gloom though. Kate's unconventional family was front and center in this book. They were loud and loving and they brought a much needed lightness to the story. And oh man, I already am in love with some of the secondary characters, which I'm hoping will have their own books soon.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
August 13, 2016
TITLE: Unbreak My Heart
SERIES: (Unbreak My Heart, #1)
AUTHOR: Nicole Jacquelyn
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: June 7th, 2016
MY RATING
A heart felt story about love, loss and second chances.
UNBREAK MY HEART: Is told in dual POV'S (Shane and Kate).
Starting this you know straight away from the synopsis and then the prologue that it's going to be one clusterf#uck of an emotional roller-coaster of a ride.
Kate and Shane were two childhood friends, Shane was a foster child of Kate's Aunt and Uncle so their lives were always intermingled throughout their childhoods.
Away at university Kate introduces her best friend Rachel to Shane, and from then on it was always Shane & Rachel with Kate on the sidelines looking in, she'd always been infatuated with Shane but not to the point where she would act on it.
I wasn't into her, and her crush had made me feel weird,
uncomfortable in my own skin.
I didn't want to hurt her feelings,
but shit, she just didn't do it for me. - Shane
Throughout their lives Kate and Rachel were still best friends, through Rachel and Shane marrying to them having kids together.
I'd ended up married to her roommate,
and from then on I'd acted like Kate and I
had never been friends.
It was easier that way.
Kate was always there lending a helping hand for Rachel with the kids whenever Shane was deployed for months on end.
To the outside world. I was sure my relationship to the kids looked pretty odd.
I wasn't their mother. I wasn't even legally related to them.
But I'd been picking up the slack for Rachel and Shane for so long
that I'd stepped in after Rachel died.
Then tragedy strikes leaving Shane a widower at twenty-nine to take care of four young children
A year later on the anniversary of his wife's death, one drunken night turns Kate and Shane¡¯s world upside down on it's axles yet again.
Moving through the chapters you'll gain a love/hate relationship with Shane, the hurtful things he says to Kate, the way he treats her, a lesser woman who didn't love his kids fiercely would've walked away leaving him to pick up the pieces. BUT he does slowly redeem himself chapter by chapter.
MY THOUGHTS
This got my 5 stars because of how realistic the story was, how easy I was sucked into the story, I read this in one sitting, once started I couldn't put it down, clique I know, but I was pulled into the story right from the prologue.
Shane was a douche bag that many a time I wanted to sucker punch him in the junk but I connected with what he was going through, he evolved and redeemed himself the further I progressed into the book.
His wife wasn't as perfect as he thought she was and thinking about it I think he had a reality check once he found out that it was Kate who stood up all those times whilst he was away to look after the kids etc to the point that she moved closer to them and didn't have long standing relationships, she sacrificed so much and at times got so little back.
The feels that coursed through my system, anger, laughter, love, sadness, that all consuming connection with the story. My love/hate relationship I had going on with Shane, GAH that man did my head in!!
I loved how it was a slow burn rekindling of two childhood friends, it happened and progressed over a span of one year not straight away.
Definitely a book I would highly recommend, it's nothing like what I expected it would be, this exceeded all my expectations, the pace of the story was superb, the build up of their relationship was perfect..Loved it!!
December 3, 2019
2 ?? - Meh!
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"cruel asshole abusive Selfish jerk douchecanoe" hero + doormat heroine = WTF moment!
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portuguese and english
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O her¨®i ¨¦ absolutamente odioso, ele deixa os ogros da Diana Palmer se sentindo amadores! Gente, o que ¨¦ isso? Cruel, abusivo psicologicamente, um verdadeiro monstro e ainda usa a hero¨ªna como empregada dom¨¦stica e bab¨¢... ¨¦ um horror s¨®. Eu passei o livro todo esperando ela tomar uma dose de realidade e partir pra outra. Amar uma pessoa n?o justifica deitar e deixar ela chutar voc¨º at¨¦ voc¨º n?o ter mais for?as para reagir. Abuso psicol¨®gico e emocional levado ao extremo. Terminei a leitura exausta e n?o entendendo como ela ainda ficou com o suposto her¨®i. Nem sei como classificar este livro. Recomendo tomar seu rem¨¦dio para press?o arterial antes de ler.
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The hero is absolutely odious, he let the ogres of Diana Palmer feeling amateurs! Guys, what is this? Cruel, abusive psychologically, a real monster and still using heroine as a maid and nanny ... is an absolute horror. I spent the whole book waiting for her to take a dose of reality and move on. Love a person doesn't justify lie down and let him kick you until you no longer have the strength to react. Psychological and emotional abuse taken to the extreme. I finished reading exhausted and don't understand how she stayed with the supposed hero. I don't know how to rate this book. I recommend taking your blood pressure medicine before reading.
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PS: I was all the time waiting for him to get another girlfriend and kick the ass of heroine out when he no longer needed her domestic services.
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Highlight:
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"cruel asshole abusive Selfish jerk douchecanoe" hero + doormat heroine = WTF moment!
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portuguese and english
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O her¨®i ¨¦ absolutamente odioso, ele deixa os ogros da Diana Palmer se sentindo amadores! Gente, o que ¨¦ isso? Cruel, abusivo psicologicamente, um verdadeiro monstro e ainda usa a hero¨ªna como empregada dom¨¦stica e bab¨¢... ¨¦ um horror s¨®. Eu passei o livro todo esperando ela tomar uma dose de realidade e partir pra outra. Amar uma pessoa n?o justifica deitar e deixar ela chutar voc¨º at¨¦ voc¨º n?o ter mais for?as para reagir. Abuso psicol¨®gico e emocional levado ao extremo. Terminei a leitura exausta e n?o entendendo como ela ainda ficou com o suposto her¨®i. Nem sei como classificar este livro. Recomendo tomar seu rem¨¦dio para press?o arterial antes de ler.
