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Windy City Women #1
Contentment
Tracy Sullivan seems to have it all, a handsome, devoted husband, three beautiful children, a steady career, and the perfect suburban home; but she isn’t happy.
The petty resentments that have built over fifteen years of marriage surface when Tracy tells her husband, Sean, that she is no longer interested in sex, and their marriage threatens to implode.
For the sake of their children, Tracy and Sean agree to lead separate lives under the same roof. With the help of a healthy dose of adult-rated fiction and some gentle prodding from a good friend, Tracy begins to rediscover who she is, what she wants, and the reasons she fell for Sean once upon a time.
After two years of soul-searching, Tracy is finally ready to embrace her happily ever after having learned that while happiness may be fleeting, contentment can last a lifetime.
The petty resentments that have built over fifteen years of marriage surface when Tracy tells her husband, Sean, that she is no longer interested in sex, and their marriage threatens to implode.
For the sake of their children, Tracy and Sean agree to lead separate lives under the same roof. With the help of a healthy dose of adult-rated fiction and some gentle prodding from a good friend, Tracy begins to rediscover who she is, what she wants, and the reasons she fell for Sean once upon a time.
After two years of soul-searching, Tracy is finally ready to embrace her happily ever after having learned that while happiness may be fleeting, contentment can last a lifetime.
326 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 27, 2011
8 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Ethridge
16 books75 followersSign up for Margaret/Maggie's Reader Group here: http://bit.ly/maggiemail
By day, Margaret Ethridge/Maggie Wells is buried in spreadsheets, but at night she pens tales of people tangling sheets or tangled up in intrigue. The product of a charming rogue and a shameless flirt, this mild-mannered married lady has a naughty streak a mile wide.
You can find her online at http://www.maggie-wells.com
Instagram @maggiewells1
Twitter https://twitter.com/Maggie_Wells1
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMaggie...
Follow Maggie:
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amazon.com/author/maggiewells
By day, Margaret Ethridge/Maggie Wells is buried in spreadsheets, but at night she pens tales of people tangling sheets or tangled up in intrigue. The product of a charming rogue and a shameless flirt, this mild-mannered married lady has a naughty streak a mile wide.
You can find her online at http://www.maggie-wells.com
Instagram @maggiewells1
Twitter https://twitter.com/Maggie_Wells1
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMaggie...
Follow Maggie:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maggi...
amazon.com/author/maggiewells
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 26, 2011
I have just been truly blown away and wow'd by this moving book "Contentment". I can't ever remember reading a novel where I so closely related to the characters and the plot. This book hit me on a personal level like no other book ever has. A must read for married women.
Tracy is lost. She is not sure when she lost herself or who she has become. Somewhere along the way of raising 3 beautifully healthy children, a stable home, a loyal husband, Tracy has become the woman her mom/wife role has dictated her to be. You can make a good argument for 'what the hell does Tracy have to complain about' but this missing piece of womanhood happens to so many married women. How many women do you know that have approached their husbands with the "I'm not happy" speech and blindsided their spouse? Tracy feels her life is lacking and she has become nothing more than the person who ensures the piles of laundry are clean and her family is looked after. But what about Tracy the person? Where did she go? Where did the woman go who dreamed that was going to someday be president at work or all those other goals she had mapped out for her life?
Sean her husband is oblivious. I shouldn't say oblivious because he in fact knows that Tracy is slipping away from him but in the typical male fashion, if Tracy isn't bringing it up for discussion, he's dismissing the problem. He's confident she's going through a phase and she'll get over it. He dismisses her behaviour of course until Tracy announces she is done with sex. Margaret Ethridge adds in her story, "He did nothing wrong, but somehow he couldn't do anything right. Little things began to take their toll."
