Zaincruise — you probably missed the question because it was a bit buried but Mahira asked if she could repost your analysis on Goodreads.
I am staring a new thread because this one is too long. I will go through recent comments and try to answer any outstanding questions on the new thread.
Zaincruise, thread is too long. Putting reply here!!😌
I think the Ever trilogy is unsalvageable, period. It’s otherworldly misanthropic. The thing is I get the logic behind the plot development but I was unwilling to devolve into it. It’s sensible in that universe but I am confused with the worthiness of writing it🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
and the “when life happened”……
you won’t believe it.😳 I have been “plotting” it for quite a while!! I was also into Hero, Carter in Unstoppable(by Sam Mariano, Carter was perfectly done but not Zoe in Unstoppable). I am going to make this two a ship🤓. Carter as the bully was the arch-rival of her ex boyfriend/ brother-in-law(ewwww). They hooked up at her sister’s wedding rehearsal out of her despair and his aloofness (I am going to give it to her (the sister), the “perfect wedding” and “no miscarriage” for later sweeter justice, and I don’t like the way Jewel E Ann handled Parker(h)’s childish demeanour or mental state, corny, rude and too ). She got pregnant (it’s her brother-in-law’s, I am going formalist harsh on this twist setting), and fled the town to the East Coast (I remembered Carter attended Columbia for LLB).
They met at a cafe in Lower East Side(LES) where she was an apprentice Barista. Carter was always psychoanalytically mischievous if not downright “evil”. So he got curious and they started talking (and never stopped). I want the fanfic centred around her difficult pregnancy, and her reflection on herself, the past, the now and the future. I won’t let Carter to be a chivalrous saviour and her a damsel in distress. It’s an unbreakable bond they developed thru small things of their daily life in the city. A glimpse thru the hot coffee’s steam in a rainy day of New York; a gentle breeze billowing up her summer dress hemline when he invited her for an out of city walk along a no man’s boardwalk; or the small uncomfortable she endured during third trimester while she turned around to attend a coffee order trembled him more than he could bear. He didn’t care until he cared greatly. A long road to a tranquil end. What made them a great ship? Her blossoming on a hopeless desolation thawed his cloistered but tortuous inwardness, her, a solace in the raging sea of his. His silent turmoil did not block the view that showed her his solemnity or a broader world presented along with him.
The justice I want to show for Parker is a full display of her agony over the betrayal. The ruins never got a chance to be presented properly in the canon. I don’t believe two insta lovers and a quasi switch positions (her turn as a borderline OW) could make her recover from or heal like what the book tried to convince me. When the agony was on full force, sickness brewed in that feverish state, shedding old trauma off her system. She became stern and gracefully moved past it (never looked back). I knew her sister would wonder all the changes about her and cared enough to reestablish the once close sisterhood (same as the canon). But my philosophy is that Parker moved past that chapter, AND nothing would ever be the same. Adults have to live with that life changes. Then, she would finally came to the full realisation that she really fucked up, too many water submerging the bridge. They parted their way would be the sister’s ultimate penance.
Amazing! bravo! fanfuckingtastic! Pardon my French but I also love Carter from unstoppable… 😉 It is silly you thinking that it is silly. Write it! I can’t wait to read it.
What I most loved about WPS and SN was the fact it was Phil who had trust issue instead of Lina. LoL. That amazing woman had a strong heart and know what’s her worth is. Yeah she was a little insecure in the beginning and who wouldn’t be but she never doubt that she wasn’t enough or what was wrong with her. THANK GOD FOR THAT! I will be a totally lesbian for her. 😂 The perfectly imperfect Phil was the insecure one. He acted like it was Lina who had cheated. And I loved it. Somewhere even in his numb state he had became too comfortable in the knowledge that Lina and he would always be together. No one will be able to rip them apart. She was only his. But he was in for a rude awakening that there will always be Kims and Nicks of this world who
could or would want to tear them apart. I have got to see a desperate and vulnerable side of him in SN. The nightmare he had. Totally wowed me.
Even if the collision 💥 of Phil two worlds hadn’t happened I don’t think the affair would have continued that much longer. As zaincruise said a sincere glance from Lina and the other woman ceased to exist. It also shows that affair was all about physical escapism for him. If there had been any emotional attachment he wouldn’t have been able to end it that easily and would have been much receptive to her feelings in the break-up scene.
Hey class of 2021 is the registration for 2022 has opened yet? Because I want to take admission I don’t think I would shut up about it any time soon. 😂😂😂
wait!!
I kinda take Phil’s territorial/paranoid behaviour for granted!!
I was thinking that all Heroes (those I loved) should behave like that! (apparently, Phil deserved some of my appreciation/recognition for this😂)
Your words made sense!! If I see from this angle, he was insecure. That’s cute and a guilty pleasure for me to enjoy. Especially, when I was pulled back to some of the cheating books recommended by the blog. I remembered almost all the husbands were acting differently to Phil. They were like they are entitled to cheat because they had successful career and good-looking etc etc (they had lip service to say the opposite, but as readers, you get the gist). Never had they ever displayed any kind of tentativeness towards their own self-consciousness. Always the wives suffered major blows on their confidence etc etc.
Actually, about Lina’s small/tiny thoughts of insecurity over her sexuality!! I just loved her so much. So I couldn’t even bear even small proportions of that in her pov’s inner thoughts. It was nibbling her, it was nibbling me. But I guess I have to accept that. It was realistic, after affair, it’s natural to have that reaction. I remembered Laura said that mainly, she didn’t feel insecure about her sexuality etc etc.
Personally my most favorite character is Lina. She is unlike any heroine I have ever read. The power she has over everyone and the beauty of her character and her personality has left me speechless. I know a lot of readers have thought that she was too dependent on Phil. But that’s not how I think. I think Phil was too dependent on Lina. Her pulling away made him angry and selfish because he couldn’t cope with not being Lina’s center of the universe. (I am not justifying his actions because nothing can justify his affair but his affair was based around on the idea that if you don’t want me there’s someone who does instead of on the idea that I met a Hot beautiful woman I can’t resist. Lina’s pulling away filled him with bitterness and anger.)she is selfless and the most strong woman I have ever read. No matter how hurt she was she never made Phil choose because that’s just not in her nature. Every men she met fell in love with her secretly. Damn I love the scene when Nick threatened to take her away from Phil and he became desperate for her. I personally want Liam to be cold to Kim too Esra since Lina sacrificed too much for him. Her connection with Liam was much deeper. I just wish Kim get slapped with Karma. She is still too arrogant because she has not learned anything. I wish Liam would say to her ‘i don’t want a woman who has hurt My Mother anywhere near me’ and slam the door on her face.
Hahahahaha me too!!! Because if Liam loves Lina like Logan does then I don’t think he would be too okay spending time with her. I know she is his mother but it takes more to be a mother than just popping out a baby. I love hating her too much. 😂😂😂 How dare she hurt our Lina and get away with it.
My mom is really going to kill me because she doesn’t like it when I use my 📱 cell at family dinner but guys if you have any recommendations. Books like this one please share them with me…. I really would like to read them.
Omg!!! Berenice Logan is also my favorite character. I just wish if Laura write again about hunter clan she would write his book first. Your knowledge about architecture is so cool and something tells me that we may have an amazing architecture among us.I am looking right at you Berenice!!!!
Haha,😜 I wish tooo!
and I have to confess I am not as attracted to Liam’s story as to Logan’s!!
One of Liam’s allures would be reading about him is like experiencing a certain degree of Phil’s younger years (setting a lot of readers’ imagination off). If I had hots for Phil, then I should be interested about his story etc etc. But I like Phil&Lina. Phil is enough for me.
with that being said, for me, the most anticipated story would be Logan’s. He literally embodied so many potentials, alternatives and had the versatility of being a sublime/grandeur Hero!!!😌
//Just imagine a heroine walked into a cozy family-run brasserie located in a French Rivera coastal town. Late afternoon, the fickle weather was sombre with offshore blustery gale. Last days of summer, the dampened hemline of floral dress adhered to her thighs giving her goosebump. The warm light, freshly baked pastry and clangorously brewing teapots of the brasserie dispelled the unforeseen summer inclemency for its visitors. Holding her cup of cafe au lait, she turned around, seeing a man sitting at window side, alone and absorbedly. He was rather insouciant with all the papers and a laptop in front him. Abruptly, he looked up, eyes boring into her curious gazing. Her stare must be too long and too probing. Embarrassingly, she turned away from him. When a gateau was delivered by the waitress, she regained her composure, only to find that he no longer took interest in his work. Rather, he was sketching casually, with left hand spared, lean masculine fingers across the white porcelain demitasse. She gulped down some coffee, noticing a hardback sourcebook on his right side, a sourcebook of wooden materials for architectural structuring, as she recognised. The Brasserie was quiet. She could hear his hand moving swiftly across the crispy paper, neat and assertive. Sipping one last drop, he put down the espresso cup, amusedly returning her attentive study of him. This time, she didn’t steer away. Mesmerised, the deep electrical excitement cutting through her body and soul, his dark amber pupils drew her into an unending vagaries of mystiques.//
Forgive my poor imagination and even poorer wording. I wrote snippets about Logan…to self entertain😳
!!
I am going to ask Brian, Logan and Matthew (I think it’s the trio’s last boy’s name) if I could join them for a holiday hiking plus country-break (of course near the coast)!!
Also, I would like to ask Logan if he could share his architecture portfolio with me and talk about it with me!!( I imagine he is more Renzo Piano or Kisho Kurokawa than Zaha Hadid)
The third question would be a mission to make Logan be friend with Michael Prossi (I don’t know, I just wish they could meet and become friends and share a great friendship). I wish every several years I could meet them somewhere naturally magnificent at some world’s end (Bolivia’s salt flat under the starry night, Iceland’s midnight sun surfing or Andean Plateau frontier mountaineering) for a retreat and witness them to talk about their career, ambition to make a difference and their changing insight of life itself while they are growing older and older.
(I must read too many biographies 😂😂😳) anyway, it’s just Christmas miracle time!☺️
I wish Logan could share with me whether he likes northern Italian’s Alpine lake villa more or Breton’s coast cottage more. what cuisine interests him the most, Occitan or Alsatian? Would he mind visiting continental Abbeys and Botanic gardens to see the floor plan and seek architectural inspiration. which artist he admire the most. what’s his idea of post modern architecture (furniture included) etc etc…would he be bother if his style develops a comfortable niche? The girl he would marry one day, what kind of life he would want to build with her?
I think, all in all, Logan wouldn’t be a man shying away from reflecting and exploring his feelings (balanced not wishy washy). I think that makes him sexy and hot😳
When a writer writes a character she may have this generalized version in her mind and as the character develops her choices become her own and fitting to her character. That’s why we as readers can interpret the character with our own ideas and thoughts. I know what you all saying but the pic at SB house with Lina pic in the background makes me think 🤔 that she may not have the intention to hurt Lina with pictures in the beginning but she still had some ill intentions. If she could join a running group on purpose and get pregnant on purpose then she could also stage some situation in her favor. She is too cunning. A man who wouldn’t cuddle with her and look her in the eyes while having sex with her like he did with Lina must have made her insecure in some way…
Somebody had asked this so let me say this (I genuinely believe that if they were happy and had a fight means without lina pulling away emotionally and physically and he had met Kim in a bar and she had come on to him then i don’t think that he would have even think about her let alone having sex with her)….
I know guys I am helpless cause I read those books quite recently so please understand my obsession. 😉
I totally agree with the idea of ill intention. It’s a lingering shadow waiting for the right moment. Especially from a hindsight, as a reader, we knew how her character was constructed. She was not a good woman stepping across the wrong path and kept some pics later became “bittersweet memory”. This is not that kind of story and she was not constructed that way. So it was woven seamlessly from plot developing perspective.
Yes, I agreed if they were happy and just had a fight, he wouldn’t sleep with her. It had a built-up preluding his fall (to the lowest point of his life).
I really enjoy reading your comments. Do you think that Kim really could be anyone? Like Phil said, it was not because he could not resist her but she just happen to be there that night. It could have been any other attractive woman who was willing that night but i think it might only be a ONS. It turned into an affair because Kim lured him in at his lowest point and he gave in because he wanted to use her to escape?
My most favorite character is Logan. His protection for Lina and the way he cared for her left me speechless. I think I would be too excited to even form a single syllable let alone ask a question.(OK I am off the topic here but I hate that kim gets to have Liam when he is all grown up. Lina sacrifice so much for him was there for him when he needed a mother. Kim abandoned him. No matter what everyone say but Liam as a baby was just a pawn for her to get Phil and she even neglected him while he was living with her. The reason he was so attached to Phil because she didn’t care about him as a mother should. Neglecting is a form of abuse. I want Liam to be cold her and not think that she is a distant cool aunt)
You too Berenice … Okay if santa gives you a chance to go into the Hunter Universe and ask your favorite characters three questions what would you ask?
Guys I have just realized that Laura class is the only one we all have attended even when we are on Holiday..😉
I know you ESRA you did the same thing when you read Jewel E Ann life series. You questioned her so much on insta about Ronin…I know it won’t be your last one… LOL
Berenice I love reading your comments…they are amazing!!!
Hahahahaha!!! you know me too well zaincruise. She was way too nice to me. I even had gotten angry with my own self. Thank you for answering love you all ♥
Wait!! I want to ask Jewel E ANN’s another book. Did you guys read the “what life happened”? Actually I don’t find insta love and main character death or even h was borderline OW a dealbreaker as what other readers find. My dealbreaker is her sister and her ex boyfriend/ her sister’s husband!!! I couldn’t get over them!!! Till this day, I am angry at them and found them unacceptable/ don’t deserve any HE at all!!! I almost/still consider write a fanfic to seek justice for the h (I am petty)!!!
damn!! me too. in a fictional world, I have hated two sisters the most one in when life happened and the other one was Eden in after forever. how can the husband (who was the hero) and sister have intense sex with each other when the h is in the comma. on top of that, he also had a baby with the other sister. I really hated that one because the writer sprung cheating on us without any warning. Gosh, it still made me so mad. it was a trilogy I think.
that’s why I liked WPS and SN because as you said he still loved Lina during the affair and your comment about him not using condoms made him cute in our eyes.LOL ( never thought that would happen)
Now I want you to write Fanfic to seek justice. I would love to read it. you would be an amazing writer. I think fanfic is a Fun way to change the destiny of the fictional characters.
Thank you guys so much for answering my questions. I know how busy you all would have been so thank you for taking your time to answer my questions. But I have another…. You can answer it any time but please reply must since I want to understand this. It’s about pic situation. Kim was capturing his pictures with her. In her bedroom I can understand she was the one who took it but when they were out how does she know that it was the perfect moment. If he had put his hand on her thigh according to his own wish it seems kind of unbelievable that she would have run back to a waitress and asked her to take the picture of them and then would have put his hand back on her thigh. Same in the dancing picture how would she have known that he would have grabbed her for dancing and remembered to ask somebody to click it. I think she exploited the situation in her favor and Phil fault was that he went along with it without realizing he was being setup.
If I remembered correctly, I think Laura explained this here and there. Originally, Kim didn’t take them as an evidence for later use of “attack”. She kinda deluded herself into she was in a “love/romantic relationship”. So in that bar, she was a frequent before quitting job for Phil. Friendly staff(or her other friends) took pics and sent her afterwards saying something such as you two look good as a couple. She kept various pics as such because she “loved” him. Like all women would do in a relationship. Until the slap from Lina, she decided to use them as a tool to hurt Lina.
I have to be completely honest. I actually bought into her logic a tiny bit. It was what she said in the excerpt Laura shared in here (didn’t made the cut)
She said that “you were avoiding the truth, I am telling you the truth” to Lina. It’s kinda true because Lina buried her head in the sand not asking details. It’s okay to not ask details (especially if you are Diane’s type of wife, meaning details wouldn’t change your decision to stay, to make the marriage work). But for Lina it changed Lina’s decision once she knew all the events occurred in the pics. Lina gradually found out it’s a full blown affair. A lot of details obviously crossed Lina’s bottom line and she had to face them with no filter or “moderation” from Phil. I found it brutal but necessary. That’s also one of the reason I repeatedly disagree to diminish the affair. If Lina considered it a serious transgression and Lina thought all things he did with her, all small thoughts he had regarding Kim were “full blown affair stuff” not just bedroom activities, then I would side with her.
Hi everyone! I am new to this blog and I’m ever so glad that I found it as reading through the comments has given me a more indept analysis about the characters ep Phil. After reading WPF and SN , I cannot stop having thoughts about the characters and the affair. Both books were captivating!
Some questions keep popping up in my mind… because Phil is like a puzzle that i would like to solve.
We all know that Phil ended the affair after reconnected with Lina (had sex with Kim on Thurs, reconnected with Lina on Fri and breakup scene was in Mon). If Lina would have reconnect with Phil earlier (one to two months into the affair when it was still new and exciting and before SB when the affair was starting to fizzle out) would Phil still end the affair straightaway?
Laura did mentioned that Phil was very attracted to Kim and liked her for a short period and only start waning after SB (I assume he likes her when the affair was hot and heavy because who will have an affair with one you dont like right, it was not an ONS) so even if Lina reconnected with him early he will just dump kim?
Reading the text messages, Phil was meeting Kim for sexcapades almost daily. I kept rereading the texts and I really feel for Lina. “I want to keep reading them because it makes me hate you” Thats excatly how I felt and also indicates how great a writer Laura is. On my first read I thought, Phil must be obsessed with kim to leave his wife’s bed and have sex with kim and sleepover before flying to NY, going to her apt before meeting and also sparing time on Sat for her on top of the daily quickies at the office apt. After I started on SN, I came back to WPF again because as Lina said, the Phil that she knows will not send those texts. Phil was not in his right mind. And i start reading between the lines. Phip’s messages were straight forward, he wants to meet her for sex only, mostly quickies or a couple of hours even the sleepover was short. In fact 24 texts in a 4 months affair that showed Phil was the pursuer was not that much.
Thats when I came upon this blog and read the comments and the deleted scenes. I was able to feel for Phil. He was escaping, while some people turns to drinking, gambling or drugs. He used kim for sex because as he said she was the one there that night and it continued because she was willing and easy. Even if kim was not at the bar that night but another woman who was willing and pursue him, he will still cheat? It will problably be a ONS because he was on business in NY.
Can I assume he continued the affair not because he cannot resist kim but because he just needed kim to escape his problems at home?
Yeah Cyn she could have been anyone. I think when I look at his affair I can see that Kim had given him unfettered access to herself. Phil constant desire to escape gave her the idea that he wants me more than his wife because Phil didn’t share his inner feelings with her. She doesn’t know about his situation at home. He was clear about not leaving Lina for her but that’s the only thing he shared. As he said even if Lina leave him he still wouldn’t marry her. His attraction for kim couldn’t even touch the deep feelings he had for Lina.
Hi Zaicruise appreciate your reply so much. Now I can confidently say that Phil had meant his words when he said that Kim was nobody to him. If Lina would have reconnected with him before SB, he will still drop Kim like a hot potato.
In WPF Lina recalled during thier younger days she was looking at Phil’s palm lines. For children, there was a fourth line (Liam ?) which was not as deep as the other three. So I think Phil’s affair might be an inevitable obstacle in thier relationship that they need to overcome and grow together as a couple. As Alice said they have chosen this path.
I really wanted to study it since psychology is also my favorite subject and I wanted to understand the Phil situation …. We all have the need to protect ourselves from emotional harm. Our natural defenses kick in to safeguard our inner psyche. When we are hurt, we reach and do whatever we can to minimize our pain. For some, that might mean feeling overwhelmed and then shutting off and retreating inwardly, closing off from ourselves and our own experience of emotions, or fleeing a situation. Protection from pain for others might be fighting, trying to prove worthiness, or we may actively do something to experience the illusion of control. We even tell ourselves stories justifying our behaviors claiming we do them to protect ourselves. At times, because of circumstances or situations, we do things that are out of character. It might result in feeling shame, frustration, and embarrassment…. A great explanation by a famous psychologist. So people back off saying that he wanted to have an affair because he just wanted to taste something new. He may have enjoyed her during that time but he wasn’t as happy and contend as he was with Lina. Because only she could give him what he truly wanted. That is Love.!! And yes he may have thought that Kim was attractive but he only found Lina beautiful. Again she was the only woman he wanted. Damn! I have been rude and down right hostile to Heroes who only cheated once… But for some reason I don’t only want to forgive him but also want to hug him at the same time. Why do I love this jerk so much🥺🥺 (I think the reason we can’t stop talking about him is because we all have secretly fall in love with him) Santa better bring him to me or there would be no sweets for Santa. But wait! I only want him with Lina… Dang, I am so confused now 😔
Sometimes, I blamed him so much because Nick or Nick’s type could handle the situation better, and would not fall into Kim’s trap. But Nick was not who Lina loved which says it all. I think understanding the logic behind his transgression would let us reconcile to his redeem-ability. Also, I always feel that most of cases (except Phil) only cheating once is somewhat “worse” than serial cheating because serial cheating cheapened Heroes’ feeling towards OWs. Only once always haunted me to think there’s something special about this “fling”. But Phil proved to be an extra-ordinary case that couldn’t be analysed by ordinary pattern😂. Laura said once, if I remember correctly, Phil found Kim beautiful and attractive in that peculiar moment when Lina was not in his mind, though he didn’t allow himself to compare these two women. Once he walked out of the fog, Lina reappeared in his thought, Lina became the only woman he found beautiful. It’s somewhat a semantic argument. However, I still pointed out it because I admire Laura’s storytelling in that it depicted the realistic/ ugly context, all those small but mounting details lead me to appreciate Lina’s eventual empowerment more, as she overcame the affair not by dismissing or diminishing the nature of the affair but by her love for Phil and his love for her.
All in all, Merry Christmas and Happy New year☺️ 🎄 🎄 🎄
Personally it really doesn’t bother me that much. No matter how much I hate Kim she was beautiful. I remember once I had seen two dresses and they both were really pretty. I really wanted the red one since blue one was not according to my style but just because I didn’t wanted the blue one doesn’t mean it was ugly or I didn’t find it attractive. Phil found Kim attractive in superficial way not in a meaningful way. Like stating the obvious. Just like lina thought that nick was attractive. Once a reader had asked Laura that why Phil put Kim first so much? Laura had replied he didn’t put Kim first he put himself first. Kim was the illusion of control for him and a stroke of ego for him. As for him feeling happy and content I think Kim was like a painkiller for him because he was using her to escape his reality. She made him feel numb from his reality. I agree… with Lina he was truly happiest because not only she was the love of his life but she was his soulmate no doubt about it.
Merry Christmas to you to Berenice and everyone who is reading it… 🎄🎄🎄
Me too, I felt that I reconciled with flawed Phil long time ago😂. But objectively, (not me thinking) he was supposed to be that typical Hero meaning no feelings to any other women or noticing no other women’s beauty, which was true before this “incident”. I think that is why readers vacillated among all sorts of love/hate feelings towards him. And when it came to personal thinking, again I still think Lina appreciating Nick was much more complicated (and justified) than Phil being attracted to Kim once his resistance wall gone. But that’s just me thinking.
Back to the objective, book based discussion again, I think it’s because Lina as the wife cared about Phil’s thoughts regarding Kim. Kim as a incident was tooo peculiar and once in a life time( not her attribution but the situation), which drove Lina to all sorts of thinking, doubts and insecurity. She cared greatly about this woman’s image etc etc. I felt that as lover she was just territorial which I can relate to. Who doesn’t want her love of her life to be hers always?? She was hurt by all the small, maybe for readers in hindsight superficial stuff, but I cared, from her perspective, for her.
To Zaincruise and Esra , Merry Christmas and happy new year!!🎄🤶🎄🧑🎄🎉🎉🎊🎊
Also!! I like the word “numb” it summed up my ridiculously long elaboration of compartmentalization perfectly!! Yes, he was lucid and intellectually functioning during the affair!! The what made him detached from reality or disoriented from consequences or his Lina?? He became aware but numb!!! I kept popping up long paragraphs to elucidate his compartmentalizations…it’s just numb….thank you for saving me from another didactic, hit and miss meandering, zaincruise! You are the best!!
Zaincruise your analysis was so good and it has answered so many questions I had. Thanks! Laura you are a great writer. You have changed my perception. Zaincruise can I post your analysis on goodreads in group I am part of. Thanks!
😂I can totally get that!
Same reason as that I would never lend my kindle to any of my friends, though they all knew I read romances and erotic lit, and couldn’t stop talking about it.💁🏻
Hey zaincruise I know it seems a little bit personal question and tell me to shut up if I am intruding but I know you have joined ACCA corporate lawyer program! Congratulations!! Girl 🎊 but was your decision to become a attorney somehow was influenced by these books?
No Esra it is not a top secret.I had straight As in my A levels and everything was good for a while but then I refused to participate, forgot about study world for a while. At 29 it was a very late start but since ACCA had no age limit I was accepted easily with my grades. When I said these books made a difference that’s what I meant. Hopefully you are having a wonderful time.
wow!! that’s great!! Congratulations!! Zaincruise!!
Don’t know what to say!! That’s so cool!! I am always in awe of people who can do ACCA, LLM or JD!!! I found them extremely cool!!🤓
You are officially a cool girl in my eyes😁
😳😂
btw, is [Thecruise show] you on goodreads??
I got confused by the pic…
only now realise it’s pseuds pic (what was I thinking🤦🏻♀️)…silly me!😳
I would love to read about Liam. I know Laura you said he maybe be fine but I am with Tracie on this one. One of my friend had adopted a new born baby who was rescued by the firefighters and it was quite a news in local papers. Now he is 8 years old but some of his classmates told him that they have heard their parents saying that he doesn’t have a real mom and he is adopted. He also had gotten into fight with a boy much older than him. My friend loves him unconditionally and have tried her best to protect him from people wagging tongues. People can be so rude sometimes. So I don’t think that he would go unscathed even with Phil and Lina unconditional love.
It depends??? My friend has a “horrible” uncle! So, he married for many years and there’s infertility problems and somehow, he had an affair and that became a SECOND family (he is rich, so it’s more like keeping the OW and the child, provided for them). The whole family knew about it, only the wife didn’t know. Later years, his wife also got pregnant, had a boy as well.
I felt so bad for the wife and the legitimate child. since I knew the story, I have been persuading my friend to tell her aunt. She deserved the truth! (A bit childish of me). My friend couldn’t because it’s really not her place to tell(understandable).
So, this is the context. And I have been curious about the OW’s son for sometime since I knew his existence. My friend told me he was fine. He knew about his father’s wife and the wedlock son but didn’t care. His current plan is just focusing on going to college on the west coast, UCLA or UC Berkley (would be more ideal). A lot of drama regarding that family, two sons and their father’s logistics business!! Gosh, my friend told me that wife’s son probably would get the business when he grew up(now he is a five or six yr old baby), and the OW’s son would have monetary compensation.
I was always so curious about the affair (like what exactly was it like between them) I agree with Zaincruise and Tracie analysis ( please don’t be mad at me for saying this I know he was attracted to Kim very much and may have flirted with her but a hand on thigh in front her colleagues and grabbing her behind for all to see is not a very respectful move and I think he did treated her a bit like a body available to him for sex. That’s my opinion you don’t have to agree…. But if the texts would have been like… ‘I need you now can I come to your place’ then yeah I can see what you all mean but since he didn’t so that’s that. He didn’t even responded to her seductive invitation with flirty comeback.As Laura said it was 90% sex so 10% part kind of becomes irrelevant, Kim was like his sex doll with endless batteries.LoL) it could have been anyone and he still would have done it was not all about Kim. I am just glad it wasn’t Kim who made him cheat, he made himself cheat.As for Lina I am glad she didn’t crossed the line. I know she wouldn’t have but if she had it would have been meaningful because she had feelings for Nick not as deep as Phil but still she cared about him in her own way. Thank you y’all for answering my questions. Now I am at peace ✌️
??I think I juxtaposed Lina&Nick and Phil&Kim. Laura said what I can interpreted as Phil’s enjoyment to Kim was similar to Lina’s attachment to Nick???Anyway, it’s Phil’s silliness. I am not going to dwelling on it any more😌
Since Tracie mentioned about Katie and Matt getting married, how about a domestic /civil partnership?? I have a friend got married just before pandemic. Her husband is French. She told me that her French in-laws were together decades before getting married. For years, they were in a domestic partnership, raised three children and only decided to get married when they both retired and all adult children left the house.😂
Katie might also persuade Matt to use Hunter-Hudson as their children’s surname. I can totally see that😂. I didn’t know if there’s a state law for this. So I googled. It turns out there’s a civil union kind of law in MD. It’s really interesting to see some years after, how Katie’s view on marriage would change.🤔😄
I have a thought/question!
I remembered that Janet said she wanted Logan to be with Nick’s daughter, and Phil would be in the same orbit with Nick the rest of his life, lol.
I thought about Nick’s son, Brian! Could Brian be Logan’s best friend even after they graduated and for the rest of their life?? I know a lot of people lost touch with their best friends after graduation. But for some strange reasons, I always liked the “Bromance” between Logan and Brian.
The excited Logan commented on how cool Brian was on the field. His beaming brown eyes that comes from Lina must accentuate his smiley boy look!!
The “Brian thought giving gift toTiffany not cool moment” gave me the impression that yes, he is Nick’s son, but he was probably more Phil (with Nick’s traits obviously) than cerebral Nick. He would be a good addition to Logan’s story??
Although Laura did not write much about Brian, but my imagination was off the charts! I remembered Brian showed Logan to use twitter to assemble a random team for their games on beach. I knew a lot of people do that. But from Logan’s narrative, I feel that Brian was more assertive, came up with the plan and dominated the plan?? must be a little “man crush” from Logan’s side?? I like their friendship!!
I always feel that Logan would be the complicated, mystical and intriguing one (an amazing man completely in his own rights) and Brian would be a Phil with dashes of Nick’s equilibrium.😂
The next gen duo of “Tony and Joseph” (not exactly the same, just saying they would be wonderful friends with interesting bromance chemistry)
Agree. Even Phil was in awe of him. I think if Laura turn the books in Hunter saga it would be so awesome because every character had something unique. Liam would make a perfect dark and tortured Hero. Logan would be the silent and mysterious type. Katie would be a heroine with a dark past. Brian would be the flawed alpha like Phil. Gosh it’s gonna be so exciting!!!! (sigh)
I like that!! The Hunter Saga!!!
Only problem, I ship Katie and Matt! Lol.
Brian can be with anyone Laura find him, Tony and Casey’s daughter would be great, as long as he is Logan’s best friend.☺️
I think if Michael could know Logan, that would be a lot of fun! Michael, Logan, Brian.
Since Logan went to Duke, where would Michael go to university? New England like his father or NYC, such as Columbia? Wait, Logan and Michael are similar age? I have this impression, Michael is slightly older than Logan. Anyway, I am just enjoying the Hunter Universe in the Laura fandom.🤓
I agree Berenice, Brian is definitely a dominant type. Logan is more like Lina — more sensitive to others, not to say he isn’t strong. He is. Logan would be a hard hero to write because he didn’t come out of his parents separation unscathed. He may have some trust issues. Could be interesting.
Brian would be a typical alpha H — fun to write.
Liam — that all depends on how he handles finding out about his history. With Lina as a mother, he may be fine.
I agree, though, they are all worth of their own story.
!! Lol, I must confess, please don’t be annoyed at me.😳
I used to write fanfiction snippets for the fandoms I followed, dramas, fantasies that kind works.
I followed your blog for sometimes. I knew some readers also read MM genre. I think it’s Janet recommended Kindle Alexander. I am a Kindle Alexander fan as well.
I actually reinterpreted and based Brian&Logan’s relationship into MM snippets. I think, like you said, Logan is sensitive and not the typical alpha hero type. your writing presented Lina’s traits in him seamlessly while he was Phil’s son and the “first born son”, which drew me further into loving him as a character. He has some of Phil, some of Lina. I was fascinated by Logan enigmatic potentials!! Please don’t get offended. It’s just me being inspired by your creation of Logan!!😳
Berenice that would be an absolutely not for me. Those boys are hot hot and hot for women. I’m not offended, I just couldn’t imagine it.
Now I can see Logan having commitment issues, but not to excess. I don’t think Liam would go unscathed on being born illegitimate. I don’t think it would be a large issue. But there would probably be some caddy people that would have made reference to him being the result of an affair. People are just rude. I would also wonder if he would think of himself less than Logan since he was the legitimate son. However, I see Logan as one of Liams biggest fans and confidants as he gets older. I also see Logan on the sidelines with Phil at Liams Lacrosse games both dressed in well fitted Tom Ford or Armani suits. Because of course Logan is extremely successful architect and sought after by many upscale builders and clients (I love Logan). Brian and Logan would still be tight and maybe Brian is a Neurosurgeon or something cool. Liam grows up and he’s successful too, but maybe he has a social worker show up to drop off his baby daughter he knew nothing about, after the mother dies of a rare blood disease. (Laura just did an eye roll thinking I’m watching to much Lifetime in my retirement…LOL I cracked my own self up with that…). Matt and Katie will also get married because Matt wouldn’t want his children born illegitimate.
I need to clarify!!
I was saying that them as a prototype inspiring me to write snippets of MM genre. Not the Brian and Logan in Hunter Universe. It would be weird in that universe.😳
It’s like Fifty shades was loosely based on Twilight saga and originally was written as a fanfic of Twilight???
😳😊I need to get my admiration out before I shut up about this topic forever.
I used to write Harry Potter fanfics on AO3 (blushingly recalled). Throughout lockdown, I wanted to do something productive so I rekindled old hobby!! Since I was awestruck by your works and Hunter Universe, I wrote a lot of snippets to self entertain!
I am not as imaginative as Tracie and everyone but when it comes “Logan” (the idea of Logan, not the real Logan in Hunter Universe😳) somehow I have a lot of thoughts coming out.
Anyway, it was not something as serious as zaincruise’s experience! Just want to say that Laura, you and your books made quite a difference to me!
Ok, girls, I have tried to write a valentines day scene between Phil and Lina. I know I am a horrible writer since I don’t have Tracie’s imagination and Laura’s talent but Just wanted to share that with you guys. I know it’s horrible (since I am very bad at creative writing) so please don’t be too hard on me, and in case you are wondering I am totally copying you, Tracie.
“What are you doing Phil… why are you being like this?”
“What I am being like Lina”
Phil spoke calmly as he rolled up the sleeves of his white snowy shirt and open the top three buttons revealing a triangle of his tan chest. Lina felt a wave of irritation at his cool demeanor.
“Why would you threaten Katie that you were going to take her phone away? You know she is making progress and Dr. Nick”…..
“Don’t!”
Phil warned angrily interrupting her speech, his control slipping. “It’s not Dr. Nick’s house. It’s my house and Katie is my daughter Lina I don’t need his advice on how to run MY house”. He grinds his teeth, his nostrils flaring as his eyes turn stormy.
“Really Phil!” Lina said annoyingly.
“Is that how you going to be like. That man has brought our daughter back to us”.
“He is psychiatric that’s his job but I won’t let some thick neck doctor interfere in my house decisions.”
“what! How can you say that” Lina was so shocked
“Why are being such a pig-head? Nick…”
‘Nick’ Phil raised his eyebrow.
“I mean Dr. Nick”
Lina backtracked but then she felt her temper rise.
“Seriously out of everything that’s what you want to talk about.”
“Do we have a reason to Lina?” Phil said as their eyes met in the mirror.
“You know what I am done; there is no reasoning with you I really don’t want to talk to you right now,” Lina whispered- yelled and storm out of the room.
Later in the night, Lina felt a warm hand sliding up her legs.
“I am really tired, Phil,”
she said turning on the other side.
She was still too angry at him, why couldn’t he just be a little bit sensitive toward Katie’s situation. She really didn’t want to fight with him but he made her so mad with his stubbornness. It seems like lately, the only thing they do is fight.
For a few moments, she felt his eyes on her face as she feigned sleep but then he slowly got up from the bed and walked out of the room.
She didn’t know what woke her up in the middle of the night but she suddenly felt panic.
‘Phil’ she choked
she reached over, feeling for his warmth in the darkness but his side of the bed was empty. Pulling her robe from the cupboard she wrapped it around herself and came out of her room.
She found him standing near the pool leaning against the pillar.
His eyes fixated on the calm surface of the water. A glass of scotch in his hand.
God, he was so handsome.
Even after 25 years he still had the same arrogance. ‘Phil’ she whispered, “why are you not in the bed.”
“It’s late.”
“What are you doing here, I thought you were tired.”
She didn’t like the distance she felt between them. It was getting wider day by day and she had no clue how to put a stop to it.
“Come back to bed you know I can’t sleep without you beside me.”
“Just don’t want to sleep with me.” His tone was so cold.
“Phil I don’t want to fight.”
She was totally at a loss here she didn’t know what to do. But he didn’t say anything just kept looking at her with a strange expression in his eyes as they roamed over her body.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have come here… clearly I am disturbing you,” Lina said defeated.
But before she could take a step toward the house he had a hand snake around her waist as he pulled her toward him. Her back collided with his front and just like that she was in the circle of his arms.
He pulled her closer and kissed her where her neck met her shoulder.
Shivers run down her spine but not because of the cold. She could feel his warm breath fanning her when he spoke.
“Never… never ever walk away from me Lina. You know how I feel about that.”
“Phil why don’t you understand… I also don’t want to fight with you but why won’t you just listen to me. Dr. Nick….”
In an instant, he had her flipped around and had her pinned against the wall caging her in his arms, his lips almost brushing her.
“Don’t ever take another man’s name when I am with you. I don’t want to talk about him right now.”
Pushing a loose tendril behind her ear he trailed his finger down her face leaving Goosebumps in its wake.
Taking her hand in his he slipped a diamond bracelet on her wrist.
“Happy valentine’s day love.”
“Phil!”
Lina gasped as she looked at the bracelet.
“Phil it’s amazing. How?… When?… I don’t understand…”
She wanted to say more but the words were lodged in her throat as she had suddenly lost her ability to speak.
“Shhhhhhh”
He put a finger on her lips and lifted her in his strong arms.
“Phil, what are you doing?” Lina blushed with embarrassment.
“Kids are inside what if they walk in on us?”
“Don’t worry they are sleeping.”
He said nonchalantly like he had no care in the world and started to walk in the direction of their bedroom like she weigh nothing.
“Phil I am capable of walking on my own, now put me down.” Lina hissed.
“No”
Phil said stubbornly “I want my wife in my arms.”
There was no reasoning with Phil.
My stubborn Phil. Lina thought.
“Phil!”
looping her arms around his neck Lina looked at the man who still made her heart flutter in her chest just like when for the first time their eyes had met. “I love you.” She whispered.
“I know.” He winked at her “but not more than me baby……”
I wrote it in the mall toilet when I was out shopping. Sorry, Laura for butchering your story like that but I just wanted a valentine’s day scene between them. Please don’t be mad.
zaincruise!! I like it!
It’s a lot lighter than I expected what was going on between them but I got the gist!!
No one had the heart to write that heavy, full of tension scene of that period of time. I remembered Laura said it was very difficult to pull herself out from some heavy angsty scenes she wrote.
I think that FanFiction writing is an extremely satisfying experience and the ultimate tribute a reader/fan could pay to the writer!!
LoL… I know Berenice, I just wanted their valentines day to be perfect before everything went to shit….But thank you for liking it. I was scared that you guys would be mad at me for turning a brilliant story by an amazing author into something barely readable. Now I am relieved 😌 phew.
Hey girls I have a question and it is driving me crazy 🤪 I didn’t wanted to ask but I know unless I do it will always keep popping up and would make me edgy. It is about protection. WHY did Laura choose the controversial way?? I mean Liam still could have been the part of the story if she had used used-protection-but -condom-broke theory. Given his personality why would he go bare with Kim. I know it lessen his pleasure but why trust Kim so much. Was it because he never thought of her as mother type of woman and thought she was also in it for fun only. But did he ever thought that why would she want to have fun with a married man without protection if she didn’t want him for her self. I am sorry if I was out of line but really wanted to know this.
I think storytelling wise, without condom could show how serious Phil’s transgression that he was all in for his pleasure (trespassed so many lines) and when more and more his personality was depicted in later chapters after the disclosure, it echoed the idea that Phil was not a preemptive cheater before the first night, yes, he consciously continued the affair but he didn’t conduct thoughtful shenanigans with Kim.
it also showed how reckless he was during the affair. Reckless means consciously disregard. He consciously disregarded Lina and his family when he decided to continue this four months affair. And yes, to my best recollection, Kim was not subtle in pursuing him but she was purposely deceived him by saying that she wasn’t interested in relationship, she only wanted to fuck him. That kind of vibe must have some effect on his decision making to go bare in that she was having fun and an ambitious lawyer on track to be partner, pregnancy should be last thing in her mind. I guess Phil definitely thought in that direction.
