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The Ultimate Betrayal

Michelle Reid

3.80 · Rating details · 1,948 ratings · 146 reviews

A marriage in crisis. . .

"I never meant to do it...she was just there when I needed someone..."

Rachel and Daniel had three adorable children and a strong marriage-or so Rachel had always believed.

But her happy life was shattered when she was told that Daniel had been having an affair. Then she realized that they'd been growing apart for years.

Rachel wanted so much to save ...more

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Hardcover, Large Print, 286 pages

Published October 1st 1996 by Thorndike Press (first published 1995)

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3.80 ·

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· 1,948 ratings · 146 reviews

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Oct 30, 2015 Val ⚓️ Shameless, Skanky & Bitchy ⚓️ added it · review of another edition

Shelves: gives-good-grovel

I had no business reading this, but I did anyway.
Because IDIOT.
So for that reason, it wouldn't be fair to rate it.

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Jun 13, 2010 KarenH rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: not Dina for sure!

Shelves: cheating-hero, heart-wrenching, paperback-5-stars-plus

I've read many books where the hero has cheated in the past and the story begins several years later (present day), but this is the first book where the affair is "fresh" so to speak. Daniel & Rachel have been married for 7 years and have 3 small children. While Rachel is home totally content with her role as loving wife and mother, Daniel, a corporate whiz kid, is rapidly rising to the top of the food chain. However, buying and selling businesses is a nerve-wracking, cut-throat profession. I've read many books where the hero has cheated in the past and the story begins several years later (present day), but this is the first book where the affair is "fresh" so to speak. Daniel & Rachel have been married for 7 years and have 3 small children. While Rachel is home totally content with her role as loving wife and mother, Daniel, a corporate whiz kid, is rapidly rising to the top of the food chain. However, buying and selling businesses is a nerve-wracking, cut-throat profession. So, when his business is on the brink of being destroyed by a fraudulent takeover, the twins have the measles, the baby is colicky and Rachel is too tired for him, Daniel strays.

Rachel's "best friend" informs her of Daniel's affair in the first 2 pages of the book. The affair has just ended at this point so the story is based on 1) Rachel's struggle to understand why, bringing forth feelings of inadequacy, naivety, mistrust, fear, loneliness, and most of all heartbreak, 2)Daniel's battle with extreme remorse, self-loathing and the fear of losing what he loves most in life, and 3) the most important question of whether the marriage will be able to withstand the devastation and endure or has been irrevocably destroyed.

With my heart aching from the very first page, I was totally prepared not to read much past the first chapter. I mean seriously, I read romance for enjoyment and relaxation, not to be on the verge of tears with my blood pressure up, nerves frayed and my heart wrung out. But just like a car accident you come upon, knowing you shouldn't look but you always do, I flew past the first chapter and didn't stop until the end. I became so invested in this couple. Was Rachel an idiot for not picking up on the signs? No, because she loved her husband immensely and trusted him completely. Afterwards, was her confusion with sex realistic? Totally. Normally uninhibited, Rachel could only have sex with Daniel if the lights were out and she closed her eyes. Even then, she couldn't climax because the faceless ghost of the "other woman" always came to mind. (That seemed so real to me). Did I hate Daniel? Surprisingly no, the pain he was in from hurting Rachel was palpable. Of course there is no excuse for what he did,however, I truly believe he suffered as much from remorse as Rachel did from heartache.

Only in an extreme case would I possibly consider adultery as justifiable and this isn't one of them. But the author does an excellent job of laying feelings bare...we do not have to question any motives and therefore can understand how both Daniel and Rachel react and progress.*** I'll give you a hint of a spoiler: the truth of what really happened runs along the same lines as what happened in The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred. So if you have read TSGT, let that be your small measure of comfort if you read The Ultimate Betrayal.