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The hero is absolutely odious, he let the ogres of Diana Palmer feeling amateurs! Guys, what is this? Cruel, abusive psychologically, a real monster and still using heroine as a maid and nanny ... is an absolute horror. I spent the whole book waiting for her to take a dose of reality and move on. Love a person doesn't justify lie down and let him kick you until you no longer have the strength to react. Psychological and emotional abuse taken to the extreme. I finished reading exhausted and don't understand how she stayed with the supposed hero. I don't know how to rate this book. I recommend taking your blood pressure medicine before reading.
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PS: I was all the time waiting for him to get another girlfriend and kick the ass of heroine out when he no longer needed her domestic services.
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Highlight:
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I¡¯d ignored the way Kate had watched me with sad eyes as I¡¯d monopolized her friend¡¯s time and completely disregarded her hurt feelings. I¡¯d never liked Kate that way, and I hadn¡¯t seen anything wrong with going after her new friend.
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My wife was the most beautiful woman I¡¯d ever known, and it wasn¡¯t just her looks.
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I practically lived with Rachel while Shane was gone¡ªshe hated being alone¡ªbut the moment her husband stepped foot on American soil, I was persona non grata again.
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¡°You knew I wouldn¡¯t fuck you sober, so you waited until I was shit-housed and got what you wanted.¡±
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¡°I didn¡¯t want you then, I don¡¯t want you now,¡± I said, watching detachedly...
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¡°You were a lousy fuck, Kate. I won¡¯t be back for seconds.¡±
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I didn¡¯t want her. Even if she hadn¡¯t been my wife¡¯s best friend and tied to me with more threads than a fucking spiderweb, I still wouldn¡¯t have wanted her. She wasn¡¯t my type. I liked women who were slender, who took the time to make sure they looked good no matter what they were doing. I wasn¡¯t into women with rounded bodies who wore sweats and yoga pants like it was their uniform.
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I didn¡¯t want her, and she wasn¡¯t mine.
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The worst mistake I¡¯d ever made in my entire life.
==========
I didn¡¯t want a child with her. God, I didn¡¯t want any more children period.
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The fear that I wouldn¡¯t love Kate¡¯s child the way I loved the others. The fear that I¡¯d feel nothing.
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I wasn¡¯t going to pretend that I thought she was interesting or sexy or fun. That wouldn¡¯t be fair to her, and frankly, it would just fuck things up worse than they already were.
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¡°You and me are never going to happen, Kate. Okay? I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re thinking, if you thought we¡¯d just be one big happy family or something, but we won¡¯t. You¡¯re not Rachel. You¡¯re just not, and you¡¯re nice, but I don¡¯t feel that way about you.¡±
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I hated that Rachel was gone. I hated that I still reached for her sometimes,
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Kate just kept coming back.
July 2, 2016
3.5 ¡ï's
Shane and Kate were best friends at one time and spent part of their youth together. Then, Shane had to go and marry Kate's best friend, Rachel, whom he has three kids and one on the way with. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes and nothing's the same.
Except for Kate continuing to always being there for the kids and practically raising them. Shane's wasn't aware of how much time Kate was around since he's in the military and goes on deployments quite frequently.
Unbreak My Heart BROKE my heart or rather Shane-the-biggest-jerk-ever did. "Swear", he was awful...not only do we get to hear about how hot, sexy, etc, Rachel is but we get to hear him put down Kate over and over again....all the way to the end of the book. He could NEVER do enough groveling...in fact, that's my main problem with the book is that I don't think he did enough...or really any!
Their romance isn't even my favorite part of the book...Katie and the kids are. I just loved how much the kids loved her and how they saw the value in her. That just about made everything worthwhile.
It also certainly helped how amazing her siblings, parents and rest of the family were and how they were always there for her...and Shane, but mainly her. It was surprising how long it took Shane to "get" that.
Then there's the reason that they are actually together. I think I would've liked it if Shane had seen what a great person she was without that.
It does end well...thank goodness. So, if you like stories about jerks, this is definitely one for you.
Shane and Kate were best friends at one time and spent part of their youth together. Then, Shane had to go and marry Kate's best friend, Rachel, whom he has three kids and one on the way with. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes and nothing's the same.
Except for Kate continuing to always being there for the kids and practically raising them. Shane's wasn't aware of how much time Kate was around since he's in the military and goes on deployments quite frequently.
Unbreak My Heart BROKE my heart or rather Shane-the-biggest-jerk-ever did. "Swear", he was awful...not only do we get to hear about how hot, sexy, etc, Rachel is but we get to hear him put down Kate over and over again....all the way to the end of the book. He could NEVER do enough groveling...in fact, that's my main problem with the book is that I don't think he did enough...or really any!
Their romance isn't even my favorite part of the book...Katie and the kids are. I just loved how much the kids loved her and how they saw the value in her. That just about made everything worthwhile.
It also certainly helped how amazing her siblings, parents and rest of the family were and how they were always there for her...and Shane, but mainly her. It was surprising how long it took Shane to "get" that.
Then there's the reason that they are actually together. I think I would've liked it if Shane had seen what a great person she was without that.
It does end well...thank goodness. So, if you like stories about jerks, this is definitely one for you.
January 6, 2019
When a book is really bad, I sometimes have to write a healing revisionist epilogue so I don't have a perpetual book hangover. This one is one of the absolute WORST I have ever read, and the h's pain goes back so far that I am going to have to get mystical to correct what has happened.
June 26, 2021
god this idiot deserves hell cuz HE IGNOREd THE HEROINE for OVER A DECADE, even dated, got married and started a family with her best friend? garbage.
but this book made me cry ? and the angst, the PAIN, i love it.
and plss give this heroine a prize because I woulfd have killed him.
but this book made me cry ? and the angst, the PAIN, i love it.
and plss give this heroine a prize because I woulfd have killed him.
February 17, 2024
Re read this recently to see if I changed my mind on any parts, but if anything it made me angrier than the first time I read it!