The story flips back and forth taking the readers on a journey from past to present so that you have a complete understanding of how Tracy and Sean arrived at the difficult position they are currently experiencing. A monogamous marriage doesn't disintegrate overnight and you are giving an opportunity to watch how innocently the petty resentments build overtime. As a woman you will relate to Tracy, as spectator of the story, you'll want to shake Tracy and Sean and tell them to snap out of it. You'll want that Hollywood ending that never happens in real life. What you will get a story that is so true to real life that it'll make your stomach twist and your heart hammer. Contentment is a beautifully written tale of how a woman takes back her life and becomes content.
Tracy is lost. She is not sure when she lost herself or who she has become. Somewhere along the way of raising 3 beautifully healthy children, a stable home, a loyal husband, Tracy has become the woman her mom/wife role has dictated her to be. You can make a good argument for 'what the hell does Tracy have to complain about' but this missing piece of womanhood happens to so many married women. How many women do you know that have approached their husbands with the "I'm not happy" speech and blindsided their spouse? Tracy feels her life is lacking and she has become nothing more than the person who ensures the piles of laundry are clean and her family is looked after. But what about Tracy the person? Where did she go? Where did the woman go who dreamed that was going to someday be president at work or all those other goals she had mapped out for her life?
Sean her husband is oblivious. I shouldn't say oblivious because he in fact knows that Tracy is slipping away from him but in the typical male fashion, if Tracy isn't bringing it up for discussion, he's dismissing the problem. He's confident she's going through a phase and she'll get over it. He dismisses her behaviour of course until Tracy announces she is done with sex. Margaret Ethridge adds in her story, "He did nothing wrong, but somehow he couldn't do anything right. Little things began to take their toll."
The story flips back and forth taking the readers on a journey from past to present so that you have a complete understanding of how Tracy and Sean arrived at the difficult position they are currently experiencing. A monogamous marriage doesn't disintegrate overnight and you are giving an opportunity to watch how innocently the petty resentments build overtime. As a woman you will relate to Tracy, as spectator of the story, you'll want to shake Tracy and Sean and tell them to snap out of it. You'll want that Hollywood ending that never happens in real life. What you will get a story that is so true to real life that it'll make your stomach twist and your heart hammer. Contentment is a beautifully written tale of how a woman takes back her life and becomes content.
July 11, 2011
It all begins and ends with the sexy red shoes.
Tracy Sullivan, the woman with the plan, finds herself married with children years before she intended. She had dreams of climbing the corporate ladder. She yearned to return to school and take the courses necessary in order to make it happen. But when she meets Sean, the man with the yellow hard hat, everything changes.
Their whirlwind romance results in a proposal she can’t possibly refuse. He is a force she can’t stop, and she won’t stop. Though the life she longed for is altered, it isn’t until the strip turns blue that she begins to question her choices.
She finds herself wondering if she ever truly loved him at all.
One thing I loved most about this book was the flashbacks. We get to meet the young and hopeful Sean and Tracy and watch in complete rapture as their courtship blossoms into love. Then we flash forward to their life as a married couple, while their family grows but so too does the gnawing uncertainty, aching unhappiness, and nagging doubt.
All the issues and missed opportunities plague Tracy, smothering her like the endless piles of laundry she sorts through each night.
She tells Sean she’s not interested in sex anymore, and though it kills him, he stands by her and gives her the time and space she needs. To family and friends, they try desperately to portray the portrait of a perfect family, but inside the walls of their flawless suburban home, everything’s falling apart.
The supporting cast in this story is wonderful. Sean’s Uncle, George, and his brother, Tom, provide comedic relief when it’s needed most, and they’re Sean’s greatest confidants. The kids, Patrick, Erin, and Kevin, are all charming and superbly described, and you’ll fall in love with each and every one of them. And Tracy’s closest friend, Maggie, is totally my new fictional best friend.
Two years of soul-searching later, Tracy finally starts to see what was there all along. She’d always fantasized about the perfect Hollywood life, but she realizes that nobody truly has that, and what she does have is perfect for her. She begins to cherish precious family moments she once took for granted.