I gave this book 4.75*** because it was such a touching, emotional read for me and every once in a while I guess I need the jolt of awareness. If you're on the fence about this type of story, besides being a remarkably in-depth study of a relationship, I can also say there is a satisfying, believable HEA; however, if you hate the idea of having a lump in your throat for a few hours and you really don't think you can handle a "cheating hero" premise, then you should probably steer clear of this one.

...more

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Sep 03, 2018 boogenhagen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: almost-real-world, angstfest-wrecki-drama, best-h-smackdown-ever, betrayal, bff-needs-to-be-replaced, h-with-a-backbone, hero-skilleting-is-urgent, hp-does-real-world-classic, hplandia-18, hurray-and-happy-i-read-it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Re The Ulimate Betrayal - Michelle Reid takes on that ubiquitous myth of the "Seven Year Itch".

It isn't only a movie with Marilyn Monroe. It is also a sort of urban legend that says the seventh year of marriage or thereabouts, after people have settled into the 'rut' of the familiarity and routine of marriage, one or the other spouse might stray.

In last century, that was commonly thought to be the male partner of the marriage, as the wives were usually busy with motherhood and house running.

Thi ...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Megzy rated it really liked it

Shelves: cheating-emotional-or-physical, adultery, contemporary, infidelity-emotional-or-physical

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Any way you look at it, cheating is a fast track to ruin a relationship. Trust is a very fragile thing and once broken, it can never regain the same credibility and value as it once held.

In the post Clinton/ Lewinsky era, even physical cheating has found different categories. As a reader when I see the excuse that it never got that far, I question how far the physical infidelity got. When the front of the husband's shirt and even his hair reeks of another woman's perfume, I say it got too far. W Any way you look at it, cheating is a fast track to ruin a relationship. Trust is a very fragile thing and once broken, it can never regain the same credibility and value as it once held.

In the post Clinton/ Lewinsky era, even physical cheating has found different categories. As a reader when I see the excuse that it never got that far, I question how far the physical infidelity got. When the front of the husband's shirt and even his hair reeks of another woman's perfume, I say it got too far. When he decides to go to another woman's apartment with the full intention of cheating on his wife and children ( when there are children involved, in my book, the adultery is not only against the partner but cheating on their children because their lives are going to suffer as much if not more and the psychological trauma is as bad ) he/she has severed the trust line. When he didn't complete the act because he was too drunk to perform, I say the intentions were all there. The way I look at it, in this story he physically and emotionally cheated on his family.

When there is a long term emotional cheating as it was in this case, the destruction is beyond imaginable and the author did a fantastic job portraying the effect on the mother in law,the children, and the wife. The excuse that we read is the most popular excuse being used in real life, I was not the top priority anymore, and it made the book more realistic. He enjoyed the company of another woman over his exhausted wife and his sick children. I mean who wants to come home to children suffering from measles and a wife who has had a hard pregnancy and is now taking care of 3 sick children while wearing no make up and the same t shirt she put on first when she got up when he can wine and dine and go dancing or to the theater every night with a top female corporate attorney with not a strand of hair out of place and no other care, someone he enjoys talking to and spending every spare of time with. Which is worse?

I love how the person who broke the news of his infidelity was blamed instead of the real guilty party. Isn't that usually the case and the reason many people close their eyes to their acquaintances unfaithfulness?

What made me like this book is that he had to watch another man wanting his wife and kissing her. For few months, every time he tried to be intimate with his wife, his infidelity and the other woman's image stopped his wife cold in his arms and he had to live with no real sexual fulfillment.

Do I believe the lead female character made the right choice? Personally I don't - I would take the 3 kids and walk away with half of his company after I would utterly destroy his reputation, but she wanted to be a mother and have someone to take care of every other aspect of her life. She had no life, no friends outside her cozy home. She had no intrigue or ambition outside the walls she built around herself and her family. Her 6 years old daughter had more courage then she ever did. She didn't care if he ever allowed her to be part of his life outside their home as long as he came home and played the daddy part and made love to her every now and then and took her to the neighborhood restaurant when she didn't have to get dressed up. She wanted certain easy comforts in her life. She was basically the little girl who plays house. It made it realistic because most women who stay in a marriage after infidelity do it for the very same reasons. It is about security of having a certain life style and not losing the dream they had as a little girl, a cozy house, beautiful kids and a husband.