I am honestly convinced some authors hate women or have internalised mysoginy. The man in the book is selfish, nasty and abusive, and the heroine laps it up and keeps coming back for more kicks, 'tenacious' as the zero calls her. I honestly do worry about people that rated this highly or see any love. This man despised the heroine, he criticised her looks, her personality, and dropped her so easily for his 'perfect' wife it was insulting. He constantly belittle and insults her, and he promises not to do it again, but constantly does. Even later on, I'm at 76%, and after a heart to heart and him deciding he loves her, he jumps on any misunderstanding ot situation to judge or insult her. It makes me dislike the heroine for how pathetic and desperate she is for this asshole. Her brother Bram who actually defended her, and has her back, gets more push back from her , over Shane the scumbag.
We should want more for women, we should want them to move on from men like this. Shane's love and turnaround were not convincing. Author's need to do better for fmc's in fiction. But, alas the other book I read from this author is more of the same, so permanent avoid for me.
JUst horrific. I am sorry but I just don¡¯t understand his author, after reading this and ¡®Craving Resurrection¡¯, I can safely say I will not be reading this author again. Her writing is not bad, but not great, her cringy Irish lingo in Resurrection really didn¡¯t work. I just don¡¯t understand her romanticising asshole heroes, and having the heroine forgive them. In this book the heroine is blatantly a consolation prize. I also am never going to believe a hero who goes from saying a woman is a slob, boring and not attractive, to claiming ¡®it was Always you¡¯, sure it was buddy! Was it her when you basically accused her of raping you in the hotel room? Don¡¯t get me wrong, Kate annoyed me, and she should have just let him wallow on Rachel¡¯s anniversary. However, insulting and degrading a woman to the point she is sobbing and throwing up is not acceptable. For the damage he inflicted, he might as well have kicked her in the ribs on the way out. If Kate was the one Then why did he challenge and insult her at every turn? She was good enough to basically raise his kids, but had no right to discipline them? Ha! But as bad as Shane was, I felt little sympathy as Kate was pathetic and forgave him, whenever I saw a bit of feisty Kate rear her head and tell Shane not to touch her again, I was like ¡®yes!¡¯. But as soon as she appeared Shane would merely look at her and she would be a lovesick puppy again! (Also she was quite the martyr, the scene where she soldiered on singing even though she started Labour was exceptionally ridiculous! Also, the scene where she tells the kids she is pregnant without sorting it out or discussing it properly with Shane first, was definitely not ok and was selfish). The only saving grace was the secondary characters, the kids were cute, the family decent, with Bram being particularly good, as he said the things Kate should of! The following snippets say everything:
This scene where Shane first gets with Rachel, when he knows Kate has feelings for him:
¡®Kate was the most forgiving person I¡¯d ever met, and I felt nauseous when I remembered all the times she should have cut me from her life. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Rachel giggled as I rubbed my lips over her neck. We were a few yards back from the bonfire the boys and I had built on the back edge of the property. For the first time in over a year, all of the Harris and Evans kids were home from various military bases and school, and we¡¯d decided to celebrate with beer and a fire. ¡°Kissing you,¡± I murmured, running my lips up her jaw. Shit, she was the hottest girl I¡¯d ever seen, and I¡¯d been fantasizing about getting into her pants since she¡¯d arrived with Kate two days before. They¡¯d been damn near connected at the hip until tonight, and as soon as Kate had run back to the house for their sweatshirts, I¡¯d pounced. ¡°I thought you and Kate¡ª¡± she murmured in protest, but completely contradicted herself by dropping her head back to give me better access to her neck. ¡°What about me and Kate?¡± I asked distractedly as I saw Anita and Kate coming through the trees. I was going to be pissed as hell if Katie had been telling this girl a bunch of lies. ¡°She talks about you all the time,¡± Rachel said as I slid my hands down to her ass. ¡°I thought maybe¡ª¡± I cut off her words as Kate and Anita reached the tree line a few feet from us. ¡°There¡¯s nothing between Kate and me,¡± I said against her mouth as Kate came to an abrupt stop and our eyes met. ¡°She has a thing for me, but I¡¯ve never been into her.¡± I pressed my lips against Rachel¡¯s, moaning when she slid her tongue into my mouth. My eyes never left Kate¡¯s¡ªeven as she stopped Anita from storming toward us. Kate moved toward the fire with tears rolling down her face, and I closed my eyes relishing the way Rachel¡¯s hips had started rolling against mine.¡¯
Talking about Kate:
¡®I didn¡¯t want her. Even if she hadn¡¯t been my wife¡¯s best friend and tied to me with more threads than a fucking spiderweb, I still wouldn¡¯t have wanted her. She wasn¡¯t my type. I liked women who were slender, who took the time to make sure they looked good no matter what they were doing. I wasn¡¯t into women with rounded bodies who wore sweats and yoga pants like it was their uniform.¡¯
¡®We had the kids in common. That was it. I wasn¡¯t going to pretend that I thought she was interesting or sexy or fun. That wouldn¡¯t be fair to her, and frankly, it would just fuck things up worse than they already were.¡¯
The night after him and Kate Slept together for the first time (don¡¯t get me wrong it was a drunken mess on the anniversary of his wife¡¯s death, but still no excuse!):
¡®I might have still been drunk from the night before, because I couldn¡¯t think clearly. I couldn¡¯t figure out why we were there. I remembered sliding inside her, the way her body tightened around me like a vise, and the way she¡¯d tasted salty as I¡¯d sucked at her skin, but I couldn¡¯t remember why we were in that hotel room to begin with. ¡°What are you doing here, Katie?¡± I asked, my voice rough. It felt like I¡¯d swallowed gravel with the half-gallon bottle of Jack. ¡°I came to check on you,¡± she answered, her voice rising as she spoke. It came flooding back then, a barrage of scenes that I had a feeling would be burned into my memory for the rest of my life. My skin heated and prickled as I remembered her showing up at the door, and fury settled around me like a cape. ¡°You came here to check on me?¡± I asked harshly, finding my boxers on the floor and pulling them quickly up my legs. ¡°And then what? Decided I should pay you back with some dick?¡± ¡°What?