Yeah that make sense. OK I just want to know one more thing. Do you guys think that Phil stopped having sex with Kim after the SB, because SB incident happened before two weeks when the WPS starts and he only slept with her once at the night when he felt euphoric because of his win.(that’s how I think) When lina said it was three weeks I assumed that he was with kim on a business trip during one of the those weeks and later he couldn’t face Lina because of what he had done. But when he checked kim text infront of Lina and asked about Logan game time i thought he wanted to meet her the next day. I am biting my nails thinking about it but if Lina hadn’t reconnect with him would he continue to doing it with Kim. (Even after SB)
I think only Laura can answer that since Phil only share his thoughts with her and we only make assumptions about what we know of him.But I think he was struggling at that point.Like I said in my analysis that things just don’t happen suddenly. He came early from his trip and was looking for a work free weekend. I genuinely think if he was going to meet her the next day then he would have texted her but he didn’t. (I am basing my answers on the Laura’s replies on the blog) I can’t say exactly how long it would have continued? But I definitely think that affair was in the end stage.(in my mind I think he couldn’t be without lina for that much long and wanted to touch her but Kim situation was making him guilty that was why he was keeping his distance from both of them. Only slipped with Kim because of the win and it was the most boring 💤 sex of his life that’s why he returned early.)I know I am hopeless romantic! 😂.
Emmm, I think Laura answered??
He was going to meet her the next day and he was having sex with her the day before or in that morning before he flied back home… that is how realistic and ugly about this affair. Yes it’s ending phase but he considered to meet her during the weekend until Lina initiated the sex??Laura answered that. (I think she said take it as face value that the works wrapped up early so he flied back early)
Idk, I feel that these ugly/realistic facts don’t drove me crazy because I wouldn’t expect less because an affair is an affair….they were both physically beautiful/libido persons…maybe not the best sex but definitely good sex. Laura also said from a broader perspective, the fling was 90%(at least) based on sex, when SB happened, he got angry, in the meantime, he lost excitement because the new physical adeventure it’s getting old (four months)….
Sorry, not next day, that weekend
Also talking about him having guilt!
Since I got my version of compartmentalization sorted out, I think he probably didn’t feel guilty until he ended it?? He had brief guilt after first night. But when he decided to continue for four months. I guess he was probably recklessly not-thinking thinking that to keep it brief, discreet, only having fun, no feeling attached and Lina wouldn’t find out, everything would be fine. It’s like he was still conscious about the existence of Lina and his family but not in his normal way. Back to that period of time, teleologically, Lina and his family were more like a part of his life that he avoided and by successfully avoided them, he could conduct the affair(the end goal).
I think that would be a way of compartmentalization because he was no longer sensitive about the reality, psychologically sinking to a lonely island so that he couldn’t make right judgment about the situation surrounding him and started to do the “unthinkable”
Just sorted out my Christmas order! It was cancelled and I have to reorder it!!
Okay, Valentines!!
Maybe it’s after Valentines???(hoping, really hoping)
We got a scene of them celebrating anniversary (the day they met) but that was during the ending phase of the affair. It’s was all cold and strange in that state of their relationship. He got that two modes: keeping distance (cold and composed, not making Lina angry because didn’t want to fight and was tired of fighting with her and Katie) mode and the affair mode.
But it was getting better when he came upstairs and Lina reconnected with him (ice melting).
Cannot imagine they were celebrating valentines when the affair was fresh and exciting to him. Now I think, if they did, given he can compartmentalize, I guess he probably would just switch to mode one and be similar to the anniversary “state” of him. Because Lina was angry to him all the time, so she wouldn’t require him to be lovey dovey or super romantic, she didn’t even realize how long they hadn’t been intimate during the affair (simply lost track of reality/normalcy) that definitely can tell the cold and indifferent were mutual and how bad their marriage was during the rough patch. It was all odd and strange back to that period of time.
Remember girls Phil started pulling away from her after SB. Also, the Pink tie was another incident when he two worlds were colliding. We talked about this with Laura and Phil had slept with Kim on Thursday and then Lina on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday because of their reconnection. The breakup scene happened on Monday.
Yes, Phil’s interest began to wane after Steamboat. That was the fist time his two world collided.
Forgot to add!
And when SB happened, the collision of two worlds made it difficult for him to compartmentalise. Lina and consequences always recurred in his affair mode. He cannot avoid them(escape from) to continue the affair. He slightly became “one” again which made him back to “feel” things in the right way again. When he started to be “sensitive” to the reality, it’s ending phase???
I am just glad that it was in ending phase Thank God! Because getting past the 4 month affair was really hard. But he started the affair in February Berenice Would he have celebrated the valentines day with Lina. What do you think 🤔
Hit the wrong button…
【Just sorted out my Christmas order! It was cancelled and I have to reorder it!!
Okay, Valentines!!
Maybe it’s after Valentines???(hoping, really hoping)
We got a scene of them celebrating anniversary (the day they met) but that was during the ending phase of the affair. It’s was all cold and strange in that state of their relationship. He got that two modes: keeping distance (cold and composed, not making Lina angry because didn’t want to fight and was tired of fighting with her and Katie) mode and the affair mode.
But it was getting better when he came upstairs and Lina reconnected with him (ice melting).
Cannot imagine they were celebrating valentines when the affair was fresh and exciting to him. Now I think, if they did, given he can compartmentalize, I guess he probably would just switch to mode one and be similar to the anniversary “state” of him. Because Lina was angry to him all the time, so she wouldn’t require him to be lovey dovey or super romantic, she didn’t even realize how long they hadn’t been intimate during the affair (simply lost track of reality/normalcy) that definitely can tell the cold and indifferent were mutual and how bad their marriage was during the rough patch. It was all odd and strange back to that period of time.】
Esra Phil was a loyal faithful partner for 25 years. He wouldn’t have had a condom on him because he wouldn’t have needed one. Also the heat of the moment he was furious, hurt and out of control. Kim had a good professional reputation, clean and pretty. She assures him she was on the pill and just wants to have fun. The Thanksgiving scene when it come to light that she was specifically after him is when he himself said he was an idiot and trusted the wrong person.
Yes,
the dumbfounded realization actually very comply with his character. He is not a womanizer so he at times was a little clueless to Kim’s scheme (or in general to read women as opposite sex with illicit potential) and not very sharp when he and kim were in different universes wanting to get completely different things from the fling. He thought rules of having an affair were clear between kim and him. He probably thought he covered all the basics what could go wrong lol.
Idk, when an amazing man like Phil had these kind of shortcomings, in hindsight we can judge him, but strangely I found this side of him “cute”.
Ps using condoms MEAS he THOUGHT too much about affair and having affair, not very him.
Exactly — Phil wasn’t planning to cheat on Lina. There was no premeditation and therefore no condom. He didn’t carry condoms around. He hadn’t worn a condom since he was a teenager. And Berenice is correct — it showed Phil’s recklessness.
Girls the Class of 2018 was once asked by Laura which scene we would of liked to see expanded. I chose the baseball scene out of WPF. I had to know what happened from the time he left the garage until the next morning when he told Lina about the affair and baby. Laura didn’t disappoint…loved the scene and answered my questions.
Laura believe it or not I do still have a question? The scene in WPF where Lina is watching Phil and Logan in the pool and she is reflecting on their retirement plans after Logan graduated college. Would that be something he would remember or think to himself that is one more thing his actions had taken away from Lina?
I can see it…an intimate setting the Sunday evening after Logan’s college graduation. Liam is gone for the month with Kim’s parents. The house is quite and Lina cuddles up to Phil wondering what he his thinking..he expresses how he feels he’s let her down again because this should be their time now….Lina would probably take his face in her hands and say something like I wouldn’t change anything about our life or miss the experience of raising Liam….etc…Laura your the word person…but would he have those feelings????
OMG! Tracie! Love that. Girl your imagination is the best!!! I know it is too much to ask but Laura if you ever have time please write a scene on that one. (or you can always make it a part of Liam’s book like when she would look at grown-up Liam and think about it) After all the class of 2021 should have the same benefit as class of 2018.
Tracie! Your Phil is always sooooo thoughtful to Lina and only Lina. That made him so “sweet”😂
I can totally see Phil capable of having these feeling to Lina and only Lina. Compliant to his personality, in my opinion.
I think yes. At some point, something would happen — one of their friends would be enjoying an early retirement and he would think about what Lina sacrificed. I’m sure you could do the scene justice, Tracie 🙂
If I wasn’t in the middle of another novel with another H in my head, I’d write it.
Yes 58 today. Three years ago today you wrote me the scene of Lina cooking dinner and taking Phil on the couch. The. Next day was my hip surgery and you let us read the scene where Phil was vulnerable after the picture scene. Great year…my friend!
Wow — I can hardly believe that much time has past.
Happy Birthday, my friend. Love you.
Thank you and love you too sister….
Tracie!!
Just read this!!
Happy belated birthday!!☺️
Hi Tracie,
Hope you are well.
I see your comments about Laura explaining what Phil did after leaving Lina a d baseball field. Is that the scene where he is in Kim bedroom? I hate to think I missed a Laura scene but happy to hunt for it.
Holley
Hi Holley. I’m well thank you. Yes it was the one where he bought the pregnancy test and went to her house. They were in her bedroom a s he put his fist through the wall. Loved it!
Hi Tracie,
Thank you. That scene was so intense! I can’t even imagine what his drive back home was like and finding Lina asleep.
In the book, he takes the kids to church the next morning before taking them to his brother’s. He must have been in hell after coming to the realization Lina needed to know.
I bet he was sick Holley. He was fixing to bring his whole world down and hurt the only woman he has ever or could ever love. Remember the scene Laura wrote where he was leaving his office after the separation and he told Kim “you hurt the only woman I will ever love and you are the woman I will always regret.” Wow just Wow!
Happy belated birthday Tracie, wishing you many more and speedy recovery for your hip surgery.
Thanks Tracie! It was so great having you with us because you were always spot on with your analysis. I know it may sound stupid but I have always understood Phil a tad bit more because of my own personal issues . Not because I try to justify his actions but because I have also been in that fog situation and I have also hurt someone. To someone who has never experienced it would always find it hard to believe but whenever I look back it is like having an out of body experience. How could I have done that? Was it really me? I feel appalled shocked and most importantly disgusted.I have been constantly judged by others but in the end was forgiven by the one who mattered to me most. Because these books made me see the error of my way. Although my situation was different but from February to till now I have accomplished so much. Something I wasn’t able to do in the previous year. So Laura whenever someone criticize your work remember that you saved a life. You saved this girl life. After reading your book I was able to understand the power of the words. ‘Not all superheroes wear capes’.
God! the connection I feel is unexplainable and words aren’t enough because I would always have a more than a simply reader relation with these books. I know I am getting emotional and this post is getting long but just wanted to let you know the wonder you have done for me. Thanks Laura. I wish all of you girls a wonderful Christmas. May your lives gets filled with happiness joy and most importantly health.
hear, hear! class of 2021
I think I am more a “holding Phil accountable” type of readers! Like to ask difficult questions! Don’t want to give him easy pass. He was himself whether it’s low point of his life or high point of his life. Personally, I haven’t done anything so “out of character” yet. But I could relate to the compartmentalization theory. Because of that, I see the coherence and incoherence clearly and in an analytic way. Therefore, I am more acute to how the two lines were crossed and weaved in his mistake and in him as a person. That is why mistake was terrible but his actions to make things better were honorable (at least to me). I so agree with Laura’s comment on actions vs grovels. Besides feeling tearful for Lina and Phil, my guilt pleasure was to see him suffering from the fear of losing Lina etc etc. and I got that from the second half of WPF and SN! I am satisfied!!
One weakness of mine would be always siding with Lina too much! I am in awe of her strength to forgive, to love and to embrace ebbs and flows.
LOL…THAT IS NOT A WEAKNESS! it is standing up for what you think is right and just because I said I understood doesn’t mean that I said he should have gotten an easy pass. A lot of people had commented that he started the affair because he was bored in his marriage and I just wanted people to realize that something must have been going through his mind at that time of his life for him to do something as you said so out of character. Our mind sometimes start thinking things that are not true and we do something we thought we won’t be able to do ever. But does it justify our actions? Hell No!…
I think losing touch with his normalcy(Lina) made him capable of being selfish and reckless. He became insensitive to his action’s potential consequences and it weakened his judgement. That’ my exploration to logically understand “compartmentalization”, in Phil’s case.
Were you referring some comments on “Goodreads”?? They were “horrible”. I read one even said that Phil was unconsciously in love with KIM at that time but didn’t want to admit….Gosh can you imagine!?! How could they think that??
Thank you so much Bernice. Exactly! I was referring to those comments. The reason I wasn’t able to read it at the time it came out because I was part of a cheating romance group and they told me that his Mistress sends the picture of them having sex in their room and I was like what! And I remember they also told me that she sends her sex-tape to wife. After reading it I was like did they and I even read the same thing. One said in her review that Phil was abusive toward Liam. If you don’t like something that is another thing but misleading and posting false reviews. Gosh they made me so mad 😡
Zaincruise I’m sorry you had to go through anything at all honey. But I do know that any adversity we have to go through in life, not only makes us wiser, but stronger as well. I hope your person cherishes you just like Phil cherished Lina.
Zaincruise — you are a special person. I can feel it in your words. Thank you for sharing and I’m honored that my words made a difference in your life — ❤ Laura
Girls, I have to say I absolutely loved zaincruise’s comment on you girls being the Class of 2021. Such a testament to your writing talent Laura. WPF was published in 2017 and SN in 2019 and your work and endless imagination still draws emotion from so many and leaves us begging for more. Love ya doll!
Lina was definitely emotionally cheating with Nick. They couldn’t be friends in the normal sense of the word — he was in a power position. She was in awe of him. She had noticed how handsome he was. She was aware of him as a man. She liked going to the appointments and talking to him — she looked forward to them.
When someone is on your mind you can’t help but talk about them — it was implied very heavily in WPF that Lina brought up Nick often.
Imagine how Lina would have felt if Phil talked about a female all the time — how smart they were etc. etc.
Both Phil and Lina were struggling with how to handle a difficult teenager. Katie begins seeing Nick and immediately begins to respond.
While Phil is relieved at some level, he is also uncomfortable that family issues are being discussed with a stranger — a stranger that his wife clearly looks up to and can’t stop talking about.
At the same time, Lina is rejecting Phil physically. They are arguing more and she can’t turn that anger on and off — this implied that Phil could because yes he is a man and can compartmentalize. Even after an argument he still wanted to be physical with Lina. She didn’t.
The emotional bond was failing because she was creating a connection with another person and the physical connection was also breaking.
Phil felt like he failed Katie — he doesn’t have the emotional skills to tell Lina he feels like a failure. He probably doesn’t even consciously know it — he feels anger and frustration and rejection from his wife.
Perfect storm.
Does it give him a right to go out and have sex with another woman? Absolutely not.
Does Lina hold some of the blame for the deterioration of their bond? Absolutely.
Okay! So it’s Lina bonded with Nick first and her emotional tie with Phil failing, then the physical connection was also breaking??
If she was in awe of Nick and bonded with him first and think of him more a man than a doctor or a friend in odd condition, then I get the emotional cheating logic. I misunderstood that she started to notice his good looking, attractiveness only after the WPF began which was months after she and Phil were experiencing a rough patch. I didn’t link fights between Lina and Phil to her Nick connection in a causal way.
Thank you Laura!! For patiently reading our thoughts and answer our questions!!
Laura you don’t know how grateful I am that it was you who wrote it. You always patiently answer our questions even when we are driving you nuts. Where would we find a writer like you! I am patiently gonna wait for your next book.
Okay, another thing!!
In my “petty” opinion, It’s definitely not 50/50 responsibility right??😳
I should’ve said percentage is not important and trivial. But I team Lina, feel for her and project so many emotions on her.😳
In my opinion, physically cheating is worse than emotional cheating but they are both damaging to a relationship and with many people emotional cheating leads (eventually) to physical cheating. Having said that, I don’t believe Lina would ever have crossed that line.
As far as percentage responsibility for their problems? It doesn’t matter. I don’t think knowing someone else is more responsible makes the pain any less. And Phil knows crossing the physical line, regardless of Lina’s relationship with Nick, did catastrophic damage to his family. He believes he was 100 percent responsible for the temporary collapse of their marriage.
I agreeeeee!
I think that only if one partner knows clearly that he/she is in love with someone else, they feel trapped but too coward to seek divorce/breakup, even they decided to remain faithful physically, it would be way worse than physically cheating!
As to Phil and Lina’s case, I would say Lina was a borderline case of emotionally cheating?? In the meantime, no matter how physical and superficial Phil’s fling with Kim, still it was a solid act?? It’s not a one time thing and it was a little more than just a sexual transaction. He had “done the deed”. It’s simply a full blown affair. If he was not married, it would have been a horrible ex girlfriend/date situation?? For me, it checked all the boxes to be an insignificant relationship/non-relationship relationship.
So I agree physically cheating is generally worse.
Laura, I like reading this blog so much! Thank you for creating the “Hunter universe”!!!!
I have finished a lot of books recommended by this blog!
I kept coming back to and still cannot get over this one question! In your opinion, what would Phil do in an alternative universe, if he lost Lina whether it’s because of divorce or she passed away before him? Would he move on???🥺
I secretly hope not😳. (sounded childish, I know)
Me too, I don’t want him move on! we want him with Lina only no one can take her place.
Edited Response
If Lina died (which she won’t, because she will live well into her 90s and die within moments of Phil), Phil would never remarry — no way.
If Lina divorced Phil and never remarried. Phil would never remarry.
If Lina divorced Phil and remarried – Lina would never remarry because she would never get over losing Phil.
Tracie is right, their love would always endure. They are meant to be together.
For me, there is no alternate universe. Their love was so strong and to me almost magical. Adele said it best…I know you two would get back together. You were pitiful apart! She also told Lina get back with him you refuse to move on! Love loving this love story! 😘
Those words have made me swoon. I agree It doesn’t matter who was to blame and how much because it doesn’t make the pain any less. but what matters is that these two have found their way back to each other and I believe that almost losing each other has made their bond much stronger than before. AS someone in SN had said “who could come between that” Gosh, I can’t wipe the goofy smile off my face.
So true and it was Gina that said that at the partner dinner after their reconciliation.
Yes! Yes! I am happy with all the comments about my “AU” question!
Thank you for the response, Laura! Tracie and zaincruise, Thank you for the reassurance!!
Satisfied~satisfied~ ☺️
I know, I know there’s no AU. But I need to know that their love trumps all the banal odds! This “haunted” me for quite some times. True as what I believe, they are each other’s endgame in all the universes.
Wow Laura thank you so much for this. But I personally think that Phil wasn’t trying to downplay his affair. Yes he may have flirted with her and their conversation may have steered in inappropriate direction but still she doesn’t know about him and he doesn’t know about her much. In his mind it was irrelevant. I have a guy friend in Uni who flirt with everyone but he never realize what he is doing until I point out to him. They are stupid like that LOL. I think Laura must have studied men closely because most of the men in my circle are like that. They would get angry after doing something wrong and would want everything to sweep under the rug. Remember when Lina said ‘how can you not remember that picture which has caused me so much pain’ I am not defending him and I am not saying everything was OK because it was horrible! But when he texted kim requesting to meet her for an hour or purposely wanted her to go on a business trip with him we all know it wasn’t because of her charming personality. She was not a whore but she acted like on. Totally with Lina on that one. ( I know she was not the only one to blame because Phil was a willing partner but in her egotistical and self-centered way she mistook his booty calls for love). One thing I want to say is that please don’t go in a bakery to buy a chocolate cake and then complain about too much chocolate in it. Some reviews on goodreads are down right nasty and doesn’t make any sense. I think Laura has took something controversial and made us think in a totally different way. I have never read a book with cheating before but after this one I am on a hunt. But nothing has satisfied me as this one. Loved how adventurous Phil and lina were in the bedroom. Phil was such a baby when it comes to Lina. Their chemistry was off the charts. Love them so much 😍
I think that “downplay” is a way of sweeping things under the rug??
I completely agree that Kim is insignificant to him. But he didn’t get the seriousness and gravity of what he had done until he was kicked out by Lina?? Laura once said separation was a wake-up call for him?? Otherwise, he kept wanting to sweep things under the rug and nudge Lina to get over it.
Also, was Phil the “keeping respectful distance to female acquaintance”/being nonchalant type of man?? He carnally flirted with Kim only because of his affair with HER?? and requiring Kim for business trip or texting her for lunch rendezvous was because they are having an affair?? Kim was willing, attractive and interesting to talk. All qualities for an eligible fling partner??? the fling partner had to have those basics? Otherwise, why men would want to have an affair with them?? He did enjoyed her for a short period of time. Laura said he was very attracted to her at the time. I mean in a carnal way.
don’t want to sound like I am defending Kim. I despise and hate her…
Just saying fling/affair was not mechanical or impersonal, there’re personal traits. He might be out of character but he was still him when he had the fling. Compartmetalization did not mean he lost all his personality????? He was not in vegetative state or only passively responded to the affair with Kim?? 🥺
He was discreet meaning he knew what he was doing and he didn’t want Lina find out and get hurt??? He told Kim at the beginning that they are having fun nothing more indicating he made sure this part of his life wouldn’t collide with his normalcy??…etc etc. Very contradictory but somehow I found them inherently coherent. After all, He and Kim did all the things that insignificant non-relationship relationships would entail…that made Lina heartbroken and me very angsty…🥺
I think the comforting things were that he didn’t love Kim or even cared about her.
He was definitely forgivable and redeemable.
I have mix feeling about Phil…I found what he did was HORRIBLE but he as a person is “sweet”, sexy, made me tearful at times etc etc……what’s wrong with me (sigh)
LOL nothing is wrong with you. People are not one dimensional. Good people do bad things. Phil is a good guy that did a bad thing. That’s the bottom line. In my opinion you are the sum of your actions — Phil’s actions were mostly upstanding with one colossal failure.
Seriously it was amazing talking to you Berenice. I felt so bad that why didn’t I read it when it came out so I could be in on the conversation that took place here. but with Laura answering and Tracie insight and your questions I didn’t feel left out. It was amazing and enlightening experience for me. We are the Class of 2021. last time I was taking to Miri on goodreads and I said if there had been any exam on Laura’s blog we all would have been the top students with the amount of time we have spent here. LOL 😂
Me too! I feel happy to read all your words! I am also very grateful for Laura and Tracie’s answers!!
Cheers to class of 2021!
Totally agree with you. Thank God he didn’t take her out locally and didn’t buy anything for her( now please don’t tell me he did 😬) but I think if he had Kim wouldn’t have pull that lingerie stunt.I console myself by saying that it must have started somewhere in February and SB incident happened in April and two weeks after the affair ended so it must have been more than 3 and less than full 4 months. Irrelevant I know! but I am weird like that. Loved all of your answers. If you guys ever read anything like that please share it with me. THANKs
He didn’t! I can assure you! That’s why I really like to picture Kim as a high school hookup case/girlfriend which ended badly. She really had that kind of vibe, lol.
He had clear idea that they were having fun and he loved Lina during the 4 months. My understanding is the compartmentalization made him recklessly think it’s okay to have fun. It’s a disconnection from his normalcy which only occurred when he became selfish and he was unwanted by Lina etc etc. It made him insensitive to his action’s potential consequences because he lost touch with his normalcy(Lina) which weakened his judgment. But that doesn’t mean he was innocently auto-piloting or “possessed” supernaturally. He made conscious decision in my opinion.
I think his personality didn’t change so it’s against his personality to buy gift for a fling partner. He in general wouldn’t be that thoughtful to women other than Lina. Unlike H in Adultery Club who was too English, long inner dialogue, cared about everyone’s feeling, liked to philosophically think about his existence and “Life’s true meaning” etc etc….To my best recollection, Phil was not even into Broadway shows. The H in Adultery Club was constantly quoting art and literature to make sense of himself and situation….like a lost adult/ middle age boy(moisten weeping inside). so he sent gifts to OW not Phil.
Idk about the percentage but I think whatever happenend in those time must have been something big in Phil’s mind. If the situation were reverse and it was Phil who had met kim as a psychiatrist and thought how attractive she was and had gone to the lunch with her and had gotten angry at Lina for not understanding and questioning her methods and confiding in Kim and pulling away from Lina physically on top of that Katie saying she wished she wasn’t her mother then I can see Lina making the exact same mistake. We are taking about a man who was the center of Lina’s attention and then he wasn’t. He himself said that she wanted me and you didn’t. Lina withdrawal from him killed him because when she pulled away from him that made him vulnerable. His affair with Kim didn’t happened because he thought that sex with Lina was boring (like in adultery club) and he just couldn’t help himself. Sex with Lina was best and then lina reaction turned it into something he couldn’t handle at that time that’s why he started the affair. Kim made him feel wanted and made him feel good. She was easy to fuck because she had given him unfettered access to herself not because it was boring between them. In his mind he never crossed more than physical line with her but in Kim mind he did because she never knew what he was dealing with at home and what made him want her. She thought it was her beauty and attractiveness that had made the affair between them possible and he may have feelings for her. But that was never the case. I am not justifying his cheating or his actions but I refused to believe that he started the affair because he wanted to try something new. Remember when he said that Lina was the only woman he had made love to I think what he was saying that she was the only woman whose body he had worshipped and admired. It was only after coming out of the the fog he realized what he done and he immediately realized that the blame was all on him, that was why he never let Lina take the blame and said that she was the selfless one in the relationship.
Then, the timeline is very important?
I don’t think it happened as Lina and Nick bonded and because of that Lina pulling away, then they fought, fought a lot and Phil slipped.
It’s not happening in that order? The causality was also not like that? If Phil behaved more understanding or communicating, all the things wouldn’t have happened. But he is not that kind of men. He is not Nick type. That made him attractive with flaws.
And the bond between Nick and Lina, it had the built up. One thing led to another?Lina didn’t find Nick attractive immediately or look at him more a man than a psychiatrist immediately. Nick was nice, easy to talk, giving her advice from a direction Phil couldn’t (or simply it is not Phil’s personality to think that way. Needless to mention, he improved Katie’s situation). and this whole time, Phil fought a lot with Lina. Was it because of her pulling away? I see it primarily as he didn’t want to listen to advice from Psychiatrist. Phil was struggling to come to terms that he didn’t know how to parent Katie because she was different. That made him difficult to be with. It had the effect that also pushed Lina further away, and made her rely on Nick more and more. It’s not that Lina met Nick for the first time and found him attractive, and the second week decided to go to lunch with him, and then started to confide with him her marital problems? Her marriage down spiraled the whole course of Katie’s problem? they changed six psychiatrists before Nick. So when Nick improved Katie, Lina can’t stop talking about him, to Phil’s great annoyance. Nick’s willingness gave her a chance to see his other “merits”??
Also, if role exchanged, given Lina’s personality, she probably would work with Phil on solving Katie’s problem. So Phil wouldn’t have the ground to build a relationship beyond professional patient’s parent/doctor with a beautiful psychiatrist.
I totally agree Phil/Kim is physical, superficial and ephemeral. I just feel that it’s unfair to look at it as emotional affair vs Physical affair? Realistically thinking, a lot of women in that extreme situation and peculiar context would let a man like Nick grow on them? Lina can’t control Nick’s feeling and she was vulnerable, so she received his kindness and let it grow on her?? It definitely became destructive to her marriage and further damaged her connection with Phil.
Also, talking about Phil’s flaws, during the separation and SN, Phil worked on them a little bit? More understanding with the Katie situation (reluctantly still?) Putting Lina before himself, so he would not just want to assert his way but listen to Lina’s perspective (Logan’ situation, “don’t want his wife to be mad at him”). For Lina’s part, she reflected on her problems as well. Such as when it comes to parenting she let Phil be the “bad guy” voicing out unpopular decisions to the kids etc.
Wow some interesting points! but we don’t know what lina would have done if she had been in that situation. Phil was also a good and decent man who always put his wife first until he did what no one could believe. Remember how hard it was for lina to believe that he could have done something like that! Even he himself can’t believe it. You are probably right but humans are unpredictable.
He didn’t put her first. He put himself first sometimes especially during the affair. also before the rough patch, he probably was dominant and not considerate sometimes. If he was that acute to Lina’s every need, he wouldn’t be that alpha?? He is a work in progress even in SN. Because he sometimes could hold back his own assertiveness and made Lina feel difficult (Logan situation or Lina going to work or after SN, he was grumpy talking to Lina about Kim’s visitation)
Because of that he had an opposite personality to Nick and Lina, that is why he is the alpha readers love and hate, not Nick???
He was good and decent. Man of principle, man of faith and man of his own words. That is his character. But personality wise, he was not the understanding, good at communicating type. He treated doctor’s advice like him invading his territory because he felt that he knew better about parenting. But actually Nick knows better especially in Katie’s situation! Sometimes, Katie’s critique on him was quite validating.
I do feel bad for Phil that when he was not Lina’s center of attention, he felt low and unwanted. But I insisted that he had a choice and made a bad one. It’s an understandable mistake?? if he behaved like what he was in SN, they probably wouldn’t have gone through the whole “rough patch”. I won’t downplay his affair the way he did when the affair first came to light. Like sex with Lina was meaningful, sex with other women were not? then why you had meaningless sex with Kim? You got emotion fix thru physical act. And Lina should not care and just forgave him for his “huge mistake”? I mean affair is an affair. A married man met the ow to have sex, spent time with ow outside bedroom. Like when he and Kim dined out during business trips, yes he communicated with her mainly about cases, but I am sure she had witty comment and flirty words made him laugh and flirted back. the talk at the bar, it cannot just be case related. It might not touch anything too personal or too deep but they definitely had enjoyable/ fun conversation plus the fact they had sex/intimacy which was another dimension added in their “non-relationship”. Lets’ say, If Nick asked Lina to have sex with him or have affair with him during that time, Lina would have been horrified. So my point is Lina was oblivious even Nick was kinda confused. They didn’t have Phil’s preemptive state of mind to start or continue an affair (Phil’s case was “continue”, first time a one night stand) emotionally or physically. Nick and Lina were not even on the same illicit track as Phil and Kim. That is why they could remain friendly after SN? Their friendship was the primary foundation??This is the woman drove to see him without an appointment etc and it impressed him greatly. And this is the man who really cared about her as a human being not because she was attractive but her character etc.
Well as far as I am concern I think Katie was quite hateful toward her father at the time and must have said many hurtful things to him, on top of that (I am not a parent but your child saying hurtful words to you must have been quite devastating) Lina didn’t help the situation by preferring Nick advice instead of making Phil understand and she shut herself down from him which created that illusion in his mind that he was failing as a father. Yes I think kim wanting him was exactly what needed at the time because he felt unwanted by his family.
I think Lina tried? Remember the phone call they had at the night when Phil slept with Kim for the first time? She explained everything. The treatment was working and Lina saw it. Phil was too pighead to see it. That call happened months after the treatment started and Lina had been pulling away from him already. Things were bad between them but she still explained to him.
Given that, during the early months, Lina definitely explained why and how. It’s just Phil’s character made him hard to accept that his way was not working at that time.
yes yes, I remember even before learning about the affair she was quite disturbed by the way Nick was looking at her. I m not saying this to be a woman-hater but if she had crossed that line with Nick it would have been much more meaningful than Phil and Kim. I am glad she didn’t. Wow Tracie your comment was spot on. Kim was more like” do you want the file on Braxton’s case or you would rather want me to get on my knees so I could take you to LALA land” whereas Nick was a nice guy who cared for Lina and respected her boundaries. The kiss between them was HOT! with a capital H. But still, Phil made me swoon with his hunger for Lina. Zaincruise! don’t bring up that jerk from inhale-exhale he makes me want to take out my voodoo doll. LOL
Hi Girls…I love reading all your comments. These books are truly an enlightening experience. I believe that Kim and Nick were both what Lina and Phil needed at the time of their perfect storm situation. You girls were talking about cuddling between Phil and Kim which would be no, because that’s emotional. But no one ever brings up Lina cuddling with Nick in WPF. Remember when she spends the night at Nicks and knocks on his bedroom door and he has to get dressed and cuddles her through the night! Phil needed the attention of a good hard fast physical bang and Lina was the one that needed the emotional attention for her escape. Phil might have stripped physically, but Lina stripped emotionally.
Omg! Where were you I was just waiting for you as always you said what I was trying to say because as Laura said you always have gotten Phil! Thank you Tracie!
Hi Tracie! I kinda gave Lina a pass on “cuddling with Nick”. Because I got to “see” the scene and I found it actually had nothing to do with Nick (maybe only a little bit)? It’s more like Lina want something to make her feel safe and secure? And it happened after Lina was sure she would divorce/end with Phil, after she received pictures etc. Before that, Lina treated Nick more like an attractive therapist, and the attraction she felt were mostly due to Nick’s ability to solve the Katie problem.
I think that you and Laura both pointed Lina’s pulling away from Phil many times. It did give me a better understanding but I really don’t think she had better way to stop this happening (allow Nick to grow on her). Because during five/six months before the affair started, she began to take Katie to see Nick. During the course of treatment, Phil was not a good communicator. Lina probably could not find a middle ground to meet with Phil regarding taking doctor’s advice or making changes over parenting Katie. It’s mutual pulling away, not in sequence. If Phil was more understanding, Lina would have been unlikely to “be angry with him” or “reject him in bed” all the time. Phil’s alpha personality is a double blade sword. He couldn’t be a understanding partner when it comes the Katie problem, even most of the time he is a good father and devoted husband etc. That is why he is flawed? And based on that, I see him grow in SN.
Anyway, I really don’t think Lina had an emotional affair with Nick. It might be above friendship but below lovers of any kind (before she discovered the affair). but Phil’s affair/fling was his own weakness because he needed another attractive woman to make him feel better. It was physical but the enjoyment he got from sleeping with Kim, interacting with her over the cases they had been handling or receiving her affection (her wanting him must make his ego happy!) were an emotion level fix (he LIKED what he had done with Kim, so he continued it). A fix he needed at the time and Lina could not give him. Even it was superficial and could never compensate remotely to what he craved from Lina, it did check all the boxes to be qualified as an affair/fling.
I knew men and women regard sex differently. But sex is intimate and he is not a robot. If he could be flirty with Kim, I think he knew what he was doing, and because of the compartmentalization, he didn’t think of Lina or in his mind, Lina was a parallel universe to what he was doing with Kim, and he just selfishly let it happen.
I really like Phil. His flaw made him somewhat hotter, lol.
but I always love Lina and team Lina. She is his better half, truly.
I think all the things happened between her and nick were a natural progression. Phil was the one had a choice and he made the wrong choice, a mistake. Lina loved him so much, so she forgave him and moved forward with him. They healed together, grew together and were in a better place.
I can see what your saying Berenice. But Lina and Nicks reaction to each other was not what I would say to be clinical. They had the hots for each other before Phil confessed his affair. Lina was already thinking about him. Remember the scene I’m where he throws his phone and says I’ll just work and make the money…He felt at that moment he was on the outside looking into his household. Because Lina had already started seeking out Nick instead of Phil. So he went down to the bar and the fling began. Was Phil wrong…absolutely! Was Lina innocent absolutely not.
Okay, clinical is the wrong word.
But I thought before the affair, Lina pulling away from Phil was more because they argued a lot about Katie and Phil didn’t want to follow Nick’s advice on treating Katie? That constant fighting situation between them and Nick made himself available for more personal counseling plus Nick treatment was working drove Lina towards Nick and made her pulling away from Phil? She wasn’t aware of her attraction to him until Phil confessed his affair?? I felt that Lina said word “confuse” a lot when it came to Nick. It indicated that she was vulnerable in the months before, during and after affair so she let Nick in, because Phil became so difficult to talk. Paraphrasing what Diane said, it’s innocent and became something more only after the disclosure of the affair???
Berenice she had the attraction in Chapter 2 of WPF. Why would her child’s psychiatrist make time for Lina to have more personal counseling? Phil pointed that out to Lina as well. Advisement on Katie is one thing, but helping Lina navigate her marriage is another. He provided the personal counseling because they were harboring feelings toward each other, whether those feelings were confusing or not.
Okay, I got it.
My previous thought was that Lina thought Nick was amazing and they become friends (even they should not). Based on that friendship, when everything went down with Phil, Lina looked at Nick from a new angle with potential, adding on his confession about being attracted to her.
A lot of relationship started from friendship, so I thought their friendship opened door for Lina’s attraction to him, only waiting for the right time??
And to define their friendship, on Lina’s part, I thought it’s complicated. She was desperate with the Katie situation and Nick had the solutions. It’s an appreciation for his professional skill and he was nice to her , willing to communicate with her and listened to her etc. She was quite special comparing to other patients’ parents? Insisting on meeting him without an appointment definitely impressed him. So, even at the very beginning, there’s personal touch in their interaction as patient’s mother and the psychiatrist. so one thing led to another. Maybe Nick was aware of his feeling towards Lina much earlier than Lina. He might self reflect on why he crossed so many boundaries and make the situation peculiar for Lina. But Lina was oblivious because there’s nothing she could do to stop her relying more and more on him to a tipping point that she became aware?
I realized that this interpretation is not Laura’s intention when she wrote about Lina and Nick. My take probably derived from what I define “male friends”? and my observation on people who started as friends turning into a relationship.
Phil was the one had a choice and made the bad choice. As for Lina, I am on the fence. I didn’t feel Lina had the choice with the Nick situation. And she stopped to proceed with Nick when the “timing” really came and she did have a choice. simply because she realized the built up between Nick and her was not love.
But Tracie, your words made more sense. Lina was not innocent. I sided with Lina too much to be objective.
Berenice I also think Lina liked flirting with the idea of Nick because he was helping Katie and there was no fight in him like with Phil regarding Katie. Nick was easy and attentive, plus Katie was getting better. Which maybe even fueled Linas anger at Phil because he wasn’t as easy as Nick. Lina and Nick were similar in personality and demeanor. Remember some of their talks when he talked about going on a month hike and how Lina would love to do that but Phil was to competitive to do just hike. How she loved the day out on the boat with him, art, poetry etc. But when he kissed her in the parking lot and she felt his erection against her belly she ran like a scalded dog. I always felt like Lina used Nick for comfort and advice, when in all reality Lina knew he never stood a chance with her.
Nick was her anchor in the perfect storm.
I needed to add one thing to that last sentence….Nick was Linas anchor in the perfect storm….but it should of been Phil! Which was both Lina and Phil’s mistake.
Tracie!! What you said was my part of justification that Lina and Nick were friends and innocent until it was not!! (The built up)
It’s my definition of having a male friend! Having overlapping hobbies with him and him being attentive, easy to talk, and even being comforting when I encounter difficulties.
I had this one experience! A male friend of mine was very attentive, comforting and talking philosophy, poetry and literature with me all the time. I really enjoyed his company until he said he liked me and wanted to be more than friends. The whole friendship lasted two years before he said that! I was shocked! I thought we were friends! In retrospect, I do feel that I might lead him on a little bit. But I still think we’re just friends and I was innocent. He treated me differently and made him more available for me. these were all his decision. And because he made my experience with him so pleasant and easy, I interacted with him more and my behaviors changed slowly.
I interpreted Lina in the same way. Nick made him available, pleasant and lighthearted plus the whole Katie improving while Phil being difficult. It’s him genuinely falling for Lina and his real character (contrasting to Kim faking her personality and disguising her true self in order to get Phil). But Lina was oblivious until the tipping point plus right timing. Then she was aware. And Phil knew he was having an affair at the very beginning. He just didn’t get the full gravity of it and didn’t foresee all the consequences of it until he walked away from the fog.
I hit the wrong button. My calculation of share of responsibility was below another post….lol
[Emmm, it should be Phil. But Phil made it impossible. The share of responsibility is definitely not 50/50.
I would say 20/80 to the most. A desperate mother Lina was, how she could ever make her available or concentrate on him as usual? Even a remorseful and humbled Phil during separation, he showed his difficult personality from time to time regarding Katie or his own man child idea of feeling hurt over “Lina choosing Nick over him” moment.]
I need to add this. It’s like Phils words “Nick is working on Lina” I think he tried to restrain but couldn’t stop caring and giving her his attention. And that made Lina rely on him more. Pretty “organic”?? Lol
Also, Lina ran to Nick not Adele or her mother or Diane. It might look questionable when first looked into it. But to think Nick’s characteristics and his function in Lina’s system, it made sense. None of her friends, sisters or even her mother could have that logic mind and sympathetic tone (even the base of these was him falling in love with her). Diane and her mother would nudge her back with Phil and Adele would “curse” Phil but no sound solutions (he even served as couple therapist to listen to her talking about problems with Phil). Thru the treatment of Katie, Lina developed a system to rely on Nick for advice. I think that Lina sub or unconsciously treated him as her personal therapist. It’s convenient for her because she didn’t have a proper therapist/patient bond with Nick, so she might open her mind more easily when treated him as a de facto doc. The reliance she displayed on him gave me more clinical vibe than romantic vibe. 😂
Emmm, it should be Phil. But Phil made it impossible. The share of responsibility is definitely not 50/50.