I believe this book was really about how a woman's personality affects her reaction to cheating.

...more

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Nov 21, 2015 StMargarets rated it it was amazing

Shelves: cheating-explored, harlequin-presents, open-library, scenes-from-a-marriage, second-chance, author-michelle-reid

Re-read October 6, 2018. After reading the less than convincing The Fourth Child by CJ Carmichael, I decided to re-read a five star story to see how it compared. Wow. There are lot of similarities, but this H/h were much more likable characters.

The scene that resonated with me on this re-read was the hero accepting the news, at 24, that he had gotten his 17 year-old girlfriend pregnant. He took her on his lap and said they would get married. The heroine, in hindsight, now thinks that she trapped ...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Dinjolina added it

Shelves: cheating-jerk, hero-i-wanted-dead

I have no idea what I think about this book. :/

I was very relived that the hero(view spoiler) but all the things he did do with her- really bugged me! I mean, all of his actions...it was the worst emotional cheating ever! And when I stopped to think about his decisions as a whole? I wanted to puke all over him.
Seeing as how he had the perfect wife at home and loved her to bits I had no idea how he could even need emotional balance from somebody ...more

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Mar 19, 2016 Sharon ∞❥ is an emotional book junkie ❥∞ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: emotional-angsty-books, read-in-2016

4 ★'s

Okay, I had two reasons that piqued my interest in this book. First...it's from the 1990's and I was curious as to how it would hold up compared to today's romance novels and secondly, betrayal = a whole lotta angst! 'Nuff said! ;)

What was intriguing about this book is that it starts with Rachel just finding out from her best friend that her husband, Daniel, has been having an affair. Rachel's barely been able to keep her head above water with three small children so while she's noticed t ...more

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Jan 19, 2016 Paige Bookdragon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult, almost-a-fave, contemporary-romance, lurrrve, read-2016, realistic-fiction, review-to-come, tear-jerker

cue Sam Smith's I'm Not The Only One in the background

Okay, before I proceed to the proper review, let me just say that Sam Smith's song is not really the proper song for this book. The only thing the song and the book has in common was the "guy cheating at his wife" part. Though the story behind the lyrics is different than the story in the book, it still made my cry.

What will you do if your partner cheated on you?

description

I rarely read books with married couples because I know something fucked up will ...more

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Nov 15, 2013 KatieV rated it really liked it

Shelves: hqn-presents, locale-england, heroine-tortured-vulnerable, hero-working-man, hero-cheats, hero-brooding-tortured, genre-contemporary, challenges-hp-jeopardy

Michelle Reid is one of my favorite HP authors. She knows how to bring some genuine emotion even when working with very common tropes, but this story was different in that it was less tropey and more realistic in scope. There was no private island, no amnesia, no blackmail, etc.

This story isn't my usual taste. I waffled on reading it and tbqh it won't be a re-read for me simply because it's not my cuppa and not a "fun" sort of angst. But, I have to give credit to Reid for her ability to bring th Michelle Reid is one of my favorite HP authors. She knows how to bring some genuine emotion even when working with very common tropes, but this story was different in that it was less tropey and more realistic in scope. There was no private island, no amnesia, no blackmail, etc.

This story isn't my usual taste. I waffled on reading it and tbqh it won't be a re-read for me simply because it's not my cuppa and not a "fun" sort of angst. But, I have to give credit to Reid for her ability to bring the angst in a way that feels real and had to rate it accordingly.

I've never been through what the heroine went through, but I could see myself reacting in many of the same ways. I particularly identified with one part, because I had to turn the page to get to it and it was so crazy that I was thinking the EXACT same thing the h was thinking.