¡± she asked, her voice so quiet I barely heard her. ¡°Let¡¯s be honest here, Kate,¡± I said conversationally. ¡°I was drunk off my ass, and you figured, hey, I¡¯ve been drooling over his dick for years and he¡¯s not picky when he¡¯s drunk. Score!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡± ¡°Right,¡± I cut in, finding my shorts and sliding my legs into them as she stood like a statue in the middle of the room. ¡°You know¡ª¡± I slid my T-shirt on over my head. ¡°If I was a chick, you¡¯d go to jail for this shit.¡± ¡°I¡¯d go to jail?¡± ¡°You knew I wouldn¡¯t fuck you sober, so you waited until I was shit-housed and got what you wanted.¡± I shook my head as I picked up my keys and wallet off the table. ¡°You feel better now, Katie? Was it everything you¡¯d imagined? I didn¡¯t disappoint, did I?¡± She began to shake as I walked toward her, stopping just a few feet away. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you then, I don¡¯t want you now,¡± I said, watching detachedly as her chest heaved with silent sobs. She was staring at my chest, refusing to meet my eyes, and that pissed me off even more. ¡°You were a lousy fuck, Kate. I won¡¯t be back for seconds.¡± I stumbled back a step as she fell to her knees, and I clenched my jaw as she began to vomit, her sobs no longer silent but echoing throughout the room. She¡¯d done this. She¡¯d come to the hotel room I¡¯d shared with my wife, on the anniversary of her death, and had fucked me blind when I was too drunk to know what the hell I was doing. My guilt, shame, and anger were a potent mix, and at that moment I could have thrown her out the window. ¡°Clean that shit up,¡± I told her as I stepped over the mess she¡¯d made. ¡°I¡¯m not paying for them to clean the carpet.¡± I caught sight of a pair of dirty mugs lying on her side of the bed as I passed by and vaguely remembered the two of us drinking, but I didn¡¯t stop as I made my way out of the room. Fuck her.¡®
I am sorry grief and guilt aside this shows the strength of Shane, this is abusive, nasty, malicious and personal, he is scum and there is no redeeming him. But it gets better! Even afterwards when he has time to think, he still blames Kate and basically treats her like a predator that is lucky to be his babysitter!
¡®She took a step back when I stood up, and I swallowed nervously when her back hit the front door. ¡°I still want you to keep the kids¡ª¡± I started, and her eyes finally flashed up to mine. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you?¡± she cut me off, her voice panicked. ¡°No, I do.¡± I shook my head. This wasn¡¯t going the way I¡¯d planned. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, in case you were worried, you can still hang out with the kids.¡± I could hear her hard breaths in the quiet of the room, and for a second I wondered if she was having some sort of panic attack. Her face drained of all color, and she swayed a little. ¡°I wasn¡¯t worried,¡± she whispered, her eyes wide and scared. ¡°I didn¡¯t even think¡ª¡± ¡°Look, I know that you didn¡¯t do it maliciously¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°¡ªand I shouldn¡¯t have said that shit to you. You¡¯ve been a huge help with the kids, and I know you probably didn¡¯t plan all that.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t plan it,¡± she whispered softly to herself. ¡°So I¡¯m just saying that I¡¯d like to forget about it, ya know? Go back to the way it was before. No drama.¡± I nodded, finally glad that I¡¯d gotten out what I¡¯d wanted to say. ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯m forgiven?¡± she asked, staring over my shoulder again. I paused, something in her voice making me question our entire conversation. I¡¯d gone over all of the points, hadn¡¯t I? I still wanted her to keep the kids, I¡¯d known she wasn¡¯t trying to be a bitch, and I wanted to move past it¡ Yeah, I¡¯d hit every single one. ¡°Yeah, Katie, you¡¯re forgiven,¡± I answered, feeling relieved that I¡¯d gotten the conversation over with. Everything could go back to normal. She¡¯d stay, and I wouldn¡¯t have to worry that my kids would deal with another devastating loss so soon after their mother. She nodded before turning and walking toward the stairs. ¡°I¡¯m going to go up and crash on Sage¡¯s floor for an hour before she has to get up,¡± she said, her back to me. ¡°And Shane?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t call me Katie.¡±
This touching scene after they get physical again:
¡°I¡¯m going to go down and finish dinner,¡± she said with a small smile. It was way too fucking domestic. Glad I got you off, honey. Now I need to go back to feed the kids. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t have happened,¡± I replied, erasing that smile. ¡°What the fuck were we thinking?¡±
¡°Oh. Wow. Okay.¡± She barked out a quiet derisive laugh and shook her head once. ¡°You¡¯re totally right. Won¡¯t happen again,¡± she assured me with a small salute. ¡°This isn¡¯t your house,¡± I stubbornly continued on, the pain in my chest and the guilt in my belly feeling like they were going to burn their way out. ¡°I¡¯m not your husband.¡± ¡°No, really?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to play house with you, Kate.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that¡¯s what we were doing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m grateful, so fucking grateful, that you take care of the kids the way you do. I know you do it because you love them, and they love you just as much.¡± She was silent as I tried to gather my thoughts, but there were so many tumbling around in my head that I couldn¡¯t make myself say what I wanted to, and everything that was coming out sounded bitter and condescending. ¡°You and me are never going to happen, Kate. Okay? I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re thinking, if you thought we¡¯d just be one big happy family or something, but we won¡¯t. You¡¯re not Rachel. You¡¯re just not, and you¡¯re nice, but I don¡¯t feel that way about you.¡± She nodded, looking over my shoulder, and I watched her swallow hard before turning away from me. ¡°You¡¯re not going to say anything?¡± I asked as she reached the doorway. ¡°I think it¡¯s already been said, don¡¯t you?¡± she asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not chasing you, Shane. Whatever it is you¡¯re seeing isn¡¯t there. You asked me to come in here. You kissed me. You got me off, so I returned the favor. I didn¡¯t initiate any of that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. My mistake,¡± I ground out. ¡°You don¡¯t think of me that way, but you have no problem sticking your fingers in any hole you can reach, right?¡± She shook her head and sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t need this shit. Don¡¯t touch me again.¡±
He clearly always wanted Rachel more, as he constantly makes clear, but even that didn¡¯t seem like love, just lust, as we are constantly told how hot and beautiful she is. Shane was never really at home and Rachel was fake, so he never really knew her.
