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It Takes Two #2
Tiebreaker
All is fair in love and second chances
Professional tennis star and everybody’s darling Maren Murphy is going home. Unfortunately, going home is the last thing she wants to do. She doesn’t know what’s worse, being named the executor of her grandfather’s estate, or having to deal with her grandfather’s business partner, Noah Callahan.
That devil’s spawn may have broken her young, tender heart, but this time it’s advantage Murphy. If anyone’s calling game, set, and match, it’ll be Maren.
Re-match on.
Noah Callahan is a screw up. Well...he used to be a screw up. Bad boy reputations, however, are not easily shed. He’s been a successful business owner for over a decade. You would think people in his hometown would’ve forgiven and forgotten already, but alas no. Until his one shot at redemption walks into his office.
Maren Murphy is the only woman he ever loved––and the only one he purposely drove away.
She’s vowed to hate him for all eternity. He’s vowed to love her forever. Can a second chance be the tiebreaker?
Professional tennis star and everybody’s darling Maren Murphy is going home. Unfortunately, going home is the last thing she wants to do. She doesn’t know what’s worse, being named the executor of her grandfather’s estate, or having to deal with her grandfather’s business partner, Noah Callahan.
That devil’s spawn may have broken her young, tender heart, but this time it’s advantage Murphy. If anyone’s calling game, set, and match, it’ll be Maren.
Re-match on.
Noah Callahan is a screw up. Well...he used to be a screw up. Bad boy reputations, however, are not easily shed. He’s been a successful business owner for over a decade. You would think people in his hometown would’ve forgiven and forgotten already, but alas no. Until his one shot at redemption walks into his office.
Maren Murphy is the only woman he ever loved––and the only one he purposely drove away.
She’s vowed to hate him for all eternity. He’s vowed to love her forever. Can a second chance be the tiebreaker?
First published July 25, 2018
About the author
P. Dangelico
21 books3,599 followers"If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.” ― Elmore Leonard
Visit my website:
http://www.pdangelico.com
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https://www.facebook.com/p.dangelico/
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Or find me on Goodreads.
USA Today Bestselling author P. Dangelico loves romance in all forms, furry creatures, the NY Jets (although she’s reconsidering after this season), and to while away the day at the barn (apparently she does her best thinking shoveling horse poop). What she’s not enamored with is referring to herself in the third person and social media. Although she was born in Milan Italy, she’s been Jersey Strong since she turned six.
Visit my website:
http://www.pdangelico.com
Get to know me at my Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/p.dangelico/
Join my Facebook reading Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PDang...
Visit my Instagram account:
https://www.instagram.com/pdangelicoa...
Get free goodies and sale alerts by joining my Mailing List: https://www.pdangelico.com/contact
Or find me on Goodreads.
USA Today Bestselling author P. Dangelico loves romance in all forms, furry creatures, the NY Jets (although she’s reconsidering after this season), and to while away the day at the barn (apparently she does her best thinking shoveling horse poop). What she’s not enamored with is referring to herself in the third person and social media. Although she was born in Milan Italy, she’s been Jersey Strong since she turned six.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 352 reviews
July 27, 2018
Quotes from the author:
"That being said I personally could never stomach a hero that engages in any sexual activity after it’s clear that he has interests in the h."
And
"BUT I can promise you this. My books will always be safe. Always. And there will always be growth with conflict because without it it’s not a story worth telling."
So color my fucking Gobsmacked when I read one of her books with a disgusting excuse for cheating. So the author either lied right to her (formally faithful) readers OR she doesn't know what safe means. You can figure out what "safety" means being on GR for 5 minutes so, clearly, she choose to lie.
*Disclaimer* I decided to read it knowing it was as bad as everyone said it was, but I still had to form my own opinion.
Im hurt and I feel like I was personally cheated on. And I'm gonna rant about this because I fucking CARE goddamit. Some people don't take reading romance too seriously but I do. These characters are real from the moment I pick up the book until I put it down. I'm an invested reader, and if youre writing is good enough, then that is what it makes me so fucking angry that P. Dangelico can write but this time she went back on her word for cheap drama. I'm disappointed and grossed out.
The cheating got this book 1 star. Take it from a person (me) who has been cheated on in a past relationship. IT HURTS YOU TO YOUR CORE. And you can forgive all the live long fucking day but you will never ever ever FORGOT. I will always look back on that failed relationship and question WHY he cheated. And the fact that the reason for the H's cheating is to make himself a martyr so she can succeed.... fuck you. And fuck cheaters.
Cheating is never sexy. Its never romantic. And its certainly never acceptable to me as a form of angst. And "bad boys" will always always ALWAYS be second best to respectable MEN.
Characters were meh. Even if this book didnt have "the incident" I would have rated it a low 3.
I suggest this author go back to the drawing board and see why Wrecking Ball has maintained a 4.22 star rating while this drops to 3.8.
"That being said I personally could never stomach a hero that engages in any sexual activity after it’s clear that he has interests in the h."
And
"BUT I can promise you this. My books will always be safe. Always. And there will always be growth with conflict because without it it’s not a story worth telling."
So color my fucking Gobsmacked when I read one of her books with a disgusting excuse for cheating. So the author either lied right to her (formally faithful) readers OR she doesn't know what safe means. You can figure out what "safety" means being on GR for 5 minutes so, clearly, she choose to lie.
*Disclaimer* I decided to read it knowing it was as bad as everyone said it was, but I still had to form my own opinion.
Im hurt and I feel like I was personally cheated on. And I'm gonna rant about this because I fucking CARE goddamit. Some people don't take reading romance too seriously but I do. These characters are real from the moment I pick up the book until I put it down. I'm an invested reader, and if youre writing is good enough, then that is what it makes me so fucking angry that P. Dangelico can write but this time she went back on her word for cheap drama. I'm disappointed and grossed out.
The cheating got this book 1 star. Take it from a person (me) who has been cheated on in a past relationship. IT HURTS YOU TO YOUR CORE. And you can forgive all the live long fucking day but you will never ever ever FORGOT. I will always look back on that failed relationship and question WHY he cheated. And the fact that the reason for the H's cheating is to make himself a martyr so she can succeed.... fuck you. And fuck cheaters.
Cheating is never sexy. Its never romantic. And its certainly never acceptable to me as a form of angst. And "bad boys" will always always ALWAYS be second best to respectable MEN.
Characters were meh. Even if this book didnt have "the incident" I would have rated it a low 3.
I suggest this author go back to the drawing board and see why Wrecking Ball has maintained a 4.22 star rating while this drops to 3.8.
Shelved as 'avoid'
July 31, 2018Final rant
31/7/18
FINALLY someone saw the massive problem with hero’s so-called “sweet” “self-sacrifice”:
Read Ellie's 2-star review of Tiebreaker by P. Dangelico
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
There was nothing sweet about this. If we ARE going to look into this as a sacrificial move this has to be the most controlling and manipulative move ever. We don’t make decisions FOR the people we love. We become better person for them. There were literally at least 3 different ways of irrevocably breaking up with her without ACTUALLY cheating and then claiming he was thinking “about” her “own good” and “doing it for her”.
And also, no, NO, it is not understandable, or “somewhat” understandable why Dangelico would use the analogy of “stealing bread to feed a starving child” to justify this unforgivable unjustifiable act of cheating. She’s an author and she has creative liberties is NOT an excuse. I’m an accountant, doesn’t give me liberty to get creative with tax returns.
If the author is comparing this with stealing to feed a starving children, she either doesn’t know poverty or is extremely ignorant of developing countries.
Jean Val Jean this hero is not. Neither is this Les Miserable. Not even Slumdog Millionaire! Hell, I think I just insulted someone, not sure who though!
**************
Update:
Along with the following quote the author also said her books will “always be safe”. I’m guessing she doesn’t count cheating as an issue? Or was that a blatant lie? Because this hero most definitely cheats.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
=====
This book and the author goes on my forever avoid list.
P. Dangelico is a gifted writer with a way with words but I draw a line when that is used to manipulate my feelings or any readers.
Her comment on one of my posts about Noah was exactly this:
” Sooo, we shall see about Noah. All I can say is this. Is stealing a loaf of bread justified if you need to feed your hungry child?? 😉 “
I’m guessing this analogy was made in relation to Noah sleeping with OW to push heroine away for “her own good”?
Guess what miss Dangelico? Offence taken. The analogy you gave me? Was a life and death situation. Was Noah’s betrayal close to that? If you truly believe that then you and I have nothing in common in terms of morals and principles, and we’re done discussing this and we were never meant to be.
And as for an analogy suitable for this situation, let me give you one that does fit the bill. “Is falsifying your petrol expense a little bit to get a slightly better tax return tax evasion? I mean the money would have gone to dole badgers anyway.”
The answer to that question is yes. And THAT would still be a crime. And it is still unacceptable when your hero sleeps with another woman because they need to push the love of their life out of their life for whatever BS they came up with. And it’s offensive when you compare that to a life or death situation.
I know I’ll lose a lot of friends over this because you have your fan base. I’d not even have bothered with this book except for putting it on my avoid shelf, if it wasn’t for your need for justification or hero’s unacceptable actions.
==========
I’ll wait until it’s out with real reviews besides ARCs.
31/7/18
FINALLY someone saw the massive problem with hero’s so-called “sweet” “self-sacrifice”:
Read Ellie's 2-star review of Tiebreaker by P. Dangelico
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
There was nothing sweet about this. If we ARE going to look into this as a sacrificial move this has to be the most controlling and manipulative move ever. We don’t make decisions FOR the people we love. We become better person for them. There were literally at least 3 different ways of irrevocably breaking up with her without ACTUALLY cheating and then claiming he was thinking “about” her “own good” and “doing it for her”.
And also, no, NO, it is not understandable, or “somewhat” understandable why Dangelico would use the analogy of “stealing bread to feed a starving child” to justify this unforgivable unjustifiable act of cheating. She’s an author and she has creative liberties is NOT an excuse. I’m an accountant, doesn’t give me liberty to get creative with tax returns.