She'd just struck out angrily and bitterly at her cheating H in a way that she was ashamed of and, while understandable given how utterly devastated she was, it didn't put her in the greatest light.

I was thinking 'damn girl! Why'd you have to go there?! You had him where you wanted him!' I turned the page to find that her thoughts were:

She felt ashamed of herself, and angry, too, because in lashing out at Daniel like that she had given him the right to attack her when, until that moment, she'd had everything stacked her way.

Petty, huh? But that's exactly how I'd have felt. Like her, I wanted her behavior to remain above reproach so that he felt even worse about what he'd done.

Problem is, there were children involved. It wasn't just about the heroine scoring points off the hero. They had twin 6-year-olds and a 6 mo old. The book also dealt with how children are affected by this sort of adult drama. Both the H/h tried to hide their problems from the kids, but the 6-year-olds were more attuned than they expected. That part was painful, because it's hard to enjoy any point scoring (no matter how well deserved) that ultimately hurts innocent children.

So, not an easy read, but effective for what she was trying to accomplish.

A few spoilery observations:

(view spoiler) ...more

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Jun 11, 2013 Roksana rated it really liked it

Shelves: infidelity, hero-cheats, too-little-too-late, too-much-hate, heroine-deserves-better, emotional, cruel-hero, cheating-abuse

Updating my review from 2013, Rating stays the same!

I had a hard time rating this book/ from one hand the reader is emotionally and mentally shattered and at the same time demands the reader to face those emotions and suck you right there in the battle like you have witnessed it on your own skin which for that deserves 4 stars, hence on the other hand it wants you to hate the book and all that you have been forced to read to leave you with a bad taste and unfulfilled satisfaction.

I think the her Updating my review from 2013, Rating stays the same!

I had a hard time rating this book/ from one hand the reader is emotionally and mentally shattered and at the same time demands the reader to face those emotions and suck you right there in the battle like you have witnessed it on your own skin which for that deserves 4 stars, hence on the other hand it wants you to hate the book and all that you have been forced to read to leave you with a bad taste and unfulfilled satisfaction.

I think the heroin was really strong by keeping the hero in the dark with their marriage uncertainty. She did however,disappointed me at few occasions by not being strong enough in a confrontation with the hero by addressing some very vital issues that was not dealt with both and the hero just got away with it and I was really frustrated by the knowledge of it. Basically, he did not admit to anyone in his workplace that he was married and have 3 children which for my standards is unforgivable! there was no need to hide that, so was he not wearing his marriage ring????? I felt like the heroin was cheated and his children all together and I had so much dislike for the hero and I liked the idea of the author turning the tables on him and let him see for himself how it is like to be cheated by the one you love the most. Here the heroine met the hero's friend, the one who also though she was not his wife and admitted he had an affair with the OW. He kissed the heroine in his car outside her house and the hero witness it. I was glad it happened because the hero could not accuse his wife of infidelity because he did it himself. For the actual fact the heroine did not want to get involved, she did not want to be kissed and did not kiss back, but I understand why she allowed this situation. It was the ultimate betrayal by her husband that pushed her to so much emotional strain.She felt unattractive, unwanted, betrayed and lied by her husband and wanted to be the one with control and that she is still desirable. He was shaking after that incident and it was very powerful scene and ease a bit my pain I felt for his crimes to his family. I think the author did it deliberately to show the hero the other side, how it feels to be confronted with such destructive emotions and betrayal, although the heroin did nothing and the hero was really the guilty one.

I don't know if I would go back to him, probably not, because it was not just the fact that he has been seeing the OW, but the very fact that he was doing it in the open where his and his wife's friends could see it and ultimately he did not care in what position he was putting his wife and his children if ever some of these friends could see her, and actually it did happened when it was reviled that he was seen with the OW and his wife was told by his friend who did not know she was his wife!!!! That to me is gross!!!! His wife could not have orgasms and suffered every time when being in intimate contact with the hero and I don't know if I would ever touch him with the knowledge that HE WAS TOUCHING INTIMATELY ANOTHER WOMEN WHICH SHOULD BE EXCLUSIVE TO HIS WIFE!!! The are no excuses for him wanting to be with other women because under stress, his wife was under a lot of stress but did to cheated on him!!!!!

But I have to confess, the soul wrenching pain and forced emotions I felt has thought me a lot by this book and it made me realise how destructive infidelity can be not just for yourself and your partner, but for the whole family children if involved and the knowledge of this kind of damage caused by it is the reason I give 4 stars! I will remember this book for the rest of my life!

...more

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Jun 25, 2010 Tina rated it it was ok

Shelves: z2010-reads, romance-harlequin

Rachel and Daniel have been married for 7 years and have 3 wonderful children when Rachel's 'Best Friend' tells her that Daniel has been sleeping around with another woman.

When confronted, Daniel doesn't deny it and Rachel is devastated. Daniel insists that it is over and wants to make the marriage work. Rachel feels very vulnerable and unattractive and feels almost as if she has been kept in a prison for seven years.

Rachel tries to move out the previous suffocation confines of her marriage, whi ...more

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Dec 18, 2015 Glire rated it liked it

Shelves: you-give-love-a-bad-name, romance

Las historias que involucran infidelidad siempre son difíciles de calificar para mí. Basada, por supuesto, en mis propias creencias e incapacidad para el perdón.

Puedo entender que alguien que está en una relación se enamoré de otro, por el motivo que sea. Si la historia se desarrolla desde esa premisa —como sucede con Thoughtless—no tengo problema. Desarrolla esa trama de manera sensible y ya me ganaste. Love is love.

Pero, ¿perdonar una infidelidad? Jamás. Me resulta inconcebible y estúpido. ...more

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Nov 09, 2015 KC rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-stars-liked, angst, harlequin-presents, poor-comunicatin-skillz, passionate, married-turd-wants-to-bang-the-ow, emotional-cheater, ow-double-trouble

The best thing about this was the author not giving the protagonists a quick and easy resolution after the heroine discovered the hero's infidelity. It took Rachel and Daniel many months to find a new beginning. Rachel slowly came to realize, with prodding from Daniel, that she needed to forgive him if they hoped to save their marriage. It was a realistic progression, with Rachel expressing some serious doubts and Daniel expressing remorse.

What I didn't like as much was Daniel's unconvincing sta ...more

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Apr 06, 2014 Jenny rated it did not like it

I have no idea why ppl are saying this book is about a cheating hero. He clearly states he never touched the other woman. Heroine on the other hand kissed the other man and to me kissing is also cheating so it is the heroine who is the cheater here not the hero. Still this couple is messed up. Couldn't warm up to them.

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Jan 30, 2017 Nikki ღ Navareus rated it liked it

***THREE AND A HALF STARS***

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Aug 21, 2015 Jenny rated it it was ok

I don't even know how to rate this. As I finished this the Ashley Madison hack is making headlines. I just can not understand the fascination with unfaithful heroes. Are there unfaithful heroines in the category romance world? Whenever I read these stories I marvel at the underlying sexism and double standards involved. A woman who behaves the way these so called "heroes" behave are the awful evil other women. I think the men who behave this way should get the same treatment.

Rachel, the heroine I don't even know how to rate this. As I finished this the Ashley Madison hack is making headlines. I just can not understand the fascination with unfaithful heroes. Are there unfaithful heroines in the category romance world? Whenever I read these stories I marvel at the underlying sexism and double standards involved. A woman who behaves the way these so called "heroes" behave are the awful evil other women. I think the men who behave this way should get the same treatment.

Rachel, the heroine, didn't have much backbone although once in a while she showed promise. However because of the category restrictions she's not allowed to really grow the way she should.

It makes absolutely no sense that Daniel owns this firm and nobody knows he's married with three children. Photography was invented when this story was written. He had none of his family? Why? Keeping work and private life separate is the most idiotic reasoning.

Rachel is just foolish. Yes, she married much too young and was sheltered all her life but still. She never walked out of the house without the family?

Her feelings of betrayal were done well. I like that she's infuriated and that she gets some digs in herself but what really changes from the beginning to end? Yes, another guy kisses her but again, keeping with the double standard, she's forced in to it, she can't actually initiate it or even enjoy it.

Oh, yes, his office now knows he's been hiding a wife and kids for years and they weren't even insane, at least Mr. Rochester had an excuse for his secrecy.

I also can't understand the latent misogyny in blaming a pregnant sick woman who is raising twins for not being there for a grown man 7 (8?) years her senior. Never mind she was 17 when she got pregnant with said twins. He could go to jail for statutory rape in certain states in the US.

This is just a very strange story. There are moments where I felt that it was really going to go somewhere but I knew it was a HP so it couldn't. I wonder, outside the constraints of the publishing restrictions, what could be done with this?

I think she should have left him and maybe do something with her artistic talent and perhaps gone to therapy to address her self esteem issues. Sadly the story did not respect her enough for anything like this to be a remote possibility. ...more

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Jun 22, 2010 Jess the Romanceaholic rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2010-read, adultery-or-infidelity, child-or-children-play-a-big-part, estranged-lovers-or-marriage, angsty-read, betrayal, category-romance, contemporary, family-issues, hell-hath-no-fury

Holy cannoli was this a good book!

It's a bit dated (obviously set in the 90's as the fashions will attest lol), but other than that, wow.

I don't normally intentionally read books involving infidelity, but I'm so glad I picked this one up.

It's very realistic -- all the bitterness and anger and hurt and resentment are illustrated beautifully -- from Rachel being angry with herself for letting them grow apart to her inability to climax during sex because whenever she gets close, she remembers/thin ...more

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Oct 09, 2017 AvidReader rated it it was amazing

I hate cheating stories and despise cheating hero/heroine so you can imagine well my trepidation in reading this book. I remember first seeing this few years back but because of obvious reason i skipped it eventhough it got nice reviews and stars.
But yesterday after reading my fellow goodreaders review i couldn’t forget this book.And this time I couldn’t resist it eventhough I commented on that review i was going to skip it. AGAIN!
But.. I am so glad I decided against it!( eventhough it took me h ...more

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Oct 21, 2014 Cheesecake rated it really liked it

Shelves: hero-grovels-just-fine, heroine-whiny-immature, kids-believable, hero-blind-to-evil-chick, sexy-ceo-wealthy-boss, story-tearjerker, genre-harlequin, hero-deliciously-remorseful, marriage-estranged-broken, sheesh-moth-to-flame

I don't know why I picked this one up. I think it was the great reviews. I was intrigued even though I hate reading about cheaters. Yet I find myself looking for a book where the cheater actually grovels enough to redeem themselves. I think in this book, that happens and their marriage is actually much better afterwards. Weird and hard to believe. But that was how I felt by the end. Anyways, it was good to have a good cry, lol!
Rachel leads him a merry dance before things get better. I thought th ...more

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May 13, 2013 JG rated it really liked it

Shelves: annoying, doormat-heroine, drama, good-grovelling, heart-wrenching-sad-poignant, made-me-cry, note-worthy, hero-i-want-to-throttle

Infidelity never works for me and i mean that in an id-rather-suffer-than-forgive condemning kind of way; wheter it be thought or deed. So i was a bit biased in rating this- Most of the time when this kind of things happens; i always feel like the hero never grovels enough.

I guess there is that ugly me inside that is really good at holding grudge.

The entire book is like a documentary on the relationship between a man and woman concerning infedelity. Documentary because it was realistic. THe wh ...more

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Apr 28, 2011 Marajean rated it really liked it

The book takes a more realistic view of the problems that come about when one spouse cheats. Rachel finds out her husband of seven years and the father of her three children has been having an affair. She's devastated and realizes that while he's been moving forward this whole time, she's been the wife/mother and hasn't changed at all.

She doesn't know where she's going, if she's leaving him or anything about her life. The problems they faced were presented realistically including the trouble wi ...more

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Jul 28, 2011 LuvGirl rated it liked it

Shelves: cheating-hero, hp-hp-ish, contemporary, owned-to-be-read, kin-p, adultery, 3-stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 06, 2018 Penny Watson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-hps

It was a breath of fresh air to read a Harly that felt like it was describing a real-life marriage. No Italian billionaires in sight. Just a young harried mother trying to get a shower, a workaholic husband, and a crisis of faith in a marriage.

Some thoughts:

I thought the 17 year old girl with the 24-year-old guy was a bit creepy. That's sort of...yeah...creepy. But not atypical for a vintage Harly (1996). It matters less as they grow older, but that was a bit jarring for me.

Michelle Reid is such ...more

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Mar 21, 2012 sbf20112011 rated it really liked it

I've put off reading this forever (though I've read almost all of Michelle Reid's other books) because I knew based on the synopsis it would be a total angst-fest and I was never quite in the mood for it. Total angst-fest is pretty much how I'd describe it after reading it too. Not my favorite of hers because the emotional upswing of the ending just didn't make up for the emotional downer-ness of the majority of it. It might be a more realistic portrayal, but honestly I don't want massive amount ...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Leona rated it it was amazing

Shelves: hqn-presents

WOW! What a wonderful read from Michelle Reid. She is an incredible author that pulls you in right from the first page. I was hesitant to pick it up due to the content, but it came highly recommended by the ladies who chat on the HQN discussion group. They did not disappoint! This a story of betrayal, how it destroys the most sacred bonds of commitment and how difficult it really is to ever trust again. There for awhile, I actually thought these two were never going to make it back to each other ...more

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Nov 01, 2016 Sruthi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: harlequin-romance, michelle-reid, pregnant-before-marriage

I was afraid to pick it because of the unfaithful hero and I hated him till the very end , though I was able to believe that he regrets his actions , I could not like him, during their first confrontation he was so damn arrogant , I wanted to slap him with my shoes right in his face . But his character grew over the book and so did hers .

This book is worth reading just to read h's monologues , You will feel her pain , that was a extraordinary piece of raw emotions .

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Dec 31, 2015 Caro rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: absolutely-dick-hero, didnt-work-for-me, virgin-heroin

No me gusta este tipo de historias de amnesia que duran demasiado, pero este está dentro de todo bien escrito. Tiene algunos giros de culebrón mexicano, pero lo toleré porque fue una lectura rápida para completar en challenge de 2015 y ahora estoy lo más tranquila, leyendo y horrorizándome con el bueno (?) de Caleb (Captive in the dark xD)

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Oct 18, 2018 Mou added it

Cheating.

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Mar 05, 2017 Kaycee ❤️ rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-stars, ow-involved, hero-almost-cheats, second-chance, relationship-marriage-on-the-rocks, 2017-harlequin-reading-challenge, 2017-read, 2017-reading-challenge, kids-in-the-mix, angsty-read

I normally don't read books when there's cheating/infidelity involved. It's a deal-breaker for me. But there are books with cheating hero that I actually liked. And I was seeing this book on my time line and recommendation and I figured I’d give it a shot. And I'm glad that I did! This book hit all the right spots for me, it was gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, dramatic, emotional and bittersweet. I was so caught up with their story and wasn't able to put it down and read it in one sitting! I won't

"I never meant to do it...she was just there when I needed someone..."

I was prepared to hate Daniel just by reading that line alone. I know I hated him right there and then. Who wouldn't? I mean how could he do that to his wife and three children? So I didn’t think it was going to be possible to like him since he screwed up.. but it was! Although there's no excuse for what he did. But I ended up genuinely liking him. His remorse and pain for hurting her was so palpable, and he tried his best to get her back (although he wasn't always successful) and his love for her that he won me over completely. But what made the book for me was Rachel. Although there she had her moments like any other female leads out there, I still ended up genuinely liking her. And my heart broke for her. I felt her pain and heartbreak so much. There were so many times where I just wanted to reach into the book and give Rachel a massive hug.

I was so completely invested in this story. My heart ached for every character in this story, it just seem so real that were moments where I felt that it was almost too painful to read, and couldn't even imagine being in Rachel's shoes. Kudos to Michelle Reid for keeping this accurate and realistic portrayal of this touchy subject. And I loved the fact that this book wasn't all about cheating/infidelity or the hero groveling get back into the heroine's good graces - it's also about the reality of marriage, it's about a couple trying to figure out what went wrong, a couple trying to salvage their marriage and to find the love that had drawn them together in the first place.

Michelle Reid really does deserve massive respect for putting together taboo, touchy heartbreaking, emotional and well written story. She truly does take her reader on a journey through every single emotion that is available. From disbelief to sadness, heartbreak and denial. There is so much emotional depth to this story that I found myself holding my breath at times.

The Ultimate Betrayal is a beautiful story that I most definitely would recommend to all my friends especially married one. And I can say that this book is definitely a keeper despite the cheating theme!

...more

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Feb 03, 2018 Sometime rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle, harlequin

Welp! This is one of those "Why do I do this to myself" reads. I mean, someone explain to me why I read these books, I'd really like to know. Although I admit I do love a woman scorned story.

The only thing that made this book bearable was that I already knew the spoilers about Daniel and the OW(view spoiler) Welp! This is one of those "Why do I do this to myself" reads. I mean, someone explain to me why I read these books, I'd really like to know. Although I admit I do love a woman scorned story.

The only thing that made this book bearable was that I already knew the spoilers about Daniel and the OW(view spoiler)

My main thought about this book is that the cheating is the least of their problems. I just kept shaking my head at what a mess their entire relationship became and it all started to feel so unreal. Here is a man who has never once had his wife visit his office. Never once introduced her to a single work colleague. His own secretary has no idea he is even married. Does he even have a single photo of his family on his desk? See? This is some crazy bizzaro-world he lives in. Here is a woman who has never inquired why her husband doesn't invite her to work events. Doesn't wonder about what he does for a living or what his daily stresses and worries are. Are these two even married? What do they talk about besides their kids? And lastly, the H's mother lectures him about treating his wife right but not until after the poop hits the fan. This makes no sense to me. This mom would have told her son YEARS before that he was acting strange and crazy and he should involve his wife in his life outside the home. And she would have suggested to his wife that she should be more involved in his work life.

So I did enjoy the epiphanies they both had about where they went wrong and each took responsibility for their own part. But they still never communicated. It's not until the very end that they hash all their problems and misunderstandings out.

This type of book only work in a vacuum where the H is only a little bit guilty, the MIL is involved but not too much, the h doesn't have a single actual female friend and only lives for her children and family.

All in all, it was a book that ticked me off but by the end I was satisfied with the road they had traveled to get to their HEA. ...more

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Maybe a Mills and Boons story. might have millionaire's wife or similar name. More details in the thread [s]	8	26	May 14, 2018 06:36PM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Romance set in London, married couple, 3 kids, friend tells wife husband is cheating on her [s]	5	162	Jun 08, 2014 07:40PM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Romance book about a supposed cheating husband set in London /s	5	51	Jul 22, 2013 04:00PM

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About Michelle Reid

Michelle Reid

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Hi, my name is Michelle Reid and I’ve been writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon for the last twenty years, and the crazy part about it is that I only realised it had been twenty years while updating this page!

So, hang on for a minute while I take this huge milestone in....

Twenty years with almost forty books published or in the pipeline ... I know it isn’t a great average when compared with some ...more