Thoughts about Kate:
¡®She was so fucking irritating. She acted like I was such a dick, and though I could remember vividly the times that I had been, there were far more times over the past year that things had been just fine between us. Had we ever been best friends? Not really. But that didn¡¯t make me a dick. And the fact that she kept saying I didn¡¯t like her pissed me off. I¡¯d never said I didn¡¯t like her. She was fine. Likable. She just wasn¡¯t someone I wanted to hang out with in what little spare time I had. That didn¡¯t make me a dick, either.¡¯
His thoughts on her in general:
¡®She was so fucking irritating. She acted like I was such a dick, and though I could remember vividly the times that I had been, there were far more times over the past year that things had been just fine between us. Had we ever been best friends? Not really. But that didn¡¯t make me a dick. And the fact that she kept saying I didn¡¯t like her pissed me off. I¡¯d never said I didn¡¯t like her. She was fine. Likable. She just wasn¡¯t someone I wanted to hang out with in what little spare time I had. That didn¡¯t make me a dick, either.¡¯
Oh and his reaction when Kate tells Shane she is pregnant:
¡°It¡¯s not an it. It¡¯s a baby.¡± ¡°I need to know if you can still stay with the kids.¡± ¡°Of course I can, Shane, God! Could you follow the fucking conversation?¡± I finally snapped, annoyed at his lack of response. ¡°I am pregnant. The baby is yours. Now it¡¯s your turn to speak.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you want me to say here, Kate,¡± he replied calmly, but his fingers had tightened around the coffee mug until his knuckles were white. ¡°Anything. At this point, I¡¯d take anything,¡± I replied tiredly, my heart racing. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s mine?¡± My body went cold then, the sweat I¡¯d felt underneath my arms growing cool so quickly I almost shivered. ¡°Anything but that,¡± I whispered hoarsely, with a small shake of my head. I rose to leave without another word, and he didn¡¯t stop me as I kissed the boys good-bye and slipped on my shoes.¡¯
This whole scene, that was maybe meant to be funny, but just reflects to me that Shane is as deep as a puddle, but it¡¯s ok because Kate is so laid back and finds it all hilarious:
¡°I¡¯ve missed you,¡± I whispered softly, curling my hand into a fist on his chest. ¡°I¡¯m not even gone yet.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve missed you for a long time.¡± He was silent for so long that I wondered if I¡¯d messed up big by bringing up the elephant we¡¯d been dancing around for the past year. ¡°I was an asshole back then.¡± ¡°You were my best friend.¡± ¡°I know.¡± He sighed, pulling my body tighter against his. ¡°It was just a stupid crush. I would have gotten over it. I did get over it,¡± I insisted. ¡°And I was twenty-one and pissed at the world,¡± he reminded me. ¡°It was easier to pretend you didn¡¯t exist. I knew if I had to see you watching me with those sad, big brown eyes, I¡¯d do something stupid.¡± ¡°So you hit on my roommate. God, that was such a dick move,¡± I retorted. ¡°It was,¡± he chuckled. ¡°But shit, Rachel was hot.¡± ¡°Okay, conversation over.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°She was pretty hot,¡± I grumbled. ¡°If I was into chicks, I totally would have hit that.¡± (Ha ha so funny)
Oh and this backhanded compliment, reminding us all again that Kate has personality and confidence, but do not be in doubt Rachel was the beautiful deity:
¡°What, the truth? Kate, you¡¯re naturally self-confident. Rachel was beautiful, yes. But she worked at it, because she didn¡¯t ever feel it.¡± He gave me a sad smile. ¡°Don¡¯t compare yourself with her. It¡¯s like apples and oranges.¡± ¡°I guess old habits die hard.¡±
This bullshit when Kate gets sick when he is on deployment:
¡°I was just sicker than normal,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take your pills?¡± My question came out sharper than I¡¯d intended, and I heard her let out a little huff. ¡°I couldn¡¯t keep them down,¡± she mumbled. ¡°What the fuck, Kate?¡± My short fingernails dug into my palm as I felt a headache forming at my temples. ¡°Did you go to the emergency room?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± she shot back. ¡°I was fine at home. I think it was just the emotional overload. After a couple of days, I was back to normal.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that shit,¡± I growled, feeling out of control as I rubbed my hands over my face. ¡°I left my kids with you, Kate. You can¡¯t just fucking fall apart.¡± ¡°Wow. Okay, um¡ª¡± She sniffled, and I felt like such an asshole. I didn¡¯t want to make her cry. Shit. I couldn¡¯t get past the anger that my feeling of helplessness had stirred. I couldn¡¯t deal with this shit. Didn¡¯t she realize that? Did she realize where my focus was supposed to be, and how incredibly bad it would be if my focus was at home with her because she was losing her shit? Fuck. I needed her to keep things under control in California. I¡¯d never had to deal with that shit with Rachel. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring Sage the phone,¡± she said hoarsely. ¡°Do you have enough time?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got a few more minutes.¡± I wanted to apologize. I could tell I¡¯d hurt her feelings, but she could not fall apart when I was halfway around the world. She¡¯d promised to take care of the kids. What the fuck would I do if she couldn¡¯t handle it? ¡°I miss you,¡± Kate whispered¡¯.
The constant comparing to Rachel was just a joke as well, it made it impossible to believe he had always cared about Kate or that she wasn¡¯t second choice.
I was just done, Shane is one of the worse heroes I have read, and that is saying something!