The ups and downs of married life are like a roller coaster. This story is touching and poignant in every way because it’s real.
Fueled by her sexy red shoes, a swift kick from Maggie, and a much-needed dose of adult-rated fiction, Tracy plots her biggest plan of all: the seduction of her husband.
I could not put this book down. I laughed, I cried, and I pulled for Sean and Tracy right from the start. I’m so glad I found Contentment. It is truly the best book I have ever read!
Tracy Sullivan, the woman with the plan, finds herself married with children years before she intended. She had dreams of climbing the corporate ladder. She yearned to return to school and take the courses necessary in order to make it happen. But when she meets Sean, the man with the yellow hard hat, everything changes.
Their whirlwind romance results in a proposal she can’t possibly refuse. He is a force she can’t stop, and she won’t stop. Though the life she longed for is altered, it isn’t until the strip turns blue that she begins to question her choices.
She finds herself wondering if she ever truly loved him at all.
One thing I loved most about this book was the flashbacks. We get to meet the young and hopeful Sean and Tracy and watch in complete rapture as their courtship blossoms into love. Then we flash forward to their life as a married couple, while their family grows but so too does the gnawing uncertainty, aching unhappiness, and nagging doubt.
All the issues and missed opportunities plague Tracy, smothering her like the endless piles of laundry she sorts through each night.
She tells Sean she’s not interested in sex anymore, and though it kills him, he stands by her and gives her the time and space she needs. To family and friends, they try desperately to portray the portrait of a perfect family, but inside the walls of their flawless suburban home, everything’s falling apart.
The supporting cast in this story is wonderful. Sean’s Uncle, George, and his brother, Tom, provide comedic relief when it’s needed most, and they’re Sean’s greatest confidants. The kids, Patrick, Erin, and Kevin, are all charming and superbly described, and you’ll fall in love with each and every one of them. And Tracy’s closest friend, Maggie, is totally my new fictional best friend.
Two years of soul-searching later, Tracy finally starts to see what was there all along. She’d always fantasized about the perfect Hollywood life, but she realizes that nobody truly has that, and what she does have is perfect for her. She begins to cherish precious family moments she once took for granted.
The ups and downs of married life are like a roller coaster. This story is touching and poignant in every way because it’s real.
Fueled by her sexy red shoes, a swift kick from Maggie, and a much-needed dose of adult-rated fiction, Tracy plots her biggest plan of all: the seduction of her husband.
I could not put this book down. I laughed, I cried, and I pulled for Sean and Tracy right from the start. I’m so glad I found Contentment. It is truly the best book I have ever read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2011
Tracy McGill had a plan: finish her degree, move into an exciting career, eventually marry and have a family. She didn’t plan on falling for a hunky builder at age twenty-three, and she certainly didn’t plan on having three children before the degree or the perfect job. But she has them, and even though she loves her children and doesn’t want a divorce from husband Sean Sullivan, Tracy is not happy. Something’s broken, and she doesn’t know how to fix it.
They share parenting duties; Sean cooks the meals and Tracy tackles mountains of laundry and retreats to her basement world of DVD programs where the couples are sexy, happy and able to overcome any obstacle. Sean wants his wife back, but he’s not going to beg, and Tracy wants to be left alone. She’s not sure how or what she feels for Sean, but intimacy is not the answer. Both go their separate ways under the same roof, each hating what the marriage has become. Tracy feels she is the problem, or at least that’s what she verbalizes to Sean and her best friend Maggie, but it takes a death in the family to make Tracy honestly evaluate who she is and what she really wants and to realize that life is more than a plan jotted down in a notebook. And former roommate Maggie is there to help as only a truly caring friend can.
