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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
This is a good story. I think the issue is to me it felt very dated.
The expected role of the woman of the house, though that is relevant today, working verses stay at home mum.
The blurb gives the impression of cheating but to those who struggle with this issue, he doesn't have sex with the o/w, he wines and dines her but resists going that far.
The expected role of the woman of the house, though that is relevant today, working verses stay at home mum.
The blurb gives the impression of cheating but to those who struggle with this issue, he doesn't have sex with the o/w, he wines and dines her but resists going that far.
3.5 stars
I seem to be in a phase. A phase of reading books with every single deal-breaking trope in existence.
This book happens to be about cheating and miscommunication
Talk about a complete and utter nightmare.
I know for a fact that more than half of my GR friends absolutely despise cheating in romance. Mainly because of my challenge question. And I completely agree. The green, disgusting jealousy I feel for a fictional man turns me into a person capable of murder.
Then why the hell did I round this book to a whopping 4 stars?
Mainly because Daniel ain't shit, and I didn't feel a drop of the jealousy I usually would. I did however feel pity for Rachel. The poor naive girl that got pregnant at 17 by a man who later sheltered her away, a husband that she only partially knows.
I mean they were married for 7 years and she didn't know he became a millionaire???
The Ultimate Betrayal isn't the usual fairy tale romance type story that I enjoy reading. This is about a troubled marriage based on lack of communication, which for once actually didn't make my blood boil. It was real and portrayed a situation that happens in so many relationships that it kind of stung to read. The reality of the fact that even the people who are completely in love can make the most disgusting choices and hurt each other.
Rachel somehow managed to give into him without giving into him, and it was weirdly satisfying.
They stayed together but she kept him at a firm distance.
They had sex but she was never satisfied.
They tried going on dates but she rebelled at every turn.
Her anger was so apparent and I was rejoicing in it. I loved every single thing she did to spite him or hurt him or make his life harder.
But she herself wasn't a saint either. She never tried to get to know her husband outside of their home, the ruthless business tycoon, the shark who was on the verge of an epic failure.
While he was about to lose everything, his wife was in struggles of her own so they began to distance. He had no one to turn to, so he turned to Lydia.
She didn't know he was married, but we still hate her.
His reasons for cheating in my opinion are worthless, because no reason will ever be an excuse.
Rachel took the news as gracefully as anyone could. If I were her, I'd toss that man out as soon as I heard the name Lydia
But okay she got 3 kids or whatever, so I can understand.
I wasn't sure how to feel about Daniel throughout this book. I never really bought his love.
Sure he got jealous as all hell when he believed Rachel to be getting it on with OM, but that could be possessiveness.
Yes, he tried his hardest to stay and win her back, but they have three kids.
I could see he loves her, but in love? I don't know.
However, my opinion was changed at the end, when they FINALLY sat down and had a conversation about their feelings and everything was revealed. Including the fact that he didn't actually sleep with Lydia
But only went on a few dates with her. I don't know if this was meant to be a SIKE moment of "HA you dumb bitch, he didn't actually cheat"..... But emotional cheating is even worse in my opinion. He didn't have any feelings for Lydia though, at least I think he didn't since he never expressed them.
All in all, I enjoyed their journey but still wish she sent Daniel to hell and ended up with the dude who tried to take him over (the main reason for him cheating, "the pressure")
Lmao that would've been funny.
Some minor things I didn't enjoy:
- The chapters were super long
- 90% of the book takes place in their house. The setting was starting to bore me.
- I wanted to see more of the business shark Daniel instead of the family man Daniel. Frankly Family man Daniel was kind of a slime ball. Meanwhile the shark was exactly the man I usually set my sights for in romance.
Thank you Florence for recommending this one to me
I seem to be in a phase. A phase of reading books with every single deal-breaking trope in existence.
This book happens to be about cheating and miscommunication
Talk about a complete and utter nightmare.
I know for a fact that more than half of my GR friends absolutely despise cheating in romance. Mainly because of my challenge question. And I completely agree. The green, disgusting jealousy I feel for a fictional man turns me into a person capable of murder.
Then why the hell did I round this book to a whopping 4 stars?
Mainly because Daniel ain't shit, and I didn't feel a drop of the jealousy I usually would. I did however feel pity for Rachel. The poor naive girl that got pregnant at 17 by a man who later sheltered her away, a husband that she only partially knows.
I mean they were married for 7 years and she didn't know he became a millionaire???
The Ultimate Betrayal isn't the usual fairy tale romance type story that I enjoy reading. This is about a troubled marriage based on lack of communication, which for once actually didn't make my blood boil. It was real and portrayed a situation that happens in so many relationships that it kind of stung to read. The reality of the fact that even the people who are completely in love can make the most disgusting choices and hurt each other.
Rachel somehow managed to give into him without giving into him, and it was weirdly satisfying.
They stayed together but she kept him at a firm distance.
They had sex but she was never satisfied.
They tried going on dates but she rebelled at every turn.
Her anger was so apparent and I was rejoicing in it. I loved every single thing she did to spite him or hurt him or make his life harder.
But she herself wasn't a saint either. She never tried to get to know her husband outside of their home, the ruthless business tycoon, the shark who was on the verge of an epic failure.
While he was about to lose everything, his wife was in struggles of her own so they began to distance. He had no one to turn to, so he turned to Lydia.
She didn't know he was married, but we still hate her.
His reasons for cheating in my opinion are worthless, because no reason will ever be an excuse.
Rachel took the news as gracefully as anyone could. If I were her, I'd toss that man out as soon as I heard the name Lydia
But okay she got 3 kids or whatever, so I can understand.
I wasn't sure how to feel about Daniel throughout this book. I never really bought his love.
Sure he got jealous as all hell when he believed Rachel to be getting it on with OM, but that could be possessiveness.