If the author is comparing this with stealing to feed a starving children, she either doesn’t know poverty or is extremely ignorant of developing countries.
Jean Val Jean this hero is not. Neither is this Les Miserable. Not even Slumdog Millionaire! Hell, I think I just insulted someone, not sure who though!
**************
Update:
Along with the following quote the author also said her books will “always be safe”. I’m guessing she doesn’t count cheating as an issue? Or was that a blatant lie? Because this hero most definitely cheats.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
=====
This book and the author goes on my forever avoid list.
P. Dangelico is a gifted writer with a way with words but I draw a line when that is used to manipulate my feelings or any readers.
Her comment on one of my posts about Noah was exactly this:
” Sooo, we shall see about Noah. All I can say is this. Is stealing a loaf of bread justified if you need to feed your hungry child?? 😉 “
I’m guessing this analogy was made in relation to Noah sleeping with OW to push heroine away for “her own good”?
Guess what miss Dangelico? Offence taken. The analogy you gave me? Was a life and death situation. Was Noah’s betrayal close to that? If you truly believe that then you and I have nothing in common in terms of morals and principles, and we’re done discussing this and we were never meant to be.
And as for an analogy suitable for this situation, let me give you one that does fit the bill. “Is falsifying your petrol expense a little bit to get a slightly better tax return tax evasion? I mean the money would have gone to dole badgers anyway.”
The answer to that question is yes. And THAT would still be a crime. And it is still unacceptable when your hero sleeps with another woman because they need to push the love of their life out of their life for whatever BS they came up with. And it’s offensive when you compare that to a life or death situation.
I know I’ll lose a lot of friends over this because you have your fan base. I’d not even have bothered with this book except for putting it on my avoid shelf, if it wasn’t for your need for justification or hero’s unacceptable actions.
==========
I’ll wait until it’s out with real reviews besides ARCs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2018
This book should have been perfect for me. And until about 75% in, it felt absolutely tailor-made for my tastes: Childhood friends-to-lovers. Second chance romance. Strong, proud heroine. Quietly charming hero. Sports-themed. All tropes and characterizations I love and that made me drop everything else and devour this book within two days.
And then came the revelation of what Noah had done to Maren when they were younger, what ultimately caused their ten year-long separation. But more of that hidden behind the spoiler tag below.
So for the most part, I really loved this. I loved that Maren wouldn't let go of her well-earned anger or mistrust towards Noah just because he was handsome and charming. I loved the slow progression of the rekindling romance, the building of tension. I really enjoyed the character of Maren's sister, BeBe. I even liked the flashbacks, and I never like flashbacks!
It was a 5 star-read for me, until... Well, until it all went downhill.
Okay, so there you have it. This book will probably receive a lot of hate from safety-gang members as well as a lot of love and praise from angst-lovers. Being neither, I feel like 3 stars is a fair rating for a book I mostly adored but eventually left me deeply disappointed and made me dislike the characters in the end.
ARC provided via the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
August 1, 2018
Hmmmm! I'm so sad, I keep getting disappointed with my favorite authors lately, I'm really really sad! I probably would've liked the book, it's P. Dangelico, she is very talented and one of my favorite authors. The book has a successful, strong and stubborn heroine, a hero until the unfortunate scene I believed loved her. But I'm a sensitive reader and loyalty is so important to me, I would never forget or forgive what he did, and to answer if there's another way to make her folow her dreams (and give us angst), a big yes, he could dump her, or better yet, convince her by loving her and fixing himself while waiting for her, if he will be loyal and celibate during their separation anyway. So if I could erase what he did from my memory this book would've been so much better, unfortunately I couldn't!
July 25, 2018
Wowza! I could read a P. Dangelico book weekly if that was a possibility. It feels like I’ve been waiting for Maren and Noah’s book forever because I wanted it so badly. When I got my hands on it, I devoured it in less than 24 hours. Which now I know was a mistake because it was over too fast 😳 I may need to reread it slower.
We once again get a slow burn romance that is a signature for this author. And in this story, it was so needed. I love second chance romances.
There is something about couples who are meant to be that just take over my heart completely and I swear I hear birds sing and see swans dance as I watch their love unfold before my eyes. Getting it right the second time around is the whipped cream and cherry on top—with sprinkles!!
Maren and Noah are young when they meet—but Maren knows in her heart of hearts that’s he’s the one for her. He’s a few years older than her, and it just isn’t the right time for them. They are friends—the best of friends, and although it’s so hard for her to watch him as he experiences all the things that teenagers do, she does because their friendship is important and worth it. Their bond is everything.
“You’re not supposed to meet the love of your life when you’re thirteen. It’s not normal, it’s not natural, and it’s without a doubt destined to end badly because it is inevitable that one of you will screw it up. And in the aftermath, when the fog of war clears and you realize everyone else pales by comparison, all you’ll be left with is the memory of what you once had and lost to keep you company at night. In this case, I’m the one to blame. And I’ve been paying the price of my actions ever since.”
The unthinkable happens and Maren picks herself up and leaves to pursue her career as a professional tennis player. When Maren returns 10 years later to bury her grandfather, she is forced to confront the past that she’s been hiding from. Her success on the tennis courts and her relationship with her trainer didn’t dim her feelings for the one who shattered her young heart many years ago.
Maren and Noah’s way back to each other wasn’t an easy road. While time heals some wounds, others stay open and fester unresolved.
Many will question the decisions that were made in the past—can they be forgiven? How do you rebuild something that was lost?
But sometimes love can be ugly even when it takes your breath away. Life happens and mistakes are made. And sometimes these misguided decisions alter the future drastically.
In the present, Noah and Maren slowly rebuild their friendship. Maren rediscovers herself as she is compelled to face who she is, once the tennis star persona is stripped away. I fell in love with her, her family and Noah. Noah’s love for Maren was so deep, so strong, he did the only thing he thought was right for her at the time. He was stuck with regrets and shame. He was a successful business owner, but his personal life never moved on after he faced multiple losses and managed to destroy himself as his demons dragged him to rock bottom.
I couldn’t help but dread the past as it slowly unfolds, and I’m not gonna sugar coat it. Things weren’t pretty, some may even say what happened was an unforgivable act. But that’s the beauty of love. It’s not black and white. It’s all the colors of the rainbow. The good, the bad and the ugly.
“Soft lips brush over mine, taste and test and nibble. Our tongues dance and play tag. He kisses me like he means it. Like he may never get a second chance.”
Tiebreaker is another phenomenal story from P. Dangelico. She is a must read author for me!!
Her writing is on point, the plot is incredible, and she gives you a front row seat to a second chance love story that you won’t be able to put down. She has a magical way of making you feel as if you’re right there, living with the characters—experiencing every moment with them. From the beginning to the very end she will keep you invested with her captivating storytelling. ❤
We once again get a slow burn romance that is a signature for this author. And in this story, it was so needed. I love second chance romances.
There is something about couples who are meant to be that just take over my heart completely and I swear I hear birds sing and see swans dance as I watch their love unfold before my eyes. Getting it right the second time around is the whipped cream and cherry on top—with sprinkles!!
Maren and Noah are young when they meet—but Maren knows in her heart of hearts that’s he’s the one for her. He’s a few years older than her, and it just isn’t the right time for them. They are friends—the best of friends, and although it’s so hard for her to watch him as he experiences all the things that teenagers do, she does because their friendship is important and worth it. Their bond is everything.
“You’re not supposed to meet the love of your life when you’re thirteen. It’s not normal, it’s not natural, and it’s without a doubt destined to end badly because it is inevitable that one of you will screw it up. And in the aftermath, when the fog of war clears and you realize everyone else pales by comparison, all you’ll be left with is the memory of what you once had and lost to keep you company at night. In this case, I’m the one to blame. And I’ve been paying the price of my actions ever since.”
The unthinkable happens and Maren picks herself up and leaves to pursue her career as a professional tennis player. When Maren returns 10 years later to bury her grandfather, she is forced to confront the past that she’s been hiding from. Her success on the tennis courts and her relationship with her trainer didn’t dim her feelings for the one who shattered her young heart many years ago.
Maren and Noah’s way back to each other wasn’t an easy road. While time heals some wounds, others stay open and fester unresolved.
Many will question the decisions that were made in the past—can they be forgiven? How do you rebuild something that was lost?
But sometimes love can be ugly even when it takes your breath away. Life happens and mistakes are made. And sometimes these misguided decisions alter the future drastically.
In the present, Noah and Maren slowly rebuild their friendship. Maren rediscovers herself as she is compelled to face who she is, once the tennis star persona is stripped away. I fell in love with her, her family and Noah. Noah’s love for Maren was so deep, so strong, he did the only thing he thought was right for her at the time. He was stuck with regrets and shame. He was a successful business owner, but his personal life never moved on after he faced multiple losses and managed to destroy himself as his demons dragged him to rock bottom.
I couldn’t help but dread the past as it slowly unfolds, and I’m not gonna sugar coat it. Things weren’t pretty, some may even say what happened was an unforgivable act. But that’s the beauty of love. It’s not black and white. It’s all the colors of the rainbow. The good, the bad and the ugly.
“Soft lips brush over mine, taste and test and nibble. Our tongues dance and play tag. He kisses me like he means it. Like he may never get a second chance.”
Tiebreaker is another phenomenal story from P. Dangelico. She is a must read author for me!!
Her writing is on point, the plot is incredible, and she gives you a front row seat to a second chance love story that you won’t be able to put down. She has a magical way of making you feel as if you’re right there, living with the characters—experiencing every moment with them. From the beginning to the very end she will keep you invested with her captivating storytelling. ❤
July 25, 2018
<2 Live amazon <3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FTSJ8F3/...
5 stars
What a nice surprise, I loved Tiebraker so much!This is my second book from P. Dangelico and I need more.Tiebraker was fast paced,addictive,sweet,intense and it has the perfect amount of drama.