I am honestly convinced some authors hate women or have internalised mysoginy. The man in the book is selfish, nasty and abusive, and the heroine laps it up and keeps coming back for more kicks, 'tenacious' as the zero calls her. I honestly do worry about people that rated this highly or see any love. This man despised the heroine, he criticised her looks, her personality, and dropped her so easily for his 'perfect' wife it was insulting. He constantly belittle and insults her, and he promises not to do it again, but constantly does. Even later on, I'm at 76%, and after a heart to heart and him deciding he loves her, he jumps on any misunderstanding ot situation to judge or insult her. It makes me dislike the heroine for how pathetic and desperate she is for this asshole. Her brother Bram who actually defended her, and has her back, gets more push back from her , over Shane the scumbag.
We should want more for women, we should want them to move on from men like this. Shane's love and turnaround were not convincing. Author's need to do better for fmc's in fiction. But, alas the other book I read from this author is more of the same, so permanent avoid for me.
JUst horrific. I am sorry but I just don¡¯t understand his author, after reading this and ¡®Craving Resurrection¡¯, I can safely say I will not be reading this author again. Her writing is not bad, but not great, her cringy Irish lingo in Resurrection really didn¡¯t work. I just don¡¯t understand her romanticising asshole heroes, and having the heroine forgive them. In this book the heroine is blatantly a consolation prize. I also am never going to believe a hero who goes from saying a woman is a slob, boring and not attractive, to claiming ¡®it was Always you¡¯, sure it was buddy! Was it her when you basically accused her of raping you in the hotel room? Don¡¯t get me wrong, Kate annoyed me, and she should have just let him wallow on Rachel¡¯s anniversary. However, insulting and degrading a woman to the point she is sobbing and throwing up is not acceptable. For the damage he inflicted, he might as well have kicked her in the ribs on the way out. If Kate was the one Then why did he challenge and insult her at every turn? She was good enough to basically raise his kids, but had no right to discipline them? Ha! But as bad as Shane was, I felt little sympathy as Kate was pathetic and forgave him, whenever I saw a bit of feisty Kate rear her head and tell Shane not to touch her again, I was like ¡®yes!¡¯. But as soon as she appeared Shane would merely look at her and she would be a lovesick puppy again! (Also she was quite the martyr, the scene where she soldiered on singing even though she started Labour was exceptionally ridiculous! Also, the scene where she tells the kids she is pregnant without sorting it out or discussing it properly with Shane first, was definitely not ok and was selfish). The only saving grace was the secondary characters, the kids were cute, the family decent, with Bram being particularly good, as he said the things Kate should of! The following snippets say everything:
This scene where Shane first gets with Rachel, when he knows Kate has feelings for him:
¡®Kate was the most forgiving person I¡¯d ever met, and I felt nauseous when I remembered all the times she should have cut me from her life. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Rachel giggled as I rubbed my lips over her neck. We were a few yards back from the bonfire the boys and I had built on the back edge of the property. For the first time in over a year, all of the Harris and Evans kids were home from various military bases and school, and we¡¯d decided to celebrate with beer and a fire. ¡°Kissing you,¡± I murmured, running my lips up her jaw. Shit, she was the hottest girl I¡¯d ever seen, and I¡¯d been fantasizing about getting into her pants since she¡¯d arrived with Kate two days before. They¡¯d been damn near connected at the hip until tonight, and as soon as Kate had run back to the house for their sweatshirts, I¡¯d pounced. ¡°I thought you and Kate¡ª¡± she murmured in protest, but completely contradicted herself by dropping her head back to give me better access to her neck. ¡°What about me and Kate?¡± I asked distractedly as I saw Anita and Kate coming through the trees. I was going to be pissed as hell if Katie had been telling this girl a bunch of lies. ¡°She talks about you all the time,¡± Rachel said as I slid my hands down to her ass. ¡°I thought maybe¡ª¡± I cut off her words as Kate and Anita reached the tree line a few feet from us. ¡°There¡¯s nothing between Kate and me,¡± I said against her mouth as Kate came to an abrupt stop and our eyes met. ¡°She has a thing for me, but I¡¯ve never been into her.¡± I pressed my lips against Rachel¡¯s, moaning when she slid her tongue into my mouth. My eyes never left Kate¡¯s¡ªeven as she stopped Anita from storming toward us. Kate moved toward the fire with tears rolling down her face, and I closed my eyes relishing the way Rachel¡¯s hips had started rolling against mine.¡¯
Talking about Kate:
¡®I didn¡¯t want her. Even if she hadn¡¯t been my wife¡¯s best friend and tied to me with more threads than a fucking spiderweb, I still wouldn¡¯t have wanted her. She wasn¡¯t my type. I liked women who were slender, who took the time to make sure they looked good no matter what they were doing. I wasn¡¯t into women with rounded bodies who wore sweats and yoga pants like it was their uniform.¡¯
¡®We had the kids in common. That was it. I wasn¡¯t going to pretend that I thought she was interesting or sexy or fun. That wouldn¡¯t be fair to her, and frankly, it would just fuck things up worse than they already were.¡¯
The night after him and Kate Slept together for the first time (don¡¯t get me wrong it was a drunken mess on the anniversary of his wife¡¯s death, but still no excuse!):
¡®I might have still been drunk from the night before, because I couldn¡¯t think clearly. I couldn¡¯t figure out why we were there. I remembered sliding inside her, the way her body tightened around me like a vise, and the way she¡¯d tasted salty as I¡¯d sucked at her skin, but I couldn¡¯t remember why we were in that hotel room to begin with. ¡°What are you doing here, Katie?¡± I asked, my voice rough. It felt like I¡¯d swallowed gravel with the half-gallon bottle of Jack. ¡°I came to check on you,¡± she answered, her voice rising as she spoke. It came flooding back then, a barrage of scenes that I had a feeling would be burned into my memory for the rest of my life. My skin heated and prickled as I remembered her showing up at the door, and fury settled around me like a cape. ¡°You came here to check on me?¡± I asked harshly, finding my boxers on the floor and pulling them quickly up my legs. ¡°And then what? Decided I should pay you back with some dick?¡± ¡°What?