I would say 20/80 to the most. A desperate mother Lina was, how she could ever make her available or concentrate on him as usual? Even a remorseful and humbled Phil during separation, he showed his difficult personality from time to time regarding Katie or his own man child idea of feeling hurt over “Lina choosing Nick over him” moment.
I just finished inhale and exhale the guy was one of the biggest jerk in romance novel. The wife was stable enough to leave the kids with so they both could go to the Hotel together but she wasn’t stable enough for him. Damn I am so mad 😡 I think I need therapy after this.
hmmm I think if Kim had not turned narcissist he would have been civil with her and would have tried to avoid her as much he could so the option of treating her with affection seems far-fetched to me. because he would have looked at her and regretted being with her knowing how could he have done that to Lina!!!!!
But yeah I don’t think he would be nice to her for him she would have been ceased to exist after he ended it with her. In another scenario where suppose she was a victim. ( a woman who fell in love with her married boss and was nice) he would have been civil to her but that was it. Nothing more nothing less. But thank God she isn’t because I love hating her. 😂😂😂
Omg, I forgot to think in this direction! Yes, after he ended it with Kim, no matter what kind of person she was, he probably could not look at her without any nausea or hated himself for doing this to Lina.
So, what do you guys think that if Lina was not as “perfect” as in WPF and SN, made things more difficult for him to repair their relationship, reunite as a family and let Liam join their family, would he wait “forever”? Like he said “nothing would ever change”. I do believe his words. But those words were true at the time he said it. Future is not predictable. I am like Lina thinking he was so special and exceptional meanwhile picturing him capable of meeting someone else, getting married again and having more children. I am also like people cheered for them thinking their relationship was sooo unique and profound but did not exclude the thought that he might meet other women and fall in love again. Lina reckoned that he was the love of her life, the one and only love of her life. What do you guys think? if Lina decided to go through the process or be more vacillating and indecisive for a couple years before recovering, what he would do?
I think you have made a quite interesting point but personally I think it would have been all about Lina and what she wanted in those years. If she had been genuinely happy with Dr nick and have moved on with him he would have tried to date some nice woman but it wouldn’t have been as deep as his love for Lina and he would have been miserable without her. LoL! but making a family with another woman I don’t think so. He would have kidnapped Lina and kept her in a cave until she fell in love with him again.
I know as readers we all have lots of questions about Phil’s cheating on Lina. He was a devoted husband and a loving father why and how could he do what he did? Why the slip up after so many wonderful years together. Was Kim that irresistible and that tempting to him? And most importantly why it continued for 4 months and what the hell was he thinking during those times with Kim. We ask these questions not because we aren’t able to comprehend his action, we ask these questions because the love he had for Lina was so strong and powerful and thus make us think WHAT THE HELL! If their love is that powerful why it happened, and here I am going to try my best to make the reader understand just that. Just like many of you I was also very upset and angry when I think about Phill doing it with Kim and wanted his personal thought process during those times but Thanks to laura and Tracie I was able to understand where he was coming from, so I pull out all the psychology study that I did in college to get a little insight and was amazed how amazingly laura had given us what we wanted without our realizing it. Phill is that big alpha who doesn’t wear his emotion on his sleeve and has always tried his best to be there for not only his family but Lina’s also. From a very young age, he had become involved and had taken up the role of a father figure for Lina’s family happily. He had everyone dependent on him except lina. I know many readers think she was weak when it comes to phill but that was not the case here if you try to understand her character better. It wasn’t lina but phill need for lina to be by his side and his profound love for lina that had made him cheat. I know my analysis sound stupid but it is as simple as that. Lina’s withdrawal didn’t happen suddenly and her wrongdoing wasn’t part of the WPS so it was easy for all of us to direct our hatred toward phill but she was also somewhat at fault here and she was woman enough to admit it after she suspect of phill cheating on her. Nick had come into their lives and for the first time, she had started to admire another man who was not her husband. A man who was handsome and attractive. She had emotionally and physically distant herself from Phill and many readers who thinks that it was the trivial fight that laura had made us privy to in SN that had made it possible for him to cheat then please try to understand that things just don’t happen suddenly, he was feeling neglected and unwanted by lina for many months. Despite his strong personality, he was feeling weak and useless around his family which had filled him with bitterness. Remember that alpha is the one who may not show their emotion but always feel too much. It was at that point when Kim offered herself to him on a silver platter. She was a strong powerful career woman who was selfish and self-centered but in order to catch phill she constantly degraded herself and tried to fit herself in a role that phill would like her to be in. The affair was all about what phill wanted not what kim wanted. She knew that quick and emotionless shags are only what she is going to get and it had made her insecure. Lust may seem simple but it is not that simple there are many sides to it, one form of lust is when a man sees a woman he wants to bang and just can’t help himself. But there is the other side of lust that for a few blissful moments makes you forget your failure. He was chasing those moments with Kim. we can see this in the sexual confidence lina has because after the initial shock after learning about the affair she is able to see that it happened because she had stopped accommodating Phil’s needs at that time. It also explains the texts which bring us to the next question that why it continued for 4 months. It continued for 4 months because phill had never had the time to analyze his action. Everything around him was spiraling out of control and instead of dealing with it he just throws himself into his work and uses Kim as a means to escape. And it was only to escape; I mean the guy is sleeping even though he has this sexiest woman beside him because an hour and a couple of hours is all he is willing to give. He is blind to her schemes because Kim does what he wants and is never pushing for more until she does and reveal her true nature to him. Sex with lina became harder because it involves and evokes emotions and feelings. Love is not easy, it is messy and ugly sometimes but that is love. Sex with Kim was easy and forgettable. The picture she sends to lina also somewhat exposes her insecurity. A hand on her thigh and a smile that was not even for her were capture-worthy moments for her. I have no sympathy for her because she knew, but Phil’s constant desire to escape had made her think that something could be done and in her delusional state she started thinking that maybe he wants me more than his wife. She may have shared the bed with him but he was on his side and she was on her because God knows if he had spooned her show would have secretly captured it and sent it to lina. I love the fact the he was emotionally unavailable to Kim during the affair that he wasn’t sharing his feelings with her and he never spent his own money on her, behind closed doors it was a quick fuck, and outside in public it was work that he shared with her. He was having those territorial vibes with her as Tracie have explained because he needed her to escape it was only for selfish reason and had never been about him getting jealous because it was only a fling with her. Despite her attractiveness, hotness, and strong personality, all it took was a sincere glance from lina to make phill realize his mistake and what he had been doing. He was guilty and remorseful but he thought since he was in control of the affair he can easily make Kim go away but never suspected that she wanted him for herself, if he knew he would have never become involved with her which clearly shows that he never noticed her before until he did. I know many of us have questioned about him slipping in the future but here’s the thing we don’t have already –experienced mood when we are married, we can be married for a long time and may experience something new and unknown later. We don’t get ready by default mood when dealing with problems it is about learning as we go through these problems and try to look for what went wrong so we never make those mistakes again. Almost losing Lina has made Phill grow as a person and appreciate her even more. When nick threatened to take Lina away from him he had become desperate for her and couldn’t keep his hand to himself because in this universe it was only lina for him. Lina has a very powerful hold on him and Kim situation has made it stronger. As Phill himself had said that he may have been with someone (in a physical sense) but it was her he only loved. I know it is a very long post but I had to share my feelings and would keep sharing them because I want my favorite couple alive.
Yep, that about sums it up! The affair was months in the making before Phil ever crossed the line. Thank you Zaincruise! I wasn’t trying to be subtle in that point, but many readers appeared to miss it. Lina was definitely pulling away from Phil both mentally and physically and that killed him. Lina’s opinion was the only one that ever really mattered to him.
Hi, Zaincruise! and Laura! I’ve been checking the blog regularly 🙂
It is really about let the mistake define Phil or not? No?
Because, in classic mindset of literature or art works, it always depicted a protagonist who made a mistake and this mistake became a defining moment of this protagonist regarding who he is or what he really wanted or craved. It is almost always the story framework. It actually echoed Lina’s early reaction such as she exclaimed that she didn’t know him: “he is not the man she thinks he is”. She was confused who he really is because of the “out of character”. Normally, readers would trap themselves in the same “pattern”, feeling that Phil might un(sub)consciously did what he wanted in that if he was “conscious”, he definitely would control himself in order to be who he always consciously believed he is i.e a man of principle, a family man etc. So, early on I had this small doubt nibbling in me: could this escapade with Kim be a defining moment? Liberating him from his principles or structured faith etc to achieve what he really wanted or to be who he really is. Like, what really was between he and Kim?? Did she get a certain piece of Phil that Lina couldn’t have?? A Ec-stasy/trance of him that Lina could not reach because she was from his norms? But I believe this is definitely not what happened in Phil’s case. Laura and Tracie’s words gave me all the insights to realize Phil is too alpha a man to have this kind of personality track/traits.
Exactly I am totally like you Berenice! and I also keep coming to check the blog regularly. I still remember the day when my friend had bought these books for me in 2019 and after hearing about it I was so hostile and even had rant negatively about how this plot can be considered romantic! But in February 2021 I had been going through something very dark and was feeling so out of character and that was the time when I had picked these up, start reading, and fell in love. I can relate to Phil’s character more because of my own personal issues. Looking back, it is really hard and unfathomable for me to think how I could have hurt the people I love so deeply. That period of my life is hazy like it was not me but at the same time, it was me. I share a very deep connection with these books but since I am not a word person I am unable to describe it but the words and story of these two people have reached inside me and have helped me in becoming a better person. I have read these two books 10 times since then. Although I would try to pick up a new book, in the end, would lose interest and come back to it. When I hadn’t been through that period it was really easy for me to judge Phil and point him as the bad guy but that’s not how I think now. He was a great man and a great father. He was what he was with lina not what he was with Kim. I would have sympathized with Kim if he had promised her something and somehow misled her but he never did because if he had then the breakup scene would have been very different. WPS was about lina and her thinking. She creates her own stories and her own assumptions about his affair like she thinks in WPS that he had stopped running with his own daughter so he could run with Kim but in SN we get his point of view and many things become clear to us, he was not holding her hand and kissing her behind a tree or smiling at her with adoration in front of everybody instead he barely had any interaction with her but he always left with her which I think was natural because not only they were doing it they were also working on a very important case together. If there had been any affection on Phil part he would have addressed it in SN but he was all like:
“You don’t know me enough to love me. We fucked for a few months, Kim Get over it!”
“Breaking up with implies a relationship. I had a fling with your sister.”
So yeah affair happened because of Phil’s selfish desire to escape and not because he couldn’t resist Kim. He was a very handsome and successful attorney so Kim may not have been the only attractive woman who wanted him for the first time, in the past 25 years many would have tried and I am sure some would have been much prettier than Kim because the world is filled with beautiful women but for him, it was only Lina who he wanted to love and respect. Yes he did something horrible but in SN he became the man I wanted him to be and in the process he also made me realize my own mistakes. His character will always hold a very special place in my heart.
I was moved by your post. Words like yours inspire me to keep writing.
Thank you.
I think you half answered my new question, lol! I knew that it’s Lina’s POV and she created a lot of stuff, if Phil knew, he would say “That’s not true. Nothing you’ve said is true. You are so wrong!” (Quoting his own words, lol)
But Laura’s writing was so good making me involved deeply with the words that presented Lina’s thoughts. So when Lina imagining things, I really bought into them!
and the theory regarding protagonist doing things out of character! I actually got inspired by comments from Goodreads. I am soooo “obsessed” with WPF and SN! Not only I read them many many times, I even spent time on reading all the comments trying to figure out what was everyone thinking!
Speaking of spoon moments or intense moments between Phil and Kim(sigh)!
realistically thinking, we don’t have any intimate scenes between Phil and Kim to know how intense between them, even it was based on “sexual relationship”? Laura could not stomach one to write. The one when Kim told Phil she was pregnant had that “sitting on her bed” move, and everyone could feel their carnal connection(?) and disliked the move. I know WPF and SN were about surviving affair and details to some extent were irrelevant. It would be angsty to think, but I think that Kim is not a prostitute (?) and Phil was fond of her company. So, it’s definitely realistic to imagine that during the four months, especially the early weeks, sex would be very enjoyable in that who would have an affair with lame or mechanic sex? Especially Phil and Kim were likely both good in bed? Have amazing bodies? On some flirtatious/carnal level, for him, it’s natural without thinking that he would spoon her or have quasi affectionate behaviors? I feel like even some multiple hookups/flings between unmarried people would have that nonchalant behaviors? I think it’s painful for Lina to look at because those behaviors have deep meanings to her. But it’s realistic and the gist of WPF and SN were about moving forward? Lina knew Phil didn’t love Kim and because of that, she wouldn’t care those details eventually?
All good points Berenice. And yes, Phil is not a robot and the sex would not have been mechanical. Kim was an escape from a reality Phil couldn’t face. He was not himself over those four months and I think his behavior shocked him as much as anyone else. Cuddling? No. I don’t think so.
Lol, I started to treat Phil like a puzzle. I am super curious about him as an individual. Recently, my daily routine was thinking about this couple for several minutes before returning to other chores, lol. Always trying to decipher him and his personality etc and imagining what-ifs to see how he might encompass.
I found a good way to consider Phil and Kim :-)! I remembered Phil had several “girlfriends” before Lina when he was a teenager. Given that he was a total jock, those “girlfriends” probably were not serious and an athletic teenager, Phil had fun with them. I think during those “relationships”, Phil definitely respected them and treated them good, similar to what he would do to Kim before Kim turning to uncontrollable narcissist. This way of thinking made sense to me. 🙂
Phil was a typical teenager enjoying his life and then Lina happened to him. I agree with your assessment — he was a good guy. He treated women with respect.
Of course, it was not mechanical I mean he wouldn’t be using it to escape if that was the case, but what makes sex from better to best is how a man treats you after the act is done. Kim was not a baby she was a very smart and strong lady and when I said she degraded herself that’s what exactly I meant, looking at the texts you can tell what kind of relationship they had. He was not using any endearment with her and was quite treating her as he himself said an “easy fuck”. Yes, the sex was hot but hot sex without feelings and hot sex with feelings has no comparison and at that time Phil wanted something easy. On top of that whenever Phil talks about his time with Kim he said that he was never with her more than physically(it was all about sex and not the feelings). Cuddling and spooning mean that you want to feel the presence and his/her warmth around you even when you are sleeping and if that had been the case then it would have meant that his feelings were involved with Kim.
I agree!
Only that “easy fuck” is quite semantics! Phil used it purposely to get rid of Kim so that she could stop harassing his family and Lina. The “thing” between Phil and Kim back to the four months was a tad more than that. That is why I proposed the “teenage girlfriend” theory. It’s fun at the moment but forgettable, nonetheless he enjoyed it. It made sense that he was respectful while used her as a escape, means to an end. More than a prostitution transaction but still superficial.
Speaking of Lina’s overthinking moment before the end of WPF, I actually really bought into her thoughts. I had this hidden doubt/ impression that if they really divorced, Lina would, like she thought of herself, never be able to find a man who can live up to Phil in her heart.
On the other hand, I know that it was just a joke but Laura, you joked once that Phil could fall in love with a prison librarian under a specific context. I have this impression that Phil likes this ”type”: ethereal beauty, the heart of gold, selflessness, etc. It’s like for Lina, Phil is the most special man in the world but for Phil, no question that he is deeply in love with Lina but if divorce really happen and he becomes hopeless/his wall of resistance would be gone, he might fall in love with this “type” again?? A big part of me know that Lina was overthinking but Lina also knew Phil pretty well, did she?? So she might actually have some credits in this overthinking? Phil also thinks Lina is his better half. So he has this exact idea of Lina. In SN and WPF and in the story when Kim visited Liam after giving up custody, he was frustrated when Lina’s behaviors contradicted his idea of her?? Lina is surely a unique person and being selfless is part of who she is…I don’t know…I just feel that Phil likes his “norms” (sigh).
Another question/thought.
Laura, you said once that if there’s no baby, Phil won’t tell Lina about the affair and Lina would not want to know. I understand the logic behind it. However, let’s say, if they spent another two or three decades together, when looking back to the past years, Lina thought that she had such a loyal husband and wonderful marriage without knowing Phil cheated on her once. It would make her whole life somewhat stained? Is this what she wants? I think even in real life, women don’t want to know when the affair is still fresh(freshly over)or close in proximity (sensed by their female instincts?)but they would want to have a full disclosure eventually?
He wouldn’t tell her. He would live with guilt the rest of his life, but he wouldn’t want to cause Lina pain.
And with the exception of that short period, she did have a loyal husband. He wasn’t a serial cheater.
Does Lina have the right to know? Absolutely, but she wouldn’t.
Laura!! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for all the replies. It is truly enlightening!! And Thank you for your patience as well!! You created such a deep relationship. That is why I cannot bear to have any small doubts nibbling inside me. It’s soooo hard for me to grasp everything between Lina and Phil. I just want their love and this couple to survive every obstacle no matter what.
In SN and WPF, Lina was soooo perfect (even her distraction with Nick seemed somehow a natural progression to me). I am just afraid if she were less perfect/a saint(after all, she is only human), Phil would not still love her more than anything in the world?? I imagined all the what-ifs in my mind to “torture” myself in order to see if Phil’s love could survive all the conditions! I hate that they would just like other couples: when something extraordinary happened, no matter how much they loved each other, they might just simply move on respectively. Especially, men like Phil became “hopeless” or “devasted” at first, but fell in love again with someone else eventually. Maybe Lina’s self-pity lonely moment before the end of WPF hit me really hard(sigh).
Also, between Liam and Logan, I actually thought that Logan is the one having more complexes than Liam!! Overall, Liam has a unique surrounding while growing up but it is a loving environment(?) Because he has Lina and Phil and all the grandparents!? Maybe some self-imposed abandonment issue regarding Kim but he is not lacking if he has a loving mother (Lina). Also, Laura said he treated Kim like a remote aunt which indicated that he is not that obsessed with the whole drama.
On the other hand, Logan would have so many complexes regardless of he forgave and understood his father’s affair or all in all he loves his father. After all, it is his innocent world shattered. I believe that he abstracted the whole affair and his father’s capability of cheating to a metaphorical life problem so that he won’t resent or not forgive Phil still be able to continue to struggle with the problem??
How could he come from relics/reconstruction without any scars? He is the one living thru the trauma, not Liam?? Given his personality, I always feel angsty to imagine what an adult man he would turn into. Some traits of an “anti-hero” hero?? His smiling boy side would always be useful when he attempted to push his problems deep?? But all those “gentleness” or “kindness” mixed with “dark glamour”, that would be interesting?? Omg, I am reading too much into him. Logan is my favourite after Lina (haha)(´･Д･)」Thank you, Laura!! All the insights you gave on the blog inspired me to think wildly(*¯︶¯*)
Haha, I am fantasizing about the blonde, bubbly and cute girl of Nick and Cathy or Tiffany (after several years of separation??) coming across the ultimate elegant, graceful “anti-hero” hero aka Logan. A dash of young Joker(Jared Leto one?)/batman all in to masquerade the deep raw pain. All the dark glamour drew her into this hopeless, hot and cold romance. Ah, forgive my rambling, I must read too many dark romances (sigh).
Hi, Laura. Thank you so much for all the answers! I got notified from Goodreads and came back to the blog immediately! I hope I didn’t bother you too much! I am persistent (haha). And Tracie, thank you for the explanation! I actually thought about the same scene. In SN, the beach scene, when Lina tried to calm herself down, she said: “she is a stranger, isn’t she?”, I take that as a wounded small part of her couldn’t let the affair go because she believed that the affair happened not just because of the disconnection between Her and Phil but also Kim had some significance in Phil’s mind(attraction, even connection)?
Based on that, if Kim is a normal person, the civil co-parenting scenario would be objectively hurtful to Lina, even she could rationalize that no one tries to intentionally hurt her. Unfortunately, she would, for the rest of her life, wonder and relive freshly this liaison Phil had with Kim when Phil acts and makes decisions as Liam’s father while regarding Kim as the mother. So Kim being narcissistic and Phil’s cold and nonchalant are very helpful for Lina to move past. Otherwise, every time Lina observes that Phil shows tenderness, special attention, or some sort of behavioral shift because of treating Kim as Liam’s mother, it would be a moment of thought for Lina. In her mind, she might rhetorically ask why? because they had been together for a short period of time and share a son. It seems that She would make it bigger than it is. But she probably would?
There are traits in SN that indicate Lina dwelling on this wildly such as the subtle but bitter words from the beach scene and she imagined Kim admiring Phil’s muscle scene. So random but so realistic train of thoughts from her.
Also, speaking of Laura’s other five books (*¯︶¯*)！
I enjoyed the excerpt posted on this blog about a widowed man (doctor?) and a single mom with a teenage son. It prompted me a think question for quite some time. I know that different relationships have different dynamics etc. In Phil and Lina’s case, if Phil is widowed after two or three decades together with Lina, will he move on, or like he said in WPF and SN that he cannot live without Lina or cannot love anyone else? ( I am paraphrasing). Laura, you don’t have to answer if you feel difficult to. Just me thinking. In my eyes, their love is sooooo unique and deep, it’s unimaginable for me that either part widowed could move on meaningfully. They might try to date or form a relationship with someone else but it would be incomparable with the one they had. Just my opinion. (*¯︶¯*)
Hi Berenice…Love that you got us analyzing these books again. Love them and Laura. I don’t think at anytime, even if Kim wasn’t a narcissist that Phil would of treated her with any type of tenderness. Phil told Kim in a scene in SN that he would give her a measure of respect if she was a decent mother. I think that’s all the emotion Phil would of ever given Kim. Once he
and Lina were back together, she would be the only female to receive his tenderness. Lina had total disrespect and contempt for Kim after the Christmas fiasco and not because she had an affair with Phil but she left her son alone on Christmas. I don’t think Lina would have though much about the affair after Liam became a permanent fixture in their lives.
Hi Tracie! I know! I actually thought of one of the books mentioned on the blog. don’t remember the book name but the story was also based in Maryland. The OW was a decent mother and in the end, the husband and the WIFE (!) seemed to warm up towards the OW. How SAD is that! I cannot imagine just because they shared a child, they have to be that “friendly” huggy with each other. I think that is a de facto “sharing” between the two women which is soooo angsty and I don’t think it is HE.
If Lina had to be in that situation, which means no Christmas fiasco, text scheme and photo drama, she would probably think that much (?) even feel hurt (though she is too kind and would probably rationalize away her pain. She was quite unconfrontational which means she thinks a lot without Phil’s confirmation, but Phil sometimes had no idea as well which made his assurance of love less comforting!!). She would wonder (??) how much Phil’s Kindness came from treating Kim as Liam’s mother or the line simply is too blurry to dissect? I think a lot of books that have OW pov or have a kinda justifiable OW tend to present husbands with a grey area of feeling. I just want to feel certain that Phil is not like that no matter what kind of woman Kim is!!
(sigh)(´･Д･)」Tracie, I think your point is valid though. You knew Phil better (*¯︶¯*) if you think he wouldn’t treat her as what I imagined, I take it(*¯︶¯*)!!
Berenice there was a lot of times I would have a weak moment about Phil maybe thinking or feeling in a grey area, especially about Logan and Liam. Laura would always bring me back to center by saying “Tracie Phil will always be Phil.” Here’s an example, the scene where Phil was talking to Nick at the Lacrosse field where Nick wanted to draw a line and be cordial with Phil because of their sons. Now…can you see Phil feeling and thinking.. “Maybe Lina gravitated toward him emotionally because I checked out with Kim, so we can be cordial.” That will be a “Hell No”. Phil was probably thinking your dead to me and Lina! Phil was not a grey feeling or thinking kind of guy. He just didn’t have that personality. Lina explains that in the scene where they make their first appearance at Logan’s school program. Where she says Phil just barrels into a situation with enough confidence to handle the whole room, etc. Even if Kim would of been decent, I see Phil telling her if there is a problem call otherwise I’ll pick him up at my scheduled time. My opinion only no grey area thinking for Phil. Lina told Diane Kim made their connection stronger so she had no doubt of Phil’s love and loyalty to her after their reconciliation.
Tracie! Huge relief from your words!!
As long as there are no moments like Shakespearan protagonists: “Ah, this is the woman I had a child with, blah blah.” or “she had difficulties while raising my son, blah blah(some guilty or sentimental feelings ensued )”, then I am okay!!
I like that even Kim is a decent woman, he would only conduct everything by legal agreement nothing more, nothing less. All formal and functional in their respective assigned roles of parents!! The only retrospect he had regarding the affair would be regret and disgust(not towards her if she were a decent woman).
Tracie! I thought over what you said again. I think he must show tenderness or some quasi couple behavioral changes if Kim is a decent, normal woman. For example, if she is decent, when he returned Liam after a weekend’s overnight, she said something like she said in SN: “he looks more like you every minute.”(pretty normal words coming from a mother even she is not in a relationship with the father), what could he say back other than some nice and soft words to agree with her?? But it is soooo sad if this happens. How could he say something or share a moment like this with a woman who is not Lina? Oh, wait. Because he strayed once and shared a child with her. It is this kind of “sharing” that made me angry and sad. Thankfully, she is a narcissist, this would not happen at all!!
Berenice it would of been no different than when Jodi made the same comment in the grocery store. He said to her when she said the same thing…”So I’ve been told.”
Yes, good catch Tracie.
Berenice, Phil isn’t interested in socializing with people outside his inner circle. He doesn’t care what they think or say. He’s very standoffish and he would be no different with Kim.
Thanks! Tracie and Laura, thanks for the reassurance! I get that Phil couldn’t care less about how other people think or behave but I thought it would be different if it is his son’s mother (if Kim is decent etc). I thought he would sorta move her into his inner circle…Phew, I’m so happy he isn’t which makes me like him more and think he is “cooler” than I originally thought he was (haha)
Hi Girls, I check this blog ever so often because it was so much a part of my life for a year. So blessed to have the friends I have because of it as well. Berenice I’m one of those readers Laura mentioned where I could barely stand her writing about the affair or how he felt while doing it. Don’t get me wrong, I was curious but I wanted to see Phil fight for Lina. I focused more on Lina and Phil’s love verses the actual affair. Phil’s comeback story was the cats meow for me. I soaked it up like a sponge. Readers ask about Phil’s POV during the affair, but if you think about both books you realize Laura gave us some insight on Kim and Phil’s relationship. We know by the meeting of Kim’s parents and sister in Swimming Naked that Phil had no idea she had a sister or where her parents were from. So there were no dark secrets or anything very personal shared. The picture where Phil had his hand on her leg in front of her former co-worker showed he had a somewhat territorial vibe around other men with her. The picture of them dancing showed me he enjoyed her company. The scene where he went into her new house and he thought she was a talented attorney let me know he respected her professionally and keeping her in his life for four months showed us he had pure lust for her. However, the breakup scene Laura gave us on the blog helped me understand Phil’s WHY a little more. Lina had withdrawn from Phil and no longer accommodated his needs like she did before Katie’s depression. The breakup scene where Kim blows into his office and goes to the bar asking him if he wants a Scotch or maybe a blow job tells me she was a temporary fix to what Lina couldn’t give him at the time. Kim was accommodating! Kim destroyed any type of respectful co-parent relationship she could of had with Phil, when she went after Lina with the text messages and pictures. Like Phil told Lina in the beach scene in Swimming Naked she is a stranger, nothing to me, my only duty is to Liam. So happy to see people are still enjoying this family. Hats off to your writing talent my dear friend.
I read these gems a couple of years ago, but recently reread them and found a new love and appreciation for Laura’s writing. I also found out about this blog in another book group I am in. I have really, really loved reading through this and getting the extra info.
Awww Tracie!! I hope you are loving your retirement. I miss you, Laura, and the rest of the gang. I too check the blog periodically and was excited to read the new comments – happy to see Phil and Lina are still alive and well here after 2 years!!
I hope we can all come back here and support Laura’s new book when it comes out!
Bernice, I remember asking the exact same question to Laura. Her answer at the time re Kim was, if she wasn’t a narcissist and didn’t get pregnant on purpose, Phil wouldn’t hate her but he also wouldn’t reminisce on time spent with her.
Hey J-Girl….I’m living the dream. Love retirement. I’m no longer tied to an alarm sister. I had my 5th and final grand baby two weeks ago. A little girl Rylee Tate. She’s a sweetie. Hope the twins are thriving and doing well.
You know if Laura girl lays another book on us we will be all over it. I can’t wait!
Yes Hailee….this baby wasn’t planned. But we are sure glad she’s here. She now has a 5 year old, 18 month old and a newborn. Busy Girl!
Laura I told you before but please think about Liamor Logan with Nick and Cathy’s daughter. Can you imagine?! Phil would be in a scene each chapter along with Nick and the angst level would be so high. Omg. I’m already thinking about their confrontation scenes. 🤗
Yeah there’s nothing out there re romance. Until last night I hadn’t read a new on in months.
LOL Phil would hate that! Nick, on the other hand, would be mature enough to conceal his distaste for Phil.
If Nick was in every chapter with Phil, Laura would have kill Phil off before we ever got to Liam’s book. Phil would launch and explode.
Congratulations! That’s so exciting.
My niece has an 18 month old that I get to see often. They are so cute!
I reread White Picket Fence the other day and now I’m rereading Swimming Naked. After all this time, I still have Phil in my head haha
I do to Laura. I still think of different scenarios staring the Hunters. I’m thinking you could pull a Janet Daily Calder Saga. I’m talking the Hunter Saga. I never realized how many people probably read this blog, but never comment.
There is just so many how and why’s about Phil and Lina. I remember asking you why Phil wanted to hit Tom in the mouth after the shirt scene when he said “you have Lina!” Lina’s….Phil said I know what my wife is you don’t have to sell her to me…I thought why does he want to smack the guy and you said it was because he was pretty much pointing out how stupid he was for cheating on a woman like Lina. Again, think back through the two books, his entire family thought that too, along with his boss and personnel assistant. Then in Swimming Naked when the sister revealed Kim’s plan he called his own self an idiot. A man like Phil would never get use to feeling like or being seen as idiot. I think stuff like this all the time. 🤔
Tracie, I truly believe you know these characters as well as I do at this point! You could write a new sequel.
I think I know why Laura can’t finish the other 5 she started. Other than having a demanding job as the Boss Lady at work, this duet took so much out of her and Phil(to you guys) and Nick(to me) encompass the fantasy book hubbies. And, clearly we have not moved on from this family. I think when you are ready Laura, we will cheer you on with Phil 2.0/Liam’s story. We will wait till you are ready. Like Tracie, I had no idea others were reading this blog and talking about it in other groups. I kinda wish I hadn’t yacked so much here. 😔
Also, when the world shut down, we still plugged along. Can’t believe your niece already has an 18month old toddler! It seems like just a few months ago you attended her wedding and Tracie was talking about Carson. Wowza.
I read a decent angsty one last night. A Me and You Thing by Taylor Dean. It received a lot of negative reviews but I liked it enough. The guy was a bit of a beta but the writing was good imo
And it’s almost been three years since Swimming Naked was published! I just finished it. I do love Logan and Liam. They both deserve a story. Katie can’t have one because she would never leave Matt and I don’t like Meagan, so just the two boys!
I haven’t read a good romance in so long.
Janet I’m so glad we had our yak sessions and even though we would chase rabbits now and then we said some stuff that could be possibly construed as…I’m thinking here….Got it…Literary Treasures! That’s right! 🤪
I haven’t read a good one either….Would love to read books about the boys.
Laura I do know the family….but I don’t have the writing talent.
That’s all you sister.
But I was thinking yesterday…I wonder how Phil would of balanced the parenting of the two boys with such a large age gap. The walking scene where Phil told Logan that he and Lina only had 2.5 years left with him and he was not disappearing on the weekends anymore. Because he didn’t want to lose him more than he had too. I concluded in my own brain that Lina took the lead with Liam because he was a baby and Phil followed Logan’s high school Lacrosse season pretty close and did the Father son activities before Logan graduated.
Lina is the nurturer, so she would gravitate to Liam and he would gravitate to her. Phil would be more focused on Logan until Liam is a bit older.
Tracie, you still make me laugh out loud. 🤣🤣😘
Personally, I think Kim put his hand on her thigh on purpose so she could secretly capture the moment. I have read and reread his text to Kim and have tried to decode them like a spy. He was just asking for a quickie while Kim tried to be more seductive, more of his interaction with Kim was like a business transaction and kind of felt cold to me. He doesn’t even clearly remember how many nights he spent at her apartment and never took her out anywhere. Kim was highly insecure in the affair because she knew nothing about him and his family personally and he was just using her for his escape. Maybe that’s why she started to take his picture secretly. Even in the breakup scene, he was kind of cold to her as he shoved her out of the door because he was still angry at her after the steamboat house incident. I love the family and I would just want Laura to give us Phill’s POV I know I am asking for a lot but a girl could always dream. Never say never.
I cannot help myself and kept wondering. Was Phil’s feeling for Kim before Kim created all the drama similar to Linas for Nick? As she was a comfort (carnally?) for him in Katie’s problem? I kept dwelling on the word “like”, I mean Phil “liked” her in the fling/affair? just not as deep as his connection to Lina but???
I mean in reality, people could love someone and still have feelings for others? I can reconcile that Lina’s feeling was more complex, as it was involved with the Katie situation but Phil’s like sounds like a pure(?) attraction!!
Readers hate this, but yes Phil was attracted to Kim and he liked her for a short time, but those feelings couldn’t touch the depth of feelings he had for Lina.
Hey, laura you said Phill liked Kim for a short time but for how long? because as far as I have read it his interaction with Kim felt cold to me like he would want her only for one reason and that was to escape. An hour and a couple of hours were all he just needed with her. even when he was going to her apartment to spend the night he made sure it was late Sunday night and still had the time to sleep after a quick you know what. (DAMN I feel like such a stalker but it is all your fault, who told you to write that good of a story that we all are unable to put out of our head. it is like you ruined me for other books. while I am reading other stories my mind keeps drifting back to Phill and Lina please consider giving us Phill’s POV during the affair. please don’t break my heart)
Also, I think that it actually worse if Kim is a normal person. Then Phil would have to maintain a regular presence in Kim’s household and be nice to her as his child’s mother or show cordial/friendly dynamic in front of Liam. It means that there would be a de facto existence of “second family”or some sort. I can see that Lina would comfort herself to think that it’s no one’s intention to hurt her or create a hurtful situation but the hurt and feeling of Phil would not be hers in some extent would never go away, as she “shares” Phil. So, Kim being a narcissist with no interest to raise a child actually saved Lina from falling into the aforesaid scenario.
Yes, that is very true and I think it would have been very difficult for the Hunters if Kim hadn’t left. It would have been much more complicated for Lina.
Hi, everyone.
I read and reread this blog so many times throughout the lockdown. This blog was one of the several things keep me happy during my grueling journey of application to PhD (sigh).
I loved and enjoyed reading WPF and SN so much. However, I still have questions. I struggled with how Phil would think of Kim if Kim is a normal woman. Would Phil think of her and his time with her as something pleasant? special? wonderful even? Would she be a significant or worth caring about person in his later life? After all, she is his son’s mother and a woman he was involved with one time? Also, I know it is a “perfect storm” and Phil slipped but Laura said once that Kim is not anyone, she is an intelligent lawyer, exceptionally good-looking and fun to be with etc. Does that mean if she is not evil and just a woman falling in love with a married man who actually went through it, Phil would have special feelings towards her (not the deep love he had with Lina though)? That actually was a fact before she showed her true color? Even considering the “perfect storm” factor, if Kim is not “anyone”, her being the lone exception within Phil’s overall fidelity to Lina could tell that Phil liked Kim very much or was very attracted to her? She, although cannot compare to Lina, was special to him? It made me sad for thinking that a wife survived infidelity and is able to look past it, she might still have a tiny part in her heart mulling over that this OW was special enough for her husband to slip. I think that if Kim could be anyone coming after Phil in that perfect storm, I would not struggle this much. Also, from Kim’s warped universe, it is “ego-stroking” for her to think that she was the one Phil cheated with not just “anyone”. She probably took that as an accomplishment (ugh).
Thank you, Laura! You are sooooo talented and write amazing stories!
Hi Berenice — sorry for the delay in replying. I’m not always consistent about checking this blog.
The answer to your question is no. Kim does not hold a special place in Phil’s heart. She truly could have been anyone with her particular attributes — attractive, interesting and willing to pursue a married man. At any other point in their marriage it wouldn’t have happened. As you said — it was the perfect storm. She provided Phil the escape he was craving. I’m sure Kim loved the fact that he strayed only with her, but that’s due to her big ego and lack of morals.
Is Kim evil? No, but she is incredibly selfish and self centered.
Hi Laura,
I just wanted to drop by to say that I am big fan of Lina & Phil & their family. You have beautifully written their story. Phil is an amazingly complex character. I just wish we had more to read about Phil’s POV during course of affair. It would have made things more clear. I am so obsessed that I can read 10 more stories about them. You did a good job with those two books.
Yeah, because Phil is such a devoted husband, I just can’t understand how he agreed to have sex with Kim without using any protection. This can happen in a heat of moment but definitely not over a prolonged course. Will you ever publish his POV? I would love to read it. I am obsessed with Phil. May be if you could post it here in the blog.
Hi Laura,
Hope you and family are well. Miss this blog. Hope all the ladies are well.
Reread WPF and Swimming Naked and remembered blog.
Hope we get Phil s point of view one day or the deleted scenes. I remember you saying the books were edited down.
Love your writing Laura. You are gifted.
Stay well everyone.
Laura, I read White Picket Fence a year ago and was hooked on all your books! I also would love a POV book about Phil. Honestly, I would love anything about their family. Where are they when Liam becomes a teen? Or an update on Katie and her adult life?
I’m a big fan of angst and real life, real relationships. Thank you!
I didn’t see your comment till now. If you still check in once in awhile, come join Laura, Miri,and me on Goodreads. I think you have an account there. I will befriend you. Hope to see you there to discuss the upcoming books.
Hi J-Girl…Yes I’m on Goodreads. I get updates from Miri all the time on my email. I’ll get on there and see if I can figure out how to navigate it. Hope you and your family are doing well. Miss talking to all you girls…
Hi girls…Just wanted to say Have an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend…I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel to getting back to norm…Miss you girls…
Happy Memorial Day, Tracie!
I’m glad you can see the light! I walked by our drained community pool yesterday and felt sad. We are definitely not getting back to normal yet.
Miss you!
Happy Mother’s Day Girls..My new grandson was born Friday weighing in at 7lbs 13 oz…21.5 inches long….Hailee and Carson both are doing great…..Hope you all have a blessed day….Tomorrow will be the first day I get to see Carson, best Mother’s Day ever…..
Happy Mother’s Days!
Congratulations, Tracie! What a wonderful gift.
I hope all the mothers out there have a great day. I have Jordan home, so I’m happy 🙂
Congratulations Tracie!! Carson is a great name. I hope you got to see your grandson for Mother’s Day.
I stopped social distancing with my family few weeks ago. My dad was going nuts from isolation so he started coming over 3x a week and I cook for him. The golf courses finally opened up here so at least he stopped cursing at everyone. Seriously, I cannot believe all hell broke loose because one nasty rich person ate a bowl of nasty bat soup shit. You know those are like $500 a bowl. That’s what someone told me anyway. I’m not a hater but omg wtf. Sorry Laura, but every time I think about this it boggles my mind.
Glad to hear everyone’s doing OK and Jordan now has immunity. She’s so lucky. I think my brother had it too and is waiting for antibody test to become available. Meanwhile, Tara, Miri, Angela, and I are exchanging cheating book recs on GR. You all should become more active there.
Thank you Janet..::I will look on GR…I never really used it before…Do I just look up your name? I have an account…I’ve looked at Katie’s recommendations…
South Africa has over 6 000 cases and 123 deaths. Our numbers are growing between 200 and 300 in the last few days, yet we moved from level 5 lockdown to level 4 on the 1st of May, which basically means more people can go to work, we can run / walk within 5km radius from our home between 6am – 9am, because the coronavirus sleeps during those hours *rolls eyes*. So now EVERYONE goes out in massive crowds during that time, there will be a massive spike in numbers in the next +/- 2 weeks time.
We still have plenty of toilet paper in SA but yeast and pineapples are hard to find. They banned sales of alcohol and smokes from the start of lockdown, which was the 27th March, so everyone busy making their own pineapple beer or wine.