Ms. Ethridge has hit one out of the park in this debut novel for the After Happily Ever line. This is women’s fiction at its finest, told by an author with more than a little understanding of the complicated relationship between men and women. Told through chapters that alternate between Tracy’s and Sean’s meeting and romance and the present state of affairs, the reader sees how this marriage was built on unrealistic expectations and how hard it is for both of them to come back to “contentment”. The character development in both protagonists made me weep for what their marriage had become and then cheer for them to find the key to fixing it. This is not light romance, but a realistic portrayal of many marriages today where people drift apart. Some divorce, and others like Tracy and Sean have the courage to keep on until they make the magic work again.
Thank you, Margaret for giving us a gutsy view into the lives of likable people who unwittingly have allowed their lives to go wrong. Even though Tracy appeared to take the blame for most of their problems, I could see Sean’s hand in it, too. Contentment’s secondary characters added to the enjoyment of this superb book which should be required reading for any couple whose marriage has gone flat.
They share parenting duties; Sean cooks the meals and Tracy tackles mountains of laundry and retreats to her basement world of DVD programs where the couples are sexy, happy and able to overcome any obstacle. Sean wants his wife back, but he’s not going to beg, and Tracy wants to be left alone. She’s not sure how or what she feels for Sean, but intimacy is not the answer. Both go their separate ways under the same roof, each hating what the marriage has become. Tracy feels she is the problem, or at least that’s what she verbalizes to Sean and her best friend Maggie, but it takes a death in the family to make Tracy honestly evaluate who she is and what she really wants and to realize that life is more than a plan jotted down in a notebook. And former roommate Maggie is there to help as only a truly caring friend can.
Ms. Ethridge has hit one out of the park in this debut novel for the After Happily Ever line. This is women’s fiction at its finest, told by an author with more than a little understanding of the complicated relationship between men and women. Told through chapters that alternate between Tracy’s and Sean’s meeting and romance and the present state of affairs, the reader sees how this marriage was built on unrealistic expectations and how hard it is for both of them to come back to “contentment”. The character development in both protagonists made me weep for what their marriage had become and then cheer for them to find the key to fixing it. This is not light romance, but a realistic portrayal of many marriages today where people drift apart. Some divorce, and others like Tracy and Sean have the courage to keep on until they make the magic work again.
Thank you, Margaret for giving us a gutsy view into the lives of likable people who unwittingly have allowed their lives to go wrong. Even though Tracy appeared to take the blame for most of their problems, I could see Sean’s hand in it, too. Contentment’s secondary characters added to the enjoyment of this superb book which should be required reading for any couple whose marriage has gone flat.
August 6, 2011
This book comes with a built-in diet plan, because, trust me, once you start reading it you will not want to put it down, not even to eat. All you'll care about is Tracy and Sean, their family and friends, and how on earth they'll ever get their lives put back together. The author, Margaret Ethridge, has the most amazing gift for dialogue. She's also able to zoom in on the bits and pieces of everyday life and incorporate them into her stories so that you feel completely at home with the characters. I think that Tracy's story is one that nearly every woman can relate to in some way, no matter how "happily" her "ever after" is. I cannot wait for her next book!
March 14, 2012
LOVED this book!!! I will read ANYTHING this woman puts out! Her characters are so real and unforgettable. Sean and Tracy will pull at your heartstrings! You will find yourself rooting for them. Literally.
January 20, 2012
Such a good book. I just couldn't put it down. Cant wait to read the next book.
September 21, 2011
First off, let’s talk about the cover. I loved it! It’s my kind of cover. Fun, romancey, and those shoes. Well, those shoes have a lot to say. On the cover and in the book. But I’m not giving spoilers here, so you’ll have to read to see what those shoes are about. Let me just say, after reading this book if you don’t own any fun red shoes, you just might go buy a pair.
Contentment is about Tracy and Sean, a married couple who have lost their way. Margaret Ethridge starts the book in current time, then goes back a couple of years, then goes back to when Tracy and Sean first met. This style of writing wasn’t confusing, but I do admit to having a hard time anchoring myself as a reader at the beginning.