I loved both characters and I liked that we had dual POV it made the story more intimidate and we can see what happened in the past.I fall in love with Noah slowly, he is such a great guy.Maren is strong and stubborn.I loved her, you could easily like her.
Overall, it was a fantastic story.I'm looking forward to read the rest books of P. Dangelico, I loved the writing a lot, it was flawless and beautiful.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FTSJ8F3/...
5 stars
What a nice surprise, I loved Tiebraker so much!This is my second book from P. Dangelico and I need more.Tiebraker was fast paced,addictive,sweet,intense and it has the perfect amount of drama.
I loved both characters and I liked that we had dual POV it made the story more intimidate and we can see what happened in the past.I fall in love with Noah slowly, he is such a great guy.Maren is strong and stubborn.I loved her, you could easily like her.
Overall, it was a fantastic story.I'm looking forward to read the rest books of P. Dangelico, I loved the writing a lot, it was flawless and beautiful.
January 6, 2019
4 stars!
This is the second P. Dangelico book I’ve read and she is definitely an author I want to read more of! Both of the books I’ve read have been great. Tiebreaker is a fantastic second chance romance with the most delicious slow burn.
Maren Murphy fell in love with Noah Callahan when she was just a kid. The only thing she loved as much as him was tennis. For the longest time, they were best friends and that’s all. Noah was a few years older than Maren, but when their time came, Maren and her best friend, the boy next door, became a couple. Then the unthinkable happened. Maren was hurt deeply, betrayed in the worst way by Noah, and she left town to pursue her tennis career.
Maren thought nothing could get her to come back home, but then her beloved grandfather died. As Maren is home, Noah is there and he’s different than they way he was 10 years ago. It’s very apparent that there is still a spark between the two. But Maren is unforgiving. What Noah did to her hurt and she’s not sure she’ll ever get over it. But it’s also apparent he’s changed in a big way.
I really loved Noah and I believe Noah really loves Maren. Maren is a little stubborn and snarky, but it’s totally understandable. Even with their past and all that was going on, I really rooted for these two to be together. But, lets get into why this isn’t a 5 star for me, because there is a reason… Overall, I did love it, though. Yeah, I did have little issues with how certain things were handled, but I still felt like it was an amazing romance and I really felt the love between these two. Forgiveness is hard, giving people second chances is hard, but sometimes you can’t deny true love.
Tiebreaker is a book I would recommend if you love sports romances, second chance romances, slow burns, snarky reads, and those fun hate to love romances.
All is fair in love and second chances.
This is the second P. Dangelico book I’ve read and she is definitely an author I want to read more of! Both of the books I’ve read have been great. Tiebreaker is a fantastic second chance romance with the most delicious slow burn.
Noah Callahan became mine the moment I laid eyes on him and nothing would’ve convinced my ten-year-old self otherwise.
Maren Murphy fell in love with Noah Callahan when she was just a kid. The only thing she loved as much as him was tennis. For the longest time, they were best friends and that’s all. Noah was a few years older than Maren, but when their time came, Maren and her best friend, the boy next door, became a couple. Then the unthinkable happened. Maren was hurt deeply, betrayed in the worst way by Noah, and she left town to pursue her tennis career.
Maren thought nothing could get her to come back home, but then her beloved grandfather died. As Maren is home, Noah is there and he’s different than they way he was 10 years ago. It’s very apparent that there is still a spark between the two. But Maren is unforgiving. What Noah did to her hurt and she’s not sure she’ll ever get over it. But it’s also apparent he’s changed in a big way.
“I have changed, Maren. I want you to know that.” His voice is low and gentle, sliding under my skin and wrapping around my heart with the strength of an iron vise. “And I’m gonna do everything in my power to prove it to you.”
I really loved Noah and I believe Noah really loves Maren. Maren is a little stubborn and snarky, but it’s totally understandable. Even with their past and all that was going on, I really rooted for these two to be together. But, lets get into why this isn’t a 5 star for me, because there is a reason… Overall, I did love it, though. Yeah, I did have little issues with how certain things were handled, but I still felt like it was an amazing romance and I really felt the love between these two. Forgiveness is hard, giving people second chances is hard, but sometimes you can’t deny true love.
Tiebreaker is a book I would recommend if you love sports romances, second chance romances, slow burns, snarky reads, and those fun hate to love romances.
“I fell in love with you on jump,” he murmurs. “I’ve never stopped loving you and I will love you till my very last breath.”
August 8, 2018
DNF AMAZON SAMPLE.
Had I bought the book I would have returned it and if I was allowed to post reviews on amazon I would have left a 1 star review.
UNSAFE READ ALERT
UNSAFE READ ALERT
UNSAFE READ ALERT
UNSAFE READ ALERT
UNSAFE READ ALERT
And also
MISLEADING MARKETING ALERT. Sort of. Did the author try to mislead us into thinking think her book was safe? What do you think? More on Kiki's review
This isn't so much for the safety gang who already voiced their justified anger. This is for my friend and followers who hate who haven't read Julia's review yet.
More info on Emma's review.
Emma's review
UPCOMING RANT
As of late authors and publishers disregarding if they're working independently or a as part of a millionaire publishing industry are trying to mislead the readers. I've been talking non stop about how this is done with books that contain characters that are older than 18 and feature pornographic scenes and then using booktubers, bookbloggers and goodreads to mislead the readers into believing that said books are as clean and safe for underage readers as Harry Potter, Twilight or the Hunger games.
There are also "erotic romance" authors (whose name I won't mention because I won't give them more undeserved attention) who falsely complain of censorship when they violate amazon rules regarding graphic sexual scenes featuring underage readers (plus rape scenes)to try to sell more. Amazon and Kobo have rules against publishing this content and authors know it, yet the moment their books get retired from amazon, they play victim and create media controversy and sell more books. These authors can always publish that sort of crap on their own websites so no censorship there, that's a falsehood but they mislead the readers and reviewers into buying and praising their pedo material as a sort of protest against "censorship"
This kind of false advertising (which is illegal in many countries, but sadly not the US) usually comes from authors with an established fan base that includes goodreads reviewers who will inflate their ratings and bully the GR members who dare to post a negative review. As a result a casual reader will look at the goodreads ratings, see plenty of 5 stars and an average rating above 4 and think it's safe to buy the book. I'm sick and tired of seeing nothing but praise for books with problematic content on new releases. Usually the rating will go down after the hype is over. Captive prince a "MM romance" that IMHO romanticizes Pedophilia and rape used to have a rating way above 4 and the negative reviews were hard to find. Nowawadays, the information of this book on its GR page is more useful, there's a good mix of positive and negative reviews (some with trigger warnings for those who need them) so that people can get honest information and make an informed decision. But for anyone caught in the initial hype for that book who had serious problems with pedophilia and rape that information came to late.
If you like me have limited time and budget for books and triggers that ruin your reading experience here's a tip:
♣ Don't look at the ratings, some amazing books have ratings below a 4.0 average and some books that I wouldn't recommend get inflated ratings by the authors fanbase.
♣ Don't trust goodreads reviewers that you aren't familiar with.
Instead, go to the amazon page (not anyone can post a review on amazon, you'd need to make purchases constantly), make a search using a key word for your specific trigger (in this case or in the case of YA books you can search for "sex" or "language) See the information and then come to your own conclusion. I wish I could dive blindly into books like I did on my highschool years, but sadly my reading time has become limited.
reviews
If there aren't enough reviews in amazon
♣do the same keyword search in goodreads.
or
♣ put the book on hold until there's more information available.
If you have unlimited time and budget to buy books and/or don't have triggers, obviously this isn't for you. But if you like me are a picky reader I hope this review can help you to save yourself from a disappointment.
Had I bought the book I would have returned it and if I was allowed to post reviews on amazon I would have left a 1 star review.
UNSAFE READ ALERT
UNSAFE READ ALERT
UNSAFE READ ALERT
UNSAFE READ ALERT
UNSAFE READ ALERT
And also
MISLEADING MARKETING ALERT. Sort of. Did the author try to mislead us into thinking think her book was safe? What do you think? More on Kiki's review
This isn't so much for the safety gang who already voiced their justified anger. This is for my friend and followers who hate who haven't read Julia's review yet.
More info on Emma's review.
Emma's review
UPCOMING RANT
As of late authors and publishers disregarding if they're working independently or a as part of a millionaire publishing industry are trying to mislead the readers. I've been talking non stop about how this is done with books that contain characters that are older than 18 and feature pornographic scenes and then using booktubers, bookbloggers and goodreads to mislead the readers into believing that said books are as clean and safe for underage readers as Harry Potter, Twilight or the Hunger games.
There are also "erotic romance" authors (whose name I won't mention because I won't give them more undeserved attention) who falsely complain of censorship when they violate amazon rules regarding graphic sexual scenes featuring underage readers (plus rape scenes)to try to sell more. Amazon and Kobo have rules against publishing this content and authors know it, yet the moment their books get retired from amazon, they play victim and create media controversy and sell more books. These authors can always publish that sort of crap on their own websites so no censorship there, that's a falsehood but they mislead the readers and reviewers into buying and praising their pedo material as a sort of protest against "censorship"
This kind of false advertising (which is illegal in many countries, but sadly not the US) usually comes from authors with an established fan base that includes goodreads reviewers who will inflate their ratings and bully the GR members who dare to post a negative review. As a result a casual reader will look at the goodreads ratings, see plenty of 5 stars and an average rating above 4 and think it's safe to buy the book. I'm sick and tired of seeing nothing but praise for books with problematic content on new releases. Usually the rating will go down after the hype is over. Captive prince a "MM romance" that IMHO romanticizes Pedophilia and rape used to have a rating way above 4 and the negative reviews were hard to find. Nowawadays, the information of this book on its GR page is more useful, there's a good mix of positive and negative reviews (some with trigger warnings for those who need them) so that people can get honest information and make an informed decision. But for anyone caught in the initial hype for that book who had serious problems with pedophilia and rape that information came to late.