Thank you girls…my friend lost her husband several years ago…She was sitting at dinner with him and he had a blood clot break loose and hit his heart. He died instantly…She has had a lot of loss…Laura I hope Jordan stays good…I hate she even has to go through any of this mess…
Bee can you find out when the flu sleeps Lol…?. Loved your eye roll…..I’m so sick of being locked down I feel like a damn mushroom in a dark hole….
Katie you are running? Why…Lol.
Okay girls I read a book it was only 76 pages and is part of our Kindle unlimited…Free! It had four reviews. 2 one star and 2 five stars…The book made a lot of sense…it kind of left me like huh? But it worked…It’s called Leave It There by Michelle Maris….Would love you girls to read it….Some of you may say “Hell No”…Then in certain aspects of the book I saw a glimpse of Lina how she forgave and went after her independence with her job….It cracked me up how the h turned the tables and I did enjoy the h’s therapist.
WOW — no liquor stores? I don’t think that would work In the US. Everyone would revolt lol.
Our lock down won’t be lifting anytime soon in Maryland. Our cases continue to rise 🙁
Hi Ladies, a big hello from NY, where we have 321,000 cases and 24,500 deaths–New Yorkers are taking this very seriously. Also where liquor stores are considered essential businesses. The earliest we may see a lift in restrictions will be 5/15 and that will be for upstate, downstate won’t see any changes for quite sometime. I live an a limbo between the two–my county has only had 9,000 cases and 300 deaths, everything becomes frighteningly relevant these days.
Hi girls…hope all is well….We are in Phase 1 of opening our state tomorrow…Anxious to see how it all plays out….One of my friends mother passed away from the virus…She was 77..now her dad has tested positive….
Hi Tracie!
I envy you and your state. I’m over this — unfortunately it isn’t over. Jordan has it, but she’s asymptomatic — she was volunteering at a test center in New York City and they tested her. She’s fine — zero symptoms. I’m still going in to work — we are considered “critical infrastructure” so my week is relatively normal. The weekends are tough. I miss my dad and family. Sigh. I read a really cute book — The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Graves
It’s a political game here in CA at this point. Sigh.
Hanging in there. I have the next 10 years of renovations on my house planned out and I’m running 2-3 miles at a time now. My daughter graduated from training wheels to big girl bike to 20” mountain bike this last month. Positive things.
Loves that article Janet…I think I’m getting my sulk on too…I went over to my daughters house to paint her nursery for her and fell backwards of a 6ft ladder…My fat slapping that hard wood floor left me crippled for two days but I’m back at it…Lol I have an old claw foot tub and realized when I got in that I could get out…I looked like a big seal doing a barrel roll to get on all fours to pager myself out of the tub. I sprained my wrist and stove up my back and hip…I’m telling you my life is never dull…Lol
Hi girls- no need to cut my own hair because I get it cut like 2x a year, but I did over-pluck my eyebrows and I have toe claws. Hanging in there though. My daughter is bored AF. I consider myself a pretty patient and creative mom, so I’m sure if we are bored, others are even worse off. Sigh.
I read a teacher-student I loved- Sweet Dandelion by Micalea Smeltzer. I just really love bad teachers.
Tracie, I think I’ll read your athlete book now.
Love to all.
Hi — Do you girls remember Janet Dailey’s The Calder series? They were written in the early 80s — I remember loving them, so I looked them up today. Amazon wants $15 for the kindle version of the first in the series — Janet Dailey isn’t even alive anymore. Isn’t that crazy? What’s crazier is that I bought it. If it’s as good as I remember I’ll find the rest of the series at an online thrift shop. #DesperateToFindAGoodBook
After that comment I had to go back in SN where Phil told Kim he was back with Lina….It still amazes me in cheating books how the OW thinks the wife is the intruder…HER…. I’d like to bitch slap those women…Lol
I’ve read every single one her Hp’s I think. She started off writing for harlequin in the 70-80s then moved to single romance novels. Her novels remind me of subpar Nora Roberts but I’ve enjoyed reading all her books. Not my favs but nostalgia is a powerful thing. I hope you love Calder Pride. Yay.
I hope it gets you out of your funk. If you get bored, one book I come back to is Sherry Thomas, Not Quite A Husband. We talked about it here many times. It’s a historical. Turn of the century novel. writing is superb albeit depressing.
Lol, I had to read my own review to remember what I said. It was about an affair but I thought it was more about how tiny lies lead to big ones- both in his personal and professional life. How a decent guy got himself into big messes.
I dunno. It was good writing. From what I remember the wife couldn’t move on from his affair. It probably ended how it should have. I don’t even remember what happened with his wife…
What’s next? I haven’t read a good book in so long.
Hi girls….I read a book that kept me interested…It was called Under the Bleachers by K.K. Allen. I thought about it afterwards. You don’t have to read the first in the series. This can be read as a stand-alone. I will be reading the next one though that comes out May 1st. I thought about it afterwards….Hope all is well sweet ladies.
Janet I know you aren’t into sports romances, but that is not what this book is about. Very little game time, etc…Football is the H’s job this book is about relationships and how the h’s past will collide with her future….and her HEA…
Hi there. I will check the book out Tracie. I like sports romance a lot. I also like rock stars, reformed porn stars, male prostitutes, and ex con books too. LOLOL.
But like Laura, I have a hard time finishing one these days. I did read one recently that reminded me a lot of Emily Giffen’s novel that we all disagreed on and yes, it’s a cheating story. Katie and Miri liked it and the writing is good. Tell No Lies by Julie Compton. Let me know what you think if you read it.
Katie, I know you liked it. The writing was good so I agree with you there. And I tried to dig deep like you said in your review but I couldn’t. I hated him. Not the OW so much but how can you feel sympathy for a guy who emotionally cheated on his wife for 9 yrs? he loved both women but one more than the other? Ugh. I didn’t think the author would take the route she did in the sequel but it made sense to me. I didn’t read the second. Just read the ending and returned. Did Claire end up with the brother??
I read the last chapter of the sequel couldn’t get into it and realized he went back to the mistress…I couldn’t stomach reading it…So Claire went with Mark?
I returned them both for refund…I can’t stand where you get a HEA in the original book and then the sequel does the complete opposite…made me sick…?
I wanted to hear you say spineless jellyfish! Lol.
Ugh. I’m depressed. I cut my own hair tonight. ?
Well if the beauty shops don’t reopen soon I’ll be cutting my own hair….I’m sorry your depressed doll. is your husband home yet?
I’m sorry you girls got the dreary going on in Maryland…so glad that Jordan is doing well…We have two with the virus in our hospital in isolation. Hailee isn’t allowed to go back to work, but her husband is still having to work at the hospital. Laura So glad you are writing. I don’t care what it is as long as you are happy doing it….In less than a week we have been blog sisters for 2 years…It is so hard to believe we have all been keeping in touch and sharing our lives for that long, it has been a blessing…
Hi all, I’m at my mother during lockdown. She lives in a small gated complex and my sister lives right next door. I was suppose to sleep at my mother’s house but my 4 year old nephew refused to have his brother in his room, only I’m allowed. 3 weeks with my 4 year old nephew and 16 year old nephew – I bought 3 bottles of Gin just in case… ;-p My aunt down from the UK, she is now stuck in SA – safer choice for her I suppose… We not allowed to do anything – no jogging or walking your dog. A cyclist who was cycling on his own was arrested. If you are travelling for work, you have to carry a letter from your working stating you are an essential worker and copy of your ID. SA now on 1 170 and 1 death – 48 year old Female. Just finished day 2 of lockdown but I’ll try get a mini routine going on Monday. I bought a spin bike from my friend, so will start spinning on Monday. Searching on google for nice spin video to follow. Hard not being able to walk around your community.
I’ve battled to find vitamin c or zinc in SA shops. So bought a lot of frozen veggies and fruit instead.
I see USA now number 1 in the world with the most cases, hope everyone safe.
I’m loving all the creative people coming up with Coronavirus songs. Google – The Kiffness – Toto Arica (Coronavirus). Does are country or state have their own corona song?
I had to get a spin bike. We only allowed to leave our home for essential service or shopping only. There’s no walking the dogs or walking along your street. Not even allowed to walk around the gated estate.
Great to hear from you Ann! I miss everyone. It’s a cloudy, unsettled day in Maryland. I’m already stir crazy and it’s not even 10 a.m. The dog park is closed and Chandler is very sad — I’m sad too. It’s a big part of our morning. I walked him to a field the past few mornings to throw him his ball and he picked up ticks ?.
I stood in my dad’s front yard yesterday and talked to him while he stood on his porch. It’s really hard. He’s old and lonely.
Anyway, off to hike in a place that, hopefully, doesn’t have any ticks!
Hi Laura. Yes it’s a very dreary day here in MD. We had a thunderstorm roll through here this morning. Did you get it over in Howard County? Crazy times!
I saw that Jordan is in NY which must be a worry for you but she’s young and very smart so she’ll do fine. This lockdown is tough for everyone including our pets.
I had to revisit the Hunters and I just finished SN. I needed something good to take my mind off the world!
Jordan actually thinks she had it last week — fever and cough for a couple of days, but who knows. She’s fine and busy taking courses remotely.
I’m not working on either of those story lines. I started a different one — now I’ll have even more to finish.
I heard thunder during my hike, but luckily it dissipated before amounting to a full-blown storm.
I would love a book recommendation. It’s been months before I’ve made it past 30 percent on anything, sigh.
Hi Ann!!!!!!!!!!! So happy to hear from you. What have you been reading before the corona happened? Ladies, hopefully this time next year, we will have the vaccine and there will be a tiem where I could say, couldn’t go out last week because I had the Corona. It’ll just be another flu. But until we have the vaccine, it puts on high alert.
Let us know if you have read any good ones. I reread Escort series by Claire Kent. I liked it. He’s a gigolo and she’s a virgin romance writer . It’s angsty and sweet and good. I enjoyed reading it.
Laura, what are you writing? Is he more of a phil or a joseph? What’s on your mind?
Hi girls, hope all is well during these crazy times. I just reread WPF and SN again, and thought about Laura and you girls! Made me get back to the blog. Anything to take my mind off the news!
I just heard on the news a few minutes ago that orange juice is a hot commodity right now because of the Vitamin C! Our local Giant has the plexiglass barriers in place at cashier lanes. This is just so unbelievable!
I’ve read some new books over the winter. I’ll go back through them and share the good ones.
Laura, I just read the SN continuation pieces and they are so good. You are so talented!!
Hi Ann…girl I’ve missed hearing from you….Enjoying my retirement….I was in Sams club yesterday and they were only allowing one Orange Juice per member. We only have one positive for Covid-19 in our county. They are in the hospital in isolation. But we are still maintaining CDC requirements…Our little town has shutdown. One thing about being in a rural area is everyone has cows, pigs and chickens and we have several butchers so our little country store is keeping up with the demand and everyone has canned garden veggies and the old women are making ho cakes instead of having bread….Flour is hard to find around here…I worry about you girls in big cities and Jordan. So many people to try to sustain themselves….Give us some good reads…I’m almost desperate for some….?
Hi Tracie. Congratulations on the retirement! I’ve been thinking of you.
My family is doing ok. I’m not going out but I do go to the store every couple of days for produce. I go in the morning to my neighborhood Giant and it’s not crowded. I haven’t been to Target, Walmart or big box stores for the last 2 weeks. Too many people.
Schools in Maryland are closed until end of April and they have now decided to close daycare centers. Both daughters are temporarily out of work due to the virus but they’re doing ok.
My neighbors are all home because they’re either retired or teleworking. It’s weird!!
Hi my virtual sisterhood….So glad you are all safe and well. We are shutdown in Oklahoma as well. My family is pretty much staying around the house. Hailee is 6 weeks from delivering Carson and her doctor told her to stay safe, because if she got it they would have to quarantine her away from the baby after delivery..Her C-Section is scheduled for May 8th…I’m hoping things change by then or I will have to stay in the parking lot of the hospital. The father is the only visitor allowed…Ugh!
Laura I had a relapse….I had to read SN again…..I know we are on Lucas….I really tried ?….
Stay safe my sweets and if you come across a good read share with us please….It is about time for pool side reading….
Ok! and a couple other things…
I had a few symptoms, and my mom told me to gargle warm salt water A LOT, which I did, and I swear it helped, no matter what anyone says!!
ALSO, I was doing some reading, and when it comes to Vitamin C, there’s a difference in absorption between regular ol vitamin C tabletsanfd liposomal Vitamin C…the latter is apparently abrorbed more efficienlty…
Anyhoo, that’s all I got right now, if I come acrosds anything else I’ll let you girls know…
So, what’s everyone reading right now? I’ve taken a slight break from the cheating books for now…my poor heart couldnt take the turbulance anymore LOL
Laura!!! Any new writing getting done? We neeeed a new Laura Branchflower novel!!!
Congrats Tracie. I read that Carson Daly gave birth to his 4th child. The mom and the dad both wore masks while giving birth. Tell hailee to hang in there!
It’s true what Miri said about vitamin c. also take zinc and even raw ginger tea helps. I have doctor neighbors at Cedars and UCLA treating patients and they all take immunity support. It is so bad. Yesterday, they had national guards deployed here to help with supplies on army tanks. It was scary.
best vitamin C out there.
Lypo–Spheric Vitamin C – 1 Carton (30 Packets) – 1,000 mg Vitamin C & 1,000 mg Essential Phospholipids Per Packet – Liposome Encapsulated for Improved Absorption – 100% Non–GMO
also take zinc.
Baselayer Immune Support & Antioxidant Supplement | with Vitamin C, Zinc, Magnesium, Resveratrol, Cranberry, Acai & Grape Seed Extract | Vegan | Non GMO | 60 Capsules
by TruWild
ginger tea. really good.
Organic Ginger Tea Bags | 100 Tea Bags | Eco-Conscious Tea Bags in Kraft Bag | Raw from India | by FGO
Hi Janet, Thank you for the info, will definitely look into it…And yessss! Ginger ginger ginger, in EVERYTHING (smoothies, juies, teas, etc), it is miraculous!
Hi Everybody!
I hope everyone is healthy and safe. They closed down Maryland to all but essential businesses, but it appears almost all businesses are essential — with the exception of hair, nails and clothing stores. Most people seem to be working from home (no traffic on the roads). Lots of families seem to be taking walks and spending time together.
Jordan is in New York City — I begged her to come home before all of this got out of control, but her boyfriend is there so they are riding it out together.
Where did you end up going BeeSA?
Thanks for the interesting links Janet. I read that New York had less hospital admits than they expected yesterday — hopefully that will continue.
I can’t help wondering how the Hunters would be dealing with all of this. Does anyone want to hazard a guess?
You know Phil would freak and tie Lina to the bed 20/7. The 4 hours is for her to cook, clean, read, feed, and play with Liam. haha
It’s time for me to go play roulette with Amazon Fresh now. If I check every 10 min from now until midnight, a slot usually opens up. The kids eat so much…
Try first thing in the morning (if you are an early wiser, that is). I’ve been relying on Wholefoods and every morning there are several slots available for that day. If I check later, there is nothing.
I think Phil wouldn’t take it seriously. I think Lina would and he’d roll his eyes a bit. He’d hate being told to stay home.
My Phil loves his children, but being sequestered with a toddler 24/7 would definitely put him in work mode in his study alone…Lol. I can just picture Liam and Logan tearing through the house playing trying to entertain themselves…..My 4 year old and 17 year old grandsons can get really really loud…The 17 year old can’t use his inside voice either when playing…Lol
also, if you guys haven’t done so, check out the Korean actor Daniel Dae Kim talking about the combination of meds he was prescribed by his doctor to get better. This is the one that Trump called it the game changer. The low death rate in Korea I heard was due to this anti viral drug. It’ll tide us over until the vaccine is out. I found it fascinating as both of my kids had pneumonia and they took 3 of the same medication as Daniel. Don’t mid that its on Fox news and scroll down to his instagram post. It’s informative.
Janet – it’s hot in SA but we are heading towards cooler weather. Also look at Australia, they almost 2000 and their weather similar to ours.
We have now jumped to 402. President going to address the nation tonight regarding course of action.
SA in kak. They say if we don’t get this under control, we can expect to see deaths toll in the 100 000’s.
I haven’t started bulk buying, i feel too guilty to bulk buy when so many South Africans can’t afford to bulk buy. I have been keeping an eye on the foods i do eat and shelves still fully stocked, even toilet paper. My ma been nagging me non stop and now all “if we go on lockdown, you must come stay with me”. She’s stress because i live on my own and about 40min drive away from her.
I have made “care package” for my mother domestic worker. Also double checked to make sure my Will is updated.
Bee, listen to me. GO to your mom’s house! You don’t want to be isolated alone! If she drives you crazy, then consider yourself lucky to have each other. And if you feel guilty about stockpiling then you can always share your pile with the elderly neighbors. We are seeing some great young local heroes in our hood and it makes my heart happy.
I hope everyone is spending a lot of time with family without the burden of schedules and expectations. And a lot of time outdoors! There’s a certain peace that comes with things being completely out of our control. Love to all!!
So schools are shut down, we can’t find TP, and Asian Americans are now buying guns to protect themselves from backlash.
But here’s the best opinion piece I read so far. I have shared it with Tara and want to share with all of Laura’s fans who check this site. Until govt tells me I can’t, I will continue to support local restaurants and businesses by ordering takeouts and deliveries. LA Times has said it’s safe to do so.
Also, take this advice however you want or not……
my sister sent me this. I have not heard this from my husband who is still in Korea nor any other doctor from US.
From my kids French tutor
Hi! I got news from a friend who’s sister is a doctor and she has been asked to handle the crisis in france. She says it is worse than we think and we absolutely need to stay home! Also DO NOT TAKE ANTI INFLAMMATORY. (NSAID) They think it can make symptoms worse even if you’re healthy. Same infos from my friend’s mom who’s the top doctor in france for infectious diseases
Janet – i also read that somewhere. I’ll skip it if i catch the virus.
I just flew back from Johannesburg. Went to set up our conference at Sun City a few days in advance and only for our government to banned all public gathering of more than a 100 people. We were expecting just over 800.
We now have 116 cases since my last check and one of our retailer didn’t think to cancel his meeting after his daughter was daignose positive and he’d been in contact with her. We have now banned all suppliers, retailers, guests, outside staffs who are based in the other building and even local courier service from entering our office.
We have 202 cases and they’ve shut down all public gathering. Restaurants can only cater 50 people max including staff members. No alcohol to be served at 6pm. All pools shut down and no swimming in the ocean 🙁 but we still have to work.
Hi Bee, I posted before but just saw yours. Stay safe honey. I thought warmer weather was supposed to make it better. Isn’t it warm in SA? It is worse than I ever imagined. so grim.
I honestly can’t believe i needed to watch and read how to make do with 1 square of toilet paper just in case. They have been out of stock on bidets here in the las 2 weeks. Even if we call this war, Zoooooooom War for me, I’m still having to throw out leftover food so it it definitely first world war problems.
We zoom all day long. 8am-6pm zoom, zoom for TKD , then I called drum teacher to tell him he could keep the month’s lesson fee, and he told me he will get zoom. please no. zoom tutor, zoom fencing, and zoom friends even. and this is how they will finish the year. taking SAT and AP at home. It’s so surreal..
My mom texted me the Lord’s Prayer when our state shut down with ONE NATION UNDER GOD in caps. and as only mothers could, made me feel calmer.
saw a few books up for free by Kate Stewart, Claire Contrearas, and J. Sterling. Haven’t read any of them.
oh yessss. That’s the one. Thanks K! Ok, I just started The Secrets He Kept by Jackie Walsh. Says it’s a psycho drama with the husband having 2 families? not sure. Will let you guys know if worth reading.
I’m reading Leaving Sophie Dean…I’m
at 19%, when the wife has found the pictures. I like where it’s headed though, based on the blurb. The mistress perspective is always so interesting. How can someone be so selfish? She thinks she can just take the man, and not deal with his young children? And if he abandons his children too, good fucking riddance. I’ll never understand how people can be so self-serving! I hope she ends up being barren.
Katie do you think I would like it? I’m with you too, if they turn there back on their kids…Don’t let the door hit you on the way out….you piece of trash…sorry that gets me spun up…
That’s my first picture I’ve ever posted…Lol. Love watching your sweet family as you post. LEGO land looked Awesome….I just redid an old dresser and turned it into a vanity with a sink for the farmhouse bathroom will post when it’s installed….
I didn’t feel any sort of angst reading this. To me, it was a decent revenge book. The husband is a tool and it reads like satirical fiction. Lol.
There is cheating book with a Christian theme. The guy is a producer and the OW is a singer. Heavy on emotional rather than physical cheating. I thought the writing was good but cannot remember title or author. Has anyone read it? And, please post any good cheating books here. I cannot get into anything
Yeah I’m not really excited to read any more of it.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell looks good. It’s a teacher/student but it’s a predatory situation, not a romance as far as I can tell.
I’ve been on a teacher/student binge and then I read a few smutty ones by Fiona cole. I’m read for an angst fest too. Where’s Miri with some recommendations?
Janet – I hope your husband flies back home soon. Must be stressful for you. My work has cancelled all international travels. Although we still have men flying from China next week for our conference.
So many people in SA think the virus is here but being hidden or being diagnosed as something else. Not sure if i believe that.
Have any of you read Amy Harmon? I just read A Different Blue (Very loosely student-teacher). It was 6 stars. Wow. I cried my eyes out.
Imma ‘bout to binge on her books now. Reading Making Faces next.
I read making faces and sand and ash. I think I have A Different Blue. I will check it out.
I reread This Man series my Jodi Ellen Malpas. Laura, if you haven’t read it maybe it’ll get you out of the slump. Super fast read and possessive/obsessed hero.
Bee. thank you! He’s fine but wants to stay there until it’s safe to travel. I made homemade hand sanitizers for a lot of people.
2/3C 99% rubbing alcohol
1/3C aloe Vera gel
10 drops of essential oil(I used orange and it’s super yummy smelling)
That’s it. Put all that in small spray bottles and done.
awesome! Thanks, Janet! I’ll check out This Man too. I’ve been sick for a week (and yes Coronavirus went through my head) but it was just a sinus infection and a stomach flu –ugh — I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
Janet, I hope your husband makes it home soon. Locally we can’t find hand sanitizer or the ingredients to make it, it’s insane.
Ladies… hope all are doing well and be safe.
I’ve read a couple of interesting woman’s fictions with cheating husbands… Leaving Sophie Dean (can’t remember the author) and The Ladies Room by Carolyn Brown.
I have read Leafing Sophie Dean and I liked it. It’s the one set in England, correct?
Ok, please don’t make the sanitizer using 99 percent alcohol. It’s what I looked up but my uncle said I’m a big idiot. He said just stick to 62-70 percent is fine. Otherwise hands will dry/crack and kids can get alcohol poisoning.
Laura, did you start This Man? Thoughts on Jesse? He’s a blonde I think so not for Tara and Bee.
Good morning my sisters…. Laura sorry you were sick sweetie, glad to see you are feeling better…Janet hope your man gets home soon. Leaving Sophie Dean looks pretty good, especially if the OW stays mad…Lol
I’m reading The Sinful King by Claire Contreras. It’s good so far. All of her books are good but my favorite of hers so far is Paper Hearts. The hero has a baby with normal ow. He slept with her while they were on a break.
Tara, I just checked and they still have nasal gels available on amazon. It’s what my parents have been applying when going out the last couple of weeks and what my uncle suggested (neurosuegeon). Get that or neosporine. I guess I’m little more worried bc of my age and my auto immune disorder.
I’ll check out all of these books. I’ve heard of Paper Hearts several times but I’ve never read anything by her.
Making Faces was sad and sweet.
I think the coronavirus thing has gotten a little out of control. It’s a really bad flu. Sensitive receptors are always at risk with any bad flu. Our local grocery is out of toilet paper. Come on. Dumb.
Ok so there are 3 books as Leah Raeder. All romances.
There’s a 4th book by Elliot Wake- Bad Boy, about a trans man; it’s romantic suspense.
She/he is an excellent writer…give Unteachable a go. I have 30% left.
I’m reading Unteachable by Leah Raeder. I love her writing style. Very good so far.
I was curious about her, so I went to her blog. She’s trans- goes by Elliot Wake now. This might sound extremely ignorant- not my intention. But I wonder how transitioning (taking testosterone) impacts her writing…writing from a male perspective…if at all. S(he)’s very candid about it, her (his) struggles. I’d hate to question such a fundamental part of who I am, like gender. I can’t help but feel for her. Anyway, it’s a good book.
I’m certainly not an expert, but I would think that Elliot has always thought like a male, hence the switch. So I don’t see why testosterone would change the way he thinks.
Hi All!! No way on Leah Raeder!!! I see where Katie is coming from because I would have never guessed a man wrote this novel. I have read a few romance novels written by men and I didn’t like any of them even if the writing was good. I may have to re read this one. Did he write anything else after Unteachable? I will go on his site too.
It has been a strange couple of weeks. My husband went directly to Seoul after his Zurich trip and now he is stuck there because of the coronavirus. He says it’s full blown and somewhat overblown panic over there. There’s an hourly national alerts, 24/7 crew disinfecting the city yet numbers climb up daily. He is not allowed to enter any public building without a mask and holds meetings with mask on. I honestly don’t know how long he will have to be there. He says it’s strange but not scared so I take his word for it.
My parents have cancelled their annual trip to Seoul and my sister and I have cancelled our Europe trip for April. Not because of the virus but we are afraid of the possible backlash against Asians in Paris. My Japanese hairstylist told me last week that she also cancelled her upcoming trip to Tokyo because her mom told her she may not be allowed to come back.
Otherwise all is OK. Got an elliptical and trying to lose weight. Haven’t been really reading romance novels other than LJ Shen’s YA/NA series. I just started The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides which I got from the library. It’s a suspense thriller. I’ll let you guys know if it’s good.
That’s awful, Janet! Ugh. Why is he stuck there? Is he in an area that he’s not allowed to leave? I’m so sad you had to cancel your holidays — that’s awful. I haven’t read a romance in a long while — I just can’t get into any of them. I guess you have to be in the right mood.
Back to Katie’s question — I suppose there is no way of knowing how Elliot feels vs someone who was born male. I don’t think his thinking would change though. I just found this from the Cleveland clinic website… ” “The male and female brain have structural differences,” he says. Men and women tend to have different volumes in certain areas of the brain.
“When we look at the transgender brain, we see that the brain resembles the gender that the person identifies as,” Dr. Altinay says. For example, a person who is born with a penis but ends up identifying as a female often actually has some of the structural characteristics of a “female” brain.
And the brain similarities aren’t only structural.
“We’re also finding some functional similarities between the transgender brain and its identified gender,” Dr. Altinay says.
In studies that use MRIs to take images of the brain as people perform tasks, the brain activity of transgender people tends to look like that of the gender they identify with.”
Oh that’s super interesting! Yeah…I don’t get male vibes from her writing. I believe she has 3 books and one has a trans character? Don’t quote me on that.
I hate to think of transgender individuals as a science experiment, as they are just people of course, but it’s very fascinating…especially all that info about their brains. Elliot Wake is pretty hot, actually.
Wow, J…that’s insane about the coronavirus. I’m sorry your plans are cancelled, but it’s for the best I’m sure. I hope hubs gets home soon! What a cluster fuck.
Ok I really have to check this guy out. Wow! Is the transgender one a romance as well?
He can leave but the country is in an uproar over the virus and he is needed there. I’m more bummed about my cancelled trip. Ugh!
regarding Leah/Elliot, I totally get it but it just reads like a female voice. Maybe because it’s told from the heroines POV. There’s grit to this book and now that I think back, that’s more male than female but other than that i can’t tell. The writing is excellent so maybe this book can jump start your slump.
Also, I did really like Pretty Reckless by LJ Shen if you don’t mind reading HS romance.
Hi my sisters….So glad to hear from you girls…I’ve never read this author you are talking about, but I will give the book a peek and see if I would like it..I haven’t been reading much either, we are down to finish work on our little house. We left it for awhile and now we are back on it….
Hi Tracie! Did you make it to Tx?
Katie, no bueno regarding Elliot. We always disagree on looks. lol.
I haven’t read this one but for fast read with lots of OW and drama, check out Doc Marshall by Jessie Cooke. And on Miri’s feed there was a cheating one with amnesia. Probably not good but it’s on KU-
Be Mine… Again by April Kelly
I love Unteachable! I really like how the book is aware of the age gap issue and not glorify such a relationship. It feels real. As for how the testosterone might affect, i’m not sure, but hormone isn’t able to affect or interfere with complex thoughts and principles, no?
It’s been awhile since I pop in here. How is everyone doing?
I miss everyone. I hope you are still enjoying retirement Tracie. I’m kind of in a reading slump — I haven’t found anything I like in quite a while. I’d love a recommendation.
Hello, hope all is well 🙂 Janet – I hope your hubby has cooled off his travels with regards to the outbreak of Coronavirus. Hope everyone keeping safe.
Boiling hot in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa (our hottest month). But I love the heat. Busy training for an ocean mile swim at the end of March.
Not reading anything at the moment…not long finished “Soaring” by Kristen Ashley – wow, looooong book, but I enjoyed it. For some reason, I wanted to read more about her asshole ex husband after his wake-up call at the end, when she confronted him about his problems and that if he continues down the path he’s on, he could lose his children respect forever.
Think I need to read something light-hearted next.
Happy Valentines Day Girls…Hope all your loves are loving up on you today….Hope all is well with you girls…miss you much. Can’t wait to start analyzing our next read with you girls….?
Guess who I saw at Barneys New York liquidation sale today? Kim aka Morgan Fairchild! Bahaha. Remember when we were throwing names out way way back when and she was one of the names for Kim from her Falcon Crest days? Well, she was digging through the $5 sunglass case section. I said ooh hi. I want whatever you are getting. Haha. Her face is good and her hair is great. Her body not so much. Anyway, I thought of you guys today after that so I’m checking in. Have a great weekend everyone.
p.s. I bought the same sunglass case as Morgan’s. Yay for me.
Hi My Girls….Well, got another church story that happened today…Visualize this: Your Girl Tracie in a pair of off white patterned leggings with a Rayon mint green long tunic and off white wedge booties walking out of church (with the rest of the crowd) hands full with 2 bibles (one is Tom’s), church checkbook and my purse! As usual, I’m in conversation with my daughter and a young man that had worked for me and his wife. As I went to step off the pavement of the covered driveway and onto the gravel, my wedge bootie had a mind of its own and twisted as I fell off my wedge to the bootie my left side decided to skip like a damn rock across the gravel like skipping a rock over a pond….To my mortification it looked like scene in that old movie West World where all the church patrons froze in place. Then I saw our young youth leader dashing across the parking lot to dead life me off the ground…for the record I was so stunned by the fall I never dropped anything out of my arms. As I was hauled to an upright position, I looked down at
my off white leggings and they were a bit crimson from the skinned left leg….I looked at everyone with their mouths open and said
“Since Sister Ella put me on the prayer list, keep me there I think I might need it! The End!
Hi All!!!! Sorry I’ve been MIA. I’ve been binging on K-drama for the last two weeks and didn’t realize a new thread started. I thought Katie was still reading Credence. I can’t think about that book.
Laura, you started a new book?!!! Is this one of the 5 you need to finish or is this a brand new one? I can’t wait! Ooh, we wouldn’t mind a bit if one(or all) of the Hunters makes a cameo appearance. Haha.
Tracie, your church stories are precious! I read it twice and laughed so hard. I’m going to put you on the prayer list. bahahahahaha. I feel like all the interesting people are in OK. So many cougar sand cheating stories. I love it.
I just finished one cheating book. Save Me by Krystyn Kusek Lewis. It was OK. The book could have gone either way but it was about a couple who grew apart rather than growing together so it’s definitely a Women’s Fiction.
It’s Everyday History by Alice Archer. Lord, I never remember the names.!
Wowza! I love athlete romance! The first chapter of Lucas was so good. I think he may even be hotter than Tony and Phil combined. LOL. Sorry Tracie!
So Everyday History is a slow one. Not sure if Tracie can get into the pacing of the story but I think you will love it. the writing is legit beautiful and Henry’s articles are soul stirring(for lack of a better word). I haven’t read Catcher In the Rye since HS but the this book evokes similar feels. Anyway, I ended up buying the book even though it’s offered on KU. Let me know your thoughts if you read it Laura. Also, I keep thinking throughout the book, are there more homosexuals than heteros in Mass bc every other character is gay in this book. Bahaha.
I’m so excited we are going to meet Lucas and I’m positive he is going to be so swoon worthy and I will love the book, but Phil will always be my favorite H ever….I just can’t help it J-Girl!?
Hi Girls….So glad I skipped Credence. I just read Vi Keeland’s new book Inappropriate. I liked it, it touched on mental illness and some of the tragedies that go along with it. I also read a sleeper I liked by Lisa Anderson, Plus Sized Heart. Loved the H’s father in this book. It’s about a beautiful curvy woman and her battles. She’s a strong woman and the H screws up with her royally but comes back groveling. Angst and heartbreaking with a HEA.
Hope everyone is well. I’ve been chasing my grandsons wrestling matches. Love jetting around without having to worry about work. I’ve lost 14 pounds and back to sleeping 7 to 8 hours a night….I’m happier than a pig in mud.
Janet got a church story….So this older woman in our church went after this 40 year old guy and she just kept calling him non stop and driving him crazy, she was obsessed and she’s a little bit off her rocker. I warned them not to put out a church directory with phone numbers, but does anyone listen to me….NO! So he comes to me and wants me to stop her from bird dogging him…So I guess the men in the church decided since I got kicked off the benevolence committee I was the one! So I did…I said look honey you have got to stop, he is young enough to be your son and you are driving him to the dark side…Don’t call him and he won’t be giving you rides to church anymore, but the van will come by and pick you up. I’ve already put you on the list…I’m sorry sugar he’s just not interested…are we good? She said no and I’m not talking to you or him again! I’m just going to put you on the prayer list! I replied with…. that sounds good honey, we are always up for a miracle here….The End….
Definitely a ? on Credence.
I’m starting an historical romance-Under Darkening Skies…Ray Kingfisher. WWII during German Occupation in Norway. SS Officer and 18yo girl…fast forward 70 years.
Janet, I still have 15% left on Penelope.
?
But.
Not sure about this one. I mean there’s a sweet story there, but not sure she needed to test out the whole family first. Although I guess that’s consistent with a girl with daddy issues.
She’s a good writer but this was a little out there.
Janet, I’m only at 12% on PD. My dad is in the hospital for a bum gallbladder, so I haven’t been able to focus. I will say, she is excellent as creating imagery. Things haven’t gotten weird yet.
Girls I read a book I liked it was called Unexpected Bond by Kaylee Ryan…Me and Katie would of so done what the h Mara did…..
Laura I hope you’re buzzing along with the new book…you need a sounding board or a think tank…Lol you just let us know…we’ll jump off in there with you sister?
I’ll check it out.
I’m 30% on Penelope Douglas. It isn’t too weird yet but I’m pretty sure the family ménage is going to start soon. Don’t tell me- she ends up with the mute?
Wtf?
A Belated Merry Christmas to Everyone!
Welcome to the blog Cyn and Mahira!
Zaincruise — you probably missed the question because it was a bit buried but Mahira asked if she could repost your analysis on Goodreads.
I am staring a new thread because this one is too long. I will go through recent comments and try to answer any outstanding questions on the new thread.
Zaincruise, thread is too long. Putting reply here!!😌
I think the Ever trilogy is unsalvageable, period. It’s otherworldly misanthropic. The thing is I get the logic behind the plot development but I was unwilling to devolve into it. It’s sensible in that universe but I am confused with the worthiness of writing it🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
and the “when life happened”……
you won’t believe it.😳 I have been “plotting” it for quite a while!! I was also into Hero, Carter in Unstoppable(by Sam Mariano, Carter was perfectly done but not Zoe in Unstoppable). I am going to make this two a ship🤓. Carter as the bully was the arch-rival of her ex boyfriend/ brother-in-law(ewwww). They hooked up at her sister’s wedding rehearsal out of her despair and his aloofness (I am going to give it to her (the sister), the “perfect wedding” and “no miscarriage” for later sweeter justice, and I don’t like the way Jewel E Ann handled Parker(h)’s childish demeanour or mental state, corny, rude and too ). She got pregnant (it’s her brother-in-law’s, I am going formalist harsh on this twist setting), and fled the town to the East Coast (I remembered Carter attended Columbia for LLB).
They met at a cafe in Lower East Side(LES) where she was an apprentice Barista. Carter was always psychoanalytically mischievous if not downright “evil”. So he got curious and they started talking (and never stopped). I want the fanfic centred around her difficult pregnancy, and her reflection on herself, the past, the now and the future. I won’t let Carter to be a chivalrous saviour and her a damsel in distress. It’s an unbreakable bond they developed thru small things of their daily life in the city. A glimpse thru the hot coffee’s steam in a rainy day of New York; a gentle breeze billowing up her summer dress hemline when he invited her for an out of city walk along a no man’s boardwalk; or the small uncomfortable she endured during third trimester while she turned around to attend a coffee order trembled him more than he could bear. He didn’t care until he cared greatly. A long road to a tranquil end. What made them a great ship? Her blossoming on a hopeless desolation thawed his cloistered but tortuous inwardness, her, a solace in the raging sea of his. His silent turmoil did not block the view that showed her his solemnity or a broader world presented along with him.
The justice I want to show for Parker is a full display of her agony over the betrayal. The ruins never got a chance to be presented properly in the canon. I don’t believe two insta lovers and a quasi switch positions (her turn as a borderline OW) could make her recover from or heal like what the book tried to convince me. When the agony was on full force, sickness brewed in that feverish state, shedding old trauma off her system. She became stern and gracefully moved past it (never looked back). I knew her sister would wonder all the changes about her and cared enough to reestablish the once close sisterhood (same as the canon). But my philosophy is that Parker moved past that chapter, AND nothing would ever be the same. Adults have to live with that life changes. Then, she would finally came to the full realisation that she really fucked up, too many water submerging the bridge. They parted their way would be the sister’s ultimate penance.
Anyway, that’s all me thinking…silly me 😂😂😳
Amazing! bravo! fanfuckingtastic! Pardon my French but I also love Carter from unstoppable… 😉 It is silly you thinking that it is silly. Write it! I can’t wait to read it.
What I most loved about WPS and SN was the fact it was Phil who had trust issue instead of Lina. LoL. That amazing woman had a strong heart and know what’s her worth is. Yeah she was a little insecure in the beginning and who wouldn’t be but she never doubt that she wasn’t enough or what was wrong with her. THANK GOD FOR THAT! I will be a totally lesbian for her. 😂 The perfectly imperfect Phil was the insecure one. He acted like it was Lina who had cheated. And I loved it. Somewhere even in his numb state he had became too comfortable in the knowledge that Lina and he would always be together. No one will be able to rip them apart. She was only his. But he was in for a rude awakening that there will always be Kims and Nicks of this world who
could or would want to tear them apart. I have got to see a desperate and vulnerable side of him in SN. The nightmare he had. Totally wowed me.
Even if the collision 💥 of Phil two worlds hadn’t happened I don’t think the affair would have continued that much longer. As zaincruise said a sincere glance from Lina and the other woman ceased to exist. It also shows that affair was all about physical escapism for him. If there had been any emotional attachment he wouldn’t have been able to end it that easily and would have been much receptive to her feelings in the break-up scene.
Hey class of 2021 is the registration for 2022 has opened yet? Because I want to take admission I don’t think I would shut up about it any time soon. 😂😂😂
wait!!
I kinda take Phil’s territorial/paranoid behaviour for granted!!
I was thinking that all Heroes (those I loved) should behave like that! (apparently, Phil deserved some of my appreciation/recognition for this😂)
Your words made sense!! If I see from this angle, he was insecure. That’s cute and a guilty pleasure for me to enjoy. Especially, when I was pulled back to some of the cheating books recommended by the blog. I remembered almost all the husbands were acting differently to Phil. They were like they are entitled to cheat because they had successful career and good-looking etc etc (they had lip service to say the opposite, but as readers, you get the gist). Never had they ever displayed any kind of tentativeness towards their own self-consciousness. Always the wives suffered major blows on their confidence etc etc.
Actually, about Lina’s small/tiny thoughts of insecurity over her sexuality!! I just loved her so much. So I couldn’t even bear even small proportions of that in her pov’s inner thoughts. It was nibbling her, it was nibbling me. But I guess I have to accept that. It was realistic, after affair, it’s natural to have that reaction. I remembered Laura said that mainly, she didn’t feel insecure about her sexuality etc etc.
Personally my most favorite character is Lina. She is unlike any heroine I have ever read. The power she has over everyone and the beauty of her character and her personality has left me speechless. I know a lot of readers have thought that she was too dependent on Phil. But that’s not how I think. I think Phil was too dependent on Lina. Her pulling away made him angry and selfish because he couldn’t cope with not being Lina’s center of the universe. (I am not justifying his actions because nothing can justify his affair but his affair was based around on the idea that if you don’t want me there’s someone who does instead of on the idea that I met a Hot beautiful woman I can’t resist. Lina’s pulling away filled him with bitterness and anger.)she is selfless and the most strong woman I have ever read. No matter how hurt she was she never made Phil choose because that’s just not in her nature. Every men she met fell in love with her secretly. Damn I love the scene when Nick threatened to take her away from Phil and he became desperate for her. I personally want Liam to be cold to Kim too Esra since Lina sacrificed too much for him. Her connection with Liam was much deeper. I just wish Kim get slapped with Karma. She is still too arrogant because she has not learned anything. I wish Liam would say to her ‘i don’t want a woman who has hurt My Mother anywhere near me’ and slam the door on her face.
Hahahahaha me too!!! Because if Liam loves Lina like Logan does then I don’t think he would be too okay spending time with her. I know she is his mother but it takes more to be a mother than just popping out a baby. I love hating her too much. 😂😂😂 How dare she hurt our Lina and get away with it.
‘let your love be stronger than your hate and anger’ I love this qoute which was shared by Sharon stone.
My mom is really going to kill me because she doesn’t like it when I use my 📱 cell at family dinner but guys if you have any recommendations. Books like this one please share them with me…. I really would like to read them.
Omg!!! Berenice Logan is also my favorite character. I just wish if Laura write again about hunter clan she would write his book first. Your knowledge about architecture is so cool and something tells me that we may have an amazing architecture among us.I am looking right at you Berenice!!!!
Haha,😜 I wish tooo!
and I have to confess I am not as attracted to Liam’s story as to Logan’s!!
One of Liam’s allures would be reading about him is like experiencing a certain degree of Phil’s younger years (setting a lot of readers’ imagination off). If I had hots for Phil, then I should be interested about his story etc etc. But I like Phil&Lina. Phil is enough for me.
with that being said, for me, the most anticipated story would be Logan’s. He literally embodied so many potentials, alternatives and had the versatility of being a sublime/grandeur Hero!!!😌
//Just imagine a heroine walked into a cozy family-run brasserie located in a French Rivera coastal town. Late afternoon, the fickle weather was sombre with offshore blustery gale. Last days of summer, the dampened hemline of floral dress adhered to her thighs giving her goosebump. The warm light, freshly baked pastry and clangorously brewing teapots of the brasserie dispelled the unforeseen summer inclemency for its visitors. Holding her cup of cafe au lait, she turned around, seeing a man sitting at window side, alone and absorbedly. He was rather insouciant with all the papers and a laptop in front him. Abruptly, he looked up, eyes boring into her curious gazing. Her stare must be too long and too probing. Embarrassingly, she turned away from him. When a gateau was delivered by the waitress, she regained her composure, only to find that he no longer took interest in his work. Rather, he was sketching casually, with left hand spared, lean masculine fingers across the white porcelain demitasse. She gulped down some coffee, noticing a hardback sourcebook on his right side, a sourcebook of wooden materials for architectural structuring, as she recognised. The Brasserie was quiet. She could hear his hand moving swiftly across the crispy paper, neat and assertive. Sipping one last drop, he put down the espresso cup, amusedly returning her attentive study of him. This time, she didn’t steer away. Mesmerised, the deep electrical excitement cutting through her body and soul, his dark amber pupils drew her into an unending vagaries of mystiques.//
Forgive my poor imagination and even poorer wording. I wrote snippets about Logan…to self entertain😳
OMG! IT WAS AMAZING!!! 👌 that was really good I love it 😍 Berenice.
!!
I am going to ask Brian, Logan and Matthew (I think it’s the trio’s last boy’s name) if I could join them for a holiday hiking plus country-break (of course near the coast)!!
Also, I would like to ask Logan if he could share his architecture portfolio with me and talk about it with me!!( I imagine he is more Renzo Piano or Kisho Kurokawa than Zaha Hadid)
The third question would be a mission to make Logan be friend with Michael Prossi (I don’t know, I just wish they could meet and become friends and share a great friendship). I wish every several years I could meet them somewhere naturally magnificent at some world’s end (Bolivia’s salt flat under the starry night, Iceland’s midnight sun surfing or Andean Plateau frontier mountaineering) for a retreat and witness them to talk about their career, ambition to make a difference and their changing insight of life itself while they are growing older and older.
(I must read too many biographies 😂😂😳) anyway, it’s just Christmas miracle time!☺️
I wish Logan could share with me whether he likes northern Italian’s Alpine lake villa more or Breton’s coast cottage more. what cuisine interests him the most, Occitan or Alsatian? Would he mind visiting continental Abbeys and Botanic gardens to see the floor plan and seek architectural inspiration. which artist he admire the most. what’s his idea of post modern architecture (furniture included) etc etc…would he be bother if his style develops a comfortable niche? The girl he would marry one day, what kind of life he would want to build with her?
I think, all in all, Logan wouldn’t be a man shying away from reflecting and exploring his feelings (balanced not wishy washy). I think that makes him sexy and hot😳
When a writer writes a character she may have this generalized version in her mind and as the character develops her choices become her own and fitting to her character. That’s why we as readers can interpret the character with our own ideas and thoughts. I know what you all saying but the pic at SB house with Lina pic in the background makes me think 🤔 that she may not have the intention to hurt Lina with pictures in the beginning but she still had some ill intentions. If she could join a running group on purpose and get pregnant on purpose then she could also stage some situation in her favor. She is too cunning. A man who wouldn’t cuddle with her and look her in the eyes while having sex with her like he did with Lina must have made her insecure in some way…
Somebody had asked this so let me say this (I genuinely believe that if they were happy and had a fight means without lina pulling away emotionally and physically and he had met Kim in a bar and she had come on to him then i don’t think that he would have even think about her let alone having sex with her)….
I know guys I am helpless cause I read those books quite recently so please understand my obsession. 😉
I totally agree with the idea of ill intention. It’s a lingering shadow waiting for the right moment. Especially from a hindsight, as a reader, we knew how her character was constructed. She was not a good woman stepping across the wrong path and kept some pics later became “bittersweet memory”. This is not that kind of story and she was not constructed that way. So it was woven seamlessly from plot developing perspective.
Yes, I agreed if they were happy and just had a fight, he wouldn’t sleep with her. It had a built-up preluding his fall (to the lowest point of his life).
I really enjoy reading your comments. Do you think that Kim really could be anyone? Like Phil said, it was not because he could not resist her but she just happen to be there that night. It could have been any other attractive woman who was willing that night but i think it might only be a ONS. It turned into an affair because Kim lured him in at his lowest point and he gave in because he wanted to use her to escape?
My most favorite character is Logan. His protection for Lina and the way he cared for her left me speechless. I think I would be too excited to even form a single syllable let alone ask a question.(OK I am off the topic here but I hate that kim gets to have Liam when he is all grown up. Lina sacrifice so much for him was there for him when he needed a mother. Kim abandoned him. No matter what everyone say but Liam as a baby was just a pawn for her to get Phil and she even neglected him while he was living with her. The reason he was so attached to Phil because she didn’t care about him as a mother should. Neglecting is a form of abuse. I want Liam to be cold her and not think that she is a distant cool aunt)
You too Berenice … Okay if santa gives you a chance to go into the Hunter Universe and ask your favorite characters three questions what would you ask?
Guys I have just realized that Laura class is the only one we all have attended even when we are on Holiday..😉
I know you ESRA you did the same thing when you read Jewel E Ann life series. You questioned her so much on insta about Ronin…I know it won’t be your last one… LOL
Berenice I love reading your comments…they are amazing!!!
Hahahahaha!!! you know me too well zaincruise. She was way too nice to me. I even had gotten angry with my own self. Thank you for answering love you all ♥
Wait!! I want to ask Jewel E ANN’s another book. Did you guys read the “what life happened”? Actually I don’t find insta love and main character death or even h was borderline OW a dealbreaker as what other readers find. My dealbreaker is her sister and her ex boyfriend/ her sister’s husband!!! I couldn’t get over them!!! Till this day, I am angry at them and found them unacceptable/ don’t deserve any HE at all!!! I almost/still consider write a fanfic to seek justice for the h (I am petty)!!!
damn!! me too. in a fictional world, I have hated two sisters the most one in when life happened and the other one was Eden in after forever. how can the husband (who was the hero) and sister have intense sex with each other when the h is in the comma. on top of that, he also had a baby with the other sister. I really hated that one because the writer sprung cheating on us without any warning. Gosh, it still made me so mad. it was a trilogy I think.
that’s why I liked WPS and SN because as you said he still loved Lina during the affair and your comment about him not using condoms made him cute in our eyes.LOL ( never thought that would happen)
Now I want you to write Fanfic to seek justice. I would love to read it. you would be an amazing writer. I think fanfic is a Fun way to change the destiny of the fictional characters.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!!🎉🎉🎄🎄❄️❄️🧑🎄🤶😊😊
Thank you guys so much for answering my questions. I know how busy you all would have been so thank you for taking your time to answer my questions. But I have another…. You can answer it any time but please reply must since I want to understand this. It’s about pic situation. Kim was capturing his pictures with her. In her bedroom I can understand she was the one who took it but when they were out how does she know that it was the perfect moment. If he had put his hand on her thigh according to his own wish it seems kind of unbelievable that she would have run back to a waitress and asked her to take the picture of them and then would have put his hand back on her thigh. Same in the dancing picture how would she have known that he would have grabbed her for dancing and remembered to ask somebody to click it. I think she exploited the situation in her favor and Phil fault was that he went along with it without realizing he was being setup.
If I remembered correctly, I think Laura explained this here and there. Originally, Kim didn’t take them as an evidence for later use of “attack”. She kinda deluded herself into she was in a “love/romantic relationship”. So in that bar, she was a frequent before quitting job for Phil. Friendly staff(or her other friends) took pics and sent her afterwards saying something such as you two look good as a couple. She kept various pics as such because she “loved” him. Like all women would do in a relationship. Until the slap from Lina, she decided to use them as a tool to hurt Lina.
I have to be completely honest. I actually bought into her logic a tiny bit. It was what she said in the excerpt Laura shared in here (didn’t made the cut)
She said that “you were avoiding the truth, I am telling you the truth” to Lina. It’s kinda true because Lina buried her head in the sand not asking details. It’s okay to not ask details (especially if you are Diane’s type of wife, meaning details wouldn’t change your decision to stay, to make the marriage work). But for Lina it changed Lina’s decision once she knew all the events occurred in the pics. Lina gradually found out it’s a full blown affair. A lot of details obviously crossed Lina’s bottom line and she had to face them with no filter or “moderation” from Phil. I found it brutal but necessary. That’s also one of the reason I repeatedly disagree to diminish the affair. If Lina considered it a serious transgression and Lina thought all things he did with her, all small thoughts he had regarding Kim were “full blown affair stuff” not just bedroom activities, then I would side with her.
Hi everyone! I am new to this blog and I’m ever so glad that I found it as reading through the comments has given me a more indept analysis about the characters ep Phil. After reading WPF and SN , I cannot stop having thoughts about the characters and the affair. Both books were captivating!
Some questions keep popping up in my mind… because Phil is like a puzzle that i would like to solve.
We all know that Phil ended the affair after reconnected with Lina (had sex with Kim on Thurs, reconnected with Lina on Fri and breakup scene was in Mon). If Lina would have reconnect with Phil earlier (one to two months into the affair when it was still new and exciting and before SB when the affair was starting to fizzle out) would Phil still end the affair straightaway?
Laura did mentioned that Phil was very attracted to Kim and liked her for a short period and only start waning after SB (I assume he likes her when the affair was hot and heavy because who will have an affair with one you dont like right, it was not an ONS) so even if Lina reconnected with him early he will just dump kim?
Reading the text messages, Phil was meeting Kim for sexcapades almost daily. I kept rereading the texts and I really feel for Lina. “I want to keep reading them because it makes me hate you” Thats excatly how I felt and also indicates how great a writer Laura is. On my first read I thought, Phil must be obsessed with kim to leave his wife’s bed and have sex with kim and sleepover before flying to NY, going to her apt before meeting and also sparing time on Sat for her on top of the daily quickies at the office apt. After I started on SN, I came back to WPF again because as Lina said, the Phil that she knows will not send those texts. Phil was not in his right mind. And i start reading between the lines. Phip’s messages were straight forward, he wants to meet her for sex only, mostly quickies or a couple of hours even the sleepover was short. In fact 24 texts in a 4 months affair that showed Phil was the pursuer was not that much.
Thats when I came upon this blog and read the comments and the deleted scenes. I was able to feel for Phil. He was escaping, while some people turns to drinking, gambling or drugs. He used kim for sex because as he said she was the one there that night and it continued because she was willing and easy. Even if kim was not at the bar that night but another woman who was willing and pursue him, he will still cheat? It will problably be a ONS because he was on business in NY.
Can I assume he continued the affair not because he cannot resist kim but because he just needed kim to escape his problems at home?
Sorry for the long rants and questions.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Yeah Cyn she could have been anyone. I think when I look at his affair I can see that Kim had given him unfettered access to herself. Phil constant desire to escape gave her the idea that he wants me more than his wife because Phil didn’t share his inner feelings with her. She doesn’t know about his situation at home. He was clear about not leaving Lina for her but that’s the only thing he shared. As he said even if Lina leave him he still wouldn’t marry her. His attraction for kim couldn’t even touch the deep feelings he had for Lina.
Hi Zaicruise appreciate your reply so much. Now I can confidently say that Phil had meant his words when he said that Kim was nobody to him. If Lina would have reconnected with him before SB, he will still drop Kim like a hot potato.
In WPF Lina recalled during thier younger days she was looking at Phil’s palm lines. For children, there was a fourth line (Liam ?) which was not as deep as the other three. So I think Phil’s affair might be an inevitable obstacle in thier relationship that they need to overcome and grow together as a couple. As Alice said they have chosen this path.
I really wanted to study it since psychology is also my favorite subject and I wanted to understand the Phil situation …. We all have the need to protect ourselves from emotional harm. Our natural defenses kick in to safeguard our inner psyche. When we are hurt, we reach and do whatever we can to minimize our pain. For some, that might mean feeling overwhelmed and then shutting off and retreating inwardly, closing off from ourselves and our own experience of emotions, or fleeing a situation. Protection from pain for others might be fighting, trying to prove worthiness, or we may actively do something to experience the illusion of control. We even tell ourselves stories justifying our behaviors claiming we do them to protect ourselves. At times, because of circumstances or situations, we do things that are out of character. It might result in feeling shame, frustration, and embarrassment…. A great explanation by a famous psychologist. So people back off saying that he wanted to have an affair because he just wanted to taste something new. He may have enjoyed her during that time but he wasn’t as happy and contend as he was with Lina. Because only she could give him what he truly wanted. That is Love.!! And yes he may have thought that Kim was attractive but he only found Lina beautiful. Again she was the only woman he wanted. Damn! I have been rude and down right hostile to Heroes who only cheated once… But for some reason I don’t only want to forgive him but also want to hug him at the same time. Why do I love this jerk so much🥺🥺 (I think the reason we can’t stop talking about him is because we all have secretly fall in love with him) Santa better bring him to me or there would be no sweets for Santa. But wait! I only want him with Lina… Dang, I am so confused now 😔
Sometimes, I blamed him so much because Nick or Nick’s type could handle the situation better, and would not fall into Kim’s trap. But Nick was not who Lina loved which says it all. I think understanding the logic behind his transgression would let us reconcile to his redeem-ability. Also, I always feel that most of cases (except Phil) only cheating once is somewhat “worse” than serial cheating because serial cheating cheapened Heroes’ feeling towards OWs. Only once always haunted me to think there’s something special about this “fling”. But Phil proved to be an extra-ordinary case that couldn’t be analysed by ordinary pattern😂. Laura said once, if I remember correctly, Phil found Kim beautiful and attractive in that peculiar moment when Lina was not in his mind, though he didn’t allow himself to compare these two women. Once he walked out of the fog, Lina reappeared in his thought, Lina became the only woman he found beautiful. It’s somewhat a semantic argument. However, I still pointed out it because I admire Laura’s storytelling in that it depicted the realistic/ ugly context, all those small but mounting details lead me to appreciate Lina’s eventual empowerment more, as she overcame the affair not by dismissing or diminishing the nature of the affair but by her love for Phil and his love for her.
All in all, Merry Christmas and Happy New year☺️ 🎄 🎄 🎄
Personally it really doesn’t bother me that much. No matter how much I hate Kim she was beautiful. I remember once I had seen two dresses and they both were really pretty. I really wanted the red one since blue one was not according to my style but just because I didn’t wanted the blue one doesn’t mean it was ugly or I didn’t find it attractive. Phil found Kim attractive in superficial way not in a meaningful way. Like stating the obvious. Just like lina thought that nick was attractive. Once a reader had asked Laura that why Phil put Kim first so much? Laura had replied he didn’t put Kim first he put himself first. Kim was the illusion of control for him and a stroke of ego for him. As for him feeling happy and content I think Kim was like a painkiller for him because he was using her to escape his reality. She made him feel numb from his reality. I agree… with Lina he was truly happiest because not only she was the love of his life but she was his soulmate no doubt about it.
Merry Christmas to you to Berenice and everyone who is reading it… 🎄🎄🎄
Me too, I felt that I reconciled with flawed Phil long time ago😂. But objectively, (not me thinking) he was supposed to be that typical Hero meaning no feelings to any other women or noticing no other women’s beauty, which was true before this “incident”. I think that is why readers vacillated among all sorts of love/hate feelings towards him. And when it came to personal thinking, again I still think Lina appreciating Nick was much more complicated (and justified) than Phil being attracted to Kim once his resistance wall gone. But that’s just me thinking.
Back to the objective, book based discussion again, I think it’s because Lina as the wife cared about Phil’s thoughts regarding Kim. Kim as a incident was tooo peculiar and once in a life time( not her attribution but the situation), which drove Lina to all sorts of thinking, doubts and insecurity. She cared greatly about this woman’s image etc etc. I felt that as lover she was just territorial which I can relate to. Who doesn’t want her love of her life to be hers always?? She was hurt by all the small, maybe for readers in hindsight superficial stuff, but I cared, from her perspective, for her.
To Zaincruise and Esra , Merry Christmas and happy new year!!🎄🤶🎄🧑🎄🎉🎉🎊🎊
Also!! I like the word “numb” it summed up my ridiculously long elaboration of compartmentalization perfectly!! Yes, he was lucid and intellectually functioning during the affair!! The what made him detached from reality or disoriented from consequences or his Lina?? He became aware but numb!!! I kept popping up long paragraphs to elucidate his compartmentalizations…it’s just numb….thank you for saving me from another didactic, hit and miss meandering, zaincruise! You are the best!!
Zaincruise your analysis was so good and it has answered so many questions I had. Thanks! Laura you are a great writer. You have changed my perception. Zaincruise can I post your analysis on goodreads in group I am part of. Thanks!
LOL…. Berenice he is a friend I used his pictures so no one would know about all the dirty stories I have read.
😂I can totally get that!
Same reason as that I would never lend my kindle to any of my friends, though they all knew I read romances and erotic lit, and couldn’t stop talking about it.💁🏻
Hey zaincruise I know it seems a little bit personal question and tell me to shut up if I am intruding but I know you have joined ACCA corporate lawyer program! Congratulations!! Girl 🎊 but was your decision to become a attorney somehow was influenced by these books?
No Esra it is not a top secret.I had straight As in my A levels and everything was good for a while but then I refused to participate, forgot about study world for a while. At 29 it was a very late start but since ACCA had no age limit I was accepted easily with my grades. When I said these books made a difference that’s what I meant. Hopefully you are having a wonderful time.
wow!! that’s great!! Congratulations!! Zaincruise!!
Don’t know what to say!! That’s so cool!! I am always in awe of people who can do ACCA, LLM or JD!!! I found them extremely cool!!🤓
You are officially a cool girl in my eyes😁
Awesome Zaincruise….You’re a rock star girl!
Thank you sooo much Tracie! You are making me blush😚
Thanks Berenice! Something tells me that it’s not very easy to be in your cool girl book. LOL!!So I am honored…❤️
😳😂
btw, is [Thecruise show] you on goodreads??
I got confused by the pic…
only now realise it’s pseuds pic (what was I thinking🤦🏻♀️)…silly me!😳
I would love to read about Liam. I know Laura you said he maybe be fine but I am with Tracie on this one. One of my friend had adopted a new born baby who was rescued by the firefighters and it was quite a news in local papers. Now he is 8 years old but some of his classmates told him that they have heard their parents saying that he doesn’t have a real mom and he is adopted. He also had gotten into fight with a boy much older than him. My friend loves him unconditionally and have tried her best to protect him from people wagging tongues. People can be so rude sometimes. So I don’t think that he would go unscathed even with Phil and Lina unconditional love.
It depends??? My friend has a “horrible” uncle! So, he married for many years and there’s infertility problems and somehow, he had an affair and that became a SECOND family (he is rich, so it’s more like keeping the OW and the child, provided for them). The whole family knew about it, only the wife didn’t know. Later years, his wife also got pregnant, had a boy as well.
I felt so bad for the wife and the legitimate child. since I knew the story, I have been persuading my friend to tell her aunt. She deserved the truth! (A bit childish of me). My friend couldn’t because it’s really not her place to tell(understandable).
So, this is the context. And I have been curious about the OW’s son for sometime since I knew his existence. My friend told me he was fine. He knew about his father’s wife and the wedlock son but didn’t care. His current plan is just focusing on going to college on the west coast, UCLA or UC Berkley (would be more ideal). A lot of drama regarding that family, two sons and their father’s logistics business!! Gosh, my friend told me that wife’s son probably would get the business when he grew up(now he is a five or six yr old baby), and the OW’s son would have monetary compensation.
I was always so curious about the affair (like what exactly was it like between them) I agree with Zaincruise and Tracie analysis ( please don’t be mad at me for saying this I know he was attracted to Kim very much and may have flirted with her but a hand on thigh in front her colleagues and grabbing her behind for all to see is not a very respectful move and I think he did treated her a bit like a body available to him for sex. That’s my opinion you don’t have to agree…. But if the texts would have been like… ‘I need you now can I come to your place’ then yeah I can see what you all mean but since he didn’t so that’s that. He didn’t even responded to her seductive invitation with flirty comeback.As Laura said it was 90% sex so 10% part kind of becomes irrelevant, Kim was like his sex doll with endless batteries.LoL) it could have been anyone and he still would have done it was not all about Kim. I am just glad it wasn’t Kim who made him cheat, he made himself cheat.As for Lina I am glad she didn’t crossed the line. I know she wouldn’t have but if she had it would have been meaningful because she had feelings for Nick not as deep as Phil but still she cared about him in her own way. Thank you y’all for answering my questions. Now I am at peace ✌️
??I think I juxtaposed Lina&Nick and Phil&Kim. Laura said what I can interpreted as Phil’s enjoyment to Kim was similar to Lina’s attachment to Nick???Anyway, it’s Phil’s silliness. I am not going to dwelling on it any more😌
Since Tracie mentioned about Katie and Matt getting married, how about a domestic /civil partnership?? I have a friend got married just before pandemic. Her husband is French. She told me that her French in-laws were together decades before getting married. For years, they were in a domestic partnership, raised three children and only decided to get married when they both retired and all adult children left the house.😂
Katie might also persuade Matt to use Hunter-Hudson as their children’s surname. I can totally see that😂. I didn’t know if there’s a state law for this. So I googled. It turns out there’s a civil union kind of law in MD. It’s really interesting to see some years after, how Katie’s view on marriage would change.🤔😄
OMG! it was your Birthday Tracie, I know I am late BUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
May your birthday be as wonderful as you are!! LOVE YOU GIRL!
I have a thought/question!
I remembered that Janet said she wanted Logan to be with Nick’s daughter, and Phil would be in the same orbit with Nick the rest of his life, lol.
I thought about Nick’s son, Brian! Could Brian be Logan’s best friend even after they graduated and for the rest of their life?? I know a lot of people lost touch with their best friends after graduation. But for some strange reasons, I always liked the “Bromance” between Logan and Brian.
The excited Logan commented on how cool Brian was on the field. His beaming brown eyes that comes from Lina must accentuate his smiley boy look!!
The “Brian thought giving gift toTiffany not cool moment” gave me the impression that yes, he is Nick’s son, but he was probably more Phil (with Nick’s traits obviously) than cerebral Nick. He would be a good addition to Logan’s story??
Although Laura did not write much about Brian, but my imagination was off the charts! I remembered Brian showed Logan to use twitter to assemble a random team for their games on beach. I knew a lot of people do that. But from Logan’s narrative, I feel that Brian was more assertive, came up with the plan and dominated the plan?? must be a little “man crush” from Logan’s side?? I like their friendship!!
I always feel that Logan would be the complicated, mystical and intriguing one (an amazing man completely in his own rights) and Brian would be a Phil with dashes of Nick’s equilibrium.😂
The next gen duo of “Tony and Joseph” (not exactly the same, just saying they would be wonderful friends with interesting bromance chemistry)
Agree. Even Phil was in awe of him. I think if Laura turn the books in Hunter saga it would be so awesome because every character had something unique. Liam would make a perfect dark and tortured Hero. Logan would be the silent and mysterious type. Katie would be a heroine with a dark past. Brian would be the flawed alpha like Phil. Gosh it’s gonna be so exciting!!!! (sigh)
I like that!! The Hunter Saga!!!
Only problem, I ship Katie and Matt! Lol.
Brian can be with anyone Laura find him, Tony and Casey’s daughter would be great, as long as he is Logan’s best friend.☺️
I think if Michael could know Logan, that would be a lot of fun! Michael, Logan, Brian.
Since Logan went to Duke, where would Michael go to university? New England like his father or NYC, such as Columbia? Wait, Logan and Michael are similar age? I have this impression, Michael is slightly older than Logan. Anyway, I am just enjoying the Hunter Universe in the Laura fandom.🤓
oops! I was a bit reckless in my comment I also ship Katie with Matt and Brian book could be a spin-off. Me too! Hunter Universe is amazing!
I agree Berenice, Brian is definitely a dominant type. Logan is more like Lina — more sensitive to others, not to say he isn’t strong. He is. Logan would be a hard hero to write because he didn’t come out of his parents separation unscathed. He may have some trust issues. Could be interesting.
Brian would be a typical alpha H — fun to write.
Liam — that all depends on how he handles finding out about his history. With Lina as a mother, he may be fine.
I agree, though, they are all worth of their own story.
Means it could be a possibility! YaY! as long as their is Hope.
!! Lol, I must confess, please don’t be annoyed at me.😳
I used to write fanfiction snippets for the fandoms I followed, dramas, fantasies that kind works.
I followed your blog for sometimes. I knew some readers also read MM genre. I think it’s Janet recommended Kindle Alexander. I am a Kindle Alexander fan as well.
I actually reinterpreted and based Brian&Logan’s relationship into MM snippets. I think, like you said, Logan is sensitive and not the typical alpha hero type. your writing presented Lina’s traits in him seamlessly while he was Phil’s son and the “first born son”, which drew me further into loving him as a character. He has some of Phil, some of Lina. I was fascinated by Logan enigmatic potentials!! Please don’t get offended. It’s just me being inspired by your creation of Logan!!😳
Berenice that would be an absolutely not for me. Those boys are hot hot and hot for women. I’m not offended, I just couldn’t imagine it.
Now I can see Logan having commitment issues, but not to excess. I don’t think Liam would go unscathed on being born illegitimate. I don’t think it would be a large issue. But there would probably be some caddy people that would have made reference to him being the result of an affair. People are just rude. I would also wonder if he would think of himself less than Logan since he was the legitimate son. However, I see Logan as one of Liams biggest fans and confidants as he gets older. I also see Logan on the sidelines with Phil at Liams Lacrosse games both dressed in well fitted Tom Ford or Armani suits. Because of course Logan is extremely successful architect and sought after by many upscale builders and clients (I love Logan). Brian and Logan would still be tight and maybe Brian is a Neurosurgeon or something cool. Liam grows up and he’s successful too, but maybe he has a social worker show up to drop off his baby daughter he knew nothing about, after the mother dies of a rare blood disease. (Laura just did an eye roll thinking I’m watching to much Lifetime in my retirement…LOL I cracked my own self up with that…). Matt and Katie will also get married because Matt wouldn’t want his children born illegitimate.
Lol, Tracie, you really couldn’t let go the thought of Liam being a baby daddy😂. I remembered you brought up this topics in the past blog pages.
That made me LOL.
Sorry to disappoint you, but Logan and Brian are both 100 percent heterosexual!
I need to clarify!!
I was saying that them as a prototype inspiring me to write snippets of MM genre. Not the Brian and Logan in Hunter Universe. It would be weird in that universe.😳
It’s like Fifty shades was loosely based on Twilight saga and originally was written as a fanfic of Twilight???
Ahhh I get it. 🙂
😳😊I need to get my admiration out before I shut up about this topic forever.
I used to write Harry Potter fanfics on AO3 (blushingly recalled). Throughout lockdown, I wanted to do something productive so I rekindled old hobby!! Since I was awestruck by your works and Hunter Universe, I wrote a lot of snippets to self entertain!
I am not as imaginative as Tracie and everyone but when it comes “Logan” (the idea of Logan, not the real Logan in Hunter Universe😳) somehow I have a lot of thoughts coming out.
Anyway, it was not something as serious as zaincruise’s experience! Just want to say that Laura, you and your books made quite a difference to me!
Ok, girls, I have tried to write a valentines day scene between Phil and Lina. I know I am a horrible writer since I don’t have Tracie’s imagination and Laura’s talent but Just wanted to share that with you guys. I know it’s horrible (since I am very bad at creative writing) so please don’t be too hard on me, and in case you are wondering I am totally copying you, Tracie.
“What are you doing Phil… why are you being like this?”
“What I am being like Lina”
Phil spoke calmly as he rolled up the sleeves of his white snowy shirt and open the top three buttons revealing a triangle of his tan chest. Lina felt a wave of irritation at his cool demeanor.
“Why would you threaten Katie that you were going to take her phone away? You know she is making progress and Dr. Nick”…..
“Don’t!”
Phil warned angrily interrupting her speech, his control slipping. “It’s not Dr. Nick’s house. It’s my house and Katie is my daughter Lina I don’t need his advice on how to run MY house”. He grinds his teeth, his nostrils flaring as his eyes turn stormy.
“Really Phil!” Lina said annoyingly.
“Is that how you going to be like. That man has brought our daughter back to us”.
“He is psychiatric that’s his job but I won’t let some thick neck doctor interfere in my house decisions.”
“what! How can you say that” Lina was so shocked
“Why are being such a pig-head? Nick…”
‘Nick’ Phil raised his eyebrow.
“I mean Dr. Nick”
Lina backtracked but then she felt her temper rise.
“Seriously out of everything that’s what you want to talk about.”
“Do we have a reason to Lina?” Phil said as their eyes met in the mirror.
“You know what I am done; there is no reasoning with you I really don’t want to talk to you right now,” Lina whispered- yelled and storm out of the room.
Later in the night, Lina felt a warm hand sliding up her legs.
“I am really tired, Phil,”
she said turning on the other side.
She was still too angry at him, why couldn’t he just be a little bit sensitive toward Katie’s situation. She really didn’t want to fight with him but he made her so mad with his stubbornness. It seems like lately, the only thing they do is fight.
For a few moments, she felt his eyes on her face as she feigned sleep but then he slowly got up from the bed and walked out of the room.
She didn’t know what woke her up in the middle of the night but she suddenly felt panic.
‘Phil’ she choked
she reached over, feeling for his warmth in the darkness but his side of the bed was empty. Pulling her robe from the cupboard she wrapped it around herself and came out of her room.
She found him standing near the pool leaning against the pillar.
His eyes fixated on the calm surface of the water. A glass of scotch in his hand.
God, he was so handsome.
Even after 25 years he still had the same arrogance. ‘Phil’ she whispered, “why are you not in the bed.”
“It’s late.”
“What are you doing here, I thought you were tired.”
She didn’t like the distance she felt between them. It was getting wider day by day and she had no clue how to put a stop to it.
“Come back to bed you know I can’t sleep without you beside me.”
“Just don’t want to sleep with me.” His tone was so cold.
“Phil I don’t want to fight.”
She was totally at a loss here she didn’t know what to do. But he didn’t say anything just kept looking at her with a strange expression in his eyes as they roamed over her body.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have come here… clearly I am disturbing you,” Lina said defeated.
But before she could take a step toward the house he had a hand snake around her waist as he pulled her toward him. Her back collided with his front and just like that she was in the circle of his arms.
He pulled her closer and kissed her where her neck met her shoulder.
Shivers run down her spine but not because of the cold. She could feel his warm breath fanning her when he spoke.
“Never… never ever walk away from me Lina. You know how I feel about that.”
“Phil why don’t you understand… I also don’t want to fight with you but why won’t you just listen to me. Dr. Nick….”
In an instant, he had her flipped around and had her pinned against the wall caging her in his arms, his lips almost brushing her.
“Don’t ever take another man’s name when I am with you. I don’t want to talk about him right now.”
Pushing a loose tendril behind her ear he trailed his finger down her face leaving Goosebumps in its wake.
Taking her hand in his he slipped a diamond bracelet on her wrist.
“Happy valentine’s day love.”
“Phil!”
Lina gasped as she looked at the bracelet.
“Phil it’s amazing. How?… When?… I don’t understand…”
She wanted to say more but the words were lodged in her throat as she had suddenly lost her ability to speak.
“Shhhhhhh”
He put a finger on her lips and lifted her in his strong arms.
“Phil, what are you doing?” Lina blushed with embarrassment.
“Kids are inside what if they walk in on us?”
“Don’t worry they are sleeping.”
He said nonchalantly like he had no care in the world and started to walk in the direction of their bedroom like she weigh nothing.
“Phil I am capable of walking on my own, now put me down.” Lina hissed.
“No”
Phil said stubbornly “I want my wife in my arms.”
There was no reasoning with Phil.
My stubborn Phil. Lina thought.
“Phil!”
looping her arms around his neck Lina looked at the man who still made her heart flutter in her chest just like when for the first time their eyes had met. “I love you.” She whispered.
“I know.” He winked at her “but not more than me baby……”
I wrote it in the mall toilet when I was out shopping. Sorry, Laura for butchering your story like that but I just wanted a valentine’s day scene between them. Please don’t be mad.
zaincruise!! I like it!
It’s a lot lighter than I expected what was going on between them but I got the gist!!
No one had the heart to write that heavy, full of tension scene of that period of time. I remembered Laura said it was very difficult to pull herself out from some heavy angsty scenes she wrote.
I think that FanFiction writing is an extremely satisfying experience and the ultimate tribute a reader/fan could pay to the writer!!
LoL… I know Berenice, I just wanted their valentines day to be perfect before everything went to shit….But thank you for liking it. I was scared that you guys would be mad at me for turning a brilliant story by an amazing author into something barely readable. Now I am relieved 😌 phew.
Bravo! Bravo! That was soooooo good. I want to read that book!
OMG 😱 Laura it’s a huge compliment ever. It’s like Whitney Houston complimenting a bathroom singer. thank you so much!
That was excellent Zaincruise. I agree with Laura, Bravo!
Tracie, Thank you so much… You are the best.
That was awesome! Maybe you should try your hand at fanfiction!!!
Hey girls I have a question and it is driving me crazy 🤪 I didn’t wanted to ask but I know unless I do it will always keep popping up and would make me edgy. It is about protection. WHY did Laura choose the controversial way?? I mean Liam still could have been the part of the story if she had used used-protection-but -condom-broke theory. Given his personality why would he go bare with Kim. I know it lessen his pleasure but why trust Kim so much. Was it because he never thought of her as mother type of woman and thought she was also in it for fun only. But did he ever thought that why would she want to have fun with a married man without protection if she didn’t want him for her self. I am sorry if I was out of line but really wanted to know this.
I think storytelling wise, without condom could show how serious Phil’s transgression that he was all in for his pleasure (trespassed so many lines) and when more and more his personality was depicted in later chapters after the disclosure, it echoed the idea that Phil was not a preemptive cheater before the first night, yes, he consciously continued the affair but he didn’t conduct thoughtful shenanigans with Kim.
it also showed how reckless he was during the affair. Reckless means consciously disregard. He consciously disregarded Lina and his family when he decided to continue this four months affair. And yes, to my best recollection, Kim was not subtle in pursuing him but she was purposely deceived him by saying that she wasn’t interested in relationship, she only wanted to fuck him. That kind of vibe must have some effect on his decision making to go bare in that she was having fun and an ambitious lawyer on track to be partner, pregnancy should be last thing in her mind. I guess Phil definitely thought in that direction.
Yeah that make sense. OK I just want to know one more thing. Do you guys think that Phil stopped having sex with Kim after the SB, because SB incident happened before two weeks when the WPS starts and he only slept with her once at the night when he felt euphoric because of his win.(that’s how I think) When lina said it was three weeks I assumed that he was with kim on a business trip during one of the those weeks and later he couldn’t face Lina because of what he had done. But when he checked kim text infront of Lina and asked about Logan game time i thought he wanted to meet her the next day. I am biting my nails thinking about it but if Lina hadn’t reconnect with him would he continue to doing it with Kim. (Even after SB)
I think only Laura can answer that since Phil only share his thoughts with her and we only make assumptions about what we know of him.But I think he was struggling at that point.Like I said in my analysis that things just don’t happen suddenly. He came early from his trip and was looking for a work free weekend. I genuinely think if he was going to meet her the next day then he would have texted her but he didn’t. (I am basing my answers on the Laura’s replies on the blog) I can’t say exactly how long it would have continued? But I definitely think that affair was in the end stage.(in my mind I think he couldn’t be without lina for that much long and wanted to touch her but Kim situation was making him guilty that was why he was keeping his distance from both of them. Only slipped with Kim because of the win and it was the most boring 💤 sex of his life that’s why he returned early.)I know I am hopeless romantic! 😂.
Emmm, I think Laura answered??
He was going to meet her the next day and he was having sex with her the day before or in that morning before he flied back home… that is how realistic and ugly about this affair. Yes it’s ending phase but he considered to meet her during the weekend until Lina initiated the sex??Laura answered that. (I think she said take it as face value that the works wrapped up early so he flied back early)
Idk, I feel that these ugly/realistic facts don’t drove me crazy because I wouldn’t expect less because an affair is an affair….they were both physically beautiful/libido persons…maybe not the best sex but definitely good sex. Laura also said from a broader perspective, the fling was 90%(at least) based on sex, when SB happened, he got angry, in the meantime, he lost excitement because the new physical adeventure it’s getting old (four months)….
Sorry, not next day, that weekend
Also talking about him having guilt!
Since I got my version of compartmentalization sorted out, I think he probably didn’t feel guilty until he ended it?? He had brief guilt after first night. But when he decided to continue for four months. I guess he was probably recklessly not-thinking thinking that to keep it brief, discreet, only having fun, no feeling attached and Lina wouldn’t find out, everything would be fine. It’s like he was still conscious about the existence of Lina and his family but not in his normal way. Back to that period of time, teleologically, Lina and his family were more like a part of his life that he avoided and by successfully avoided them, he could conduct the affair(the end goal).
I think that would be a way of compartmentalization because he was no longer sensitive about the reality, psychologically sinking to a lonely island so that he couldn’t make right judgment about the situation surrounding him and started to do the “unthinkable”
Just sorted out my Christmas order! It was cancelled and I have to reorder it!!
Okay, Valentines!!
Maybe it’s after Valentines???(hoping, really hoping)
We got a scene of them celebrating anniversary (the day they met) but that was during the ending phase of the affair. It’s was all cold and strange in that state of their relationship. He got that two modes: keeping distance (cold and composed, not making Lina angry because didn’t want to fight and was tired of fighting with her and Katie) mode and the affair mode.
But it was getting better when he came upstairs and Lina reconnected with him (ice melting).
Cannot imagine they were celebrating valentines when the affair was fresh and exciting to him. Now I think, if they did, given he can compartmentalize, I guess he probably would just switch to mode one and be similar to the anniversary “state” of him. Because Lina was angry to him all the time, so she wouldn’t require him to be lovey dovey or super romantic, she didn’t even realize how long they hadn’t been intimate during the affair (simply lost track of reality/normalcy) that definitely can tell the cold and indifferent were mutual and how bad their marriage was during the rough patch. It was all odd and strange back to that period of time.
Remember girls Phil started pulling away from her after SB. Also, the Pink tie was another incident when he two worlds were colliding. We talked about this with Laura and Phil had slept with Kim on Thursday and then Lina on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday because of their reconnection. The breakup scene happened on Monday.
Yes, Phil’s interest began to wane after Steamboat. That was the fist time his two world collided.
Forgot to add!
And when SB happened, the collision of two worlds made it difficult for him to compartmentalise. Lina and consequences always recurred in his affair mode. He cannot avoid them(escape from) to continue the affair. He slightly became “one” again which made him back to “feel” things in the right way again. When he started to be “sensitive” to the reality, it’s ending phase???
I am just glad that it was in ending phase Thank God! Because getting past the 4 month affair was really hard. But he started the affair in February Berenice Would he have celebrated the valentines day with Lina. What do you think 🤔
Hit the wrong button…
【Just sorted out my Christmas order! It was cancelled and I have to reorder it!!
Okay, Valentines!!
Maybe it’s after Valentines???(hoping, really hoping)
We got a scene of them celebrating anniversary (the day they met) but that was during the ending phase of the affair. It’s was all cold and strange in that state of their relationship. He got that two modes: keeping distance (cold and composed, not making Lina angry because didn’t want to fight and was tired of fighting with her and Katie) mode and the affair mode.
But it was getting better when he came upstairs and Lina reconnected with him (ice melting).
Cannot imagine they were celebrating valentines when the affair was fresh and exciting to him. Now I think, if they did, given he can compartmentalize, I guess he probably would just switch to mode one and be similar to the anniversary “state” of him. Because Lina was angry to him all the time, so she wouldn’t require him to be lovey dovey or super romantic, she didn’t even realize how long they hadn’t been intimate during the affair (simply lost track of reality/normalcy) that definitely can tell the cold and indifferent were mutual and how bad their marriage was during the rough patch. It was all odd and strange back to that period of time.】
Esra Phil was a loyal faithful partner for 25 years. He wouldn’t have had a condom on him because he wouldn’t have needed one. Also the heat of the moment he was furious, hurt and out of control. Kim had a good professional reputation, clean and pretty. She assures him she was on the pill and just wants to have fun. The Thanksgiving scene when it come to light that she was specifically after him is when he himself said he was an idiot and trusted the wrong person.
Yes,
the dumbfounded realization actually very comply with his character. He is not a womanizer so he at times was a little clueless to Kim’s scheme (or in general to read women as opposite sex with illicit potential) and not very sharp when he and kim were in different universes wanting to get completely different things from the fling. He thought rules of having an affair were clear between kim and him. He probably thought he covered all the basics what could go wrong lol.
Idk, when an amazing man like Phil had these kind of shortcomings, in hindsight we can judge him, but strangely I found this side of him “cute”.
Ps using condoms MEAS he THOUGHT too much about affair and having affair, not very him.
Means (typo)
Exactly — Phil wasn’t planning to cheat on Lina. There was no premeditation and therefore no condom. He didn’t carry condoms around. He hadn’t worn a condom since he was a teenager. And Berenice is correct — it showed Phil’s recklessness.
Girls the Class of 2018 was once asked by Laura which scene we would of liked to see expanded. I chose the baseball scene out of WPF. I had to know what happened from the time he left the garage until the next morning when he told Lina about the affair and baby. Laura didn’t disappoint…loved the scene and answered my questions.
Laura believe it or not I do still have a question? The scene in WPF where Lina is watching Phil and Logan in the pool and she is reflecting on their retirement plans after Logan graduated college. Would that be something he would remember or think to himself that is one more thing his actions had taken away from Lina?
I can see it…an intimate setting the Sunday evening after Logan’s college graduation. Liam is gone for the month with Kim’s parents. The house is quite and Lina cuddles up to Phil wondering what he his thinking..he expresses how he feels he’s let her down again because this should be their time now….Lina would probably take his face in her hands and say something like I wouldn’t change anything about our life or miss the experience of raising Liam….etc…Laura your the word person…but would he have those feelings????
OMG! Tracie! Love that. Girl your imagination is the best!!! I know it is too much to ask but Laura if you ever have time please write a scene on that one. (or you can always make it a part of Liam’s book like when she would look at grown-up Liam and think about it) After all the class of 2021 should have the same benefit as class of 2018.
Tracie! Your Phil is always sooooo thoughtful to Lina and only Lina. That made him so “sweet”😂
I can totally see Phil capable of having these feeling to Lina and only Lina. Compliant to his personality, in my opinion.
I think yes. At some point, something would happen — one of their friends would be enjoying an early retirement and he would think about what Lina sacrificed. I’m sure you could do the scene justice, Tracie 🙂
If I wasn’t in the middle of another novel with another H in my head, I’d write it.
You know that comment about another novel is the best birthday present I have received today. You rock sister!
Is it your birthday today?!?!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Yes 58 today. Three years ago today you wrote me the scene of Lina cooking dinner and taking Phil on the couch. The. Next day was my hip surgery and you let us read the scene where Phil was vulnerable after the picture scene. Great year…my friend!
Wow — I can hardly believe that much time has past.
Happy Birthday, my friend. Love you.
Thank you and love you too sister….
Tracie!!
Just read this!!
Happy belated birthday!!☺️
Hi Tracie,
Hope you are well.
I see your comments about Laura explaining what Phil did after leaving Lina a d baseball field. Is that the scene where he is in Kim bedroom? I hate to think I missed a Laura scene but happy to hunt for it.
Holley
Hi Holley. I’m well thank you. Yes it was the one where he bought the pregnancy test and went to her house. They were in her bedroom a s he put his fist through the wall. Loved it!
Hi Tracie,
Thank you. That scene was so intense! I can’t even imagine what his drive back home was like and finding Lina asleep.
In the book, he takes the kids to church the next morning before taking them to his brother’s. He must have been in hell after coming to the realization Lina needed to know.
I bet he was sick Holley. He was fixing to bring his whole world down and hurt the only woman he has ever or could ever love. Remember the scene Laura wrote where he was leaving his office after the separation and he told Kim “you hurt the only woman I will ever love and you are the woman I will always regret.” Wow just Wow!
Happy belated birthday Tracie, wishing you many more and speedy recovery for your hip surgery.
Thanks Tracie! It was so great having you with us because you were always spot on with your analysis. I know it may sound stupid but I have always understood Phil a tad bit more because of my own personal issues . Not because I try to justify his actions but because I have also been in that fog situation and I have also hurt someone. To someone who has never experienced it would always find it hard to believe but whenever I look back it is like having an out of body experience. How could I have done that? Was it really me? I feel appalled shocked and most importantly disgusted.I have been constantly judged by others but in the end was forgiven by the one who mattered to me most. Because these books made me see the error of my way. Although my situation was different but from February to till now I have accomplished so much. Something I wasn’t able to do in the previous year. So Laura whenever someone criticize your work remember that you saved a life. You saved this girl life. After reading your book I was able to understand the power of the words. ‘Not all superheroes wear capes’.
God! the connection I feel is unexplainable and words aren’t enough because I would always have a more than a simply reader relation with these books. I know I am getting emotional and this post is getting long but just wanted to let you know the wonder you have done for me. Thanks Laura. I wish all of you girls a wonderful Christmas. May your lives gets filled with happiness joy and most importantly health.
hear, hear! class of 2021
I think I am more a “holding Phil accountable” type of readers! Like to ask difficult questions! Don’t want to give him easy pass. He was himself whether it’s low point of his life or high point of his life. Personally, I haven’t done anything so “out of character” yet. But I could relate to the compartmentalization theory. Because of that, I see the coherence and incoherence clearly and in an analytic way. Therefore, I am more acute to how the two lines were crossed and weaved in his mistake and in him as a person. That is why mistake was terrible but his actions to make things better were honorable (at least to me). I so agree with Laura’s comment on actions vs grovels. Besides feeling tearful for Lina and Phil, my guilt pleasure was to see him suffering from the fear of losing Lina etc etc. and I got that from the second half of WPF and SN! I am satisfied!!
One weakness of mine would be always siding with Lina too much! I am in awe of her strength to forgive, to love and to embrace ebbs and flows.
LOL…THAT IS NOT A WEAKNESS! it is standing up for what you think is right and just because I said I understood doesn’t mean that I said he should have gotten an easy pass. A lot of people had commented that he started the affair because he was bored in his marriage and I just wanted people to realize that something must have been going through his mind at that time of his life for him to do something as you said so out of character. Our mind sometimes start thinking things that are not true and we do something we thought we won’t be able to do ever. But does it justify our actions? Hell No!…
I think losing touch with his normalcy(Lina) made him capable of being selfish and reckless. He became insensitive to his action’s potential consequences and it weakened his judgement. That’ my exploration to logically understand “compartmentalization”, in Phil’s case.
Were you referring some comments on “Goodreads”?? They were “horrible”. I read one even said that Phil was unconsciously in love with KIM at that time but didn’t want to admit….Gosh can you imagine!?! How could they think that??
and Big hug to you zaincruise!!🥺
I am glad that you overcame the rough patch and is now in a better place now!!
Thank you so much Bernice. Exactly! I was referring to those comments. The reason I wasn’t able to read it at the time it came out because I was part of a cheating romance group and they told me that his Mistress sends the picture of them having sex in their room and I was like what! And I remember they also told me that she sends her sex-tape to wife. After reading it I was like did they and I even read the same thing. One said in her review that Phil was abusive toward Liam. If you don’t like something that is another thing but misleading and posting false reviews. Gosh they made me so mad 😡
Zaincruise I’m sorry you had to go through anything at all honey. But I do know that any adversity we have to go through in life, not only makes us wiser, but stronger as well. I hope your person cherishes you just like Phil cherished Lina.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TRACIE.You are the best! Your words has made me teary-eyed.
Zaincruise — you are a special person. I can feel it in your words. Thank you for sharing and I’m honored that my words made a difference in your life — ❤ Laura
THANK YOU LAURA!….to me you are my HERO!
Girls, I have to say I absolutely loved zaincruise’s comment on you girls being the Class of 2021. Such a testament to your writing talent Laura. WPF was published in 2017 and SN in 2019 and your work and endless imagination still draws emotion from so many and leaves us begging for more. Love ya doll!
Lina was definitely emotionally cheating with Nick. They couldn’t be friends in the normal sense of the word — he was in a power position. She was in awe of him. She had noticed how handsome he was. She was aware of him as a man. She liked going to the appointments and talking to him — she looked forward to them.
When someone is on your mind you can’t help but talk about them — it was implied very heavily in WPF that Lina brought up Nick often.
Imagine how Lina would have felt if Phil talked about a female all the time — how smart they were etc. etc.
Both Phil and Lina were struggling with how to handle a difficult teenager. Katie begins seeing Nick and immediately begins to respond.
While Phil is relieved at some level, he is also uncomfortable that family issues are being discussed with a stranger — a stranger that his wife clearly looks up to and can’t stop talking about.
At the same time, Lina is rejecting Phil physically. They are arguing more and she can’t turn that anger on and off — this implied that Phil could because yes he is a man and can compartmentalize. Even after an argument he still wanted to be physical with Lina. She didn’t.
The emotional bond was failing because she was creating a connection with another person and the physical connection was also breaking.
Phil felt like he failed Katie — he doesn’t have the emotional skills to tell Lina he feels like a failure. He probably doesn’t even consciously know it — he feels anger and frustration and rejection from his wife.
Perfect storm.
Does it give him a right to go out and have sex with another woman? Absolutely not.
Does Lina hold some of the blame for the deterioration of their bond? Absolutely.
Okay! So it’s Lina bonded with Nick first and her emotional tie with Phil failing, then the physical connection was also breaking??
If she was in awe of Nick and bonded with him first and think of him more a man than a doctor or a friend in odd condition, then I get the emotional cheating logic. I misunderstood that she started to notice his good looking, attractiveness only after the WPF began which was months after she and Phil were experiencing a rough patch. I didn’t link fights between Lina and Phil to her Nick connection in a causal way.
Thank you Laura!! For patiently reading our thoughts and answer our questions!!
Laura you don’t know how grateful I am that it was you who wrote it. You always patiently answer our questions even when we are driving you nuts. Where would we find a writer like you! I am patiently gonna wait for your next book.
Okay, another thing!!
In my “petty” opinion, It’s definitely not 50/50 responsibility right??😳
I should’ve said percentage is not important and trivial. But I team Lina, feel for her and project so many emotions on her.😳
In my opinion, physically cheating is worse than emotional cheating but they are both damaging to a relationship and with many people emotional cheating leads (eventually) to physical cheating. Having said that, I don’t believe Lina would ever have crossed that line.
As far as percentage responsibility for their problems? It doesn’t matter. I don’t think knowing someone else is more responsible makes the pain any less. And Phil knows crossing the physical line, regardless of Lina’s relationship with Nick, did catastrophic damage to his family. He believes he was 100 percent responsible for the temporary collapse of their marriage.
I agreeeeee!
I think that only if one partner knows clearly that he/she is in love with someone else, they feel trapped but too coward to seek divorce/breakup, even they decided to remain faithful physically, it would be way worse than physically cheating!
As to Phil and Lina’s case, I would say Lina was a borderline case of emotionally cheating?? In the meantime, no matter how physical and superficial Phil’s fling with Kim, still it was a solid act?? It’s not a one time thing and it was a little more than just a sexual transaction. He had “done the deed”. It’s simply a full blown affair. If he was not married, it would have been a horrible ex girlfriend/date situation?? For me, it checked all the boxes to be an insignificant relationship/non-relationship relationship.
So I agree physically cheating is generally worse.
Laura, I like reading this blog so much! Thank you for creating the “Hunter universe”!!!!
I have finished a lot of books recommended by this blog!
I kept coming back to and still cannot get over this one question! In your opinion, what would Phil do in an alternative universe, if he lost Lina whether it’s because of divorce or she passed away before him? Would he move on???🥺
I secretly hope not😳. (sounded childish, I know)
Me too, I don’t want him move on! we want him with Lina only no one can take her place.
Edited Response
If Lina died (which she won’t, because she will live well into her 90s and die within moments of Phil), Phil would never remarry — no way.
If Lina divorced Phil and never remarried. Phil would never remarry.
If Lina divorced Phil and remarried – Lina would never remarry because she would never get over losing Phil.
Tracie is right, their love would always endure. They are meant to be together.
For me, there is no alternate universe. Their love was so strong and to me almost magical. Adele said it best…I know you two would get back together. You were pitiful apart! She also told Lina get back with him you refuse to move on! Love loving this love story! 😘
Those words have made me swoon. I agree It doesn’t matter who was to blame and how much because it doesn’t make the pain any less. but what matters is that these two have found their way back to each other and I believe that almost losing each other has made their bond much stronger than before. AS someone in SN had said “who could come between that” Gosh, I can’t wipe the goofy smile off my face.
So true and it was Gina that said that at the partner dinner after their reconciliation.
Yes! Yes! I am happy with all the comments about my “AU” question!
Thank you for the response, Laura! Tracie and zaincruise, Thank you for the reassurance!!
Satisfied~satisfied~ ☺️
I know, I know there’s no AU. But I need to know that their love trumps all the banal odds! This “haunted” me for quite some times. True as what I believe, they are each other’s endgame in all the universes.
Wow Laura thank you so much for this. But I personally think that Phil wasn’t trying to downplay his affair. Yes he may have flirted with her and their conversation may have steered in inappropriate direction but still she doesn’t know about him and he doesn’t know about her much. In his mind it was irrelevant. I have a guy friend in Uni who flirt with everyone but he never realize what he is doing until I point out to him. They are stupid like that LOL. I think Laura must have studied men closely because most of the men in my circle are like that. They would get angry after doing something wrong and would want everything to sweep under the rug. Remember when Lina said ‘how can you not remember that picture which has caused me so much pain’ I am not defending him and I am not saying everything was OK because it was horrible! But when he texted kim requesting to meet her for an hour or purposely wanted her to go on a business trip with him we all know it wasn’t because of her charming personality. She was not a whore but she acted like on. Totally with Lina on that one. ( I know she was not the only one to blame because Phil was a willing partner but in her egotistical and self-centered way she mistook his booty calls for love). One thing I want to say is that please don’t go in a bakery to buy a chocolate cake and then complain about too much chocolate in it. Some reviews on goodreads are down right nasty and doesn’t make any sense. I think Laura has took something controversial and made us think in a totally different way. I have never read a book with cheating before but after this one I am on a hunt. But nothing has satisfied me as this one. Loved how adventurous Phil and lina were in the bedroom. Phil was such a baby when it comes to Lina. Their chemistry was off the charts. Love them so much 😍
I think that “downplay” is a way of sweeping things under the rug??
I completely agree that Kim is insignificant to him. But he didn’t get the seriousness and gravity of what he had done until he was kicked out by Lina?? Laura once said separation was a wake-up call for him?? Otherwise, he kept wanting to sweep things under the rug and nudge Lina to get over it.
Also, was Phil the “keeping respectful distance to female acquaintance”/being nonchalant type of man?? He carnally flirted with Kim only because of his affair with HER?? and requiring Kim for business trip or texting her for lunch rendezvous was because they are having an affair?? Kim was willing, attractive and interesting to talk. All qualities for an eligible fling partner??? the fling partner had to have those basics? Otherwise, why men would want to have an affair with them?? He did enjoyed her for a short period of time. Laura said he was very attracted to her at the time. I mean in a carnal way.
don’t want to sound like I am defending Kim. I despise and hate her…
Just saying fling/affair was not mechanical or impersonal, there’re personal traits. He might be out of character but he was still him when he had the fling. Compartmetalization did not mean he lost all his personality????? He was not in vegetative state or only passively responded to the affair with Kim?? 🥺
He was discreet meaning he knew what he was doing and he didn’t want Lina find out and get hurt??? He told Kim at the beginning that they are having fun nothing more indicating he made sure this part of his life wouldn’t collide with his normalcy??…etc etc. Very contradictory but somehow I found them inherently coherent. After all, He and Kim did all the things that insignificant non-relationship relationships would entail…that made Lina heartbroken and me very angsty…🥺
I think the comforting things were that he didn’t love Kim or even cared about her.
He was definitely forgivable and redeemable.
I have mix feeling about Phil…I found what he did was HORRIBLE but he as a person is “sweet”, sexy, made me tearful at times etc etc……what’s wrong with me (sigh)
LOL nothing is wrong with you. People are not one dimensional. Good people do bad things. Phil is a good guy that did a bad thing. That’s the bottom line. In my opinion you are the sum of your actions — Phil’s actions were mostly upstanding with one colossal failure.
Seriously it was amazing talking to you Berenice. I felt so bad that why didn’t I read it when it came out so I could be in on the conversation that took place here. but with Laura answering and Tracie insight and your questions I didn’t feel left out. It was amazing and enlightening experience for me. We are the Class of 2021. last time I was taking to Miri on goodreads and I said if there had been any exam on Laura’s blog we all would have been the top students with the amount of time we have spent here. LOL 😂
I liked reading Miri’s comments😂.
Me too! I feel happy to read all your words! I am also very grateful for Laura and Tracie’s answers!!
Cheers to class of 2021!
Totally agree with you. Thank God he didn’t take her out locally and didn’t buy anything for her( now please don’t tell me he did 😬) but I think if he had Kim wouldn’t have pull that lingerie stunt.I console myself by saying that it must have started somewhere in February and SB incident happened in April and two weeks after the affair ended so it must have been more than 3 and less than full 4 months. Irrelevant I know! but I am weird like that. Loved all of your answers. If you guys ever read anything like that please share it with me. THANKs
He didn’t! I can assure you! That’s why I really like to picture Kim as a high school hookup case/girlfriend which ended badly. She really had that kind of vibe, lol.
He had clear idea that they were having fun and he loved Lina during the 4 months. My understanding is the compartmentalization made him recklessly think it’s okay to have fun. It’s a disconnection from his normalcy which only occurred when he became selfish and he was unwanted by Lina etc etc. It made him insensitive to his action’s potential consequences because he lost touch with his normalcy(Lina) which weakened his judgment. But that doesn’t mean he was innocently auto-piloting or “possessed” supernaturally. He made conscious decision in my opinion.
I think his personality didn’t change so it’s against his personality to buy gift for a fling partner. He in general wouldn’t be that thoughtful to women other than Lina. Unlike H in Adultery Club who was too English, long inner dialogue, cared about everyone’s feeling, liked to philosophically think about his existence and “Life’s true meaning” etc etc….To my best recollection, Phil was not even into Broadway shows. The H in Adultery Club was constantly quoting art and literature to make sense of himself and situation….like a lost adult/ middle age boy(moisten weeping inside). so he sent gifts to OW not Phil.
Idk about the percentage but I think whatever happenend in those time must have been something big in Phil’s mind. If the situation were reverse and it was Phil who had met kim as a psychiatrist and thought how attractive she was and had gone to the lunch with her and had gotten angry at Lina for not understanding and questioning her methods and confiding in Kim and pulling away from Lina physically on top of that Katie saying she wished she wasn’t her mother then I can see Lina making the exact same mistake. We are taking about a man who was the center of Lina’s attention and then he wasn’t. He himself said that she wanted me and you didn’t. Lina withdrawal from him killed him because when she pulled away from him that made him vulnerable. His affair with Kim didn’t happened because he thought that sex with Lina was boring (like in adultery club) and he just couldn’t help himself. Sex with Lina was best and then lina reaction turned it into something he couldn’t handle at that time that’s why he started the affair. Kim made him feel wanted and made him feel good. She was easy to fuck because she had given him unfettered access to herself not because it was boring between them. In his mind he never crossed more than physical line with her but in Kim mind he did because she never knew what he was dealing with at home and what made him want her. She thought it was her beauty and attractiveness that had made the affair between them possible and he may have feelings for her. But that was never the case. I am not justifying his cheating or his actions but I refused to believe that he started the affair because he wanted to try something new. Remember when he said that Lina was the only woman he had made love to I think what he was saying that she was the only woman whose body he had worshipped and admired. It was only after coming out of the the fog he realized what he done and he immediately realized that the blame was all on him, that was why he never let Lina take the blame and said that she was the selfless one in the relationship.
Then, the timeline is very important?
I don’t think it happened as Lina and Nick bonded and because of that Lina pulling away, then they fought, fought a lot and Phil slipped.
It’s not happening in that order? The causality was also not like that? If Phil behaved more understanding or communicating, all the things wouldn’t have happened. But he is not that kind of men. He is not Nick type. That made him attractive with flaws.
And the bond between Nick and Lina, it had the built up. One thing led to another?Lina didn’t find Nick attractive immediately or look at him more a man than a psychiatrist immediately. Nick was nice, easy to talk, giving her advice from a direction Phil couldn’t (or simply it is not Phil’s personality to think that way. Needless to mention, he improved Katie’s situation). and this whole time, Phil fought a lot with Lina. Was it because of her pulling away? I see it primarily as he didn’t want to listen to advice from Psychiatrist. Phil was struggling to come to terms that he didn’t know how to parent Katie because she was different. That made him difficult to be with. It had the effect that also pushed Lina further away, and made her rely on Nick more and more. It’s not that Lina met Nick for the first time and found him attractive, and the second week decided to go to lunch with him, and then started to confide with him her marital problems? Her marriage down spiraled the whole course of Katie’s problem? they changed six psychiatrists before Nick. So when Nick improved Katie, Lina can’t stop talking about him, to Phil’s great annoyance. Nick’s willingness gave her a chance to see his other “merits”??
Also, if role exchanged, given Lina’s personality, she probably would work with Phil on solving Katie’s problem. So Phil wouldn’t have the ground to build a relationship beyond professional patient’s parent/doctor with a beautiful psychiatrist.
I totally agree Phil/Kim is physical, superficial and ephemeral. I just feel that it’s unfair to look at it as emotional affair vs Physical affair? Realistically thinking, a lot of women in that extreme situation and peculiar context would let a man like Nick grow on them? Lina can’t control Nick’s feeling and she was vulnerable, so she received his kindness and let it grow on her?? It definitely became destructive to her marriage and further damaged her connection with Phil.
Also, talking about Phil’s flaws, during the separation and SN, Phil worked on them a little bit? More understanding with the Katie situation (reluctantly still?) Putting Lina before himself, so he would not just want to assert his way but listen to Lina’s perspective (Logan’ situation, “don’t want his wife to be mad at him”). For Lina’s part, she reflected on her problems as well. Such as when it comes to parenting she let Phil be the “bad guy” voicing out unpopular decisions to the kids etc.
Wow some interesting points! but we don’t know what lina would have done if she had been in that situation. Phil was also a good and decent man who always put his wife first until he did what no one could believe. Remember how hard it was for lina to believe that he could have done something like that! Even he himself can’t believe it. You are probably right but humans are unpredictable.
He didn’t put her first. He put himself first sometimes especially during the affair. also before the rough patch, he probably was dominant and not considerate sometimes. If he was that acute to Lina’s every need, he wouldn’t be that alpha?? He is a work in progress even in SN. Because he sometimes could hold back his own assertiveness and made Lina feel difficult (Logan situation or Lina going to work or after SN, he was grumpy talking to Lina about Kim’s visitation)
Because of that he had an opposite personality to Nick and Lina, that is why he is the alpha readers love and hate, not Nick???
He was good and decent. Man of principle, man of faith and man of his own words. That is his character. But personality wise, he was not the understanding, good at communicating type. He treated doctor’s advice like him invading his territory because he felt that he knew better about parenting. But actually Nick knows better especially in Katie’s situation! Sometimes, Katie’s critique on him was quite validating.
Couldn’t hold back his assertiveness (typo)
I do feel bad for Phil that when he was not Lina’s center of attention, he felt low and unwanted. But I insisted that he had a choice and made a bad one. It’s an understandable mistake?? if he behaved like what he was in SN, they probably wouldn’t have gone through the whole “rough patch”. I won’t downplay his affair the way he did when the affair first came to light. Like sex with Lina was meaningful, sex with other women were not? then why you had meaningless sex with Kim? You got emotion fix thru physical act. And Lina should not care and just forgave him for his “huge mistake”? I mean affair is an affair. A married man met the ow to have sex, spent time with ow outside bedroom. Like when he and Kim dined out during business trips, yes he communicated with her mainly about cases, but I am sure she had witty comment and flirty words made him laugh and flirted back. the talk at the bar, it cannot just be case related. It might not touch anything too personal or too deep but they definitely had enjoyable/ fun conversation plus the fact they had sex/intimacy which was another dimension added in their “non-relationship”. Lets’ say, If Nick asked Lina to have sex with him or have affair with him during that time, Lina would have been horrified. So my point is Lina was oblivious even Nick was kinda confused. They didn’t have Phil’s preemptive state of mind to start or continue an affair (Phil’s case was “continue”, first time a one night stand) emotionally or physically. Nick and Lina were not even on the same illicit track as Phil and Kim. That is why they could remain friendly after SN? Their friendship was the primary foundation??This is the woman drove to see him without an appointment etc and it impressed him greatly. And this is the man who really cared about her as a human being not because she was attractive but her character etc.
Well as far as I am concern I think Katie was quite hateful toward her father at the time and must have said many hurtful things to him, on top of that (I am not a parent but your child saying hurtful words to you must have been quite devastating) Lina didn’t help the situation by preferring Nick advice instead of making Phil understand and she shut herself down from him which created that illusion in his mind that he was failing as a father. Yes I think kim wanting him was exactly what needed at the time because he felt unwanted by his family.
I think Lina tried? Remember the phone call they had at the night when Phil slept with Kim for the first time? She explained everything. The treatment was working and Lina saw it. Phil was too pighead to see it. That call happened months after the treatment started and Lina had been pulling away from him already. Things were bad between them but she still explained to him.
Given that, during the early months, Lina definitely explained why and how. It’s just Phil’s character made him hard to accept that his way was not working at that time.
Make it hard (typo)
yes yes, I remember even before learning about the affair she was quite disturbed by the way Nick was looking at her. I m not saying this to be a woman-hater but if she had crossed that line with Nick it would have been much more meaningful than Phil and Kim. I am glad she didn’t. Wow Tracie your comment was spot on. Kim was more like” do you want the file on Braxton’s case or you would rather want me to get on my knees so I could take you to LALA land” whereas Nick was a nice guy who cared for Lina and respected her boundaries. The kiss between them was HOT! with a capital H. But still, Phil made me swoon with his hunger for Lina. Zaincruise! don’t bring up that jerk from inhale-exhale he makes me want to take out my voodoo doll. LOL
Hi Girls…I love reading all your comments. These books are truly an enlightening experience. I believe that Kim and Nick were both what Lina and Phil needed at the time of their perfect storm situation. You girls were talking about cuddling between Phil and Kim which would be no, because that’s emotional. But no one ever brings up Lina cuddling with Nick in WPF. Remember when she spends the night at Nicks and knocks on his bedroom door and he has to get dressed and cuddles her through the night! Phil needed the attention of a good hard fast physical bang and Lina was the one that needed the emotional attention for her escape. Phil might have stripped physically, but Lina stripped emotionally.
Omg! Where were you I was just waiting for you as always you said what I was trying to say because as Laura said you always have gotten Phil! Thank you Tracie!
You’re welcome Zaincruise! Love my Phil…
Hi Tracie! I kinda gave Lina a pass on “cuddling with Nick”. Because I got to “see” the scene and I found it actually had nothing to do with Nick (maybe only a little bit)? It’s more like Lina want something to make her feel safe and secure? And it happened after Lina was sure she would divorce/end with Phil, after she received pictures etc. Before that, Lina treated Nick more like an attractive therapist, and the attraction she felt were mostly due to Nick’s ability to solve the Katie problem.
I think that you and Laura both pointed Lina’s pulling away from Phil many times. It did give me a better understanding but I really don’t think she had better way to stop this happening (allow Nick to grow on her). Because during five/six months before the affair started, she began to take Katie to see Nick. During the course of treatment, Phil was not a good communicator. Lina probably could not find a middle ground to meet with Phil regarding taking doctor’s advice or making changes over parenting Katie. It’s mutual pulling away, not in sequence. If Phil was more understanding, Lina would have been unlikely to “be angry with him” or “reject him in bed” all the time. Phil’s alpha personality is a double blade sword. He couldn’t be a understanding partner when it comes the Katie problem, even most of the time he is a good father and devoted husband etc. That is why he is flawed? And based on that, I see him grow in SN.
Anyway, I really don’t think Lina had an emotional affair with Nick. It might be above friendship but below lovers of any kind (before she discovered the affair). but Phil’s affair/fling was his own weakness because he needed another attractive woman to make him feel better. It was physical but the enjoyment he got from sleeping with Kim, interacting with her over the cases they had been handling or receiving her affection (her wanting him must make his ego happy!) were an emotion level fix (he LIKED what he had done with Kim, so he continued it). A fix he needed at the time and Lina could not give him. Even it was superficial and could never compensate remotely to what he craved from Lina, it did check all the boxes to be qualified as an affair/fling.
I knew men and women regard sex differently. But sex is intimate and he is not a robot. If he could be flirty with Kim, I think he knew what he was doing, and because of the compartmentalization, he didn’t think of Lina or in his mind, Lina was a parallel universe to what he was doing with Kim, and he just selfishly let it happen.
I really like Phil. His flaw made him somewhat hotter, lol.
but I always love Lina and team Lina. She is his better half, truly.
I think all the things happened between her and nick were a natural progression. Phil was the one had a choice and he made the wrong choice, a mistake. Lina loved him so much, so she forgave him and moved forward with him. They healed together, grew together and were in a better place.
I can see what your saying Berenice. But Lina and Nicks reaction to each other was not what I would say to be clinical. They had the hots for each other before Phil confessed his affair. Lina was already thinking about him. Remember the scene I’m where he throws his phone and says I’ll just work and make the money…He felt at that moment he was on the outside looking into his household. Because Lina had already started seeking out Nick instead of Phil. So he went down to the bar and the fling began. Was Phil wrong…absolutely! Was Lina innocent absolutely not.
Thank you Tracie 🙂
Okay, clinical is the wrong word.
But I thought before the affair, Lina pulling away from Phil was more because they argued a lot about Katie and Phil didn’t want to follow Nick’s advice on treating Katie? That constant fighting situation between them and Nick made himself available for more personal counseling plus Nick treatment was working drove Lina towards Nick and made her pulling away from Phil? She wasn’t aware of her attraction to him until Phil confessed his affair?? I felt that Lina said word “confuse” a lot when it came to Nick. It indicated that she was vulnerable in the months before, during and after affair so she let Nick in, because Phil became so difficult to talk. Paraphrasing what Diane said, it’s innocent and became something more only after the disclosure of the affair???
Berenice she had the attraction in Chapter 2 of WPF. Why would her child’s psychiatrist make time for Lina to have more personal counseling? Phil pointed that out to Lina as well. Advisement on Katie is one thing, but helping Lina navigate her marriage is another. He provided the personal counseling because they were harboring feelings toward each other, whether those feelings were confusing or not.
Okay, I got it.
My previous thought was that Lina thought Nick was amazing and they become friends (even they should not). Based on that friendship, when everything went down with Phil, Lina looked at Nick from a new angle with potential, adding on his confession about being attracted to her.
A lot of relationship started from friendship, so I thought their friendship opened door for Lina’s attraction to him, only waiting for the right time??
And to define their friendship, on Lina’s part, I thought it’s complicated. She was desperate with the Katie situation and Nick had the solutions. It’s an appreciation for his professional skill and he was nice to her , willing to communicate with her and listened to her etc. She was quite special comparing to other patients’ parents? Insisting on meeting him without an appointment definitely impressed him. So, even at the very beginning, there’s personal touch in their interaction as patient’s mother and the psychiatrist. so one thing led to another. Maybe Nick was aware of his feeling towards Lina much earlier than Lina. He might self reflect on why he crossed so many boundaries and make the situation peculiar for Lina. But Lina was oblivious because there’s nothing she could do to stop her relying more and more on him to a tipping point that she became aware?
I realized that this interpretation is not Laura’s intention when she wrote about Lina and Nick. My take probably derived from what I define “male friends”? and my observation on people who started as friends turning into a relationship.
Phil was the one had a choice and made the bad choice. As for Lina, I am on the fence. I didn’t feel Lina had the choice with the Nick situation. And she stopped to proceed with Nick when the “timing” really came and she did have a choice. simply because she realized the built up between Nick and her was not love.
But Tracie, your words made more sense. Lina was not innocent. I sided with Lina too much to be objective.
Berenice I also think Lina liked flirting with the idea of Nick because he was helping Katie and there was no fight in him like with Phil regarding Katie. Nick was easy and attentive, plus Katie was getting better. Which maybe even fueled Linas anger at Phil because he wasn’t as easy as Nick. Lina and Nick were similar in personality and demeanor. Remember some of their talks when he talked about going on a month hike and how Lina would love to do that but Phil was to competitive to do just hike. How she loved the day out on the boat with him, art, poetry etc. But when he kissed her in the parking lot and she felt his erection against her belly she ran like a scalded dog. I always felt like Lina used Nick for comfort and advice, when in all reality Lina knew he never stood a chance with her.
Nick was her anchor in the perfect storm.
I needed to add one thing to that last sentence….Nick was Linas anchor in the perfect storm….but it should of been Phil! Which was both Lina and Phil’s mistake.
Tracie!! What you said was my part of justification that Lina and Nick were friends and innocent until it was not!! (The built up)
It’s my definition of having a male friend! Having overlapping hobbies with him and him being attentive, easy to talk, and even being comforting when I encounter difficulties.
I had this one experience! A male friend of mine was very attentive, comforting and talking philosophy, poetry and literature with me all the time. I really enjoyed his company until he said he liked me and wanted to be more than friends. The whole friendship lasted two years before he said that! I was shocked! I thought we were friends! In retrospect, I do feel that I might lead him on a little bit. But I still think we’re just friends and I was innocent. He treated me differently and made him more available for me. these were all his decision. And because he made my experience with him so pleasant and easy, I interacted with him more and my behaviors changed slowly.
I interpreted Lina in the same way. Nick made him available, pleasant and lighthearted plus the whole Katie improving while Phil being difficult. It’s him genuinely falling for Lina and his real character (contrasting to Kim faking her personality and disguising her true self in order to get Phil). But Lina was oblivious until the tipping point plus right timing. Then she was aware. And Phil knew he was having an affair at the very beginning. He just didn’t get the full gravity of it and didn’t foresee all the consequences of it until he walked away from the fog.
I hit the wrong button. My calculation of share of responsibility was below another post….lol
[Emmm, it should be Phil. But Phil made it impossible. The share of responsibility is definitely not 50/50.
I would say 20/80 to the most. A desperate mother Lina was, how she could ever make her available or concentrate on him as usual? Even a remorseful and humbled Phil during separation, he showed his difficult personality from time to time regarding Katie or his own man child idea of feeling hurt over “Lina choosing Nick over him” moment.]
I need to add this. It’s like Phils words “Nick is working on Lina” I think he tried to restrain but couldn’t stop caring and giving her his attention. And that made Lina rely on him more. Pretty “organic”?? Lol
Also, Lina ran to Nick not Adele or her mother or Diane. It might look questionable when first looked into it. But to think Nick’s characteristics and his function in Lina’s system, it made sense. None of her friends, sisters or even her mother could have that logic mind and sympathetic tone (even the base of these was him falling in love with her). Diane and her mother would nudge her back with Phil and Adele would “curse” Phil but no sound solutions (he even served as couple therapist to listen to her talking about problems with Phil). Thru the treatment of Katie, Lina developed a system to rely on Nick for advice. I think that Lina sub or unconsciously treated him as her personal therapist. It’s convenient for her because she didn’t have a proper therapist/patient bond with Nick, so she might open her mind more easily when treated him as a de facto doc. The reliance she displayed on him gave me more clinical vibe than romantic vibe. 😂
Emmm, it should be Phil. But Phil made it impossible. The share of responsibility is definitely not 50/50.
I would say 20/80 to the most. A desperate mother Lina was, how she could ever make her available or concentrate on him as usual? Even a remorseful and humbled Phil during separation, he showed his difficult personality from time to time regarding Katie or his own man child idea of feeling hurt over “Lina choosing Nick over him” moment.
I just finished inhale and exhale the guy was one of the biggest jerk in romance novel. The wife was stable enough to leave the kids with so they both could go to the Hotel together but she wasn’t stable enough for him. Damn I am so mad 😡 I think I need therapy after this.
hmmm I think if Kim had not turned narcissist he would have been civil with her and would have tried to avoid her as much he could so the option of treating her with affection seems far-fetched to me. because he would have looked at her and regretted being with her knowing how could he have done that to Lina!!!!!
ESRA you have finally found a book that have made you join a Blog! 😂 I thought I would never see the day.
But yeah I don’t think he would be nice to her for him she would have been ceased to exist after he ended it with her. In another scenario where suppose she was a victim. ( a woman who fell in love with her married boss and was nice) he would have been civil to her but that was it. Nothing more nothing less. But thank God she isn’t because I love hating her. 😂😂😂
I said civil because of the baby….
Omg, I forgot to think in this direction! Yes, after he ended it with Kim, no matter what kind of person she was, he probably could not look at her without any nausea or hated himself for doing this to Lina.
So, what do you guys think that if Lina was not as “perfect” as in WPF and SN, made things more difficult for him to repair their relationship, reunite as a family and let Liam join their family, would he wait “forever”? Like he said “nothing would ever change”. I do believe his words. But those words were true at the time he said it. Future is not predictable. I am like Lina thinking he was so special and exceptional meanwhile picturing him capable of meeting someone else, getting married again and having more children. I am also like people cheered for them thinking their relationship was sooo unique and profound but did not exclude the thought that he might meet other women and fall in love again. Lina reckoned that he was the love of her life, the one and only love of her life. What do you guys think? if Lina decided to go through the process or be more vacillating and indecisive for a couple years before recovering, what he would do?
I think you have made a quite interesting point but personally I think it would have been all about Lina and what she wanted in those years. If she had been genuinely happy with Dr nick and have moved on with him he would have tried to date some nice woman but it wouldn’t have been as deep as his love for Lina and he would have been miserable without her. LoL! but making a family with another woman I don’t think so. He would have kidnapped Lina and kept her in a cave until she fell in love with him again.
I know as readers we all have lots of questions about Phil’s cheating on Lina. He was a devoted husband and a loving father why and how could he do what he did? Why the slip up after so many wonderful years together. Was Kim that irresistible and that tempting to him? And most importantly why it continued for 4 months and what the hell was he thinking during those times with Kim. We ask these questions not because we aren’t able to comprehend his action, we ask these questions because the love he had for Lina was so strong and powerful and thus make us think WHAT THE HELL! If their love is that powerful why it happened, and here I am going to try my best to make the reader understand just that. Just like many of you I was also very upset and angry when I think about Phill doing it with Kim and wanted his personal thought process during those times but Thanks to laura and Tracie I was able to understand where he was coming from, so I pull out all the psychology study that I did in college to get a little insight and was amazed how amazingly laura had given us what we wanted without our realizing it. Phill is that big alpha who doesn’t wear his emotion on his sleeve and has always tried his best to be there for not only his family but Lina’s also. From a very young age, he had become involved and had taken up the role of a father figure for Lina’s family happily. He had everyone dependent on him except lina. I know many readers think she was weak when it comes to phill but that was not the case here if you try to understand her character better. It wasn’t lina but phill need for lina to be by his side and his profound love for lina that had made him cheat. I know my analysis sound stupid but it is as simple as that. Lina’s withdrawal didn’t happen suddenly and her wrongdoing wasn’t part of the WPS so it was easy for all of us to direct our hatred toward phill but she was also somewhat at fault here and she was woman enough to admit it after she suspect of phill cheating on her. Nick had come into their lives and for the first time, she had started to admire another man who was not her husband. A man who was handsome and attractive. She had emotionally and physically distant herself from Phill and many readers who thinks that it was the trivial fight that laura had made us privy to in SN that had made it possible for him to cheat then please try to understand that things just don’t happen suddenly, he was feeling neglected and unwanted by lina for many months. Despite his strong personality, he was feeling weak and useless around his family which had filled him with bitterness. Remember that alpha is the one who may not show their emotion but always feel too much. It was at that point when Kim offered herself to him on a silver platter. She was a strong powerful career woman who was selfish and self-centered but in order to catch phill she constantly degraded herself and tried to fit herself in a role that phill would like her to be in. The affair was all about what phill wanted not what kim wanted. She knew that quick and emotionless shags are only what she is going to get and it had made her insecure. Lust may seem simple but it is not that simple there are many sides to it, one form of lust is when a man sees a woman he wants to bang and just can’t help himself. But there is the other side of lust that for a few blissful moments makes you forget your failure. He was chasing those moments with Kim. we can see this in the sexual confidence lina has because after the initial shock after learning about the affair she is able to see that it happened because she had stopped accommodating Phil’s needs at that time. It also explains the texts which bring us to the next question that why it continued for 4 months. It continued for 4 months because phill had never had the time to analyze his action. Everything around him was spiraling out of control and instead of dealing with it he just throws himself into his work and uses Kim as a means to escape. And it was only to escape; I mean the guy is sleeping even though he has this sexiest woman beside him because an hour and a couple of hours is all he is willing to give. He is blind to her schemes because Kim does what he wants and is never pushing for more until she does and reveal her true nature to him. Sex with lina became harder because it involves and evokes emotions and feelings. Love is not easy, it is messy and ugly sometimes but that is love. Sex with Kim was easy and forgettable. The picture she sends to lina also somewhat exposes her insecurity. A hand on her thigh and a smile that was not even for her were capture-worthy moments for her. I have no sympathy for her because she knew, but Phil’s constant desire to escape had made her think that something could be done and in her delusional state she started thinking that maybe he wants me more than his wife. She may have shared the bed with him but he was on his side and she was on her because God knows if he had spooned her show would have secretly captured it and sent it to lina. I love the fact the he was emotionally unavailable to Kim during the affair that he wasn’t sharing his feelings with her and he never spent his own money on her, behind closed doors it was a quick fuck, and outside in public it was work that he shared with her. He was having those territorial vibes with her as Tracie have explained because he needed her to escape it was only for selfish reason and had never been about him getting jealous because it was only a fling with her. Despite her attractiveness, hotness, and strong personality, all it took was a sincere glance from lina to make phill realize his mistake and what he had been doing. He was guilty and remorseful but he thought since he was in control of the affair he can easily make Kim go away but never suspected that she wanted him for herself, if he knew he would have never become involved with her which clearly shows that he never noticed her before until he did. I know many of us have questioned about him slipping in the future but here’s the thing we don’t have already –experienced mood when we are married, we can be married for a long time and may experience something new and unknown later. We don’t get ready by default mood when dealing with problems it is about learning as we go through these problems and try to look for what went wrong so we never make those mistakes again. Almost losing Lina has made Phill grow as a person and appreciate her even more. When nick threatened to take Lina away from him he had become desperate for her and couldn’t keep his hand to himself because in this universe it was only lina for him. Lina has a very powerful hold on him and Kim situation has made it stronger. As Phill himself had said that he may have been with someone (in a physical sense) but it was her he only loved. I know it is a very long post but I had to share my feelings and would keep sharing them because I want my favorite couple alive.
Yep, that about sums it up! The affair was months in the making before Phil ever crossed the line. Thank you Zaincruise! I wasn’t trying to be subtle in that point, but many readers appeared to miss it. Lina was definitely pulling away from Phil both mentally and physically and that killed him. Lina’s opinion was the only one that ever really mattered to him.
Hi, Zaincruise! and Laura! I’ve been checking the blog regularly 🙂
It is really about let the mistake define Phil or not? No?
Because, in classic mindset of literature or art works, it always depicted a protagonist who made a mistake and this mistake became a defining moment of this protagonist regarding who he is or what he really wanted or craved. It is almost always the story framework. It actually echoed Lina’s early reaction such as she exclaimed that she didn’t know him: “he is not the man she thinks he is”. She was confused who he really is because of the “out of character”. Normally, readers would trap themselves in the same “pattern”, feeling that Phil might un(sub)consciously did what he wanted in that if he was “conscious”, he definitely would control himself in order to be who he always consciously believed he is i.e a man of principle, a family man etc. So, early on I had this small doubt nibbling in me: could this escapade with Kim be a defining moment? Liberating him from his principles or structured faith etc to achieve what he really wanted or to be who he really is. Like, what really was between he and Kim?? Did she get a certain piece of Phil that Lina couldn’t have?? A Ec-stasy/trance of him that Lina could not reach because she was from his norms? But I believe this is definitely not what happened in Phil’s case. Laura and Tracie’s words gave me all the insights to realize Phil is too alpha a man to have this kind of personality track/traits.
Exactly I am totally like you Berenice! and I also keep coming to check the blog regularly. I still remember the day when my friend had bought these books for me in 2019 and after hearing about it I was so hostile and even had rant negatively about how this plot can be considered romantic! But in February 2021 I had been going through something very dark and was feeling so out of character and that was the time when I had picked these up, start reading, and fell in love. I can relate to Phil’s character more because of my own personal issues. Looking back, it is really hard and unfathomable for me to think how I could have hurt the people I love so deeply. That period of my life is hazy like it was not me but at the same time, it was me. I share a very deep connection with these books but since I am not a word person I am unable to describe it but the words and story of these two people have reached inside me and have helped me in becoming a better person. I have read these two books 10 times since then. Although I would try to pick up a new book, in the end, would lose interest and come back to it. When I hadn’t been through that period it was really easy for me to judge Phil and point him as the bad guy but that’s not how I think now. He was a great man and a great father. He was what he was with lina not what he was with Kim. I would have sympathized with Kim if he had promised her something and somehow misled her but he never did because if he had then the breakup scene would have been very different. WPS was about lina and her thinking. She creates her own stories and her own assumptions about his affair like she thinks in WPS that he had stopped running with his own daughter so he could run with Kim but in SN we get his point of view and many things become clear to us, he was not holding her hand and kissing her behind a tree or smiling at her with adoration in front of everybody instead he barely had any interaction with her but he always left with her which I think was natural because not only they were doing it they were also working on a very important case together. If there had been any affection on Phil part he would have addressed it in SN but he was all like:
“You don’t know me enough to love me. We fucked for a few months, Kim Get over it!”
“Breaking up with implies a relationship. I had a fling with your sister.”
So yeah affair happened because of Phil’s selfish desire to escape and not because he couldn’t resist Kim. He was a very handsome and successful attorney so Kim may not have been the only attractive woman who wanted him for the first time, in the past 25 years many would have tried and I am sure some would have been much prettier than Kim because the world is filled with beautiful women but for him, it was only Lina who he wanted to love and respect. Yes he did something horrible but in SN he became the man I wanted him to be and in the process he also made me realize my own mistakes. His character will always hold a very special place in my heart.
Zaincruise,
I was moved by your post. Words like yours inspire me to keep writing.
Thank you.
I think you half answered my new question, lol! I knew that it’s Lina’s POV and she created a lot of stuff, if Phil knew, he would say “That’s not true. Nothing you’ve said is true. You are so wrong!” (Quoting his own words, lol)
But Laura’s writing was so good making me involved deeply with the words that presented Lina’s thoughts. So when Lina imagining things, I really bought into them!
and the theory regarding protagonist doing things out of character! I actually got inspired by comments from Goodreads. I am soooo “obsessed” with WPF and SN! Not only I read them many many times, I even spent time on reading all the comments trying to figure out what was everyone thinking!
Speaking of spoon moments or intense moments between Phil and Kim(sigh)!
realistically thinking, we don’t have any intimate scenes between Phil and Kim to know how intense between them, even it was based on “sexual relationship”? Laura could not stomach one to write. The one when Kim told Phil she was pregnant had that “sitting on her bed” move, and everyone could feel their carnal connection(?) and disliked the move. I know WPF and SN were about surviving affair and details to some extent were irrelevant. It would be angsty to think, but I think that Kim is not a prostitute (?) and Phil was fond of her company. So, it’s definitely realistic to imagine that during the four months, especially the early weeks, sex would be very enjoyable in that who would have an affair with lame or mechanic sex? Especially Phil and Kim were likely both good in bed? Have amazing bodies? On some flirtatious/carnal level, for him, it’s natural without thinking that he would spoon her or have quasi affectionate behaviors? I feel like even some multiple hookups/flings between unmarried people would have that nonchalant behaviors? I think it’s painful for Lina to look at because those behaviors have deep meanings to her. But it’s realistic and the gist of WPF and SN were about moving forward? Lina knew Phil didn’t love Kim and because of that, she wouldn’t care those details eventually?
All good points Berenice. And yes, Phil is not a robot and the sex would not have been mechanical. Kim was an escape from a reality Phil couldn’t face. He was not himself over those four months and I think his behavior shocked him as much as anyone else. Cuddling? No. I don’t think so.
Lol, I started to treat Phil like a puzzle. I am super curious about him as an individual. Recently, my daily routine was thinking about this couple for several minutes before returning to other chores, lol. Always trying to decipher him and his personality etc and imagining what-ifs to see how he might encompass.
I found a good way to consider Phil and Kim :-)! I remembered Phil had several “girlfriends” before Lina when he was a teenager. Given that he was a total jock, those “girlfriends” probably were not serious and an athletic teenager, Phil had fun with them. I think during those “relationships”, Phil definitely respected them and treated them good, similar to what he would do to Kim before Kim turning to uncontrollable narcissist. This way of thinking made sense to me. 🙂
Phil was a typical teenager enjoying his life and then Lina happened to him. I agree with your assessment — he was a good guy. He treated women with respect.
Of course, it was not mechanical I mean he wouldn’t be using it to escape if that was the case, but what makes sex from better to best is how a man treats you after the act is done. Kim was not a baby she was a very smart and strong lady and when I said she degraded herself that’s what exactly I meant, looking at the texts you can tell what kind of relationship they had. He was not using any endearment with her and was quite treating her as he himself said an “easy fuck”. Yes, the sex was hot but hot sex without feelings and hot sex with feelings has no comparison and at that time Phil wanted something easy. On top of that whenever Phil talks about his time with Kim he said that he was never with her more than physically(it was all about sex and not the feelings). Cuddling and spooning mean that you want to feel the presence and his/her warmth around you even when you are sleeping and if that had been the case then it would have meant that his feelings were involved with Kim.
I agree!
Only that “easy fuck” is quite semantics! Phil used it purposely to get rid of Kim so that she could stop harassing his family and Lina. The “thing” between Phil and Kim back to the four months was a tad more than that. That is why I proposed the “teenage girlfriend” theory. It’s fun at the moment but forgettable, nonetheless he enjoyed it. It made sense that he was respectful while used her as a escape, means to an end. More than a prostitution transaction but still superficial.
OMG! I love your analysis that”s exactly how I think. the affair was definitely a low point for him. Loved how protective he became in SN.
Speaking of Lina’s overthinking moment before the end of WPF, I actually really bought into her thoughts. I had this hidden doubt/ impression that if they really divorced, Lina would, like she thought of herself, never be able to find a man who can live up to Phil in her heart.
On the other hand, I know that it was just a joke but Laura, you joked once that Phil could fall in love with a prison librarian under a specific context. I have this impression that Phil likes this ”type”: ethereal beauty, the heart of gold, selflessness, etc. It’s like for Lina, Phil is the most special man in the world but for Phil, no question that he is deeply in love with Lina but if divorce really happen and he becomes hopeless/his wall of resistance would be gone, he might fall in love with this “type” again?? A big part of me know that Lina was overthinking but Lina also knew Phil pretty well, did she?? So she might actually have some credits in this overthinking? Phil also thinks Lina is his better half. So he has this exact idea of Lina. In SN and WPF and in the story when Kim visited Liam after giving up custody, he was frustrated when Lina’s behaviors contradicted his idea of her?? Lina is surely a unique person and being selfless is part of who she is…I don’t know…I just feel that Phil likes his “norms” (sigh).
Another question/thought.
Laura, you said once that if there’s no baby, Phil won’t tell Lina about the affair and Lina would not want to know. I understand the logic behind it. However, let’s say, if they spent another two or three decades together, when looking back to the past years, Lina thought that she had such a loyal husband and wonderful marriage without knowing Phil cheated on her once. It would make her whole life somewhat stained? Is this what she wants? I think even in real life, women don’t want to know when the affair is still fresh(freshly over)or close in proximity (sensed by their female instincts?)but they would want to have a full disclosure eventually?
He wouldn’t tell her. He would live with guilt the rest of his life, but he wouldn’t want to cause Lina pain.
And with the exception of that short period, she did have a loyal husband. He wasn’t a serial cheater.
Does Lina have the right to know? Absolutely, but she wouldn’t.
Laura!! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for all the replies. It is truly enlightening!! And Thank you for your patience as well!! You created such a deep relationship. That is why I cannot bear to have any small doubts nibbling inside me. It’s soooo hard for me to grasp everything between Lina and Phil. I just want their love and this couple to survive every obstacle no matter what.
In SN and WPF, Lina was soooo perfect (even her distraction with Nick seemed somehow a natural progression to me). I am just afraid if she were less perfect/a saint(after all, she is only human), Phil would not still love her more than anything in the world?? I imagined all the what-ifs in my mind to “torture” myself in order to see if Phil’s love could survive all the conditions! I hate that they would just like other couples: when something extraordinary happened, no matter how much they loved each other, they might just simply move on respectively. Especially, men like Phil became “hopeless” or “devasted” at first, but fell in love again with someone else eventually. Maybe Lina’s self-pity lonely moment before the end of WPF hit me really hard(sigh).
Also, between Liam and Logan, I actually thought that Logan is the one having more complexes than Liam!! Overall, Liam has a unique surrounding while growing up but it is a loving environment(?) Because he has Lina and Phil and all the grandparents!? Maybe some self-imposed abandonment issue regarding Kim but he is not lacking if he has a loving mother (Lina). Also, Laura said he treated Kim like a remote aunt which indicated that he is not that obsessed with the whole drama.
On the other hand, Logan would have so many complexes regardless of he forgave and understood his father’s affair or all in all he loves his father. After all, it is his innocent world shattered. I believe that he abstracted the whole affair and his father’s capability of cheating to a metaphorical life problem so that he won’t resent or not forgive Phil still be able to continue to struggle with the problem??
How could he come from relics/reconstruction without any scars? He is the one living thru the trauma, not Liam?? Given his personality, I always feel angsty to imagine what an adult man he would turn into. Some traits of an “anti-hero” hero?? His smiling boy side would always be useful when he attempted to push his problems deep?? But all those “gentleness” or “kindness” mixed with “dark glamour”, that would be interesting?? Omg, I am reading too much into him. Logan is my favourite after Lina (haha)(´･Д･)」Thank you, Laura!! All the insights you gave on the blog inspired me to think wildly(*¯︶¯*)
Berenice,
You make good points. And you are right, Logan was ultimately more emotionally impacted than Liam.
You are pulling me back in to this family…
We missed you Laura!We love the Hunters.
Holley,
I miss you guys too.
I love the Hunters too. They continue to live in my mind.
Haha, I am fantasizing about the blonde, bubbly and cute girl of Nick and Cathy or Tiffany (after several years of separation??) coming across the ultimate elegant, graceful “anti-hero” hero aka Logan. A dash of young Joker(Jared Leto one?)/batman all in to masquerade the deep raw pain. All the dark glamour drew her into this hopeless, hot and cold romance. Ah, forgive my rambling, I must read too many dark romances (sigh).
Hi, Laura. Thank you so much for all the answers! I got notified from Goodreads and came back to the blog immediately! I hope I didn’t bother you too much! I am persistent (haha). And Tracie, thank you for the explanation! I actually thought about the same scene. In SN, the beach scene, when Lina tried to calm herself down, she said: “she is a stranger, isn’t she?”, I take that as a wounded small part of her couldn’t let the affair go because she believed that the affair happened not just because of the disconnection between Her and Phil but also Kim had some significance in Phil’s mind(attraction, even connection)?
Based on that, if Kim is a normal person, the civil co-parenting scenario would be objectively hurtful to Lina, even she could rationalize that no one tries to intentionally hurt her. Unfortunately, she would, for the rest of her life, wonder and relive freshly this liaison Phil had with Kim when Phil acts and makes decisions as Liam’s father while regarding Kim as the mother. So Kim being narcissistic and Phil’s cold and nonchalant are very helpful for Lina to move past. Otherwise, every time Lina observes that Phil shows tenderness, special attention, or some sort of behavioral shift because of treating Kim as Liam’s mother, it would be a moment of thought for Lina. In her mind, she might rhetorically ask why? because they had been together for a short period of time and share a son. It seems that She would make it bigger than it is. But she probably would?
There are traits in SN that indicate Lina dwelling on this wildly such as the subtle but bitter words from the beach scene and she imagined Kim admiring Phil’s muscle scene. So random but so realistic train of thoughts from her.
Also, speaking of Laura’s other five books (*¯︶¯*)！
I enjoyed the excerpt posted on this blog about a widowed man (doctor?) and a single mom with a teenage son. It prompted me a think question for quite some time. I know that different relationships have different dynamics etc. In Phil and Lina’s case, if Phil is widowed after two or three decades together with Lina, will he move on, or like he said in WPF and SN that he cannot live without Lina or cannot love anyone else? ( I am paraphrasing). Laura, you don’t have to answer if you feel difficult to. Just me thinking. In my eyes, their love is sooooo unique and deep, it’s unimaginable for me that either part widowed could move on meaningfully. They might try to date or form a relationship with someone else but it would be incomparable with the one they had. Just my opinion. (*¯︶¯*)
Hi Berenice…Love that you got us analyzing these books again. Love them and Laura. I don’t think at anytime, even if Kim wasn’t a narcissist that Phil would of treated her with any type of tenderness. Phil told Kim in a scene in SN that he would give her a measure of respect if she was a decent mother. I think that’s all the emotion Phil would of ever given Kim. Once he
and Lina were back together, she would be the only female to receive his tenderness. Lina had total disrespect and contempt for Kim after the Christmas fiasco and not because she had an affair with Phil but she left her son alone on Christmas. I don’t think Lina would have though much about the affair after Liam became a permanent fixture in their lives.
Hi Tracie! I know! I actually thought of one of the books mentioned on the blog. don’t remember the book name but the story was also based in Maryland. The OW was a decent mother and in the end, the husband and the WIFE (!) seemed to warm up towards the OW. How SAD is that! I cannot imagine just because they shared a child, they have to be that “friendly” huggy with each other. I think that is a de facto “sharing” between the two women which is soooo angsty and I don’t think it is HE.
If Lina had to be in that situation, which means no Christmas fiasco, text scheme and photo drama, she would probably think that much (?) even feel hurt (though she is too kind and would probably rationalize away her pain. She was quite unconfrontational which means she thinks a lot without Phil’s confirmation, but Phil sometimes had no idea as well which made his assurance of love less comforting!!). She would wonder (??) how much Phil’s Kindness came from treating Kim as Liam’s mother or the line simply is too blurry to dissect? I think a lot of books that have OW pov or have a kinda justifiable OW tend to present husbands with a grey area of feeling. I just want to feel certain that Phil is not like that no matter what kind of woman Kim is!!
(sigh)(´･Д･)」Tracie, I think your point is valid though. You knew Phil better (*¯︶¯*) if you think he wouldn’t treat her as what I imagined, I take it(*¯︶¯*)!!
Berenice there was a lot of times I would have a weak moment about Phil maybe thinking or feeling in a grey area, especially about Logan and Liam. Laura would always bring me back to center by saying “Tracie Phil will always be Phil.” Here’s an example, the scene where Phil was talking to Nick at the Lacrosse field where Nick wanted to draw a line and be cordial with Phil because of their sons. Now…can you see Phil feeling and thinking.. “Maybe Lina gravitated toward him emotionally because I checked out with Kim, so we can be cordial.” That will be a “Hell No”. Phil was probably thinking your dead to me and Lina! Phil was not a grey feeling or thinking kind of guy. He just didn’t have that personality. Lina explains that in the scene where they make their first appearance at Logan’s school program. Where she says Phil just barrels into a situation with enough confidence to handle the whole room, etc. Even if Kim would of been decent, I see Phil telling her if there is a problem call otherwise I’ll pick him up at my scheduled time. My opinion only no grey area thinking for Phil. Lina told Diane Kim made their connection stronger so she had no doubt of Phil’s love and loyalty to her after their reconciliation.
Tracie! Huge relief from your words!!
As long as there are no moments like Shakespearan protagonists: “Ah, this is the woman I had a child with, blah blah.” or “she had difficulties while raising my son, blah blah(some guilty or sentimental feelings ensued )”, then I am okay!!
I like that even Kim is a decent woman, he would only conduct everything by legal agreement nothing more, nothing less. All formal and functional in their respective assigned roles of parents!! The only retrospect he had regarding the affair would be regret and disgust(not towards her if she were a decent woman).
Tracie! I thought over what you said again. I think he must show tenderness or some quasi couple behavioral changes if Kim is a decent, normal woman. For example, if she is decent, when he returned Liam after a weekend’s overnight, she said something like she said in SN: “he looks more like you every minute.”(pretty normal words coming from a mother even she is not in a relationship with the father), what could he say back other than some nice and soft words to agree with her?? But it is soooo sad if this happens. How could he say something or share a moment like this with a woman who is not Lina? Oh, wait. Because he strayed once and shared a child with her. It is this kind of “sharing” that made me angry and sad. Thankfully, she is a narcissist, this would not happen at all!!
Berenice it would of been no different than when Jodi made the same comment in the grocery store. He said to her when she said the same thing…”So I’ve been told.”
Yes, good catch Tracie.
Berenice, Phil isn’t interested in socializing with people outside his inner circle. He doesn’t care what they think or say. He’s very standoffish and he would be no different with Kim.
Thanks! Tracie and Laura, thanks for the reassurance! I get that Phil couldn’t care less about how other people think or behave but I thought it would be different if it is his son’s mother (if Kim is decent etc). I thought he would sorta move her into his inner circle…Phew, I’m so happy he isn’t which makes me like him more and think he is “cooler” than I originally thought he was (haha)
Hi Girls, I check this blog ever so often because it was so much a part of my life for a year. So blessed to have the friends I have because of it as well. Berenice I’m one of those readers Laura mentioned where I could barely stand her writing about the affair or how he felt while doing it. Don’t get me wrong, I was curious but I wanted to see Phil fight for Lina. I focused more on Lina and Phil’s love verses the actual affair. Phil’s comeback story was the cats meow for me. I soaked it up like a sponge. Readers ask about Phil’s POV during the affair, but if you think about both books you realize Laura gave us some insight on Kim and Phil’s relationship. We know by the meeting of Kim’s parents and sister in Swimming Naked that Phil had no idea she had a sister or where her parents were from. So there were no dark secrets or anything very personal shared. The picture where Phil had his hand on her leg in front of her former co-worker showed he had a somewhat territorial vibe around other men with her. The picture of them dancing showed me he enjoyed her company. The scene where he went into her new house and he thought she was a talented attorney let me know he respected her professionally and keeping her in his life for four months showed us he had pure lust for her. However, the breakup scene Laura gave us on the blog helped me understand Phil’s WHY a little more. Lina had withdrawn from Phil and no longer accommodated his needs like she did before Katie’s depression. The breakup scene where Kim blows into his office and goes to the bar asking him if he wants a Scotch or maybe a blow job tells me she was a temporary fix to what Lina couldn’t give him at the time. Kim was accommodating! Kim destroyed any type of respectful co-parent relationship she could of had with Phil, when she went after Lina with the text messages and pictures. Like Phil told Lina in the beach scene in Swimming Naked she is a stranger, nothing to me, my only duty is to Liam. So happy to see people are still enjoying this family. Hats off to your writing talent my dear friend.
I miss you Tracie — and you have always gotten Phil. Amazing.
I miss you too Laura. Phil will always be my favorite book hero.
I read these gems a couple of years ago, but recently reread them and found a new love and appreciation for Laura’s writing. I also found out about this blog in another book group I am in. I have really, really loved reading through this and getting the extra info.
thanks Karrie! A lot of energy went into this blog! It was an intense ride.
Awww Tracie!! I hope you are loving your retirement. I miss you, Laura, and the rest of the gang. I too check the blog periodically and was excited to read the new comments – happy to see Phil and Lina are still alive and well here after 2 years!!
I hope we can all come back here and support Laura’s new book when it comes out!
Bernice, I remember asking the exact same question to Laura. Her answer at the time re Kim was, if she wasn’t a narcissist and didn’t get pregnant on purpose, Phil wouldn’t hate her but he also wouldn’t reminisce on time spent with her.
Hey J-Girl….I’m living the dream. Love retirement. I’m no longer tied to an alarm sister. I had my 5th and final grand baby two weeks ago. A little girl Rylee Tate. She’s a sweetie. Hope the twins are thriving and doing well.
You know if Laura girl lays another book on us we will be all over it. I can’t wait!
Miss you girl!
What?! Where did Rylee come from? Hailee? 🤗😂💕. Congratulations!!
Yes Hailee….this baby wasn’t planned. But we are sure glad she’s here. She now has a 5 year old, 18 month old and a newborn. Busy Girl!
Laura I told you before but please think about Liamor Logan with Nick and Cathy’s daughter. Can you imagine?! Phil would be in a scene each chapter along with Nick and the angst level would be so high. Omg. I’m already thinking about their confrontation scenes. 🤗
Yeah there’s nothing out there re romance. Until last night I hadn’t read a new on in months.
LOL Phil would hate that! Nick, on the other hand, would be mature enough to conceal his distaste for Phil.
If Nick was in every chapter with Phil, Laura would have kill Phil off before we ever got to Liam’s book. Phil would launch and explode.
Congratulations! That’s so exciting.
My niece has an 18 month old that I get to see often. They are so cute!
I reread White Picket Fence the other day and now I’m rereading Swimming Naked. After all this time, I still have Phil in my head haha
I do to Laura. I still think of different scenarios staring the Hunters. I’m thinking you could pull a Janet Daily Calder Saga. I’m talking the Hunter Saga. I never realized how many people probably read this blog, but never comment.
There is just so many how and why’s about Phil and Lina. I remember asking you why Phil wanted to hit Tom in the mouth after the shirt scene when he said “you have Lina!” Lina’s….Phil said I know what my wife is you don’t have to sell her to me…I thought why does he want to smack the guy and you said it was because he was pretty much pointing out how stupid he was for cheating on a woman like Lina. Again, think back through the two books, his entire family thought that too, along with his boss and personnel assistant. Then in Swimming Naked when the sister revealed Kim’s plan he called his own self an idiot. A man like Phil would never get use to feeling like or being seen as idiot. I think stuff like this all the time. 🤔
Tracie, I truly believe you know these characters as well as I do at this point! You could write a new sequel.
I think I know why Laura can’t finish the other 5 she started. Other than having a demanding job as the Boss Lady at work, this duet took so much out of her and Phil(to you guys) and Nick(to me) encompass the fantasy book hubbies. And, clearly we have not moved on from this family. I think when you are ready Laura, we will cheer you on with Phil 2.0/Liam’s story. We will wait till you are ready. Like Tracie, I had no idea others were reading this blog and talking about it in other groups. I kinda wish I hadn’t yacked so much here. 😔
Also, when the world shut down, we still plugged along. Can’t believe your niece already has an 18month old toddler! It seems like just a few months ago you attended her wedding and Tracie was talking about Carson. Wowza.
I read a decent angsty one last night. A Me and You Thing by Taylor Dean. It received a lot of negative reviews but I liked it enough. The guy was a bit of a beta but the writing was good imo
And it’s almost been three years since Swimming Naked was published! I just finished it. I do love Logan and Liam. They both deserve a story. Katie can’t have one because she would never leave Matt and I don’t like Meagan, so just the two boys!
I haven’t read a good romance in so long.
Janet I’m so glad we had our yak sessions and even though we would chase rabbits now and then we said some stuff that could be possibly construed as…I’m thinking here….Got it…Literary Treasures! That’s right! 🤪
I haven’t read a good one either….Would love to read books about the boys.
Laura I do know the family….but I don’t have the writing talent.
That’s all you sister.
But I was thinking yesterday…I wonder how Phil would of balanced the parenting of the two boys with such a large age gap. The walking scene where Phil told Logan that he and Lina only had 2.5 years left with him and he was not disappearing on the weekends anymore. Because he didn’t want to lose him more than he had too. I concluded in my own brain that Lina took the lead with Liam because he was a baby and Phil followed Logan’s high school Lacrosse season pretty close and did the Father son activities before Logan graduated.
Lina is the nurturer, so she would gravitate to Liam and he would gravitate to her. Phil would be more focused on Logan until Liam is a bit older.
Tracie, you still make me laugh out loud. 🤣🤣😘
Personally, I think Kim put his hand on her thigh on purpose so she could secretly capture the moment. I have read and reread his text to Kim and have tried to decode them like a spy. He was just asking for a quickie while Kim tried to be more seductive, more of his interaction with Kim was like a business transaction and kind of felt cold to me. He doesn’t even clearly remember how many nights he spent at her apartment and never took her out anywhere. Kim was highly insecure in the affair because she knew nothing about him and his family personally and he was just using her for his escape. Maybe that’s why she started to take his picture secretly. Even in the breakup scene, he was kind of cold to her as he shoved her out of the door because he was still angry at her after the steamboat house incident. I love the family and I would just want Laura to give us Phill’s POV I know I am asking for a lot but a girl could always dream. Never say never.
I would love a WPF from Phil’s POV. That would help so much!
I cannot help myself and kept wondering. Was Phil’s feeling for Kim before Kim created all the drama similar to Linas for Nick? As she was a comfort (carnally?) for him in Katie’s problem? I kept dwelling on the word “like”, I mean Phil “liked” her in the fling/affair? just not as deep as his connection to Lina but???
I mean in reality, people could love someone and still have feelings for others? I can reconcile that Lina’s feeling was more complex, as it was involved with the Katie situation but Phil’s like sounds like a pure(?) attraction!!
Readers hate this, but yes Phil was attracted to Kim and he liked her for a short time, but those feelings couldn’t touch the depth of feelings he had for Lina.
Hey, laura you said Phill liked Kim for a short time but for how long? because as far as I have read it his interaction with Kim felt cold to me like he would want her only for one reason and that was to escape. An hour and a couple of hours were all he just needed with her. even when he was going to her apartment to spend the night he made sure it was late Sunday night and still had the time to sleep after a quick you know what. (DAMN I feel like such a stalker but it is all your fault, who told you to write that good of a story that we all are unable to put out of our head. it is like you ruined me for other books. while I am reading other stories my mind keeps drifting back to Phill and Lina please consider giving us Phill’s POV during the affair. please don’t break my heart)
Also, I think that it actually worse if Kim is a normal person. Then Phil would have to maintain a regular presence in Kim’s household and be nice to her as his child’s mother or show cordial/friendly dynamic in front of Liam. It means that there would be a de facto existence of “second family”or some sort. I can see that Lina would comfort herself to think that it’s no one’s intention to hurt her or create a hurtful situation but the hurt and feeling of Phil would not be hers in some extent would never go away, as she “shares” Phil. So, Kim being a narcissist with no interest to raise a child actually saved Lina from falling into the aforesaid scenario.
Yes, that is very true and I think it would have been very difficult for the Hunters if Kim hadn’t left. It would have been much more complicated for Lina.
Hi, everyone.
I read and reread this blog so many times throughout the lockdown. This blog was one of the several things keep me happy during my grueling journey of application to PhD (sigh).
I loved and enjoyed reading WPF and SN so much. However, I still have questions. I struggled with how Phil would think of Kim if Kim is a normal woman. Would Phil think of her and his time with her as something pleasant? special? wonderful even? Would she be a significant or worth caring about person in his later life? After all, she is his son’s mother and a woman he was involved with one time? Also, I know it is a “perfect storm” and Phil slipped but Laura said once that Kim is not anyone, she is an intelligent lawyer, exceptionally good-looking and fun to be with etc. Does that mean if she is not evil and just a woman falling in love with a married man who actually went through it, Phil would have special feelings towards her (not the deep love he had with Lina though)? That actually was a fact before she showed her true color? Even considering the “perfect storm” factor, if Kim is not “anyone”, her being the lone exception within Phil’s overall fidelity to Lina could tell that Phil liked Kim very much or was very attracted to her? She, although cannot compare to Lina, was special to him? It made me sad for thinking that a wife survived infidelity and is able to look past it, she might still have a tiny part in her heart mulling over that this OW was special enough for her husband to slip. I think that if Kim could be anyone coming after Phil in that perfect storm, I would not struggle this much. Also, from Kim’s warped universe, it is “ego-stroking” for her to think that she was the one Phil cheated with not just “anyone”. She probably took that as an accomplishment (ugh).
Thank you, Laura! You are sooooo talented and write amazing stories!
Hi Berenice — sorry for the delay in replying. I’m not always consistent about checking this blog.
The answer to your question is no. Kim does not hold a special place in Phil’s heart. She truly could have been anyone with her particular attributes — attractive, interesting and willing to pursue a married man. At any other point in their marriage it wouldn’t have happened. As you said — it was the perfect storm. She provided Phil the escape he was craving. I’m sure Kim loved the fact that he strayed only with her, but that’s due to her big ego and lack of morals.
Is Kim evil? No, but she is incredibly selfish and self centered.
Hi Laura,
I just wanted to drop by to say that I am big fan of Lina & Phil & their family. You have beautifully written their story. Phil is an amazingly complex character. I just wish we had more to read about Phil’s POV during course of affair. It would have made things more clear. I am so obsessed that I can read 10 more stories about them. You did a good job with those two books.
Thank you, Surbhi! I appreciate your comments. You are not alone — I’ve had many requests for Phil’s POV during the affair.
Yeah, because Phil is such a devoted husband, I just can’t understand how he agreed to have sex with Kim without using any protection. This can happen in a heat of moment but definitely not over a prolonged course. Will you ever publish his POV? I would love to read it. I am obsessed with Phil. May be if you could post it here in the blog.
Hi Laura,
Hope you and family are well. Miss this blog. Hope all the ladies are well.
Reread WPF and Swimming Naked and remembered blog.
Hope we get Phil s point of view one day or the deleted scenes. I remember you saying the books were edited down.
Love your writing Laura. You are gifted.
Stay well everyone.
Laura, I read White Picket Fence a year ago and was hooked on all your books! I also would love a POV book about Phil. Honestly, I would love anything about their family. Where are they when Liam becomes a teen? Or an update on Katie and her adult life?
I’m a big fan of angst and real life, real relationships. Thank you!
Hi Laura,
I was wondering how long Wayne was aware of Phil’s affair with Kim?
Hi Kellie — Good question — Not too long. Maybe a month.
Wasn’t it 4 months?
The affair was four months, but Wayne didn’t know about it the whole time.
Hi Tracie,
I didn’t see your comment till now. If you still check in once in awhile, come join Laura, Miri,and me on Goodreads. I think you have an account there. I will befriend you. Hope to see you there to discuss the upcoming books.
Hi J-Girl…Yes I’m on Goodreads. I get updates from Miri all the time on my email. I’ll get on there and see if I can figure out how to navigate it. Hope you and your family are doing well. Miss talking to all you girls…
Ok! Just saw this Tracie. Hope you and your family are well too. How is your grandson? Carson right? I’ll look for you on GR. ?
Happy New Year everyone. Hope everyone is doing ok.
Hello Laura & Hello Everybody ?
How are you?
I’m just wondering if there is any update on when we will be able to get a Sense of Belonging Paperback? Apologies to bother you again ❤️
Love
Ania
Hi Ania,
You never bother me. It’s nice to hear from you. Clyde’s restaurant went out of business because of Covid — sad.
Please email me directly — [email protected]
Love,
Laura
I hope all you girls have an amazing 4th of July…..Miss you all and hope all is well…..
Hi Laura hope all is well and you and your dad have a blessed Father’s Day….?
Hi girls…Just wanted to say Have an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend…I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel to getting back to norm…Miss you girls…
Happy Memorial Day, Tracie!
I’m glad you can see the light! I walked by our drained community pool yesterday and felt sad. We are definitely not getting back to normal yet.
Miss you!
Hope all you girls are healthy and keeping cool….?. My pool is up and running and no masks at the cafe anymore so things are still looking up….
Happy Mother’s Day Girls..My new grandson was born Friday weighing in at 7lbs 13 oz…21.5 inches long….Hailee and Carson both are doing great…..Hope you all have a blessed day….Tomorrow will be the first day I get to see Carson, best Mother’s Day ever…..
Happy Mother’s Days!
Congratulations, Tracie! What a wonderful gift.
I hope all the mothers out there have a great day. I have Jordan home, so I’m happy 🙂
So happy Jordan is well and there with you…Hi Jordan!
Laura I read SN again…To me it’s like Pride and Prejudice…it’s just a classic….Can’t help it still need to read my Phil…..
Happy Mother’s Day!
Wonderful news, Tracie!!
Congratulations Tracie!! Carson is a great name. I hope you got to see your grandson for Mother’s Day.
I stopped social distancing with my family few weeks ago. My dad was going nuts from isolation so he started coming over 3x a week and I cook for him. The golf courses finally opened up here so at least he stopped cursing at everyone. Seriously, I cannot believe all hell broke loose because one nasty rich person ate a bowl of nasty bat soup shit. You know those are like $500 a bowl. That’s what someone told me anyway. I’m not a hater but omg wtf. Sorry Laura, but every time I think about this it boggles my mind.
Glad to hear everyone’s doing OK and Jordan now has immunity. She’s so lucky. I think my brother had it too and is waiting for antibody test to become available. Meanwhile, Tara, Miri, Angela, and I are exchanging cheating book recs on GR. You all should become more active there.
Thank you Janet..::I will look on GR…I never really used it before…Do I just look up your name? I have an account…I’ve looked at Katie’s recommendations…
South Africa has over 6 000 cases and 123 deaths. Our numbers are growing between 200 and 300 in the last few days, yet we moved from level 5 lockdown to level 4 on the 1st of May, which basically means more people can go to work, we can run / walk within 5km radius from our home between 6am – 9am, because the coronavirus sleeps during those hours *rolls eyes*. So now EVERYONE goes out in massive crowds during that time, there will be a massive spike in numbers in the next +/- 2 weeks time.
We still have plenty of toilet paper in SA but yeast and pineapples are hard to find. They banned sales of alcohol and smokes from the start of lockdown, which was the 27th March, so everyone busy making their own pineapple beer or wine.
Thank you girls…my friend lost her husband several years ago…She was sitting at dinner with him and he had a blood clot break loose and hit his heart. He died instantly…She has had a lot of loss…Laura I hope Jordan stays good…I hate she even has to go through any of this mess…
Bee can you find out when the flu sleeps Lol…?. Loved your eye roll…..I’m so sick of being locked down I feel like a damn mushroom in a dark hole….
Katie you are running? Why…Lol.
Okay girls I read a book it was only 76 pages and is part of our Kindle unlimited…Free! It had four reviews. 2 one star and 2 five stars…The book made a lot of sense…it kind of left me like huh? But it worked…It’s called Leave It There by Michelle Maris….Would love you girls to read it….Some of you may say “Hell No”…Then in certain aspects of the book I saw a glimpse of Lina how she forgave and went after her independence with her job….It cracked me up how the h turned the tables and I did enjoy the h’s therapist.
WOW — no liquor stores? I don’t think that would work In the US. Everyone would revolt lol.
Our lock down won’t be lifting anytime soon in Maryland. Our cases continue to rise 🙁
Ours does to Laura…we’ve gone from 23 last week to 39 in our county…ugh! US would definitely revolt if they closed all the liquor stores….
Hi Ladies, a big hello from NY, where we have 321,000 cases and 24,500 deaths–New Yorkers are taking this very seriously. Also where liquor stores are considered essential businesses. The earliest we may see a lift in restrictions will be 5/15 and that will be for upstate, downstate won’t see any changes for quite sometime. I live an a limbo between the two–my county has only had 9,000 cases and 300 deaths, everything becomes frighteningly relevant these days.
Laura, I hope Jordan is staying safe.
Take care and stay safe, Tara
Hi girls…hope all is well….We are in Phase 1 of opening our state tomorrow…Anxious to see how it all plays out….One of my friends mother passed away from the virus…She was 77..now her dad has tested positive….
How are you girls doing?
Hi Tracie!
I envy you and your state. I’m over this — unfortunately it isn’t over. Jordan has it, but she’s asymptomatic — she was volunteering at a test center in New York City and they tested her. She’s fine — zero symptoms. I’m still going in to work — we are considered “critical infrastructure” so my week is relatively normal. The weekends are tough. I miss my dad and family. Sigh. I read a really cute book — The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Graves
Loved that book!
I’m so sorry Tracy.
It’s a political game here in CA at this point. Sigh.
Hanging in there. I have the next 10 years of renovations on my house planned out and I’m running 2-3 miles at a time now. My daughter graduated from training wheels to big girl bike to 20” mountain bike this last month. Positive things.
Laura, hope Jordan has a speedy recovery. Glad to hear she’s doing okay.
So sad about your friends mom. Two of the guys at my office currently have parents with active cases. It’s really hitting the senior community hard.
Tracie, sorry for your friend loss. All the best for her dad. Stay safe.
Happy Easter Girls…Hate that families can’t get together today…Miss all my kids gathering….Hope all is well with you and yours…..
Did you guys read this article with our national treasure? Omg she made me peeeeee. Here you go!
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/fran-lebowitz-is-never-leaving-new-york
Loves that article Janet…I think I’m getting my sulk on too…I went over to my daughters house to paint her nursery for her and fell backwards of a 6ft ladder…My fat slapping that hard wood floor left me crippled for two days but I’m back at it…Lol I have an old claw foot tub and realized when I got in that I could get out…I looked like a big seal doing a barrel roll to get on all fours to pager myself out of the tub. I sprained my wrist and stove up my back and hip…I’m telling you my life is never dull…Lol
How did pager get replaced for push…I bet you knew what I meant though….
Laura are you working? I was wondering if you and Chandler were doing any writing….Hope your dad is doing alright….
Hi girls- no need to cut my own hair because I get it cut like 2x a year, but I did over-pluck my eyebrows and I have toe claws. Hanging in there though. My daughter is bored AF. I consider myself a pretty patient and creative mom, so I’m sure if we are bored, others are even worse off. Sigh.
I read a teacher-student I loved- Sweet Dandelion by Micalea Smeltzer. I just really love bad teachers.
Tracie, I think I’ll read your athlete book now.
Love to all.
Hi — Do you girls remember Janet Dailey’s The Calder series? They were written in the early 80s — I remember loving them, so I looked them up today. Amazon wants $15 for the kindle version of the first in the series — Janet Dailey isn’t even alive anymore. Isn’t that crazy? What’s crazier is that I bought it. If it’s as good as I remember I’ll find the rest of the series at an online thrift shop. #DesperateToFindAGoodBook
I loved that series Laura. One of the first my mom let me read as a teenager….Thank you for sharing…Hope all is well with you and Chandler….
I see Phil all over Benteen Calder lol
All those Calder men were hot and alpha…..
After that comment I had to go back in SN where Phil told Kim he was back with Lina….It still amazes me in cheating books how the OW thinks the wife is the intruder…HER…. I’d like to bitch slap those women…Lol
I’ve read every single one her Hp’s I think. She started off writing for harlequin in the 70-80s then moved to single romance novels. Her novels remind me of subpar Nora Roberts but I’ve enjoyed reading all her books. Not my favs but nostalgia is a powerful thing. I hope you love Calder Pride. Yay.
I hope it gets you out of your funk. If you get bored, one book I come back to is Sherry Thomas, Not Quite A Husband. We talked about it here many times. It’s a historical. Turn of the century novel. writing is superb albeit depressing.
Lol, I had to read my own review to remember what I said. It was about an affair but I thought it was more about how tiny lies lead to big ones- both in his personal and professional life. How a decent guy got himself into big messes.
I dunno. It was good writing. From what I remember the wife couldn’t move on from his affair. It probably ended how it should have. I don’t even remember what happened with his wife…
What’s next? I haven’t read a good book in so long.
Hi girls….I read a book that kept me interested…It was called Under the Bleachers by K.K. Allen. I thought about it afterwards. You don’t have to read the first in the series. This can be read as a stand-alone. I will be reading the next one though that comes out May 1st. I thought about it afterwards….Hope all is well sweet ladies.
Janet I know you aren’t into sports romances, but that is not what this book is about. Very little game time, etc…Football is the H’s job this book is about relationships and how the h’s past will collide with her future….and her HEA…
Hi there. I will check the book out Tracie. I like sports romance a lot. I also like rock stars, reformed porn stars, male prostitutes, and ex con books too. LOLOL.
But like Laura, I have a hard time finishing one these days. I did read one recently that reminded me a lot of Emily Giffen’s novel that we all disagreed on and yes, it’s a cheating story. Katie and Miri liked it and the writing is good. Tell No Lies by Julie Compton. Let me know what you think if you read it.
I thought you didn’t like the sports romances….Sorry sister…I’ll check out the Tell me no lies….
I read that one, Janet! I really liked it- I lost interest in the sequel though.
I downloaded it, will start it tonight
Tracie don’t read this until you finish the book.
Katie, I know you liked it. The writing was good so I agree with you there. And I tried to dig deep like you said in your review but I couldn’t. I hated him. Not the OW so much but how can you feel sympathy for a guy who emotionally cheated on his wife for 9 yrs? he loved both women but one more than the other? Ugh. I didn’t think the author would take the route she did in the sequel but it made sense to me. I didn’t read the second. Just read the ending and returned. Did Claire end up with the brother??
I read the last chapter of the sequel couldn’t get into it and realized he went back to the mistress…I couldn’t stomach reading it…So Claire went with Mark?
I returned them both for refund…I can’t stand where you get a HEA in the original book and then the sequel does the complete opposite…made me sick…?
I wanted to hear you say spineless jellyfish! Lol.
Ugh. I’m depressed. I cut my own hair tonight. ?
Well if the beauty shops don’t reopen soon I’ll be cutting my own hair….I’m sorry your depressed doll. is your husband home yet?
I’m sorry you girls got the dreary going on in Maryland…so glad that Jordan is doing well…We have two with the virus in our hospital in isolation. Hailee isn’t allowed to go back to work, but her husband is still having to work at the hospital. Laura So glad you are writing. I don’t care what it is as long as you are happy doing it….In less than a week we have been blog sisters for 2 years…It is so hard to believe we have all been keeping in touch and sharing our lives for that long, it has been a blessing…
You girls stay safe….
Hi all, I’m at my mother during lockdown. She lives in a small gated complex and my sister lives right next door. I was suppose to sleep at my mother’s house but my 4 year old nephew refused to have his brother in his room, only I’m allowed. 3 weeks with my 4 year old nephew and 16 year old nephew – I bought 3 bottles of Gin just in case… ;-p My aunt down from the UK, she is now stuck in SA – safer choice for her I suppose… We not allowed to do anything – no jogging or walking your dog. A cyclist who was cycling on his own was arrested. If you are travelling for work, you have to carry a letter from your working stating you are an essential worker and copy of your ID. SA now on 1 170 and 1 death – 48 year old Female. Just finished day 2 of lockdown but I’ll try get a mini routine going on Monday. I bought a spin bike from my friend, so will start spinning on Monday. Searching on google for nice spin video to follow. Hard not being able to walk around your community.
I’ve battled to find vitamin c or zinc in SA shops. So bought a lot of frozen veggies and fruit instead.
I see USA now number 1 in the world with the most cases, hope everyone safe.
I’m loving all the creative people coming up with Coronavirus songs. Google – The Kiffness – Toto Arica (Coronavirus). Does are country or state have their own corona song?
New you never cease to amaze me with all your energy…Spinning….I’m more for the slow walk around our country roads…Lol….Take care sweets!
How Bee got replaced with New I’ll never know….Lol
I had to get a spin bike. We only allowed to leave our home for essential service or shopping only. There’s no walking the dogs or walking along your street. Not even allowed to walk around the gated estate.
That seems extreme, but I guess time will tell. We are still allowed to exercise outside.
I’m happy to hear you are with your family. All the everyday craziness seem fun.
Great to hear from you Ann! I miss everyone. It’s a cloudy, unsettled day in Maryland. I’m already stir crazy and it’s not even 10 a.m. The dog park is closed and Chandler is very sad — I’m sad too. It’s a big part of our morning. I walked him to a field the past few mornings to throw him his ball and he picked up ticks ?.
I stood in my dad’s front yard yesterday and talked to him while he stood on his porch. It’s really hard. He’s old and lonely.
Anyway, off to hike in a place that, hopefully, doesn’t have any ticks!
Stay safe.
Hi Laura. Yes it’s a very dreary day here in MD. We had a thunderstorm roll through here this morning. Did you get it over in Howard County? Crazy times!
I saw that Jordan is in NY which must be a worry for you but she’s young and very smart so she’ll do fine. This lockdown is tough for everyone including our pets.
I had to revisit the Hunters and I just finished SN. I needed something good to take my mind off the world!
Are you working on Lucas now or the doctors?
Laura, I meant to tell you I feel bad for your Dad and hang in there.
Jordan actually thinks she had it last week — fever and cough for a couple of days, but who knows. She’s fine and busy taking courses remotely.
I’m not working on either of those story lines. I started a different one — now I’ll have even more to finish.
I heard thunder during my hike, but luckily it dissipated before amounting to a full-blown storm.
I would love a book recommendation. It’s been months before I’ve made it past 30 percent on anything, sigh.
Hi Ann!!!!!!!!!!! So happy to hear from you. What have you been reading before the corona happened? Ladies, hopefully this time next year, we will have the vaccine and there will be a tiem where I could say, couldn’t go out last week because I had the Corona. It’ll just be another flu. But until we have the vaccine, it puts on high alert.
Let us know if you have read any good ones. I reread Escort series by Claire Kent. I liked it. He’s a gigolo and she’s a virgin romance writer . It’s angsty and sweet and good. I enjoyed reading it.
Laura, what are you writing? Is he more of a phil or a joseph? What’s on your mind?
Hi Janet! Hope you and the family are well!!
I’m sorry about your sweet dad Laura…I can only imagine how hard that is for you both….
Hi girls, hope all is well during these crazy times. I just reread WPF and SN again, and thought about Laura and you girls! Made me get back to the blog. Anything to take my mind off the news!
I just heard on the news a few minutes ago that orange juice is a hot commodity right now because of the Vitamin C! Our local Giant has the plexiglass barriers in place at cashier lanes. This is just so unbelievable!
I’ve read some new books over the winter. I’ll go back through them and share the good ones.
Laura, I just read the SN continuation pieces and they are so good. You are so talented!!
Hi Ann…girl I’ve missed hearing from you….Enjoying my retirement….I was in Sams club yesterday and they were only allowing one Orange Juice per member. We only have one positive for Covid-19 in our county. They are in the hospital in isolation. But we are still maintaining CDC requirements…Our little town has shutdown. One thing about being in a rural area is everyone has cows, pigs and chickens and we have several butchers so our little country store is keeping up with the demand and everyone has canned garden veggies and the old women are making ho cakes instead of having bread….Flour is hard to find around here…I worry about you girls in big cities and Jordan. So many people to try to sustain themselves….Give us some good reads…I’m almost desperate for some….?
Hi Tracie. Congratulations on the retirement! I’ve been thinking of you.
My family is doing ok. I’m not going out but I do go to the store every couple of days for produce. I go in the morning to my neighborhood Giant and it’s not crowded. I haven’t been to Target, Walmart or big box stores for the last 2 weeks. Too many people.
Schools in Maryland are closed until end of April and they have now decided to close daycare centers. Both daughters are temporarily out of work due to the virus but they’re doing ok.
My neighbors are all home because they’re either retired or teleworking. It’s weird!!
I’ll get those books shortly.
Hi my virtual sisterhood….So glad you are all safe and well. We are shutdown in Oklahoma as well. My family is pretty much staying around the house. Hailee is 6 weeks from delivering Carson and her doctor told her to stay safe, because if she got it they would have to quarantine her away from the baby after delivery..Her C-Section is scheduled for May 8th…I’m hoping things change by then or I will have to stay in the parking lot of the hospital. The father is the only visitor allowed…Ugh!
Laura I had a relapse….I had to read SN again…..I know we are on Lucas….I really tried ?….
Stay safe my sweets and if you come across a good read share with us please….It is about time for pool side reading….
I miss the Hunters too, Tracie.
Six weeks from being a grandma again — that’s exciting! I know the hospitals in New York won’t even let the fathers come to the hospital — so sad.
Tracie congratulations on your incoming grandbaby! Best wishes and warmest regards for you and your family!!
Hi Girls!!
It’s been a minute! I hope you all are doing great and are staying healthy!! I’ve miseed our awesome chats!
I read an article and I just wanna share it…https://nypost.com/2020/03/24/new-york-hospitals-treating-coronavirus-patients-with-vitamin-c/
I hope I posted it properly, if not, lemme know!
Hugs and lotsa lotsa kisses from Toronto!
Ok! and a couple other things…
I had a few symptoms, and my mom told me to gargle warm salt water A LOT, which I did, and I swear it helped, no matter what anyone says!!
ALSO, I was doing some reading, and when it comes to Vitamin C, there’s a difference in absorption between regular ol vitamin C tabletsanfd liposomal Vitamin C…the latter is apparently abrorbed more efficienlty…
Anyhoo, that’s all I got right now, if I come acrosds anything else I’ll let you girls know…
So, what’s everyone reading right now? I’ve taken a slight break from the cheating books for now…my poor heart couldnt take the turbulance anymore LOL
Laura!!! Any new writing getting done? We neeeed a new Laura Branchflower novel!!!
Hi Miri!
I just heard this earlier tonight for the first time.
Hi Laura! Hope you’re doing great!
Congrats Tracie. I read that Carson Daly gave birth to his 4th child. The mom and the dad both wore masks while giving birth. Tell hailee to hang in there!
It’s true what Miri said about vitamin c. also take zinc and even raw ginger tea helps. I have doctor neighbors at Cedars and UCLA treating patients and they all take immunity support. It is so bad. Yesterday, they had national guards deployed here to help with supplies on army tanks. It was scary.
best vitamin C out there.
Lypo–Spheric Vitamin C – 1 Carton (30 Packets) – 1,000 mg Vitamin C & 1,000 mg Essential Phospholipids Per Packet – Liposome Encapsulated for Improved Absorption – 100% Non–GMO
also take zinc.
Baselayer Immune Support & Antioxidant Supplement | with Vitamin C, Zinc, Magnesium, Resveratrol, Cranberry, Acai & Grape Seed Extract | Vegan | Non GMO | 60 Capsules
by TruWild
ginger tea. really good.
Organic Ginger Tea Bags | 100 Tea Bags | Eco-Conscious Tea Bags in Kraft Bag | Raw from India | by FGO
Hi Janet, Thank you for the info, will definitely look into it…And yessss! Ginger ginger ginger, in EVERYTHING (smoothies, juies, teas, etc), it is miraculous!
Hi Everybody!
I hope everyone is healthy and safe. They closed down Maryland to all but essential businesses, but it appears almost all businesses are essential — with the exception of hair, nails and clothing stores. Most people seem to be working from home (no traffic on the roads). Lots of families seem to be taking walks and spending time together.
Jordan is in New York City — I begged her to come home before all of this got out of control, but her boyfriend is there so they are riding it out together.
Where did you end up going BeeSA?
Thanks for the interesting links Janet. I read that New York had less hospital admits than they expected yesterday — hopefully that will continue.
I can’t help wondering how the Hunters would be dealing with all of this. Does anyone want to hazard a guess?
Take care ?
You know Phil would freak and tie Lina to the bed 20/7. The 4 hours is for her to cook, clean, read, feed, and play with Liam. haha
It’s time for me to go play roulette with Amazon Fresh now. If I check every 10 min from now until midnight, a slot usually opens up. The kids eat so much…
Try first thing in the morning (if you are an early wiser, that is). I’ve been relying on Wholefoods and every morning there are several slots available for that day. If I check later, there is nothing.
I think Phil wouldn’t take it seriously. I think Lina would and he’d roll his eyes a bit. He’d hate being told to stay home.
My Phil loves his children, but being sequestered with a toddler 24/7 would definitely put him in work mode in his study alone…Lol. I can just picture Liam and Logan tearing through the house playing trying to entertain themselves…..My 4 year old and 17 year old grandsons can get really really loud…The 17 year old can’t use his inside voice either when playing…Lol
also, if you guys haven’t done so, check out the Korean actor Daniel Dae Kim talking about the combination of meds he was prescribed by his doctor to get better. This is the one that Trump called it the game changer. The low death rate in Korea I heard was due to this anti viral drug. It’ll tide us over until the vaccine is out. I found it fascinating as both of my kids had pneumonia and they took 3 of the same medication as Daniel. Don’t mid that its on Fox news and scroll down to his instagram post. It’s informative.
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/daniel-dae-kim-recovering-coronavirus
Janet – it’s hot in SA but we are heading towards cooler weather. Also look at Australia, they almost 2000 and their weather similar to ours.
We have now jumped to 402. President going to address the nation tonight regarding course of action.
SA in kak. They say if we don’t get this under control, we can expect to see deaths toll in the 100 000’s.
I haven’t started bulk buying, i feel too guilty to bulk buy when so many South Africans can’t afford to bulk buy. I have been keeping an eye on the foods i do eat and shelves still fully stocked, even toilet paper. My ma been nagging me non stop and now all “if we go on lockdown, you must come stay with me”. She’s stress because i live on my own and about 40min drive away from her.
I have made “care package” for my mother domestic worker. Also double checked to make sure my Will is updated.
Stay safe.
South Africa going into lockdown from midnight 26th March for 21 days.
Bee, listen to me. GO to your mom’s house! You don’t want to be isolated alone! If she drives you crazy, then consider yourself lucky to have each other. And if you feel guilty about stockpiling then you can always share your pile with the elderly neighbors. We are seeing some great young local heroes in our hood and it makes my heart happy.
Report back to us with your mom stories!
I hope everyone is spending a lot of time with family without the burden of schedules and expectations. And a lot of time outdoors! There’s a certain peace that comes with things being completely out of our control. Love to all!!
Omggg. I’m drenched in sweat from laughing. I’m crying. This is for all the moms in the world with kids at home…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U6zU4MXmnA
I hope all are well and taking precautions to keep themselves and loved ones safe. Thoughts and prayers are with you all!!
So schools are shut down, we can’t find TP, and Asian Americans are now buying guns to protect themselves from backlash.
But here’s the best opinion piece I read so far. I have shared it with Tara and want to share with all of Laura’s fans who check this site. Until govt tells me I can’t, I will continue to support local restaurants and businesses by ordering takeouts and deliveries. LA Times has said it’s safe to do so.
https://www.newsweek.com/young-unafraid-coronavirus-pandemic-good-you-now-stop-killing-people-opinion-1491797
Also, take this advice however you want or not……
my sister sent me this. I have not heard this from my husband who is still in Korea nor any other doctor from US.
From my kids French tutor
Hi! I got news from a friend who’s sister is a doctor and she has been asked to handle the crisis in france. She says it is worse than we think and we absolutely need to stay home! Also DO NOT TAKE ANTI INFLAMMATORY. (NSAID) They think it can make symptoms worse even if you’re healthy. Same infos from my friend’s mom who’s the top doctor in france for infectious diseases
Janet – i also read that somewhere. I’ll skip it if i catch the virus.
I just flew back from Johannesburg. Went to set up our conference at Sun City a few days in advance and only for our government to banned all public gathering of more than a 100 people. We were expecting just over 800.
We now have 116 cases since my last check and one of our retailer didn’t think to cancel his meeting after his daughter was daignose positive and he’d been in contact with her. We have now banned all suppliers, retailers, guests, outside staffs who are based in the other building and even local courier service from entering our office.
We have 202 cases and they’ve shut down all public gathering. Restaurants can only cater 50 people max including staff members. No alcohol to be served at 6pm. All pools shut down and no swimming in the ocean 🙁 but we still have to work.
I see numbers in USA growing rapidly.
Hi Bee, I posted before but just saw yours. Stay safe honey. I thought warmer weather was supposed to make it better. Isn’t it warm in SA? It is worse than I ever imagined. so grim.
I honestly can’t believe i needed to watch and read how to make do with 1 square of toilet paper just in case. They have been out of stock on bidets here in the las 2 weeks. Even if we call this war, Zoooooooom War for me, I’m still having to throw out leftover food so it it definitely first world war problems.
We zoom all day long. 8am-6pm zoom, zoom for TKD , then I called drum teacher to tell him he could keep the month’s lesson fee, and he told me he will get zoom. please no. zoom tutor, zoom fencing, and zoom friends even. and this is how they will finish the year. taking SAT and AP at home. It’s so surreal..
My mom texted me the Lord’s Prayer when our state shut down with ONE NATION UNDER GOD in caps. and as only mothers could, made me feel calmer.
saw a few books up for free by Kate Stewart, Claire Contrearas, and J. Sterling. Haven’t read any of them.
Janet- Devotion by Maryann Evans is the agent/singer one
oh yessss. That’s the one. Thanks K! Ok, I just started The Secrets He Kept by Jackie Walsh. Says it’s a psycho drama with the husband having 2 families? not sure. Will let you guys know if worth reading.
Yes, where are you Miri? 😉
I can’t find Devotion Katie. It’s not on Amazon…
Try Marianne Evans. I tried posting a link but it was rejected or something
I’m reading Leaving Sophie Dean…I’m
at 19%, when the wife has found the pictures. I like where it’s headed though, based on the blurb. The mistress perspective is always so interesting. How can someone be so selfish? She thinks she can just take the man, and not deal with his young children? And if he abandons his children too, good fucking riddance. I’ll never understand how people can be so self-serving! I hope she ends up being barren.
Katie do you think I would like it? I’m with you too, if they turn there back on their kids…Don’t let the door hit you on the way out….you piece of trash…sorry that gets me spun up…
Let me get further along, and I’ll let you know!
I saw your grandson on the horse on Facebook. Soooo adorable!
That’s my first picture I’ve ever posted…Lol. Love watching your sweet family as you post. LEGO land looked Awesome….I just redid an old dresser and turned it into a vanity with a sink for the farmhouse bathroom will post when it’s installed….
I didn’t feel any sort of angst reading this. To me, it was a decent revenge book. The husband is a tool and it reads like satirical fiction. Lol.
There is cheating book with a Christian theme. The guy is a producer and the OW is a singer. Heavy on emotional rather than physical cheating. I thought the writing was good but cannot remember title or author. Has anyone read it? And, please post any good cheating books here. I cannot get into anything
Yeah I’m not really excited to read any more of it.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell looks good. It’s a teacher/student but it’s a predatory situation, not a romance as far as I can tell.
I’ve been on a teacher/student binge and then I read a few smutty ones by Fiona cole. I’m read for an angst fest too. Where’s Miri with some recommendations?
Janet – I hope your husband flies back home soon. Must be stressful for you. My work has cancelled all international travels. Although we still have men flying from China next week for our conference.
So many people in SA think the virus is here but being hidden or being diagnosed as something else. Not sure if i believe that.
Have any of you read Amy Harmon? I just read A Different Blue (Very loosely student-teacher). It was 6 stars. Wow. I cried my eyes out.
Imma ‘bout to binge on her books now. Reading Making Faces next.
I’ve never read her Katie…but if you gave her 6 I’m fixing too! Hope all is well girls….
I read making faces and sand and ash. I think I have A Different Blue. I will check it out.
I reread This Man series my Jodi Ellen Malpas. Laura, if you haven’t read it maybe it’ll get you out of the slump. Super fast read and possessive/obsessed hero.
Bee. thank you! He’s fine but wants to stay there until it’s safe to travel. I made homemade hand sanitizers for a lot of people.
2/3C 99% rubbing alcohol
1/3C aloe Vera gel
10 drops of essential oil(I used orange and it’s super yummy smelling)
That’s it. Put all that in small spray bottles and done.
awesome! Thanks, Janet! I’ll check out This Man too. I’ve been sick for a week (and yes Coronavirus went through my head) but it was just a sinus infection and a stomach flu –ugh — I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
Janet, I hope your husband makes it home soon. Locally we can’t find hand sanitizer or the ingredients to make it, it’s insane.
Ladies… hope all are doing well and be safe.
I’ve read a couple of interesting woman’s fictions with cheating husbands… Leaving Sophie Dean (can’t remember the author) and The Ladies Room by Carolyn Brown.
I have read Leafing Sophie Dean and I liked it. It’s the one set in England, correct?
Ok, please don’t make the sanitizer using 99 percent alcohol. It’s what I looked up but my uncle said I’m a big idiot. He said just stick to 62-70 percent is fine. Otherwise hands will dry/crack and kids can get alcohol poisoning.
Laura, did you start This Man? Thoughts on Jesse? He’s a blonde I think so not for Tara and Bee.
Stay healthy everyone.
Good morning my sisters…. Laura sorry you were sick sweetie, glad to see you are feeling better…Janet hope your man gets home soon. Leaving Sophie Dean looks pretty good, especially if the OW stays mad…Lol
I’m reading The Sinful King by Claire Contreras. It’s good so far. All of her books are good but my favorite of hers so far is Paper Hearts. The hero has a baby with normal ow. He slept with her while they were on a break.
Tara, I just checked and they still have nasal gels available on amazon. It’s what my parents have been applying when going out the last couple of weeks and what my uncle suggested (neurosuegeon). Get that or neosporine. I guess I’m little more worried bc of my age and my auto immune disorder.
I’ll check out all of these books. I’ve heard of Paper Hearts several times but I’ve never read anything by her.
Making Faces was sad and sweet.
I think the coronavirus thing has gotten a little out of control. It’s a really bad flu. Sensitive receptors are always at risk with any bad flu. Our local grocery is out of toilet paper. Come on. Dumb.
Ok so there are 3 books as Leah Raeder. All romances.
There’s a 4th book by Elliot Wake- Bad Boy, about a trans man; it’s romantic suspense.
She/he is an excellent writer…give Unteachable a go. I have 30% left.
I’m reading Unteachable by Leah Raeder. I love her writing style. Very good so far.
I was curious about her, so I went to her blog. She’s trans- goes by Elliot Wake now. This might sound extremely ignorant- not my intention. But I wonder how transitioning (taking testosterone) impacts her writing…writing from a male perspective…if at all. S(he)’s very candid about it, her (his) struggles. I’d hate to question such a fundamental part of who I am, like gender. I can’t help but feel for her. Anyway, it’s a good book.
I’m certainly not an expert, but I would think that Elliot has always thought like a male, hence the switch. So I don’t see why testosterone would change the way he thinks.
Right… it was a stupid thing for me to say.
It’s an excellent book- one of my favorite student-teacher ones to date.
Hi All!! No way on Leah Raeder!!! I see where Katie is coming from because I would have never guessed a man wrote this novel. I have read a few romance novels written by men and I didn’t like any of them even if the writing was good. I may have to re read this one. Did he write anything else after Unteachable? I will go on his site too.
It has been a strange couple of weeks. My husband went directly to Seoul after his Zurich trip and now he is stuck there because of the coronavirus. He says it’s full blown and somewhat overblown panic over there. There’s an hourly national alerts, 24/7 crew disinfecting the city yet numbers climb up daily. He is not allowed to enter any public building without a mask and holds meetings with mask on. I honestly don’t know how long he will have to be there. He says it’s strange but not scared so I take his word for it.
My parents have cancelled their annual trip to Seoul and my sister and I have cancelled our Europe trip for April. Not because of the virus but we are afraid of the possible backlash against Asians in Paris. My Japanese hairstylist told me last week that she also cancelled her upcoming trip to Tokyo because her mom told her she may not be allowed to come back.
Otherwise all is OK. Got an elliptical and trying to lose weight. Haven’t been really reading romance novels other than LJ Shen’s YA/NA series. I just started The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides which I got from the library. It’s a suspense thriller. I’ll let you guys know if it’s good.
That’s awful, Janet! Ugh. Why is he stuck there? Is he in an area that he’s not allowed to leave? I’m so sad you had to cancel your holidays — that’s awful. I haven’t read a romance in a long while — I just can’t get into any of them. I guess you have to be in the right mood.
Back to Katie’s question — I suppose there is no way of knowing how Elliot feels vs someone who was born male. I don’t think his thinking would change though. I just found this from the Cleveland clinic website… ” “The male and female brain have structural differences,” he says. Men and women tend to have different volumes in certain areas of the brain.
“When we look at the transgender brain, we see that the brain resembles the gender that the person identifies as,” Dr. Altinay says. For example, a person who is born with a penis but ends up identifying as a female often actually has some of the structural characteristics of a “female” brain.
And the brain similarities aren’t only structural.
“We’re also finding some functional similarities between the transgender brain and its identified gender,” Dr. Altinay says.
In studies that use MRIs to take images of the brain as people perform tasks, the brain activity of transgender people tends to look like that of the gender they identify with.”
Oh that’s super interesting! Yeah…I don’t get male vibes from her writing. I believe she has 3 books and one has a trans character? Don’t quote me on that.
I hate to think of transgender individuals as a science experiment, as they are just people of course, but it’s very fascinating…especially all that info about their brains. Elliot Wake is pretty hot, actually.
Wow, J…that’s insane about the coronavirus. I’m sorry your plans are cancelled, but it’s for the best I’m sure. I hope hubs gets home soon! What a cluster fuck.
Ok I really have to check this guy out. Wow! Is the transgender one a romance as well?
He can leave but the country is in an uproar over the virus and he is needed there. I’m more bummed about my cancelled trip. Ugh!
regarding Leah/Elliot, I totally get it but it just reads like a female voice. Maybe because it’s told from the heroines POV. There’s grit to this book and now that I think back, that’s more male than female but other than that i can’t tell. The writing is excellent so maybe this book can jump start your slump.
Also, I did really like Pretty Reckless by LJ Shen if you don’t mind reading HS romance.
Hi my sisters….So glad to hear from you girls…I’ve never read this author you are talking about, but I will give the book a peek and see if I would like it..I haven’t been reading much either, we are down to finish work on our little house. We left it for awhile and now we are back on it….
Hi Tracie! Did you make it to Tx?
Katie, no bueno regarding Elliot. We always disagree on looks. lol.
I haven’t read this one but for fast read with lots of OW and drama, check out Doc Marshall by Jessie Cooke. And on Miri’s feed there was a cheating one with amnesia. Probably not good but it’s on KU-
Be Mine… Again by April Kelly
I love Unteachable! I really like how the book is aware of the age gap issue and not glorify such a relationship. It feels real. As for how the testosterone might affect, i’m not sure, but hormone isn’t able to affect or interfere with complex thoughts and principles, no?
It’s been awhile since I pop in here. How is everyone doing?
Hi Aida,
Nice to hear from you!
Hi, Girls!
I miss everyone. I hope you are still enjoying retirement Tracie. I’m kind of in a reading slump — I haven’t found anything I like in quite a while. I’d love a recommendation.
Hello, hope all is well 🙂 Janet – I hope your hubby has cooled off his travels with regards to the outbreak of Coronavirus. Hope everyone keeping safe.
Boiling hot in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa (our hottest month). But I love the heat. Busy training for an ocean mile swim at the end of March.
Not reading anything at the moment…not long finished “Soaring” by Kristen Ashley – wow, looooong book, but I enjoyed it. For some reason, I wanted to read more about her asshole ex husband after his wake-up call at the end, when she confronted him about his problems and that if he continues down the path he’s on, he could lose his children respect forever.
Think I need to read something light-hearted next.
Nice to hear from you BeeSA. A one mile ocean swim! Wow, I’m impressed. Cold and rainy in Maryland today.
Hi girls just checking in. What’s everyone reading?
Hey!! I miss the daily conversations here.
I’m reading the sandbar saga by Debra Kayn. Very good so far.
I read that book Katie it was good…
I loved it! Very sweet.
I read one called Cruel Stranger by Winter Renshaw and liked it too!
Happy Valentines Day Girls…Hope all your loves are loving up on you today….Hope all is well with you girls…miss you much. Can’t wait to start analyzing our next read with you girls….?
Happy belated Valentines Day!
Glad to hear you have recovered Tracie!
Guess who I saw at Barneys New York liquidation sale today? Kim aka Morgan Fairchild! Bahaha. Remember when we were throwing names out way way back when and she was one of the names for Kim from her Falcon Crest days? Well, she was digging through the $5 sunglass case section. I said ooh hi. I want whatever you are getting. Haha. Her face is good and her hair is great. Her body not so much. Anyway, I thought of you guys today after that so I’m checking in. Have a great weekend everyone.
p.s. I bought the same sunglass case as Morgan’s. Yay for me.
Hi My Girls….Well, got another church story that happened today…Visualize this: Your Girl Tracie in a pair of off white patterned leggings with a Rayon mint green long tunic and off white wedge booties walking out of church (with the rest of the crowd) hands full with 2 bibles (one is Tom’s), church checkbook and my purse! As usual, I’m in conversation with my daughter and a young man that had worked for me and his wife. As I went to step off the pavement of the covered driveway and onto the gravel, my wedge bootie had a mind of its own and twisted as I fell off my wedge to the bootie my left side decided to skip like a damn rock across the gravel like skipping a rock over a pond….To my mortification it looked like scene in that old movie West World where all the church patrons froze in place. Then I saw our young youth leader dashing across the parking lot to dead life me off the ground…for the record I was so stunned by the fall I never dropped anything out of my arms. As I was hauled to an upright position, I looked down at
my off white leggings and they were a bit crimson from the skinned left leg….I looked at everyone with their mouths open and said
“Since Sister Ella put me on the prayer list, keep me there I think I might need it! The End!
OMG Tracie!
I hope you’re okay! I shouldn’t laugh, but you made it sound funny. I hope you’ve recovered!
I have Laura and it was funny Lol….
Hi All!!!! Sorry I’ve been MIA. I’ve been binging on K-drama for the last two weeks and didn’t realize a new thread started. I thought Katie was still reading Credence. I can’t think about that book.
Laura, you started a new book?!!! Is this one of the 5 you need to finish or is this a brand new one? I can’t wait! Ooh, we wouldn’t mind a bit if one(or all) of the Hunters makes a cameo appearance. Haha.
Tracie, your church stories are precious! I read it twice and laughed so hard. I’m going to put you on the prayer list. bahahahahaha. I feel like all the interesting people are in OK. So many cougar sand cheating stories. I love it.
I just finished one cheating book. Save Me by Krystyn Kusek Lewis. It was OK. The book could have gone either way but it was about a couple who grew apart rather than growing together so it’s definitely a Women’s Fiction.
Guys! Read Everyday History by Alice Ritter. I was blown away. m/m, age gap.
Hi Janet! Nice to hear from you. I googled the name of the book you just mentioned but don’t see it. In fact, I don’t see anything by Alice Ritter.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Everyday-History-Alice-Archer-ebook/dp/B0849Q1VY3/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1581086952&sr=1-1
Hi Janet,
I miss you guys! I hope all is well with you. Yes, it’s one of the five. I’m finishing the Lucas Roe book.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
It’s Everyday History by Alice Archer. Lord, I never remember the names.!
Wowza! I love athlete romance! The first chapter of Lucas was so good. I think he may even be hotter than Tony and Phil combined. LOL. Sorry Tracie!
So Everyday History is a slow one. Not sure if Tracie can get into the pacing of the story but I think you will love it. the writing is legit beautiful and Henry’s articles are soul stirring(for lack of a better word). I haven’t read Catcher In the Rye since HS but the this book evokes similar feels. Anyway, I ended up buying the book even though it’s offered on KU. Let me know your thoughts if you read it Laura. Also, I keep thinking throughout the book, are there more homosexuals than heteros in Mass bc every other character is gay in this book. Bahaha.
I’m so excited we are going to meet Lucas and I’m positive he is going to be so swoon worthy and I will love the book, but Phil will always be my favorite H ever….I just can’t help it J-Girl!?
I am so glad to hear you are writing again.
Thanks, Angela!
Hi girls miss you much. Hope all is well…Got another week and heading to either South Padre Island or Naples, Florida for a week haven’t decided yet…
Hi Girls….So glad I skipped Credence. I just read Vi Keeland’s new book Inappropriate. I liked it, it touched on mental illness and some of the tragedies that go along with it. I also read a sleeper I liked by Lisa Anderson, Plus Sized Heart. Loved the H’s father in this book. It’s about a beautiful curvy woman and her battles. She’s a strong woman and the H screws up with her royally but comes back groveling. Angst and heartbreaking with a HEA.
Hope everyone is well. I’ve been chasing my grandsons wrestling matches. Love jetting around without having to worry about work. I’ve lost 14 pounds and back to sleeping 7 to 8 hours a night….I’m happier than a pig in mud.
Janet got a church story….So this older woman in our church went after this 40 year old guy and she just kept calling him non stop and driving him crazy, she was obsessed and she’s a little bit off her rocker. I warned them not to put out a church directory with phone numbers, but does anyone listen to me….NO! So he comes to me and wants me to stop her from bird dogging him…So I guess the men in the church decided since I got kicked off the benevolence committee I was the one! So I did…I said look honey you have got to stop, he is young enough to be your son and you are driving him to the dark side…Don’t call him and he won’t be giving you rides to church anymore, but the van will come by and pick you up. I’ve already put you on the list…I’m sorry sugar he’s just not interested…are we good? She said no and I’m not talking to you or him again! I’m just going to put you on the prayer list! I replied with…. that sounds good honey, we are always up for a miracle here….The End….
This is just what I needed Tracie!
Tracie, if this were Facebook, I’d be hitting ? for your church story ?
LOL Tracie! I love your stories. And it sounds like retirement is definitely agreeing with you!
It is…I love it…How is your new story coming? Still think about my Phil…Swoon!
I still think about the Hunters too Tracie. They definitely had an impact.
Definitely a ? on Credence.
I’m starting an historical romance-Under Darkening Skies…Ray Kingfisher. WWII during German Occupation in Norway. SS Officer and 18yo girl…fast forward 70 years.
Janet, I still have 15% left on Penelope.
?
But.
Not sure about this one. I mean there’s a sweet story there, but not sure she needed to test out the whole family first. Although I guess that’s consistent with a girl with daddy issues.
She’s a good writer but this was a little out there.
Hi when will your new book come out? The one you posted a while back about the QB?
All I can say is that I’m working on it — I’ve given too many dates on that book that I haven’t met lol. It will be my next one though.
Hi Laura
Yes Yes Yes Yessssssss what an amazing news to kick start the new year!!!
PS. I’m just wondering if there is any update on when we will be able to get a Sense of Belonging Paperback? I need this for my book collection ❤️
Lots of love
Hi Ania!
I dropped the ball on this one. Let me look into it.
?
Thanks❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hello Laura
How are you ?
I hope you are well & perhaps You are working on something exciting …..
Love
Ania 13 November = 40
Janet, I’m only at 12% on PD. My dad is in the hospital for a bum gallbladder, so I haven’t been able to focus. I will say, she is excellent as creating imagery. Things haven’t gotten weird yet.
Girls I read a book I liked it was called Unexpected Bond by Kaylee Ryan…Me and Katie would of so done what the h Mara did…..
Laura I hope you’re buzzing along with the new book…you need a sounding board or a think tank…Lol you just let us know…we’ll jump off in there with you sister?
Hi Tracie,
I’ll check it out!
Yes, I’m enjoying my new people lol. I’m keeping them all to myself for awhile. As soon as I’m ready to share, I will do so here!
Share…I like share…Lol
When you’re ready we’ll be here…
I’ll check it out.
I’m 30% on Penelope Douglas. It isn’t too weird yet but I’m pretty sure the family ménage is going to start soon. Don’t tell me- she ends up with the mute?
Wtf?
Hi Everyone,
I’m happy to say, I’m busy on a new book 🙂
It’s more like Sense of Belonging than WPF or SN. I would call it a light romance.
Tracie – I hope you’re settling into retirement.
Retirement is great! I loved Sense of Belonging….So excited and glad to see you writing doll!