But, if you find the same thing, keep reading. I quickly adjusted to the time shifts and before I knew it the three different time periods caught up and back with each other. And you need to keep reading Tracey and Sean’s story.
Margaret Ethridge completely understands what she’s writing about. I think everyone will be able to identify with something in this novel. Not everything, certainly, but there will be a time when you’re reading and you start nodding your head because you’ve been in that spot.
The only part about this book that I didn’t care for was the language in spots. This is a personal preference of mine, and I know we all won’t agree on this. But for me, I think things can be said differently. Like I said, just a personal preference.
Having said that, I’m glad I read the book. I enjoyed the story. Margaret Ethridge has some amazing lines that had me laughing. A lot. She managed to tell the story of day to day life with a married couple and it wasn’t boring. The emotions were real emotions everyone can identify with. Tracey wants what a lot of us want. Tracy feels what a lot of us feel. Tracy fights for what is hers---when she decides she wants to.
Tracy and her red sexy shoes catch the attention of building renovator Sean Sullivan-That’s where Tracy and Sean’s story begins. To find out where it ends---read Contentment by Margaret Ethridge.
Contentment is about Tracy and Sean, a married couple who have lost their way. Margaret Ethridge starts the book in current time, then goes back a couple of years, then goes back to when Tracy and Sean first met. This style of writing wasn’t confusing, but I do admit to having a hard time anchoring myself as a reader at the beginning.
But, if you find the same thing, keep reading. I quickly adjusted to the time shifts and before I knew it the three different time periods caught up and back with each other. And you need to keep reading Tracey and Sean’s story.
Margaret Ethridge completely understands what she’s writing about. I think everyone will be able to identify with something in this novel. Not everything, certainly, but there will be a time when you’re reading and you start nodding your head because you’ve been in that spot.
The only part about this book that I didn’t care for was the language in spots. This is a personal preference of mine, and I know we all won’t agree on this. But for me, I think things can be said differently. Like I said, just a personal preference.
Having said that, I’m glad I read the book. I enjoyed the story. Margaret Ethridge has some amazing lines that had me laughing. A lot. She managed to tell the story of day to day life with a married couple and it wasn’t boring. The emotions were real emotions everyone can identify with. Tracey wants what a lot of us want. Tracy feels what a lot of us feel. Tracy fights for what is hers---when she decides she wants to.
Tracy and her red sexy shoes catch the attention of building renovator Sean Sullivan-That’s where Tracy and Sean’s story begins. To find out where it ends---read Contentment by Margaret Ethridge.
November 20, 2011
Review by JoAnne: This was a novel that surprised me with its depth at times and other times at the shallowness of the two main characters, especially Tracy. It was a little confusing how the author kept going back and forth to their earlier life and then the present especially when Tracy would go back to the past in her thoughts in a present day chapter. Tracy didn't seem happy from the beginning of their relationship but she always acquiesced and did what she thought others wanted her to do. When she finally had enough of losing who she was as a person (or so she thought) she lost it and made everyone's life around her miserable until she came to her senses towards the end of the book. She didn't want Sean anymore but wasn't willing to give him up by divorcing him either. What others would have thought was a good life with a loving husband, 3 good kids, family, friends, a nice house, a job she sometimes loved became a ball and chain to Tracy and never seemed to be enough especially when she thought of all the lists and plans she made over the years that went unfulfilled or didn't match her original timetable. How Sean put up with it as long as he did surprised me no end but at times it seemed his love for Tracy made him weak where it should have made him strong loving her as much as he did. It shook her up when she met Sean and Tom's dad at her mother in law's wake and found out the reason he left her and his kids all those years before. Her friend Maggie gave her an earful and also got Tracy to see her life differently than she was picturing it after Maggie heard how she was treating Sean. All in all this was an enjoyable read. It kept my attention through many twists and turns - some expected and others not. There was also laughter and some tears. I like the way the book ended but would have liked a few more chapters to see if Tracy and Sean could really get back the love that was buried so deeply by both of them. I haven't read books by this author before and would be interested in reading others.