If you like me have limited time and budget for books and triggers that ruin your reading experience here's a tip:
♣ Don't look at the ratings, some amazing books have ratings below a 4.0 average and some books that I wouldn't recommend get inflated ratings by the authors fanbase.
♣ Don't trust goodreads reviewers that you aren't familiar with.
Instead, go to the amazon page (not anyone can post a review on amazon, you'd need to make purchases constantly), make a search using a key word for your specific trigger (in this case or in the case of YA books you can search for "sex" or "language) See the information and then come to your own conclusion. I wish I could dive blindly into books like I did on my highschool years, but sadly my reading time has become limited.
reviews
If there aren't enough reviews in amazon
♣do the same keyword search in goodreads.
or
♣ put the book on hold until there's more information available.
If you have unlimited time and budget to buy books and/or don't have triggers, obviously this isn't for you. But if you like me are a picky reader I hope this review can help you to save yourself from a disappointment.
Shelved as 'nope'
April 27, 2019The heroine gives a second chance to the cheating hero.
Nope. My heroine would never forgive a cheating hero...
Here is a wonderful review that sums it up:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Nope. My heroine would never forgive a cheating hero...
Here is a wonderful review that sums it up:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
July 27, 2018
4 Love All Stars
In tennis, Love means zero. I call that poetic.
As an awkward preteen tomboy, Maren Murphy worshipped three things: her grandfather, the game of tennis and Noah Callahan. And not necessarily in that order. Sure, her twelve year old self wasn’t going to win any popularity contests, but none of that mattered as long as she had her best friend Noah by her side and she kept winning on the court. As time moved forward and Noah noticed his BFF had grown up (and out in interesting ways), the friendship evolved into something much deeper, until a betrayal sends Maren running for the next decade.
Noah has made a decent life for himself, despite letting the love of his life get away ten years ago. He’s never stopped loving Maren and with her grandfather’s death forcing a reunion between the two, Noah is hoping he can coax Maren into a truce of some kind. What he isn’t counting on is the hostility and palpable ANGER Maren still feels towards him.
Most people spend a lifetime searching for that one person who’s meant for them, their one true mate and all that junk, and never find him or her. I found mine when I was ten and a day doesn’t go by that I wish I hadn’t. Because it’s not a gift. It’s not even romantic. It’s a curse–– one I’ll never be rid of.
This review’s a little tricky for me to write. I finished Tiebreaker in one sitting but it still took a little bit of marinating time for me to wrap my head around it all. To keep my rambling self in check, I’m going to start with the stuff I loved and go from there.
First things first, P. Dangelico can write a slow burn romance with just the perfect amount of angst as well as any author I’ve read. Maren, Noah and the past they shared had me hooked from the first page. Most of the story is told in present day, but we get just enough flashbacks throughout the story to bring the feels. I’m used to flashbacks annoying me or taking me out of the story, but the info drops in Tiebreaker were perfectly timed and managed to keep me engaged.
The second chance romance premise is one of my favorites and sweet baby jeezus, did these two ever need that second chance! Things aren’t always exactly what they seem and both characters needed a little help in the “maning up” department if things were ever going to get back on track. Luckily, that help came in the form of an obstinate grandfather trying to right a wrong.
As much as I love the second chance stuff, I was a bit confused on some of the choices Noah made after the split. The issue most readers are going to have with Noah actually isn’t my beef. I don’t like it but it seemed like a realistic choice to make given the circumstances at the time. My bitch has more to do with the lack of contact in those ten years on Noah’s part. Yeah, she's mad, but she has a right to be. Grow a pair and get your woman back!
Tennis plus a second chance romance equals goodness all the way around for moi. Add to the mix P. Angelico’s writing and there was no way in hell I wasn’t going to enjoy this one. Tiebreaker is a snarky, angsty story that managed to engage me emotionally and had me rooting for a happy ending for both Maren and Noah.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for a voluntary review
In tennis, Love means zero. I call that poetic.
As an awkward preteen tomboy, Maren Murphy worshipped three things: her grandfather, the game of tennis and Noah Callahan. And not necessarily in that order. Sure, her twelve year old self wasn’t going to win any popularity contests, but none of that mattered as long as she had her best friend Noah by her side and she kept winning on the court. As time moved forward and Noah noticed his BFF had grown up (and out in interesting ways), the friendship evolved into something much deeper, until a betrayal sends Maren running for the next decade.
Noah has made a decent life for himself, despite letting the love of his life get away ten years ago. He’s never stopped loving Maren and with her grandfather’s death forcing a reunion between the two, Noah is hoping he can coax Maren into a truce of some kind. What he isn’t counting on is the hostility and palpable ANGER Maren still feels towards him.
Most people spend a lifetime searching for that one person who’s meant for them, their one true mate and all that junk, and never find him or her. I found mine when I was ten and a day doesn’t go by that I wish I hadn’t. Because it’s not a gift. It’s not even romantic. It’s a curse–– one I’ll never be rid of.
This review’s a little tricky for me to write. I finished Tiebreaker in one sitting but it still took a little bit of marinating time for me to wrap my head around it all. To keep my rambling self in check, I’m going to start with the stuff I loved and go from there.
First things first, P. Dangelico can write a slow burn romance with just the perfect amount of angst as well as any author I’ve read. Maren, Noah and the past they shared had me hooked from the first page. Most of the story is told in present day, but we get just enough flashbacks throughout the story to bring the feels. I’m used to flashbacks annoying me or taking me out of the story, but the info drops in Tiebreaker were perfectly timed and managed to keep me engaged.
The second chance romance premise is one of my favorites and sweet baby jeezus, did these two ever need that second chance! Things aren’t always exactly what they seem and both characters needed a little help in the “maning up” department if things were ever going to get back on track. Luckily, that help came in the form of an obstinate grandfather trying to right a wrong.
As much as I love the second chance stuff, I was a bit confused on some of the choices Noah made after the split. The issue most readers are going to have with Noah actually isn’t my beef. I don’t like it but it seemed like a realistic choice to make given the circumstances at the time. My bitch has more to do with the lack of contact in those ten years on Noah’s part. Yeah, she's mad, but she has a right to be. Grow a pair and get your woman back!
Tennis plus a second chance romance equals goodness all the way around for moi. Add to the mix P. Angelico’s writing and there was no way in hell I wasn’t going to enjoy this one. Tiebreaker is a snarky, angsty story that managed to engage me emotionally and had me rooting for a happy ending for both Maren and Noah.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for a voluntary review
Read
March 8, 2020DNF
Picked this up blindly. I like this author. Every book I’ve read of hers has been a solid one.(safe especially- I know that’s what I always get with her). I loved the first book in the series. And Noah intrigued me in that one, which is why this sat in my Kindle ever since reading the last one.
This was not safe. I abhor cheating in romance books. It’s kind of an oxymoron to have a romance and cheating in the same sentence and in the same book.
Does it happen in real life? Yes
Do people get over it and live on together? Yes
Do I wanna read about that? Big freaking NO
I wish authors would just understand that you cannot make cheating the main point of conflict and angst in a romance book!!
It will not work! It will always hang over the characters heads!
No matter the reasons!!! There are no reasons to excuse it!
A great love just doesn’t leave space for that behaviour.
Noah’s excuse for it was even more enraging that the cheating itself!!!
Picked this up blindly. I like this author. Every book I’ve read of hers has been a solid one.(safe especially- I know that’s what I always get with her). I loved the first book in the series. And Noah intrigued me in that one, which is why this sat in my Kindle ever since reading the last one.
This was not safe. I abhor cheating in romance books. It’s kind of an oxymoron to have a romance and cheating in the same sentence and in the same book.
Does it happen in real life? Yes
Do people get over it and live on together? Yes
Do I wanna read about that? Big freaking NO
I wish authors would just understand that you cannot make cheating the main point of conflict and angst in a romance book!!
It will not work! It will always hang over the characters heads!
No matter the reasons!!! There are no reasons to excuse it!
A great love just doesn’t leave space for that behaviour.
Noah’s excuse for it was even more enraging that the cheating itself!!!
Shelved as 'avoid'
July 28, 2018h seeing H having sex w/OW and H treating her cruelly is a disgusting trope that doesn't belong in a "romance" book. It sends the wrong message. It is not emotionally healthy to take a guy like this back, and it certainly isn't a positive presentation of love. A romantic hero does not treat someone he truly loves like this!
July 25, 2018
3.75 stars.
Well, I got this book this evening from the author, thank you P:) and planned to read it within two nights, but look at me, finished in one sitting! 🙄😂.
It was good and very engaging story, however too many flashback for my taste:(
I want the past story is finish, so when they met again, they will getting to know each other again and fall in love just with the new them. But it wasn’t happening like that, however the story still pull me in, so... 😬
Okay, the blurb gave you an idea what this story all about. It’s a second chance romance, not one of my favorite subject to be honest but I love this author and I want to know how she pull it off this type of story.
Yes, it made me sigh and feels sorry for everyone involves when I found what was happening. No, I don’t hate the hero, you probably won’t hate him either after you found out what had really happened, scratched that, I felt sorry for him actually. Yes, he made a fatal mistake, but a bad situation can influence your decision too, I believe. He wasn’t in the right mind, why? You need to read it by yourself. He really love her and then he got to watch the love of his life living in her dreams with someone else, while you live in your lonely life from the sideline, alone. That must be gut wrenching 💔
Oh, he did something that I think is sweet and silly but rather sad too during those years, poor guy!
Ugh, my review rather all over the place methink, tired and sleepy now! 😘
Right, if you don’t have trigger and want to read this with an open mind, you probably will love this story too like I do:) ❤️❤️❤️
Well, I got this book this evening from the author, thank you P:) and planned to read it within two nights, but look at me, finished in one sitting! 🙄😂.
It was good and very engaging story, however too many flashback for my taste:(
I want the past story is finish, so when they met again, they will getting to know each other again and fall in love just with the new them. But it wasn’t happening like that, however the story still pull me in, so... 😬
Okay, the blurb gave you an idea what this story all about. It’s a second chance romance, not one of my favorite subject to be honest but I love this author and I want to know how she pull it off this type of story.
Yes, it made me sigh and feels sorry for everyone involves when I found what was happening. No, I don’t hate the hero, you probably won’t hate him either after you found out what had really happened, scratched that, I felt sorry for him actually. Yes, he made a fatal mistake, but a bad situation can influence your decision too, I believe. He wasn’t in the right mind, why? You need to read it by yourself. He really love her and then he got to watch the love of his life living in her dreams with someone else, while you live in your lonely life from the sideline, alone. That must be gut wrenching 💔
Oh, he did something that I think is sweet and silly but rather sad too during those years, poor guy!
Ugh, my review rather all over the place methink, tired and sleepy now! 😘
Right, if you don’t have trigger and want to read this with an open mind, you probably will love this story too like I do:) ❤️❤️❤️
July 25, 2018
“She’s vowed to hate him for all eternity. He’s vowed to love her forever. Can a second chance be the tiebreaker?”
Ok… so first thing I need to point out to everyone is this cover… holy moly… hot or what? Yes I will admit that P Dangelico had me at the cover of Tiebreaker. I am a massive sucker for second chance love stories; it’s probably my favorite trope to read. I love the angst and anticipation of giving in to what your heart truly desires and giving that special person who completes you a second chance. I love the intensity of what these fierce emotions bring out between each page. This is my first book by P Dangelico and I really enjoyed it, so it definitely won’t be my last. I can’t wait to discover what other amazing stories she has to offer.
Maren is a professional tennis player at the height of her career, which is until she receives the unfortunate news that her grandfather has passed away. As the executor to her grandfather’s estate, Maren has no option but to return home; a place where she has avoided at all costs. Home is a place where she has suffered immense heartache and where she will have no other option but to face the man who tore her heart to shreds, Noah Callahan.
When Maren was a child, she worshipped the ground Noah walked on. He was her everything to her and more. She loved Noah like she loved the game of tennis; with her whole body, heart and soul. What started out as a deep seeded friendship, soon turned into something so much more, that is until Noah betrays Maren and ruins everything between them. With the ultimate heartache Marin has no other option but to run and vows she will never forgive Noah for as long as she lives.
“On jump,” she repeated, licking her lips, the first sign that she was nervous. With those two words, I closed my fingers tightly around her small hand and started counting. And on jump, hand in hand, we stepped off the ledge together grinning like fools. It only took me another decade to figure out that was the day I fell for Maren Murphy.”
Noah has never stopped loving Maren and breaking her heart is his life’s greatest regret. Knowing her grandfather has recently passed away, Noah is sure he will soon come face to face with the love of his life once more. Noah is set to face the next challenge in his life, and that is getting Marin to forgive him and learn to love him once more. Noah certainly has his work cut out for him though, because even after all these years Maren is still angry and has returned home with a massive chip on her shoulder. It’s now Maren’s turn to take centre court and this time Noah will be playing by her rules.
I know some readers will have issues with Noah and may not read Tiebreaker as a result of some actions and mistakes he makes, which is completely understandable, but I didn’t really have an issue with anything I read, I was just hoping, whilst I continued to read, that Maren wouldn’t become a doormat and hence would make Noah grovel and plead for forgiveness. Maren I found was strong-willed, determined and she sure didn’t let Noah walk all over her. She stood up to him and made her feelings perfectly clear about the way he hurt her a decade ago.
“Noah Callahan became mine the moment I laid eyes on him and nothing would’ve convinced my ten-year-old self otherwise.”
If there is one couple that needed hope, faith and forgiveness it was definitely Maren and Noah. Now that she’s back its Noah’s chance to finally make things right after ten years and hope like hell that the only woman he’s ever loved will eventually forgive him and give him a second chance. Will Noah and Maren get their long sought after HEA, or will Noah stuff it up again?
P Dangelico wrote an addictive and all-consuming second chance love story that I was fully invested in from start to finish. It contained the perfect amount of angst and emotion and was written both in past and present day skilfully, to not take away from the story and become confusing. I get this may not be everybody’s cuppa, but I personally loved it. If you are a fan of second chance love stories and sport romances then I suggest checking this one out.
July 28, 2018
Loses steam.
Or a better way of putting it is that it gains steam but loses the plot.
It was a good story and was moving along quite well until it just stopped. I guess around the time it became clear that Noah was going to be made out to be some sort of martyr who did something stupid and cruel out of love, about the time the story stopped being a story and slid towards a sex romp. Because nothing says 'you did a terrible thing to me and how dare you tell me it was for my own good' like a sex marathon on every surface.
But seriously. I. Do. Not. Care how much you might love someone, that doesn't give you the right to make decisions for their life and I am over these stories that take the onus off a guy's bad behaviour with the argument that even though it seemed wrong/stupid/cruel it was really an unselfish act of love and the best for the girl.
Please.
This was a decent, slow burn story with a heroine who at least made an effort to hold onto her mad before losing focus to her libido. Once they crossed that line I couldn't be bothered anymore. It should have been put off a little longer because where it happened just made it feel like she gave in. He won, and he didn't deserve to win. He did not. Yes, I liked Noah a lot, but he got a little too cocky for my taste a few times and he hadn't earned it. And I needed way more remorse and contrition from him. A few tears would have helped. He did a lousy thing. Yes, he was young and had been through more than he could reasonably bear at that age, but ten years later when he was trying to make amends he needed to exercise a bit more humility.
Kind of a disappointing read for me, but others will like it.
Or a better way of putting it is that it gains steam but loses the plot.
It was a good story and was moving along quite well until it just stopped. I guess around the time it became clear that Noah was going to be made out to be some sort of martyr who did something stupid and cruel out of love, about the time the story stopped being a story and slid towards a sex romp. Because nothing says 'you did a terrible thing to me and how dare you tell me it was for my own good' like a sex marathon on every surface.
But seriously. I. Do. Not. Care how much you might love someone, that doesn't give you the right to make decisions for their life and I am over these stories that take the onus off a guy's bad behaviour with the argument that even though it seemed wrong/stupid/cruel it was really an unselfish act of love and the best for the girl.
Please.
This was a decent, slow burn story with a heroine who at least made an effort to hold onto her mad before losing focus to her libido. Once they crossed that line I couldn't be bothered anymore. It should have been put off a little longer because where it happened just made it feel like she gave in. He won, and he didn't deserve to win. He did not. Yes, I liked Noah a lot, but he got a little too cocky for my taste a few times and he hadn't earned it. And I needed way more remorse and contrition from him. A few tears would have helped. He did a lousy thing. Yes, he was young and had been through more than he could reasonably bear at that age, but ten years later when he was trying to make amends he needed to exercise a bit more humility.
Kind of a disappointing read for me, but others will like it.
Shelved as 'no-way-jose'
July 25, 2018The spoiler in Emma's review says it all.
No further comments needed...
No further comments needed...
October 17, 2021
3.5 stars 💫
"Anger is safe. Productive, even."
👟 quality writing. for some reason i wanna use the word 'crisp' to describe it
👟 second chance love story bc the hero cheated, tbh i didn't hold it against him
👟 the heroine had a bf for most of this and he was kinda the worst but honestly i loved him. very british, very dead inside, and very unintentionally hilarious
August 8, 2018
Having only just discovered P. Dangelico a few months ago, I can safely say that she is my favourite new author of 2018.
Tiebreaker is a love/hate, second chance romance that is told from dual POV between Tennis star Maren, and her childhood sweetheart, Noah, who cheated on her back in high school.
She returns home 10 years later after the death of her beloved grandfather, where she finds out that Noah is her new business partner and she's stuck with him for the foreseeable future.
What I loved most about it was the tension and the sexual chemistry that simmered underneath all the hate emanating from Maren - a very engaging story that ended with a decent amount of grovelling from the Hero. An added bonus was her relationship with her sister, who was the perfect side character to help give us some humour and lightheartedness amongst the angst.
Perfect enemies-to-lovers story - 5 Stars!
Tiebreaker is a love/hate, second chance romance that is told from dual POV between Tennis star Maren, and her childhood sweetheart, Noah, who cheated on her back in high school.
She returns home 10 years later after the death of her beloved grandfather, where she finds out that Noah is her new business partner and she's stuck with him for the foreseeable future.
What I loved most about it was the tension and the sexual chemistry that simmered underneath all the hate emanating from Maren - a very engaging story that ended with a decent amount of grovelling from the Hero. An added bonus was her relationship with her sister, who was the perfect side character to help give us some humour and lightheartedness amongst the angst.
Perfect enemies-to-lovers story - 5 Stars!
July 27, 2018
https://romanticcynicblog.wordpress.c...
Beware of Spoilers!
Star Ratings:
Heroine (Maren): 30yrs old
Hero (Noah): 33yrs old
Plot: 1/5
Grovel: none
Cheating: YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HEA: yes…unfortunately
Triggers: Cheating
Average score: 1.5/5
Best Line: “I ain’t no cupcake.”
Worst Line: “Just ’cause I fucked a couple of your holes doesn’t mean we’re forever.”
Personal Review:
‘Romance’ between a cowardly cheater and a gullible woman who forgives him because people tell her to
Random Ramblings:
•Love second chance romances because they usually hit me in the feels…as long as there is a good grovel
•She was fierce as a young girl
•Ouch!
•The title doesn't match the story
•Didn’t like that she had a boyfriend and had been with him for 6 years (I am not picky about celibacy during years of separation but I want both h and H to be available when I start reading a romance)
•They were cute as kids
•I’m grateful that we didn’t get the story in ‘before’ and ‘after’ parts
•I love good banter
•Oliver was getting on my nerves
•Axel sounds like a great brooding hero
•I would have loved it if Stella suddenly appeared and told him off for spending “two c-notes” like that
•I wish she had broken up with Oliver first before he gave her the ultimatum
•So proud of her for telling her parents but her mum’s period talk was hilarious
•I don’t care how ‘nice’ Crystal was…my heart hurt after she spoke to the h about that night
•I started to get annoyed with the h for her stupid relationship with Oliver…I mean how hard is it to say ‘no I don’t want to marry you’?!
•Can’t believe SHE BEGGED HIM…so disappointed
•I was really hoping he fake cheated on her but he did actually cheat on her…also the h witnessed it…also HE SHOUTED AT HER TO GET LOST WHILST HE WAS WITH THE OW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
•Also….IT WAS BROADCASTED BECAUSE SHE WAS MIC’D
•And he hasn’t even done any actual grovelling yet
•I am in tears right now…can’t believe the author went there
•I cant believe her mum asked her to forgive him…it’s not like her father cheated on her mother…how could she possibly understand?
•And the H is still not doing any grovelling or explaining…he hasn’t even said sorry
•Oh finally we get his explanation…he blames her…he ‘did it’ for her
•And the final blow for me…she forgives him instantly and sleeps with him
•No he doesn’t get brownie points for being celibate for 7 years
•She may forgive you (still without a grovel) but I never will
•Her grandfather was a dickhead
Overall Feeling:
I want my original Dangelico back
Beware of Spoilers!
Star Ratings:
Heroine (Maren): 30yrs old
Hero (Noah): 33yrs old
Plot: 1/5
Grovel: none
Cheating: YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HEA: yes…unfortunately
Triggers: Cheating
Average score: 1.5/5
Best Line: “I ain’t no cupcake.”
Worst Line: “Just ’cause I fucked a couple of your holes doesn’t mean we’re forever.”
Personal Review:
‘Romance’ between a cowardly cheater and a gullible woman who forgives him because people tell her to
Random Ramblings:
•Love second chance romances because they usually hit me in the feels…as long as there is a good grovel
•She was fierce as a young girl
•Ouch!
•The title doesn't match the story
•Didn’t like that she had a boyfriend and had been with him for 6 years (I am not picky about celibacy during years of separation but I want both h and H to be available when I start reading a romance)
•They were cute as kids
•I’m grateful that we didn’t get the story in ‘before’ and ‘after’ parts
•I love good banter
•Oliver was getting on my nerves
•Axel sounds like a great brooding hero
•I would have loved it if Stella suddenly appeared and told him off for spending “two c-notes” like that
•I wish she had broken up with Oliver first before he gave her the ultimatum
•So proud of her for telling her parents but her mum’s period talk was hilarious
•I don’t care how ‘nice’ Crystal was…my heart hurt after she spoke to the h about that night
•I started to get annoyed with the h for her stupid relationship with Oliver…I mean how hard is it to say ‘no I don’t want to marry you’?!
•Can’t believe SHE BEGGED HIM…so disappointed
•I was really hoping he fake cheated on her but he did actually cheat on her…also the h witnessed it…also HE SHOUTED AT HER TO GET LOST WHILST HE WAS WITH THE OW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
•Also….IT WAS BROADCASTED BECAUSE SHE WAS MIC’D
•And he hasn’t even done any actual grovelling yet
•I am in tears right now…can’t believe the author went there
•I cant believe her mum asked her to forgive him…it’s not like her father cheated on her mother…how could she possibly understand?
•And the H is still not doing any grovelling or explaining…he hasn’t even said sorry
•Oh finally we get his explanation…he blames her…he ‘did it’ for her
•And the final blow for me…she forgives him instantly and sleeps with him
•No he doesn’t get brownie points for being celibate for 7 years
•She may forgive you (still without a grovel) but I never will
•Her grandfather was a dickhead
Overall Feeling:
I want my original Dangelico back
July 27, 2018
okay, first of all, I love
angsty
reads, I do NOT, however read a lot of them cause of, well, obvious reasons...they make me angsty and they make my heart go balistic and shit, so yeah, I tend to have a love/hate relationship with these kind of reads, to start with BUT i read them anyway...LOL
this is that kind of read...a second-chance romance with somewhat questionable reasons and explanations of the actions main character did, BUT I guess, everyone must make a decision for themselves, whether they'll like it or not, forgive of not...
Maren Murphy fell in love with Noah Callahan when they were 10 and 13, they were best of friends first then grew into smth more, once they both were of legal age. They were close like finger and nail, both with prospects in future, Maren with a professional tennis career and Noah with football scholarship.
Then, things went downhill, one tragedy leading the other and shit piled up pretty fast, bringing Noah to the brink of depression, alcohol abuse and just simple downfall...while Maren tried to pull him out of it, she was ready to stay with him through this, while threatning to toss away her success and opportunities...
with a handful of advices in good intentions of Maren's grandfather, Noah makes a decision to let Maren go, to fulfill her destiny and live a life that she's supposed to have and deserves, without him...and he does it in the most devastating of ways in an act of a total betrayal...
So, 10 years after, the devastating news of her grandfather's death brings Noah and Maren on the same path again...with the stipulating will and explanatory letter that should give them a second chance at forgivness...but the distance, the hurt and the grudge are too deep to just get pass it...
There's going to be more than groveling here, simply cause Noah fucked up big time, and there are no excuses whatsoever, to the deed he committed in the "name of love".
BUT that's why this is fiction LOL, thank God for that, cause I, personally, wouldn't forgive that...no matter how or why the explanations worked in his/her favor, I understand that life is messy and complicated and that nothing is black and white BUT I do believe that the decisions we make for someone else's good should NOT be taken lightly NOR should they have been made in the first place without talking and clearing things out. And therefore, making the decision process more plausable and credible and substantial and not emotionally based impulse...as it was the case in this story!
So, the conduct itself, I do not approve nor would I forgive BUT I however, do applause the author for the fantastic writing filled with angst and palpitating anticipation of the "next page" reveal ...even though, I "knew" what he did to the heroine, I hated it, I still had the urge to finish the story and see WHY, and when I got to the explanation given to the heroine by the hero
yes, I was sceptical and edgy and angry...
and then it was further revealed that the H acted on impulse and was encouraged by the elderly person whome they both trusted...so, it was a mix of circumstances they couldn't have handled at the time being they were too young, too immature, too afraid and too naive...
So, he hurt her to let her go have the future she was destined to have, and while she did it, he pined for her and waited for his time, for the second chance to come...
While she fulfilled her path towards success, she did it half-heartedly cause well, she was broken to start with...
so, I ask you, was it worth it? in my opinion, no.
They wasted years and years of regret and pain and grudge...that shit didn't go away, and it won't unless they cut it to the core, so forgivness aside (I guess it's an individual thing), does every GREAT epic love has to suffer first to be great? I'm not really convinced it has to be that way!
and I guess, it's a matter of a different opinions too...
I did, however, thought of it all, for the biggest part of last night LOL, revoking the sentence I have seen in a movie recently that said: You forgive only once and let go, but if you hold on to the grudge and anger, it's a constant fight and exhaustion...
it takes up all your energy and it sucks you dry...there's smth to it, I guess
BUT still, it's my personal choice to NOT forgive...*wink*
and as the famous words in Meat Loaf's song go:
*drops mic*
p.s. remarkable storytelling, palpitating angsty page turner and a HEA, for those who choose to turn the other cheek and well, are willing and able to overlook the very disputable act of the ultmate betrayal, all in the name of love, and give the second chance. *wink wink*
this is that kind of read...a second-chance romance with somewhat questionable reasons and explanations of the actions main character did, BUT I guess, everyone must make a decision for themselves, whether they'll like it or not, forgive of not...
Maren Murphy fell in love with Noah Callahan when they were 10 and 13, they were best of friends first then grew into smth more, once they both were of legal age. They were close like finger and nail, both with prospects in future, Maren with a professional tennis career and Noah with football scholarship.
Then, things went downhill, one tragedy leading the other and shit piled up pretty fast, bringing Noah to the brink of depression, alcohol abuse and just simple downfall...while Maren tried to pull him out of it, she was ready to stay with him through this, while threatning to toss away her success and opportunities...
with a handful of advices in good intentions of Maren's grandfather, Noah makes a decision to let Maren go, to fulfill her destiny and live a life that she's supposed to have and deserves, without him...and he does it in the most devastating of ways in an act of a total betrayal...
So, 10 years after, the devastating news of her grandfather's death brings Noah and Maren on the same path again...with the stipulating will and explanatory letter that should give them a second chance at forgivness...but the distance, the hurt and the grudge are too deep to just get pass it...
I can't believe this is us. Worse than strangers. Behaving like one wrong move or word could blow up in our faces. Christ, what a mess I've made of things. - Noah
There's going to be more than groveling here, simply cause Noah fucked up big time, and there are no excuses whatsoever, to the deed he committed in the "name of love".
BUT that's why this is fiction LOL, thank God for that, cause I, personally, wouldn't forgive that...no matter how or why the explanations worked in his/her favor, I understand that life is messy and complicated and that nothing is black and white BUT I do believe that the decisions we make for someone else's good should NOT be taken lightly NOR should they have been made in the first place without talking and clearing things out. And therefore, making the decision process more plausable and credible and substantial and not emotionally based impulse...as it was the case in this story!
So, the conduct itself, I do not approve nor would I forgive BUT I however, do applause the author for the fantastic writing filled with angst and palpitating anticipation of the "next page" reveal ...even though, I "knew" what he did to the heroine, I hated it, I still had the urge to finish the story and see WHY, and when I got to the explanation given to the heroine by the hero
You broke my heart, my trust. You ruined our friendship because you thought you were doing what was best for me?
yes, I was sceptical and edgy and angry...
and then it was further revealed that the H acted on impulse and was encouraged by the elderly person whome they both trusted...so, it was a mix of circumstances they couldn't have handled at the time being they were too young, too immature, too afraid and too naive...
So, he hurt her to let her go have the future she was destined to have, and while she did it, he pined for her and waited for his time, for the second chance to come...
While she fulfilled her path towards success, she did it half-heartedly cause well, she was broken to start with...
so, I ask you, was it worth it? in my opinion, no.
They wasted years and years of regret and pain and grudge...that shit didn't go away, and it won't unless they cut it to the core, so forgivness aside (I guess it's an individual thing), does every GREAT epic love has to suffer first to be great? I'm not really convinced it has to be that way!
and I guess, it's a matter of a different opinions too...
I did, however, thought of it all, for the biggest part of last night LOL, revoking the sentence I have seen in a movie recently that said: You forgive only once and let go, but if you hold on to the grudge and anger, it's a constant fight and exhaustion...
it takes up all your energy and it sucks you dry...there's smth to it, I guess
BUT still, it's my personal choice to NOT forgive...*wink*
and as the famous words in Meat Loaf's song go:
I would do anything for love but I won't do that...
*drops mic*
p.s. remarkable storytelling, palpitating angsty page turner and a HEA, for those who choose to turn the other cheek and well, are willing and able to overlook the very disputable act of the ultmate betrayal, all in the name of love, and give the second chance. *wink wink*
Shelved as 'never-gonna-read'
June 19, 2018Fully depends if she’s had a sex life during the separation....
If she hasn’t...then sorry P, it’ll be a no go 🙅
If she hasn’t...then sorry P, it’ll be a no go 🙅
Shelved as 'nfmaa'
July 25, 2018I've read books by this author that i loved so I had this one high on my tbr then......SPOILERS
He apparently cheated (piece of s##t lousy son of a b##ch) on her for "her own good" he didnt get drunk and fall into a vagina he made a deliberate decision to drive her away by CHEATING!!!!(douchebag!!!) I'm so heartbroken, I'm still hoping it was set up just to look like cheating ....but then the humiliation she suffered and if he wasn't celibate during the separation will mean I'll still break my kindle reading this so it's is definitely a dealbreaker (reread of my love Gunner because he NEVER cheated!!!! )
He apparently cheated (piece of s##t lousy son of a b##ch) on her for "her own good" he didnt get drunk and fall into a vagina he made a deliberate decision to drive her away by CHEATING!!!!(douchebag!!!) I'm so heartbroken, I'm still hoping it was set up just to look like cheating ....but then the humiliation she suffered and if he wasn't celibate during the separation will mean I'll still break my kindle reading this so it's is definitely a dealbreaker (reread of my love Gunner because he NEVER cheated!!!! )
July 22, 2018
Incredible! This was an amazing friends to lovers and second chance romance that had me completely engaged from beginning to end.
Maren is a professional tennis player living in London and she has always avoided going home for several reasons. Her grandfather's death however forces her to return not only to her family but also to her ex-boyfriend Noah. We don't find out right away what caused these two to separate but we know it was not an amicable split. The attraction between these two was so palpable even from their first reunion and while they appear to hate each other, underneath the banter and sparring was an obvious longing for each other. The bickering between these two was like foreplay. The sexual tension was slowly simmering on the surface till it just blew up. Gah! I loved it. So good!!
The story is told in the present with flashes from the past which is where we get our friends to lovers romance. There is a bit of an age gap which holds off any romantic advances initially and Maren has a serious Noah crush but has to watch him date other girls. I loved those moments when Noah realizes Maren is not a little girl anymore and starts to see her in a different light. Their relationship was so sweet and romantic... until it wasn't. Noah has to deal with some very difficult life changing events and I felt for him as he spiraled into deep depression. I just about lost it when I found out why they broke up. I didn't think I could recover from that revelation and at first I couldn't see forgiveness and reconciliation as an option. However everything is not as it seems and I'm glad the author brought us to a place of understanding by the end of the book.
I loved Noah! He was so sexy and the way he fought to get Maren back just completely won me over. Maren was a sassy and stubborn heroine and I actually loved her more for not giving in so easily. I read this book in one sitting. It was fun, sexy and heartfelt! Highly recommended and I can't wait to read Maren's sister, Annabelle's story.
5 stars
Contemporary Romance
Heat Level: Mild to Moderate
POV: Dual
HEA
Let's connect!
Maren is a professional tennis player living in London and she has always avoided going home for several reasons. Her grandfather's death however forces her to return not only to her family but also to her ex-boyfriend Noah. We don't find out right away what caused these two to separate but we know it was not an amicable split. The attraction between these two was so palpable even from their first reunion and while they appear to hate each other, underneath the banter and sparring was an obvious longing for each other. The bickering between these two was like foreplay. The sexual tension was slowly simmering on the surface till it just blew up. Gah! I loved it. So good!!
The story is told in the present with flashes from the past which is where we get our friends to lovers romance. There is a bit of an age gap which holds off any romantic advances initially and Maren has a serious Noah crush but has to watch him date other girls. I loved those moments when Noah realizes Maren is not a little girl anymore and starts to see her in a different light. Their relationship was so sweet and romantic... until it wasn't. Noah has to deal with some very difficult life changing events and I felt for him as he spiraled into deep depression. I just about lost it when I found out why they broke up. I didn't think I could recover from that revelation and at first I couldn't see forgiveness and reconciliation as an option. However everything is not as it seems and I'm glad the author brought us to a place of understanding by the end of the book.
I loved Noah! He was so sexy and the way he fought to get Maren back just completely won me over. Maren was a sassy and stubborn heroine and I actually loved her more for not giving in so easily. I read this book in one sitting. It was fun, sexy and heartfelt! Highly recommended and I can't wait to read Maren's sister, Annabelle's story.
5 stars
Contemporary Romance
Heat Level: Mild to Moderate
POV: Dual
HEA
Let's connect!
January 16, 2019
I cheated ... for you.
?
?
???!?
Yeah, right.
?
?
???!?
Yeah, right.
July 25, 2018
Bahahahahaha yeah both characters are idiots. Did I miss something (I started skimming because both characters were getting on my nerves so maybe I did) but he’s saying he’s gotta come clean, then when she demands an explanation he’s refusing to give it?
Eff him for cheating (he did it FOR HER awwwwwww how sweet 😕😔) and eff her for being like “oh that makes sense my bad for being mad all these years”.
I’ve been in a major book slump for a couple months now and BS like this is further making it worse.
Eff him for cheating (he did it FOR HER awwwwwww how sweet 😕😔) and eff her for being like “oh that makes sense my bad for being mad all these years”.
I’ve been in a major book slump for a couple months now and BS like this is further making it worse.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Shelved as 'not-interested'
August 9, 2018If I had any doubt about reading this book, now it’s gone. Not reading it.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Oh.... look: a disgusting excerpt
👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Oh.... look: a disgusting excerpt
👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
December 3, 2018
**Tiebreaker was generously provided by the publisher via Netgalley**
P. Dangelico excels in writing enemies to lovers romance. Then add second chance to the plot and you have a winner of a book. I really enjoyed Maren and Noah’s story. Their flashbacks to how they became friends to when they became lovers and when or how it went horrible wrong is perfectly intertwined with the present timeline.
Maren and Noah have wonderful chemistry and their bantering definitely gave me a feeling of a strong love and history. Their story takes time which I appreciate cause there’s so much hidden beneath the surface.
The humor is right up me alley so I had a good giggle throughout the story. Maren’s sister Bebe is a hoot but also has a serious side. She has been through hell because of illness which almost costed her life. Her story is next and from what I know from this author it’s going to be amazing.
Another fabulous story from this author. I’m ready for Risktaker.
4 Jump Stars
P. Dangelico excels in writing enemies to lovers romance. Then add second chance to the plot and you have a winner of a book. I really enjoyed Maren and Noah’s story. Their flashbacks to how they became friends to when they became lovers and when or how it went horrible wrong is perfectly intertwined with the present timeline.
Maren and Noah have wonderful chemistry and their bantering definitely gave me a feeling of a strong love and history. Their story takes time which I appreciate cause there’s so much hidden beneath the surface.
The humor is right up me alley so I had a good giggle throughout the story. Maren’s sister Bebe is a hoot but also has a serious side. She has been through hell because of illness which almost costed her life. Her story is next and from what I know from this author it’s going to be amazing.
Another fabulous story from this author. I’m ready for Risktaker.
4 Jump Stars
Shelved as 'not-for-me'
July 25, 2018Will not read. Worst example of cheating ever in my opinion.
See Emma's review and spoiler. I am not okay with this and also disappointed with this talented author. I expected more from her.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
See also Annika's review and spoiler.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
See Emma's review and spoiler. I am not okay with this and also disappointed with this talented author. I expected more from her.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
See also Annika's review and spoiler.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
August 25, 2018
‘Sometimes, to save the one you love, you have to break their heart.’
This is our first book by P Dangelico and we really enjoyed it. We do love our second chance romances and this one was a great example of a character driven story which slowly exorcised the demons of the characters past. To err is human, to forgive divine.
‘Most people spend a lifetime searching for that one person who’s meant for them, their one true mate and all that junk, and never find him or her. I found mine when I was ten and a day doesn’t go by that I wish I hadn’t. Because it’s not a gift. It’s not even romantic. It’s a curse – – one I’ll never be rid of.’
We loved how this story began. There’s something about experiencing the first memorable childhood crush that turns into that heart churning love that never vacates your very soul and being. We loved experiencing this growing love when our characters were young.
‘No one had ever looked at me that way before, and no one has ever looked at me that way since.’
Maren, our heroine is a global tennis star and adored by many. Whilst she’s always surrounded by people you get the clear feeling that she’s lonely and that her heart still solely belongs to her past. Returning home from London when her grandad dies brings memories, heartache and personal discoveries. Maren has so many inner issues to resolve with the people she loves, she needs to bring the fierceness she displays on centre court into her personal life and when she takes a good crack at it, she roars. From an early age Maren knew who and what she wanted but sometimes the path isn’t an easy one to get what we truly want and need.
‘The thing is, that pain is pain. There’s no lesser or greater. There are no comparisons to be made, no rankings – no weight class. Having been shut out, cast aside, for so long got to be so painful…’
Noah is a bit of an enigma. A boy who reluctantly fell in love with his annoying younger stalker. A boy who grew up and realised where his heart belonged. A boy who faced tragedy and whose course of life came to a sudden end with a broken dream as a result. Then a young man who never forgot where his heart belonged yet in his selflessness realised what he had to do.
“I don’t think you can move forward unless you let go of the past. Bad feelings, grudges – they’ll keep you there, trapped in a place you don’t want to be.”
When Noah and Maren are thrown together through consequences at the hands of a dead man they must learn of the others pain and heartbreak and figure out a way to survive ten years of absence. They must find that kernel of friendship from which love grew. They must learn forgiveness.
‘….kissing Noah is like waking up from a long, dark empty dream.’
Told in dual pov’s jumping from past to present, it was so important to hear both voices in order to connect and understand how things came to be no matter how heart-breaking. The angst, drama and emotional turmoil was very much centred around Maren and Noah as we spent every step of the way from young love to tragedy and devastation then onwards to acceptance and reconciliation. Slowly building, the last third of this story was so emotionally revealing. We can’t wait for the next book as a certain cop seriously intrigued us with his grumpy demeanour!
‘Maren was my heart. And I wasn’t about to give her up. Not for them, not for anybody.’
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December 23, 2021
This one didn’t work for me. There wasn’t anything majorly wrong with it; my reasons are mostly preference, so keep that it mind. I don’t want to deter anyone from reading it, several of my GR buds liked it, but I’m listing my grumps in case we have similar reading tastes, so you know my hang-ups.
This is a second chance romance with a large separation. Noah and Maren were childhood BFF’s turned sweethearts when he betrayed her 10 years earlier. The blurb doesn’t give the reason, but I’m going to spoiler it because this is a hard limit for many readers….
.
.
.
He cheats on her with his ex… heartbroken she changes colleges and moves away. The book picks up with Maren returning home because her G-pa died where she sees Noah for the first time since she left. Maren HATES him and Noah is dying with regret. We get both POV’s.
**I want to note that I had no problems with the content, only how the content was handled. - this will have spoilers, but I’ll try to be as vague as possible**
I had several issues that either didn’t make sense, felt lazy, or killed my feels.
⛔ The cheating made ZERO sense… I can handle cheating, especially with young people, but make it logical. If you’re going to go there… then GO there. Own it, make him immature, drunk, even stupid… something he can grow from followed by tough discussions and epic groveling. Trying to sell it as noble kills all my feels because it makes it excusable.
It was also super far-fetched and required her to a) see him at a 1000 person rally she was a guest speaker at. b) notice that both him and the OW were missing. c) search the entire school AND locate him precisely during the deed.
⛔ Inconsistencies… For example, when Maren saw Crystal at the fair talking to Noah, she said she saw “shame” in her gaze. When Crystal apologized at the library, she was meek, vulnerable with “Bambi Eyes”. But, when Maren tells Noah about it, she says that Crystal cornered her and wasn’t very apologetic (rubbing in her face how she followed him around like a “pathetic puppy”), and he describes the “fair incident” as Crystal trying to talk to him while he was trying to avoid her. So, which is it? I LOVE to hate an OW, but if we’re being realsies… Noah treated Crystal pretty crappy, and Maren might’ve laid claim when she was 10, but she still stole her BF.
⛔ Holy flashbacks… There’s A LOT of them. They bleed in and out mid scene with the only indicator being a short intro. (I’m dragged to the past, I remember when, etc.) I found this confusing and had to reread several paragraphs because we’d just switch to the past. I prefer some form of formatting heads up (italics, heading, etc.) so it’s easy to follow.
⛔ The secondary character side plots… This is a personal preference because I’m not a fan of the friends/family member connected series dynamic. I have book commitment issues and avoid these types of reads. I don’t want my plot plugged up with visiting past and introducing future MC’s.
⛔ The lack of apologizing… to have a second-chance romance, someone needs to fuck-up the first chance, and like I tell my boys all the time… Life is about making mistakes, the important part is to a) own/acknowledge it and b) APOLOGIZE/take responsibility. As I said WAY back in my first point, the author tried to portray his fuck-up as noble deed… so he regrets hurting her, and regrets losing her, and misses her, and is dying of loneliness… BUT, he believes he did the right thing- made the right decision for the good of Maren. So, his actions are justified… so, we get a lot of internal mopey Noah thoughts, but we get no groveling. In fact, the word “sorry” is used only 31 times, and with those only 4 are directed from Noah to Maren in the present.
⛔ The drug out “why” … this was a big one for me. We know early on that Noah cheated because Maren tells us, and I believe we even know his reasoning. But, we don’t get the actual deets until 80% in, and these two don’t even talk about it until 83% in. So basically, the first 80% is Maren calling Noah a cheater and being pissed while he’s sad and dejected which got boring. Regardless of his reasoning, the end result was the same… the damage was done. So, IMO by putting this off, the author lost the opportunity to flesh out the problems… argue, cry, go back and forth, heal… where all the angst and drama should be.
⛔ The manipulations… because the big reveal took until the end of the book, we didn’t have much page time for these two to make up. So instead of them arguing/working shit out they made up with help from a few manipulations provided by her family members, so we could wrap it up. We have a convo with her mom to push Maren in the right direction. A flashback with gramps to reinforce Noah’s decisions, and a manipulation from her sis to force them into action. This felt lazy.
Bottom Line- This was a miss for me. All the reasons above got in the way of my feels which is the only reason I read second-chance romances. The ending felt rushed and is more of a HFN because there isn’t an epilogue… I’m guessing because her sis is up next. ** The cheating occurs before the book starts. We "see" it later on, but there isn't really any OW on-page drama.
This is a second chance romance with a large separation. Noah and Maren were childhood BFF’s turned sweethearts when he betrayed her 10 years earlier. The blurb doesn’t give the reason, but I’m going to spoiler it because this is a hard limit for many readers….
.
.
.
He cheats on her with his ex… heartbroken she changes colleges and moves away. The book picks up with Maren returning home because her G-pa died where she sees Noah for the first time since she left. Maren HATES him and Noah is dying with regret. We get both POV’s.
**I want to note that I had no problems with the content, only how the content was handled. - this will have spoilers, but I’ll try to be as vague as possible**
I had several issues that either didn’t make sense, felt lazy, or killed my feels.
⛔ The cheating made ZERO sense… I can handle cheating, especially with young people, but make it logical. If you’re going to go there… then GO there. Own it, make him immature, drunk, even stupid… something he can grow from followed by tough discussions and epic groveling. Trying to sell it as noble kills all my feels because it makes it excusable.
It was also super far-fetched and required her to a) see him at a 1000 person rally she was a guest speaker at. b) notice that both him and the OW were missing. c) search the entire school AND locate him precisely during the deed.
⛔ Inconsistencies… For example, when Maren saw Crystal at the fair talking to Noah, she said she saw “shame” in her gaze. When Crystal apologized at the library, she was meek, vulnerable with “Bambi Eyes”. But, when Maren tells Noah about it, she says that Crystal cornered her and wasn’t very apologetic (rubbing in her face how she followed him around like a “pathetic puppy”), and he describes the “fair incident” as Crystal trying to talk to him while he was trying to avoid her. So, which is it? I LOVE to hate an OW, but if we’re being realsies… Noah treated Crystal pretty crappy, and Maren might’ve laid claim when she was 10, but she still stole her BF.
⛔ Holy flashbacks… There’s A LOT of them. They bleed in and out mid scene with the only indicator being a short intro. (I’m dragged to the past, I remember when, etc.) I found this confusing and had to reread several paragraphs because we’d just switch to the past. I prefer some form of formatting heads up (italics, heading, etc.) so it’s easy to follow.
⛔ The secondary character side plots… This is a personal preference because I’m not a fan of the friends/family member connected series dynamic. I have book commitment issues and avoid these types of reads. I don’t want my plot plugged up with visiting past and introducing future MC’s.
⛔ The lack of apologizing… to have a second-chance romance, someone needs to fuck-up the first chance, and like I tell my boys all the time… Life is about making mistakes, the important part is to a) own/acknowledge it and b) APOLOGIZE/take responsibility. As I said WAY back in my first point, the author tried to portray his fuck-up as noble deed… so he regrets hurting her, and regrets losing her, and misses her, and is dying of loneliness… BUT, he believes he did the right thing- made the right decision for the good of Maren. So, his actions are justified… so, we get a lot of internal mopey Noah thoughts, but we get no groveling. In fact, the word “sorry” is used only 31 times, and with those only 4 are directed from Noah to Maren in the present.
⛔ The drug out “why” … this was a big one for me. We know early on that Noah cheated because Maren tells us, and I believe we even know his reasoning. But, we don’t get the actual deets until 80% in, and these two don’t even talk about it until 83% in. So basically, the first 80% is Maren calling Noah a cheater and being pissed while he’s sad and dejected which got boring. Regardless of his reasoning, the end result was the same… the damage was done. So, IMO by putting this off, the author lost the opportunity to flesh out the problems… argue, cry, go back and forth, heal… where all the angst and drama should be.
⛔ The manipulations… because the big reveal took until the end of the book, we didn’t have much page time for these two to make up. So instead of them arguing/working shit out they made up with help from a few manipulations provided by her family members, so we could wrap it up. We have a convo with her mom to push Maren in the right direction. A flashback with gramps to reinforce Noah’s decisions, and a manipulation from her sis to force them into action. This felt lazy.
Bottom Line- This was a miss for me. All the reasons above got in the way of my feels which is the only reason I read second-chance romances. The ending felt rushed and is more of a HFN because there isn’t an epilogue… I’m guessing because her sis is up next. ** The cheating occurs before the book starts. We "see" it later on, but there isn't really any OW on-page drama.
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