¡± she asked, her voice so quiet I barely heard her. ¡°Let¡¯s be honest here, Kate,¡± I said conversationally. ¡°I was drunk off my ass, and you figured, hey, I¡¯ve been drooling over his dick for years and he¡¯s not picky when he¡¯s drunk. Score!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡± ¡°Right,¡± I cut in, finding my shorts and sliding my legs into them as she stood like a statue in the middle of the room. ¡°You know¡ª¡± I slid my T-shirt on over my head. ¡°If I was a chick, you¡¯d go to jail for this shit.¡± ¡°I¡¯d go to jail?¡± ¡°You knew I wouldn¡¯t fuck you sober, so you waited until I was shit-housed and got what you wanted.¡± I shook my head as I picked up my keys and wallet off the table. ¡°You feel better now, Katie? Was it everything you¡¯d imagined? I didn¡¯t disappoint, did I?¡± She began to shake as I walked toward her, stopping just a few feet away. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you then, I don¡¯t want you now,¡± I said, watching detachedly as her chest heaved with silent sobs. She was staring at my chest, refusing to meet my eyes, and that pissed me off even more. ¡°You were a lousy fuck, Kate. I won¡¯t be back for seconds.¡± I stumbled back a step as she fell to her knees, and I clenched my jaw as she began to vomit, her sobs no longer silent but echoing throughout the room. She¡¯d done this. She¡¯d come to the hotel room I¡¯d shared with my wife, on the anniversary of her death, and had fucked me blind when I was too drunk to know what the hell I was doing. My guilt, shame, and anger were a potent mix, and at that moment I could have thrown her out the window. ¡°Clean that shit up,¡± I told her as I stepped over the mess she¡¯d made. ¡°I¡¯m not paying for them to clean the carpet.¡± I caught sight of a pair of dirty mugs lying on her side of the bed as I passed by and vaguely remembered the two of us drinking, but I didn¡¯t stop as I made my way out of the room. Fuck her.¡®
I am sorry grief and guilt aside this shows the strength of Shane, this is abusive, nasty, malicious and personal, he is scum and there is no redeeming him. But it gets better! Even afterwards when he has time to think, he still blames Kate and basically treats her like a predator that is lucky to be his babysitter!
¡®She took a step back when I stood up, and I swallowed nervously when her back hit the front door. ¡°I still want you to keep the kids¡ª¡± I started, and her eyes finally flashed up to mine. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you?¡± she cut me off, her voice panicked. ¡°No, I do.¡± I shook my head. This wasn¡¯t going the way I¡¯d planned. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, in case you were worried, you can still hang out with the kids.¡± I could hear her hard breaths in the quiet of the room, and for a second I wondered if she was having some sort of panic attack. Her face drained of all color, and she swayed a little. ¡°I wasn¡¯t worried,¡± she whispered, her eyes wide and scared. ¡°I didn¡¯t even think¡ª¡± ¡°Look, I know that you didn¡¯t do it maliciously¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°¡ªand I shouldn¡¯t have said that shit to you. You¡¯ve been a huge help with the kids, and I know you probably didn¡¯t plan all that.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t plan it,¡± she whispered softly to herself. ¡°So I¡¯m just saying that I¡¯d like to forget about it, ya know? Go back to the way it was before. No drama.¡± I nodded, finally glad that I¡¯d gotten out what I¡¯d wanted to say. ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯m forgiven?¡± she asked, staring over my shoulder again. I paused, something in her voice making me question our entire conversation. I¡¯d gone over all of the points, hadn¡¯t I? I still wanted her to keep the kids, I¡¯d known she wasn¡¯t trying to be a bitch, and I wanted to move past it¡ Yeah, I¡¯d hit every single one. ¡°Yeah, Katie, you¡¯re forgiven,¡± I answered, feeling relieved that I¡¯d gotten the conversation over with. Everything could go back to normal. She¡¯d stay, and I wouldn¡¯t have to worry that my kids would deal with another devastating loss so soon after their mother. She nodded before turning and walking toward the stairs. ¡°I¡¯m going to go up and crash on Sage¡¯s floor for an hour before she has to get up,¡± she said, her back to me. ¡°And Shane?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t call me Katie.¡±
This touching scene after they get physical again:
¡°I¡¯m going to go down and finish dinner,¡± she said with a small smile. It was way too fucking domestic. Glad I got you off, honey. Now I need to go back to feed the kids. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t have happened,¡± I replied, erasing that smile. ¡°What the fuck were we thinking?¡±
¡°Oh. Wow. Okay.¡± She barked out a quiet derisive laugh and shook her head once. ¡°You¡¯re totally right. Won¡¯t happen again,¡± she assured me with a small salute. ¡°This isn¡¯t your house,¡± I stubbornly continued on, the pain in my chest and the guilt in my belly feeling like they were going to burn their way out. ¡°I¡¯m not your husband.¡± ¡°No, really?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to play house with you, Kate.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that¡¯s what we were doing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m grateful, so fucking grateful, that you take care of the kids the way you do. I know you do it because you love them, and they love you just as much.¡± She was silent as I tried to gather my thoughts, but there were so many tumbling around in my head that I couldn¡¯t make myself say what I wanted to, and everything that was coming out sounded bitter and condescending. ¡°You and me are never going to happen, Kate. Okay? I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re thinking, if you thought we¡¯d just be one big happy family or something, but we won¡¯t. You¡¯re not Rachel. You¡¯re just not, and you¡¯re nice, but I don¡¯t feel that way about you.¡± She nodded, looking over my shoulder, and I watched her swallow hard before turning away from me. ¡°You¡¯re not going to say anything?¡± I asked as she reached the doorway. ¡°I think it¡¯s already been said, don¡¯t you?¡± she asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not chasing you, Shane. Whatever it is you¡¯re seeing isn¡¯t there. You asked me to come in here. You kissed me. You got me off, so I returned the favor. I didn¡¯t initiate any of that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. My mistake,¡± I ground out. ¡°You don¡¯t think of me that way, but you have no problem sticking your fingers in any hole you can reach, right?¡± She shook her head and sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t need this shit. Don¡¯t touch me again.¡±
He clearly always wanted Rachel more, as he constantly makes clear, but even that didn¡¯t seem like love, just lust, as we are constantly told how hot and beautiful she is. Shane was never really at home and Rachel was fake, so he never really knew her.