September 9, 2019
You can read my review written for romancing-the-book.com by clicking below
This was a novel that surprised me with its depth at times and other times at the shallowness of the two main characters, especially Tracy. It was a little confusing how the author kept going back and forth to their earlier life and then the present especially when Tracy would go back to the past in her thoughts in a present day chapter. Tracy didn't seem happy from the beginning of their relationship but she always acquiesced and did what she thought others wanted her to do. When she finally had enough of losing who she was as a person (or so she thought) she lost it and made everyone's life around her miserable until she came to her senses towards the end of the book. She didn't want Sean anymore but wasn't willing to give him up by divorcing him either. What others would have thought was a good life with a loving husband, 3 good kids, family, friends, a nice house, a job she sometimes loved became a ball and chain to Tracy and never seemed to be enough especially when she thought of all the lists and plans she made over the years that went unfulfilled or didn't match her original timetable. How Sean put up with it as long as he did surprised me no end but at times it seemed his love for Tracy made him weak where it should have made him strong loving her as much as he did. It shook her up when she met Sean and Tom's dad at her mother in law's wake and found out the reason he left her and his kids all those years before. Her friend Maggie gave her an earful and also got Tracy to see her life differently than she was picturing it after Maggie heard how she was treating Sean. All in all this was an enjoyable read. It kept my attention through many twists and turns - some expected and others not. There was also laughter and some tears. I like the way the book ended but would have liked a few more chapters to see if Tracy and Sean could really get back the love that was buried so deeply by both of them. I haven't read books by this author before and would be interested in reading others.
This was a novel that surprised me with its depth at times and other times at the shallowness of the two main characters, especially Tracy. It was a little confusing how the author kept going back and forth to their earlier life and then the present especially when Tracy would go back to the past in her thoughts in a present day chapter. Tracy didn't seem happy from the beginning of their relationship but she always acquiesced and did what she thought others wanted her to do. When she finally had enough of losing who she was as a person (or so she thought) she lost it and made everyone's life around her miserable until she came to her senses towards the end of the book. She didn't want Sean anymore but wasn't willing to give him up by divorcing him either. What others would have thought was a good life with a loving husband, 3 good kids, family, friends, a nice house, a job she sometimes loved became a ball and chain to Tracy and never seemed to be enough especially when she thought of all the lists and plans she made over the years that went unfulfilled or didn't match her original timetable. How Sean put up with it as long as he did surprised me no end but at times it seemed his love for Tracy made him weak where it should have made him strong loving her as much as he did. It shook her up when she met Sean and Tom's dad at her mother in law's wake and found out the reason he left her and his kids all those years before. Her friend Maggie gave her an earful and also got Tracy to see her life differently than she was picturing it after Maggie heard how she was treating Sean. All in all this was an enjoyable read. It kept my attention through many twists and turns - some expected and others not. There was also laughter and some tears. I like the way the book ended but would have liked a few more chapters to see if Tracy and Sean could really get back the love that was buried so deeply by both of them. I haven't read books by this author before and would be interested in reading others.
July 20, 2011
Such a heartfelt and realistic exploration of a marriage (and a wife and mother) on the brink of disaster. Tracy McGill Sullivan's story - how she met, fell in love with and married her husband - and how things nearly fell completely apart is presented in an unflinchingly clear-eyed yet humorous tone.
Author Margaret Ethridge has an ear for the way people actually talk, and for the way that couples relate to each other at all stages of relationships. Her approach here is to present the story at different times, early and later in Tracy and Sean's marriage. The contrast between the cautious optimism of new love and the sometimes tiresome patterns the couple falls into couldn't be more adroit.
One of the many things I loved about the book is that the characters seem so real - Tracy has flaws, and so does Sean, but these are people you like - people you know. Sometimes you want to shake them and say "wake up - look what you're about to lose!" But Ethridge has given us such a feeling for who these two are that you know they'll find a way to make it work. Secondary characters are also wonderful - in particular Sean's uncle and Tracy's hilarious friend and former roommate Maggie.