Yes, he tried his hardest to stay and win her back, but they have three kids.
I could see he loves her, but in love? I don't know.
However, my opinion was changed at the end, when they FINALLY sat down and had a conversation about their feelings and everything was revealed. Including the fact that he didn't actually sleep with Lydia
But only went on a few dates with her. I don't know if this was meant to be a SIKE moment of "HA you dumb bitch, he didn't actually cheat"..... But emotional cheating is even worse in my opinion. He didn't have any feelings for Lydia though, at least I think he didn't since he never expressed them.
All in all, I enjoyed their journey but still wish she sent Daniel to hell and ended up with the dude who tried to take him over (the main reason for him cheating, "the pressure")
Lmao that would've been funny.
Some minor things I didn't enjoy:
- The chapters were super long
- 90% of the book takes place in their house. The setting was starting to bore me.
- I wanted to see more of the business shark Daniel instead of the family man Daniel. Frankly Family man Daniel was kind of a slime ball. Meanwhile the shark was exactly the man I usually set my sights for in romance.
Thank you Florence for recommending this one to me
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Michelle Reid is one of my favorite HP authors. She knows how to bring some genuine emotion even when working with very common tropes, but this story was different in that it was less tropey and more realistic in scope. There was no private island, no amnesia, no blackmail, etc.
This story isn't my usual taste. I waffled on reading it and tbqh it won't be a re-read for me simply because it's not my cuppa and not a "fun" sort of angst. But, I have to give credit to Reid for her ability to bring the angst in a way that feels real and had to rate it accordingly.
I've never been through what the heroine went through, but I could see myself reacting in many of the same ways. I particularly identified with one part, because I had to turn the page to get to it and it was so crazy that I was thinking the EXACT same thing the h was thinking.
She'd just struck out angrily and bitterly at her cheating H in a way that she was ashamed of and, while understandable given how utterly devastated she was, it didn't put her in the greatest light.
I was thinking 'damn girl! Why'd you have to go there?! You had him where you wanted him!' I turned the page to find that her thoughts were:
She felt ashamed of herself, and angry, too, because in lashing out at Daniel like that she had given him the right to attack her when, until that moment, she'd had everything stacked her way.
Petty, huh? But that's exactly how I'd have felt. Like her, I wanted her behavior to remain above reproach so that he felt even worse about what he'd done.
Problem is, there were children involved. It wasn't just about the heroine scoring points off the hero. They had twin 6-year-olds and a 6 mo old. The book also dealt with how children are affected by this sort of adult drama. Both the H/h tried to hide their problems from the kids, but the 6-year-olds were more attuned than they expected. That part was painful, because it's hard to enjoy any point scoring (no matter how well deserved) that ultimately hurts innocent children.
So, not an easy read, but effective for what she was trying to accomplish.
A few spoilery observations:
I was impressed that the unplanned pregnancy toward the end did not magically heal the relationship. I think pregnancy is often used as a magic wand in romance and sadly, people try to use it to solve problems in real life too.
I was a little disappointed that Reid pulled her punch in the end and revealed that the H never actually slept with the other woman. It turned out that he got drunk and passed out at the other woman's apt, but nothing happened. She just let him believe it did out of spite since he told her it was over after that. They did have an emotional affair and he was leading toward sleeping with her, no doubt, but it didn't actually happen.
Perhaps Reid felt like she couldn't achieve a believable HEA in the short format of a HP if the H had gone all the way. Honestly, she may have been right. I know if I were the heroine I'd have preferred the way it turned out, but I think the plot choice took a chink out of the realism Reid had achieved. Then again, we don't come to HP for reality...
This story isn't my usual taste. I waffled on reading it and tbqh it won't be a re-read for me simply because it's not my cuppa and not a "fun" sort of angst. But, I have to give credit to Reid for her ability to bring the angst in a way that feels real and had to rate it accordingly.
I've never been through what the heroine went through, but I could see myself reacting in many of the same ways. I particularly identified with one part, because I had to turn the page to get to it and it was so crazy that I was thinking the EXACT same thing the h was thinking.
She'd just struck out angrily and bitterly at her cheating H in a way that she was ashamed of and, while understandable given how utterly devastated she was, it didn't put her in the greatest light.
I was thinking 'damn girl! Why'd you have to go there?! You had him where you wanted him!' I turned the page to find that her thoughts were:
She felt ashamed of herself, and angry, too, because in lashing out at Daniel like that she had given him the right to attack her when, until that moment, she'd had everything stacked her way.
Petty, huh? But that's exactly how I'd have felt. Like her, I wanted her behavior to remain above reproach so that he felt even worse about what he'd done.
Problem is, there were children involved. It wasn't just about the heroine scoring points off the hero. They had twin 6-year-olds and a 6 mo old. The book also dealt with how children are affected by this sort of adult drama. Both the H/h tried to hide their problems from the kids, but the 6-year-olds were more attuned than they expected. That part was painful, because it's hard to enjoy any point scoring (no matter how well deserved) that ultimately hurts innocent children.
So, not an easy read, but effective for what she was trying to accomplish.
A few spoilery observations:
I was a little disappointed that Reid pulled her punch in the end and revealed that the H never actually slept with the other woman. It turned out that he got drunk and passed out at the other woman's apt, but nothing happened. She just let him believe it did out of spite since he told her it was over after that. They did have an emotional affair and he was leading toward sleeping with her, no doubt, but it didn't actually happen.
Perhaps Reid felt like she couldn't achieve a believable HEA in the short format of a HP if the H had gone all the way. Honestly, she may have been right. I know if I were the heroine I'd have preferred the way it turned out, but I think the plot choice took a chink out of the realism Reid had achieved. Then again, we don't come to HP for reality...