Thoughts about Kate:
¡®She was so fucking irritating. She acted like I was such a dick, and though I could remember vividly the times that I had been, there were far more times over the past year that things had been just fine between us. Had we ever been best friends? Not really. But that didn¡¯t make me a dick. And the fact that she kept saying I didn¡¯t like her pissed me off. I¡¯d never said I didn¡¯t like her. She was fine. Likable. She just wasn¡¯t someone I wanted to hang out with in what little spare time I had. That didn¡¯t make me a dick, either.¡¯
His thoughts on her in general:
¡®She was so fucking irritating. She acted like I was such a dick, and though I could remember vividly the times that I had been, there were far more times over the past year that things had been just fine between us. Had we ever been best friends? Not really. But that didn¡¯t make me a dick. And the fact that she kept saying I didn¡¯t like her pissed me off. I¡¯d never said I didn¡¯t like her. She was fine. Likable. She just wasn¡¯t someone I wanted to hang out with in what little spare time I had. That didn¡¯t make me a dick, either.¡¯
Oh and his reaction when Kate tells Shane she is pregnant:
¡°It¡¯s not an it. It¡¯s a baby.¡± ¡°I need to know if you can still stay with the kids.¡± ¡°Of course I can, Shane, God! Could you follow the fucking conversation?¡± I finally snapped, annoyed at his lack of response. ¡°I am pregnant. The baby is yours. Now it¡¯s your turn to speak.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you want me to say here, Kate,¡± he replied calmly, but his fingers had tightened around the coffee mug until his knuckles were white. ¡°Anything. At this point, I¡¯d take anything,¡± I replied tiredly, my heart racing. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s mine?¡± My body went cold then, the sweat I¡¯d felt underneath my arms growing cool so quickly I almost shivered. ¡°Anything but that,¡± I whispered hoarsely, with a small shake of my head. I rose to leave without another word, and he didn¡¯t stop me as I kissed the boys good-bye and slipped on my shoes.¡¯
This whole scene, that was maybe meant to be funny, but just reflects to me that Shane is as deep as a puddle, but it¡¯s ok because Kate is so laid back and finds it all hilarious:
¡°I¡¯ve missed you,¡± I whispered softly, curling my hand into a fist on his chest. ¡°I¡¯m not even gone yet.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve missed you for a long time.¡± He was silent for so long that I wondered if I¡¯d messed up big by bringing up the elephant we¡¯d been dancing around for the past year. ¡°I was an asshole back then.¡± ¡°You were my best friend.¡± ¡°I know.¡± He sighed, pulling my body tighter against his. ¡°It was just a stupid crush. I would have gotten over it. I did get over it,¡± I insisted. ¡°And I was twenty-one and pissed at the world,¡± he reminded me. ¡°It was easier to pretend you didn¡¯t exist. I knew if I had to see you watching me with those sad, big brown eyes, I¡¯d do something stupid.¡± ¡°So you hit on my roommate. God, that was such a dick move,¡± I retorted. ¡°It was,¡± he chuckled. ¡°But shit, Rachel was hot.¡± ¡°Okay, conversation over.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°She was pretty hot,¡± I grumbled. ¡°If I was into chicks, I totally would have hit that.¡± (Ha ha so funny)
Oh and this backhanded compliment, reminding us all again that Kate has personality and confidence, but do not be in doubt Rachel was the beautiful deity:
¡°What, the truth? Kate, you¡¯re naturally self-confident. Rachel was beautiful, yes. But she worked at it, because she didn¡¯t ever feel it.¡± He gave me a sad smile. ¡°Don¡¯t compare yourself with her. It¡¯s like apples and oranges.¡± ¡°I guess old habits die hard.¡±
This bullshit when Kate gets sick when he is on deployment:
¡°I was just sicker than normal,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take your pills?¡± My question came out sharper than I¡¯d intended, and I heard her let out a little huff. ¡°I couldn¡¯t keep them down,¡± she mumbled. ¡°What the fuck, Kate?¡± My short fingernails dug into my palm as I felt a headache forming at my temples. ¡°Did you go to the emergency room?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± she shot back. ¡°I was fine at home. I think it was just the emotional overload. After a couple of days, I was back to normal.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that shit,¡± I growled, feeling out of control as I rubbed my hands over my face. ¡°I left my kids with you, Kate. You can¡¯t just fucking fall apart.¡± ¡°Wow. Okay, um¡ª¡± She sniffled, and I felt like such an asshole. I didn¡¯t want to make her cry. Shit. I couldn¡¯t get past the anger that my feeling of helplessness had stirred. I couldn¡¯t deal with this shit. Didn¡¯t she realize that? Did she realize where my focus was supposed to be, and how incredibly bad it would be if my focus was at home with her because she was losing her shit? Fuck. I needed her to keep things under control in California. I¡¯d never had to deal with that shit with Rachel. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring Sage the phone,¡± she said hoarsely. ¡°Do you have enough time?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got a few more minutes.¡± I wanted to apologize. I could tell I¡¯d hurt her feelings, but she could not fall apart when I was halfway around the world. She¡¯d promised to take care of the kids. What the fuck would I do if she couldn¡¯t handle it? ¡°I miss you,¡± Kate whispered¡¯.
The constant comparing to Rachel was just a joke as well, it made it impossible to believe he had always cared about Kate or that she wasn¡¯t second choice.
I was just done, Shane is one of the worse heroes I have read, and that is saying something!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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