Title: Risk and Reward
Author: Rachael Duncan
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Grass isn't always greener...
DIVORCE.
I never dreamed this would become my reality.
But it is.
After feeling neglected and alone for far too long, I end it,
Blindsiding my husband in the process.
He's hurt, torn, and confused,
Never expecting me to leave.
His pain tears at my heart, begs me to stay.
And I almost do.
Almost.
Moving on isn't as easy as it seems.
The memories tap at my conscience,
Reminding me of what I'm missing,
What I used to have.
But, I walked away,
From the man I promised forever,
Possibly making the worst mistake of my life.
I've let go, given myself a promise of a new life, new hope.
But does the other side have more risk than reward?
*Arc received for an honest review*
I will not lie about this. The beginning of this book relays some very harsh realities about the feelings you go through with a divorce. The struggles you deal with emotionally; guilt, fear, blame. So much. It was really really hard for me to read. Let alone read it and try to stay unattached from the story, try to keep from injecting my personal experience on Nate and Charlotte. But I couldn't. I cried. I related a little too much. And part of me kind of hates Rachael for making me feel like that again. I felt it once, for a long time, hell if I wanna feel it again. But there they were, all those ugly feelings rearing their heads again. So yeah, Rachael, thanks for that. Harrumph.....
Moving on from that is hard. I am finding it so hard to write this review because so much of this is so close to my personal life. Divorce. Trying to date. Lonliness. Refinding your independence. Because I relate so much, I don't know how to write an unbiased review right now. While their ending is far different for mine, I have to applaud Rachael for writing a character, Nate, who is willing to make such an effort to show Charlotte how much she means to him. How she wrote a story that shows you if you step back, blame isn't always where you think it is and if you open up and make yourself vulnerable with the right person, it always works out. If you communicate with the person you love , nothing can stand in your way. And if you relax and let love guide you, your dreams can come true.
Okay...It's not all rainbows and unicorns, she also covers a scarier topic of ..... Stalkers. Safety. Security. And as a single woman, it's scary. It's scary to think about that kind of stuff. There was something about this book, and maybe it hit me harder because it hit so close to home, but it felt so realistic. Each time something happened, I felt nervous, my palms got sweaty, I wanted to go lock my doors.
So here's to you Rachael Duncan... To writing a book that made me cry, made me nervous as a sinner in church, and gave me an ending that almost broke my heart.
I gave this book 4 stars
It’s easy to recognize the bad when you’re in the moment. All the good is erased and you’re blinded by the negative. Each fight, every moment of hurt starts as a small scab. If taken care of, it’ll heal. But the more you pick, the worse it gets until it festers and infects everything. Is that what I let happen to my marriage? What if I had tried to fix my initial hurt instead of internalizing and letting it fester?
Rachael Duncan is an Army wife and mother to two beautiful girls. She grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and went off to graduate from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor's degree in political science. With initial plans to work in politics, she moved to Washington, D.C. and worked on Capitol Hill for a House Representative. After a short time, she realized it wasn't for her and began pursuing other careers until she started writing. She's the author of Tackled by Love, The Lies and Truth Series, and Hopeless Vows.
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