I so highly recommend this - it has something to say to everyone who's ever experienced the ups and downs of a long-term relationship, and to anyone who likes a good story well told.
Author Margaret Ethridge has an ear for the way people actually talk, and for the way that couples relate to each other at all stages of relationships. Her approach here is to present the story at different times, early and later in Tracy and Sean's marriage. The contrast between the cautious optimism of new love and the sometimes tiresome patterns the couple falls into couldn't be more adroit.
One of the many things I loved about the book is that the characters seem so real - Tracy has flaws, and so does Sean, but these are people you like - people you know. Sometimes you want to shake them and say "wake up - look what you're about to lose!" But Ethridge has given us such a feeling for who these two are that you know they'll find a way to make it work. Secondary characters are also wonderful - in particular Sean's uncle and Tracy's hilarious friend and former roommate Maggie.
I so highly recommend this - it has something to say to everyone who's ever experienced the ups and downs of a long-term relationship, and to anyone who likes a good story well told.
July 16, 2011
I knew this book would be a great read, and it is that but so much more. Drawing on styles from chick lit and romance this is really a relationship novel for grown-ups. Writing from two perspectives shifting along multiple points in the timeline of a long-term relationships, this author deftly and subtly creates a world that will feel authentic to anyone who has weathered the highs and lows of long term relationships. All that and some truly steamy passages just where they need to be.
March 12, 2012
As a woman who is in year 8 of marriage at almost the same age as the characters, I was moved by the fact that this book was about every day struggles, big and small. There were many moments that I was reminded of my marriage. It was so refreshing to read a book that with real characters, not perfect ones. Thank you Margaret Ethridge! I might just go buy a pair of red shoes :)
July 1, 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I could really relate to Tracy, from her asking herself if there should be more to her life, to losing herself in stories of fictional happy couples.
I definitely recommend this book.
I definitely recommend this book.
January 5, 2012
It was sad to see the couple go through the things they did but it was nice to read about a real marriage for once. Not all of them are perfect the whole way through. Big thumbs up to a great book that was not all rainbows, flowers and unicorns.
February 10, 2012
Loved this book! Read the ending twice before I laid the book down. I felt like I was Tracy at times, I could so relate with some of her feelings. Great read and one that I will think about for a while. Great job Mrs Ethridge!
May 27, 2014
Love the different use of time in this book. Seeing how the hero and the heroine first fall in love while you also see their present-day marriage. Highly realistic, but still funny and satisfying romance.
February 22, 2013
Totally not what I was expecting. I'm so used to delightfully smutty romance from Mags that this one threw me for a loop. I think a LOT of us wives/mothers can relate to this book.
July 10, 2012
Finished this last night after not being able to put it down. Loved it, Margaret Ethridge does not disappoint! :)
July 8, 2019
Frustrating story! The heroine was one giant mess, taking 2 years to get through her midlife crisis. A poor lost, selfish soul—truly dislikable.
April 6, 2020
Realistic look at happily ever after
This book is a realistic look at happily ever after. Love still exists, but it doesn't conquer all, and isn't a magic talisman that makes everything work out effortlessly. There were some editing or formatting errors, like missing words here or there, and a continuity issue where the heroine tucks her red streaked hair behind her ear, but doesn't get the red highlights put in until later. I would have liked a little more steam, but I really liked the book overall, and look forward to reading more from this author.
This book is a realistic look at happily ever after. Love still exists, but it doesn't conquer all, and isn't a magic talisman that makes everything work out effortlessly. There were some editing or formatting errors, like missing words here or there, and a continuity issue where the heroine tucks her red streaked hair behind her ear, but doesn't get the red highlights put in until later. I would have liked a little more steam, but I really liked the book overall, and look forward to reading more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews