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The Cabots #1
Before I Knew
Author Jamie Beck returns with an engrossing series about family, friendship, and starting over. In this first Cabot novel, a legacy of secrets tests old friends seeking a second chance at life and love.
On the second anniversary of her husband’s suicide, Colby Cabot-Baxter is ready to let go of her grief and the mistakes made during her turbulent marriage. Her fresh start comes in the form of A CertainTea, the restaurant she’s set to open along Lake Sandy, Oregon, with help from her family. But when her executive chef quits just weeks before the grand opening, Colby is pressured to hire old family friend Alec Morgan. His award-winning reputation could generate buzz, but their friendship has withered since her husband’s reckless dare cost Alec’s brother his life.
Distracted by guilty secrets concerning the tragedy that changed his and Colby’s lives, Alec self-destructed and lost his famed restaurant. With his career in tatters, he’s determined to use this opportunity to redeem his reputation and to help the woman he’s loved from afar find happiness again.
But secrets have a way of coming out. When Alec’s do, they might destroy the new life he and Colby have rebuilt together.
On the second anniversary of her husband’s suicide, Colby Cabot-Baxter is ready to let go of her grief and the mistakes made during her turbulent marriage. Her fresh start comes in the form of A CertainTea, the restaurant she’s set to open along Lake Sandy, Oregon, with help from her family. But when her executive chef quits just weeks before the grand opening, Colby is pressured to hire old family friend Alec Morgan. His award-winning reputation could generate buzz, but their friendship has withered since her husband’s reckless dare cost Alec’s brother his life.
Distracted by guilty secrets concerning the tragedy that changed his and Colby’s lives, Alec self-destructed and lost his famed restaurant. With his career in tatters, he’s determined to use this opportunity to redeem his reputation and to help the woman he’s loved from afar find happiness again.
But secrets have a way of coming out. When Alec’s do, they might destroy the new life he and Colby have rebuilt together.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 22, 2017
10041 people are currently reading
9362 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Beck
22 books2,619 followersJamie Beck is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of 18 novels, which have been translated into multiple languages and have sold more than three million copies worldwide. She is a two-time Booksellers' Best Award finalist, a Women’s Fiction Writers Association STAR award finalist, a National Readers' Choice Award winner, and critics at Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist have respectively called her work "smart," "uplifting," and "entertaining." In addition to writing novels, she enjoys dancing around the kitchen while cooking and hitting the slopes in Vermont and Utah. Above all, she is a grateful wife and mother to a very patient, supportive family.
Fans can learn more about her on the web (www.jamiebeck.com). She also loves interacting with everyone on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JamieBeckBooks) and Instagram (@writerjamiebeck).
My newsletter subscribers get monthly fun tips, a chance to win a reader gift box, and other exclusive content. Sign up now! https://bit.ly/JBeckNewsletter. For updates on discounts and new releases, follow me on BookBub at http://bit.ly/2GBcLM3. NO SPAM--EVER.
Fans can learn more about her on the web (www.jamiebeck.com). She also loves interacting with everyone on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JamieBeckBooks) and Instagram (@writerjamiebeck).
My newsletter subscribers get monthly fun tips, a chance to win a reader gift box, and other exclusive content. Sign up now! https://bit.ly/JBeckNewsletter. For updates on discounts and new releases, follow me on BookBub at http://bit.ly/2GBcLM3. NO SPAM--EVER.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 620 reviews
November 25, 2020
This book contains everything you need to know to build a lasting relationship. Just take everything the characters do, and don't do that. I finished this with equal parts masochism and delight. I'm ashamed to admit that the delight was anticipation of being able to vent my wrath on a deserving target. I don't like what that says about me, so I'm rethinking how much vitriol I want to indulge.
Colby and Alec spend the entire novel vying for biggest idiot. Whether it's Colby interfering with his running of the kitchen (I swear, she didn't have a single "suggestion" where I didn't cringe at the stupidity and ignorance each idea represented) or Alec's self-loathing or Colby's holding to secrets that were stupid to keep in the first place or Alec's assuming responsibility for the idiocy of everyone else. The amount of fail spread between these two was astonishing. And the entire novel, all of it, could have been circumvented by a single conversation where Colby says "Hey, my dick of a husband had bipolar disorder and refused to get treatment" and Alec says "yeah, he wrote me a letter demanding forgiveness or he'd end it all" and they both go "huh, untreated bipolar disorder sucks" and then move on to things they can actually do something about. Bipolar disorder does suck, as I know all too intimately. And this story could have worked to dispel myths, or spread understanding, or, I dunno, not screwed up literally everything about it. Only no, it decided to take an extreme type 1 case and couple it with furtive secrecy and then add guilt for not being able to control someone else's problems when they aren't interested in having control, themselves. So unhealthy in every way and on every dimension. And again, exactly what you shouldn't do if this were to happen to you.
So they're both hung up on secrets from their past. And that sucked. But then they each added even more dysfunction to their relationship on top because they're young and immature and don't deserve nice things. Okay, they aren't young. They just act like people who've never had emotional relationships before. Let me give you an example from early in the book. We have Colby musing on the way to her mother's place about how her mom is all alone and there's strife between her mom and dad and she feels bad for her mom and will be forever loyal to her mom because, and I para-quote, "she's the only person who gives me unconditional love". And then we meet the mom. And mom spends the entire conversation manipulating Colby to buy her things or it's proof that Colby doesn't love her and she might as well be entirely alone and unloved. This is, apparently, Colby's idea of unconditional love?
And I kept waiting for any kind of narrative indication that these things were broken because I couldn't believe that Beck actually meant to show this relationship as one that is healthy for Colby to maintain in status quo. And nothing. Mom sabotages Colby time and again through her narcissistic selfishness and it's like we're supposed to find it amusing or quirky and sympathize with Colby's sacrifice for her mom because that's where she gets unconditional love. Wut? And I wish that were the most damaging parent-child relationship in the book, but it isn't. Alec's dad is a monster whose behavior is unrelentingly damaging for the whole story. It was so bad, it was practically inhuman. Nobody treats their child that relentlessly bad without having serious psychological damage. We're supposed to believe that it's all grief for losing a son, but his grief was unbelievably extreme and has persisted for years with zero change.
So we have primary characters where the best, kindest read makes them immature and stupid. And secondary characters who, at best, are damagingly, sometimes brutally, selfish. Fortunately, when we get past that and start to heal it gets much better.
Psych! I totally lied. It gets worse!
That's right, once the secrets come out and Colby's mom is mitigated and Alec's dad castigated, we have both romantic leads pull more juvenile nonsense. Colby goes into "I know what's best and will protect others through information withholding" (recall that this is what tanked her marriage to the bipolar bear). And Alec decides that Colby is better off with someone else because he's a useless jerk who could have prevented all the tragedy in the world and didn't because he stupidly didn't know everything and/or accurately predict every possible bad outcome. Yeah, it's like negative motivation* had a child with inappropriate guilt and named it Alec.
By the end of the story, I was literally screaming in my head "These people don't deserve to have a relationship, they need to go back into the oven and finish baking first!" I mean, with that title, I expected them to keep stupid secrets and then get drama all over the place when they came out. So I gave it a pass, at least partially, for the buildup. I did not expect Beck to throw every immature stupidity she could lay hands on for extra spice. It's like if a big-time chef staged a comeback by creating an all-comfort-food, greasy-diner menu and then sourced the ingredients from every other restaurants' three-day-old leavings.
So yeah. One star. I'd go lower if I could. I don't seem to have managed to stem the vitriol so I guess I'm still working on being the better person...
A note about Steamy: Among everything else Beck screws up, this is possibly the mildest. There are a couple of scenes that are sex. Kind of. I mean, it's graphic enough to trigger the steam tag. But before the clothes even come fully off, Beck engages some kind of euphemism overdrive and everything becomes unlikely imagery and elided details. So this is the lightest of my steam tolerance only with an added dose of "what the heck did I just read?!?"
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back (or, if that link doesn't work, here's a cache of the original) and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.
Colby and Alec spend the entire novel vying for biggest idiot. Whether it's Colby interfering with his running of the kitchen (I swear, she didn't have a single "suggestion" where I didn't cringe at the stupidity and ignorance each idea represented) or Alec's self-loathing or Colby's holding to secrets that were stupid to keep in the first place or Alec's assuming responsibility for the idiocy of everyone else. The amount of fail spread between these two was astonishing. And the entire novel, all of it, could have been circumvented by a single conversation where Colby says "Hey, my dick of a husband had bipolar disorder and refused to get treatment" and Alec says "yeah, he wrote me a letter demanding forgiveness or he'd end it all" and they both go "huh, untreated bipolar disorder sucks" and then move on to things they can actually do something about. Bipolar disorder does suck, as I know all too intimately. And this story could have worked to dispel myths, or spread understanding, or, I dunno, not screwed up literally everything about it. Only no, it decided to take an extreme type 1 case and couple it with furtive secrecy and then add guilt for not being able to control someone else's problems when they aren't interested in having control, themselves. So unhealthy in every way and on every dimension. And again, exactly what you shouldn't do if this were to happen to you.
So they're both hung up on secrets from their past. And that sucked. But then they each added even more dysfunction to their relationship on top because they're young and immature and don't deserve nice things. Okay, they aren't young. They just act like people who've never had emotional relationships before. Let me give you an example from early in the book. We have Colby musing on the way to her mother's place about how her mom is all alone and there's strife between her mom and dad and she feels bad for her mom and will be forever loyal to her mom because, and I para-quote, "she's the only person who gives me unconditional love". And then we meet the mom. And mom spends the entire conversation manipulating Colby to buy her things or it's proof that Colby doesn't love her and she might as well be entirely alone and unloved. This is, apparently, Colby's idea of unconditional love?
And I kept waiting for any kind of narrative indication that these things were broken because I couldn't believe that Beck actually meant to show this relationship as one that is healthy for Colby to maintain in status quo. And nothing. Mom sabotages Colby time and again through her narcissistic selfishness and it's like we're supposed to find it amusing or quirky and sympathize with Colby's sacrifice for her mom because that's where she gets unconditional love. Wut? And I wish that were the most damaging parent-child relationship in the book, but it isn't. Alec's dad is a monster whose behavior is unrelentingly damaging for the whole story. It was so bad, it was practically inhuman. Nobody treats their child that relentlessly bad without having serious psychological damage. We're supposed to believe that it's all grief for losing a son, but his grief was unbelievably extreme and has persisted for years with zero change.
So we have primary characters where the best, kindest read makes them immature and stupid. And secondary characters who, at best, are damagingly, sometimes brutally, selfish. Fortunately, when we get past that and start to heal it gets much better.
Psych! I totally lied. It gets worse!
That's right, once the secrets come out and Colby's mom is mitigated and Alec's dad castigated, we have both romantic leads pull more juvenile nonsense. Colby goes into "I know what's best and will protect others through information withholding" (recall that this is what tanked her marriage to the bipolar bear). And Alec decides that Colby is better off with someone else because he's a useless jerk who could have prevented all the tragedy in the world and didn't because he stupidly didn't know everything and/or accurately predict every possible bad outcome. Yeah, it's like negative motivation* had a child with inappropriate guilt and named it Alec.
By the end of the story, I was literally screaming in my head "These people don't deserve to have a relationship, they need to go back into the oven and finish baking first!" I mean, with that title, I expected them to keep stupid secrets and then get drama all over the place when they came out. So I gave it a pass, at least partially, for the buildup. I did not expect Beck to throw every immature stupidity she could lay hands on for extra spice. It's like if a big-time chef staged a comeback by creating an all-comfort-food, greasy-diner menu and then sourced the ingredients from every other restaurants' three-day-old leavings.
So yeah. One star. I'd go lower if I could. I don't seem to have managed to stem the vitriol so I guess I'm still working on being the better person...
A note about Steamy: Among everything else Beck screws up, this is possibly the mildest. There are a couple of scenes that are sex. Kind of. I mean, it's graphic enough to trigger the steam tag. But before the clothes even come fully off, Beck engages some kind of euphemism overdrive and everything becomes unlikely imagery and elided details. So this is the lightest of my steam tolerance only with an added dose of "what the heck did I just read?!?"
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back (or, if that link doesn't work, here's a cache of the original) and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.
December 18, 2017
Before I Knew is the first in a new series following the Cabot family. It’s billed as a romance and it most certainly is, but this wasn’t the lighthearted read I was expecting it to be and unfortunately I didn’t love it as much as I had hoped because of this. I like to escape with a romance as a break from the dark thrillers that make up the majority of my TBR and since much of this one deals with heavy, depressing topics it wasn’t quite the break I was expecting. Don’t get me wrong, it was well written and overall an enjoyable read, I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind when I started it.
This focuses on Colby as she’s grieving the loss of her husband Mark and trying to move on with her life. I did like Colby and found her to be relatable and interesting, but everything she’s been through was so heartbreakingly sad I felt emotionally drained myself. This isn’t inherently a bad thing as anytime an author makes me feel something I’m impressed because that’s one of the main reasons I read a book in the first place. Alec had a similarly devastating history as well so there wasn’t much levity to break up the angst they were both experiencing.
Overall this was a well thought out and well written story that was on the darker side compared to most romances I read. I was interested in the characters but not overly invested in them which is a shame. I don’t know that I’ll be continuing with this series as I prefer to keep my romances light and my thrillers dark, but if you want a romance that has depth and darkness without violence and gore try this!
This focuses on Colby as she’s grieving the loss of her husband Mark and trying to move on with her life. I did like Colby and found her to be relatable and interesting, but everything she’s been through was so heartbreakingly sad I felt emotionally drained myself. This isn’t inherently a bad thing as anytime an author makes me feel something I’m impressed because that’s one of the main reasons I read a book in the first place. Alec had a similarly devastating history as well so there wasn’t much levity to break up the angst they were both experiencing.
Overall this was a well thought out and well written story that was on the darker side compared to most romances I read. I was interested in the characters but not overly invested in them which is a shame. I don’t know that I’ll be continuing with this series as I prefer to keep my romances light and my thrillers dark, but if you want a romance that has depth and darkness without violence and gore try this!
May 10, 2022
I need to read a good book, I am STARVING.
I downloaded this book on Kindle Unlimited because I saw it come up on my discover page and I decided to try something new. A new to me author in a cover style that seems more women's fiction than the usual indie romance books I read.
As the top review for this book says, "This book contains everything you need to know to build a lasting relationship. Just take everything the characters do, and don't do that." Unfortunately unlike them, I wasn't reading this through the end of delightful hate reading... I was actively disliking and twitching every minute. So why did I continue and not DNF it? I have no idea.
First of all, I hated both main characters so much. Actually, I hated ALL the characters so much.
Colby, the heroine, is a preachy and pathetic woman who lets everyone walk all over her because she has no spine. She refuses to deal with the trauma of her past and thinks starting a restaurant will solve her problems though she has literally no restaurant experience except being passionate about diner food.
Alec, the hero, is... ridiculous. He's a hot and successful chef who admittedly fell apart after his brother's death but who didn't lose any talent but is constantly thinking of himself as if he's... a nerd? I rolled my eyes every time he was on page. Every. Time.
Colby's mother is a narcissistic manipulator. Her father is a workaholic who abandoned his former family to marry someone else. His second wife is a workaholic and the two spoil their daughter and treat Colby and her brother differently. Her brother is a workaholic (sensing a theme here?) who talks about how annoyed he is with his wife for wanting to get pregnant and being stressed out over it. (Don't worry, his books next!) Her half-sister is a spoiled brat, period.
But Alec's family may be worse because his father is literally abusive, has been abusive for his son's entire life, physically dominates his wife, manipulates the doctors in the ER to keep it hush hush... and then gets redemption at the end of the book. No one wanted that! And while Alec's mom was a victim for sure, she was also responsible for the fact that she ALLOWED her deadbeat husband to abuse Alec his ENTIRE LIFE. Are you joking?
It seems like every character wanted a "get out of jail free" card because they had hard moments in their past. I mean, we haven't even started in on the actual plot, which is that Alec / Colby were childhood friends and neighbors, but 2 years ago Colby's then-husband dared Alec's brother to jump off a cliff and he died... and then weeks later her husband committed suicide in front of her. This book has such heavy topics that I thought hurt comfort might be a big theme but literally they all sucked and no one worked past anything.
I cannot even describe accurately how much hatred I have for this book. It seems to be growing the more I think about it.
CW: bipolar disorder, past cheating, loss of spouse, loss of sibling, parental abuse, parental manipulation, narcissistic parent, suicide, PTSD...
I downloaded this book on Kindle Unlimited because I saw it come up on my discover page and I decided to try something new. A new to me author in a cover style that seems more women's fiction than the usual indie romance books I read.
As the top review for this book says, "This book contains everything you need to know to build a lasting relationship. Just take everything the characters do, and don't do that." Unfortunately unlike them, I wasn't reading this through the end of delightful hate reading... I was actively disliking and twitching every minute. So why did I continue and not DNF it? I have no idea.
First of all, I hated both main characters so much. Actually, I hated ALL the characters so much.
Colby, the heroine, is a preachy and pathetic woman who lets everyone walk all over her because she has no spine. She refuses to deal with the trauma of her past and thinks starting a restaurant will solve her problems though she has literally no restaurant experience except being passionate about diner food.
Alec, the hero, is... ridiculous. He's a hot and successful chef who admittedly fell apart after his brother's death but who didn't lose any talent but is constantly thinking of himself as if he's... a nerd? I rolled my eyes every time he was on page. Every. Time.
Colby's mother is a narcissistic manipulator. Her father is a workaholic who abandoned his former family to marry someone else. His second wife is a workaholic and the two spoil their daughter and treat Colby and her brother differently. Her brother is a workaholic (sensing a theme here?) who talks about how annoyed he is with his wife for wanting to get pregnant and being stressed out over it. (Don't worry, his books next!) Her half-sister is a spoiled brat, period.
But Alec's family may be worse because his father is literally abusive, has been abusive for his son's entire life, physically dominates his wife, manipulates the doctors in the ER to keep it hush hush... and then gets redemption at the end of the book. No one wanted that! And while Alec's mom was a victim for sure, she was also responsible for the fact that she ALLOWED her deadbeat husband to abuse Alec his ENTIRE LIFE. Are you joking?
It seems like every character wanted a "get out of jail free" card because they had hard moments in their past. I mean, we haven't even started in on the actual plot, which is that Alec / Colby were childhood friends and neighbors, but 2 years ago Colby's then-husband dared Alec's brother to jump off a cliff and he died... and then weeks later her husband committed suicide in front of her. This book has such heavy topics that I thought hurt comfort might be a big theme but literally they all sucked and no one worked past anything.
I cannot even describe accurately how much hatred I have for this book. It seems to be growing the more I think about it.
CW: bipolar disorder, past cheating, loss of spouse, loss of sibling, parental abuse, parental manipulation, narcissistic parent, suicide, PTSD...
September 22, 2017
The Cabot and the Morgans were friends and neighbours for thirty years until a stupid dare left Joe Morgan dead, shortly afterwards Colby Cabot's husband Mark killed himself over his part in the dare, devastated by his role in the death of his best friend and unable to deal with the guilt. Mark was bi-polar and Colby suffers from the knowledge that she kept his diagnosis from her family, she also worries that his illness may have been a contributing factor to the dare that led to Joe's death.
Two years later Colby has given up her job as a lawyer to open a restaurant called ACertainTea, she has visions of it being a centre for families to come to celebrate special events. The money for the restaurant has come from the family business The Cabot Tea Company and her father has insisted that Colby reports to her brother Hunter.
Alec Morgan has always stood in the shadow of his younger brother Joe, quieter and more studious by nature he was no match for Joe's athleticism and Joe was always his father's favourite. He has also always harboured a secret crush on Colby. Formerly a successful restaurateur, he has had a massive professional disaster, lost his restaurant and has been asked by his old friend Hunter Cabot to assist Colby in her new start-up. Alec too has a secret, Mark wrote him a letter begging for forgiveness and making wild threats which Alec ignored.
So, can two people who have suffered devastating losses which intimately involve their families ever put the past aside?
This book, for me, was killed by all the angst. Angst over Joe's death, over Mark's suicide, over Colby's mother, over Colby's father, over Alec's mother, over Alec's father, over Colby's brother, over Colby's step-sister, over Colby's sister-in-law. You get the picture, we were drowning in angst and Colby felt she had to fix everything, which was a joke because her brother and father, even Alec were so damned patronising I wanted to punch them in the gonads. But then Colby was so damn drippy and saintly that I wanted to throat-punch her too!
Stepping aside from my own personal feelings about the characters, I also felt that Alec's characterisation didn't really 'work'. He was a former geek, the full "jigsaw puzzle making, then take a photo and hang it on your wall" Monty who grew into a demanding chef who shouted at people. He had loved Colby all his life and talked about doing anything she wanted, just to get her to notice him, but then he refused to change HIS menu for HER restaurant to accommodate her very reasonable request that there be some simple food for the unadventurous eaters.
Someone (an author whose book I criticised) once told me that if the characters make you feel something (even incandescent rage) then the author has achieved their goal - well done Jamie Beck, back of the net goal! But seriously, I'm not a fan of all the introspective, navel-gazing, talk about our feelings (but of course don't actually tell people what's wrong) angst. If you like that sort of thing then this is for you.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
Two years later Colby has given up her job as a lawyer to open a restaurant called ACertainTea, she has visions of it being a centre for families to come to celebrate special events. The money for the restaurant has come from the family business The Cabot Tea Company and her father has insisted that Colby reports to her brother Hunter.
Alec Morgan has always stood in the shadow of his younger brother Joe, quieter and more studious by nature he was no match for Joe's athleticism and Joe was always his father's favourite. He has also always harboured a secret crush on Colby. Formerly a successful restaurateur, he has had a massive professional disaster, lost his restaurant and has been asked by his old friend Hunter Cabot to assist Colby in her new start-up. Alec too has a secret, Mark wrote him a letter begging for forgiveness and making wild threats which Alec ignored.
So, can two people who have suffered devastating losses which intimately involve their families ever put the past aside?
This book, for me, was killed by all the angst. Angst over Joe's death, over Mark's suicide, over Colby's mother, over Colby's father, over Alec's mother, over Alec's father, over Colby's brother, over Colby's step-sister, over Colby's sister-in-law. You get the picture, we were drowning in angst and Colby felt she had to fix everything, which was a joke because her brother and father, even Alec were so damned patronising I wanted to punch them in the gonads. But then Colby was so damn drippy and saintly that I wanted to throat-punch her too!
Stepping aside from my own personal feelings about the characters, I also felt that Alec's characterisation didn't really 'work'. He was a former geek, the full "jigsaw puzzle making, then take a photo and hang it on your wall" Monty who grew into a demanding chef who shouted at people. He had loved Colby all his life and talked about doing anything she wanted, just to get her to notice him, but then he refused to change HIS menu for HER restaurant to accommodate her very reasonable request that there be some simple food for the unadventurous eaters.
Someone (an author whose book I criticised) once told me that if the characters make you feel something (even incandescent rage) then the author has achieved their goal - well done Jamie Beck, back of the net goal! But seriously, I'm not a fan of all the introspective, navel-gazing, talk about our feelings (but of course don't actually tell people what's wrong) angst. If you like that sort of thing then this is for you.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
August 1, 2019
Some romance story’s are so cheesy but wow this one was so good. Had me laughing, gave me tears in my eyes! Reached all the way down to my soul. I highly recommend this series. This book would make an amazing movie! Hint hint..
August 15, 2017
What a fantastic first book in a brand new series. It's highly emotional and deals with issues that arise a horrible tragedy strikes. Colby Cabot Baxter and Alec Morgan's lives were both changed by the tragedy but now they are both looking for fresh starts. Their journey to happiness is painful and emotional and the past needs to be dealt with. It can't be until all the secrets are revealed. Will they be brave enough to face the past in order to have a future??
Definitely a book I recommend to everyone.
Definitely a book I recommend to everyone.
September 12, 2017
Here I go again, in the minority about a story. Unfortunately, Before I Knew just didn't do it for me. It was so heavy, such a downer that I couldn't find my way through to the end with any kind of joy, any kind of excitement, any kind of anything positive. It's not horribly written or anything, it's just that it's such a dreary, down on themselves kind of story that I could not connect with it or any of the characters.
Colby has lost her husband to suicide. Right before that, they both lost a good friend, whose death Colby's husband had an inadvertent hand in. Two years later, Colby has decided to open up a restaurant called A CertainTea. Her father's investment in the restaurant comes with a caveat: she is to answer to her brother, Hunter. That's not such a bad thing, as she's close to her brother, but what's bad is that her brother insists she hire a family friend, Alec, as the new chef. Alec is the younger brother of the man whose death Colby's husband, Mark, had an inadvertent hand in, and that death lead to a severing of Colby's relationship with Alec and his family, as she never got over the guilt she felt, and no one in Alec's family ever forgave Mark for his part in Joe's death.
But, there could be a silver lining in Colby's new situation - unbeknownst to Colby, Alec always had a crush on her from the time they were kids and Colby became his, Joe's and Hunter's little sidekick. But, Alec was always in his charismatic, athletic brother, Joe's shadow, and he never found the gumption to ever do anything about his feelings back then, so Mark swooped in and grabbed her up. Now that she's single, and Alec and she are working closely together, perhaps this is Alec's chance to do something about those pesky feelings.
Alas, things are not going smoothly. There are too many hurt feelings between the two. Too many feelings of guilt on both their parts. And Colby is a martyr. Ugh, martyrs. I hate it when a character martyrs themselves for someone, especially when the person for whom they're martyring themselves is no longer present. Colby was such a doormat, such a martyr and it drove me nuts. Not to mention she was so prissy and self-absorbed that I wanted to smack her! Not that Alec was any better. He was angry, bitter and lashed out more than once. I get that everyone was hurting, but you have to take responsibility for your own actions, for what you say to others, regardless of whether you are hurting or not. And Alec didn't like taking responsibility for his cruel words until the very end. So we've got a prissy martyr and a bitter, angry hero, not a great combination.
So, sorry, but I cannot get behind Before I Knew. I need more vitality, more passion, more life to my romances and Before I Knew didn't give that to me.
I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.
Colby has lost her husband to suicide. Right before that, they both lost a good friend, whose death Colby's husband had an inadvertent hand in. Two years later, Colby has decided to open up a restaurant called A CertainTea. Her father's investment in the restaurant comes with a caveat: she is to answer to her brother, Hunter. That's not such a bad thing, as she's close to her brother, but what's bad is that her brother insists she hire a family friend, Alec, as the new chef. Alec is the younger brother of the man whose death Colby's husband, Mark, had an inadvertent hand in, and that death lead to a severing of Colby's relationship with Alec and his family, as she never got over the guilt she felt, and no one in Alec's family ever forgave Mark for his part in Joe's death.
But, there could be a silver lining in Colby's new situation - unbeknownst to Colby, Alec always had a crush on her from the time they were kids and Colby became his, Joe's and Hunter's little sidekick. But, Alec was always in his charismatic, athletic brother, Joe's shadow, and he never found the gumption to ever do anything about his feelings back then, so Mark swooped in and grabbed her up. Now that she's single, and Alec and she are working closely together, perhaps this is Alec's chance to do something about those pesky feelings.
Alas, things are not going smoothly. There are too many hurt feelings between the two. Too many feelings of guilt on both their parts. And Colby is a martyr. Ugh, martyrs. I hate it when a character martyrs themselves for someone, especially when the person for whom they're martyring themselves is no longer present. Colby was such a doormat, such a martyr and it drove me nuts. Not to mention she was so prissy and self-absorbed that I wanted to smack her! Not that Alec was any better. He was angry, bitter and lashed out more than once. I get that everyone was hurting, but you have to take responsibility for your own actions, for what you say to others, regardless of whether you are hurting or not. And Alec didn't like taking responsibility for his cruel words until the very end. So we've got a prissy martyr and a bitter, angry hero, not a great combination.
So, sorry, but I cannot get behind Before I Knew. I need more vitality, more passion, more life to my romances and Before I Knew didn't give that to me.
I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.
September 7, 2017
Waaaay too much
I hate dropping a story midway through. I always try to stick with it til the bitter end, no matter what.
I made an exception in this case.
Before I Knew, is apparently part of a series. Not wanting to offend any hardcover fans, let me just say, for me, this book is not worth the time it takes to read. Over 5 hours is, to me, way and above too long for a simple romance. Way too much back and forth, and round and round, in what should have been a simple romance. It was like the thing just couldn't end, meanwhile really going nowhere. For me, this is a 'No.' And one I won't be recommending.
I hate dropping a story midway through. I always try to stick with it til the bitter end, no matter what.
I made an exception in this case.
Before I Knew, is apparently part of a series. Not wanting to offend any hardcover fans, let me just say, for me, this book is not worth the time it takes to read. Over 5 hours is, to me, way and above too long for a simple romance. Way too much back and forth, and round and round, in what should have been a simple romance. It was like the thing just couldn't end, meanwhile really going nowhere. For me, this is a 'No.' And one I won't be recommending.
March 8, 2019
Meh...everyone was such a victim. I have no plans to continue with the series.
August 26, 2017
4 Heartfelt Stars
Before I Knew by Jamie Beck was an emotional and heartfelt read.
They storyline was well written, it was easy to follow and hard to put down.
Watching Colby and Alec come together was both heartwarming and painful.
They both had painful pasts that they needed to deal with so they could find true happiness.
These two were easy to love and I really enjoyed reading their story.
Before I Knew is a lovely start to the Cabot Series by Jamie Beck, looking forward to Hunter and Sara's book in All We Knew coming January 30th 2018.
Get your copy of Before I Knew here ~ https://www.amazon.com/Before-Knew-Ca...
*Thank you to Montlake Romance via Netgalley for the advance copy.*
Before I Knew by Jamie Beck was an emotional and heartfelt read.
They storyline was well written, it was easy to follow and hard to put down.
Watching Colby and Alec come together was both heartwarming and painful.
They both had painful pasts that they needed to deal with so they could find true happiness.
These two were easy to love and I really enjoyed reading their story.
Before I Knew is a lovely start to the Cabot Series by Jamie Beck, looking forward to Hunter and Sara's book in All We Knew coming January 30th 2018.
Get your copy of Before I Knew here ~ https://www.amazon.com/Before-Knew-Ca...
*Thank you to Montlake Romance via Netgalley for the advance copy.*
September 19, 2017
3 Complicated Stars
* * *
Wow... This was a lot to take in.
We have two families who are on opposite sides of a serious tragedy. This main issue colors everything and everyone.
After us learning this multi-layered tragedy involving so many, we are set up for the main part of the story...
The goal for our gal is to make the restaurant she has worked so hard to be a reality... the best it can be. Unfortunately, that means the money partner brings in a chef who is part of this family complication and pain.
This love interest has a really difficult journey... Questions need answers... Guilt needs releasing...
Through all of this, they somehow they fall hard. Now they have to overcome all the turmoil thrown at them.
An advanced arc copy was provided by Montlake Romance via NetGalley for an honest review.
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
June 6, 2017
Before I Knew was my companion on a recent airline trip and thank goodness. The time flew as I did.
I thoroughly enjoyed this realistic love story. Lately I've been turned off by the plethora of so-called romance books where the sex is more important than the relationship. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Before I Knew dove into the relationship head-long and kept it interesting from start to finish. There was just enough sexual tension to give it a kick, but there was nothing explicit. I found that refreshing.
I felt like the characters were real people and I cared about what happened to them. As a fellow author, I know it's not always easy to do that and Jamie did it beautifully. I think I've found an author I can follow with confidence that I'll enjoy her stories.
Disclaimer: This review is of an Advanced Review Copy I received free as part of Jamie's ARC campaign.
Jeanne Felfe, author of The Art of Healing - A Novel
I thoroughly enjoyed this realistic love story. Lately I've been turned off by the plethora of so-called romance books where the sex is more important than the relationship. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Before I Knew dove into the relationship head-long and kept it interesting from start to finish. There was just enough sexual tension to give it a kick, but there was nothing explicit. I found that refreshing.
I felt like the characters were real people and I cared about what happened to them. As a fellow author, I know it's not always easy to do that and Jamie did it beautifully. I think I've found an author I can follow with confidence that I'll enjoy her stories.
Disclaimer: This review is of an Advanced Review Copy I received free as part of Jamie's ARC campaign.
Jeanne Felfe, author of The Art of Healing - A Novel
November 2, 2021
All about loss, redemption, and forgiveness... and finding love with an old friend.
August 2, 2017
Jamie Beck has a style of writing that always draws you in to the dynamics of a family making you their own personal cheerleader. Before I Knew lays the foundation of the Cabot series which will provide lots love, heartbreak, drama, and hopefully healing.
Two years after the tragic loss of Joe Morgan and Mark Baxter, the gaping whole remains in both the Morgan and Cabot families. Secrets held by both Mark's wife, Colby Cabot-Baxter and Joe's brother, Alec Morgan, are bound to come to light after Alec becomes the Executive Chef in Colby's new restaurant.
Colby and Alec soon discover their working relationship might be clouded by the attraction simmering between them. But work relationships are not all that create trouble with Alec's family still buried in grief and blame towards Colby.
Before I Knew addresses the negative stigma people feel about mental illness and abuse topics and how that negativity leads to secrets and devastation. Would these characters lives have been different if there weren't secrets kept, well who knows it's a book. But if one person reading this story realizes how those secrets can do more harm than good well that's just excellent.
On a lighter note, I loved the book and the teasing of other books to follow for Gentry and Hunter.
Two years after the tragic loss of Joe Morgan and Mark Baxter, the gaping whole remains in both the Morgan and Cabot families. Secrets held by both Mark's wife, Colby Cabot-Baxter and Joe's brother, Alec Morgan, are bound to come to light after Alec becomes the Executive Chef in Colby's new restaurant.
Colby and Alec soon discover their working relationship might be clouded by the attraction simmering between them. But work relationships are not all that create trouble with Alec's family still buried in grief and blame towards Colby.
Before I Knew addresses the negative stigma people feel about mental illness and abuse topics and how that negativity leads to secrets and devastation. Would these characters lives have been different if there weren't secrets kept, well who knows it's a book. But if one person reading this story realizes how those secrets can do more harm than good well that's just excellent.
On a lighter note, I loved the book and the teasing of other books to follow for Gentry and Hunter.
July 11, 2018
This was one of the worst books I've read in a long time! It was so repetitive and boring. I get that the characters felt guilty, I would too, although we all know other's actions are not our fault. It's just human nature. And this story could have been so much better. But the author just kept dragging out the "woe me...I feel guilty...." card. We got it!! Move on with the story, let the guilt be a background distraction.
To make matters worse, I didn't even like the characters. Colby was a doormat and Alec just wanted the worlds approval.
I could go on like the book, repetitive and boring....I think my point is made. Skip this one. It also ruined me to read anything else by this author again. I don't care what happened to the secondary characters in their sequels. Their characters weren't that interesting either.
To make matters worse, I didn't even like the characters. Colby was a doormat and Alec just wanted the worlds approval.
I could go on like the book, repetitive and boring....I think my point is made. Skip this one. It also ruined me to read anything else by this author again. I don't care what happened to the secondary characters in their sequels. Their characters weren't that interesting either.
October 20, 2021
Profoundly irritating main characters
March 16, 2019
I enjoyed this romance and look forward to reading more by this author.
I borrowed this in audiobook format through Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
I borrowed this in audiobook format through Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
August 21, 2017
The Morgans and Cabots live next door to each other. Joe Morgan and Colby Cabot were best friends growing up. When Colby married Mark Baxter, Joe welcomed him with opened arms and the three spent a lot of time together. When Joe died after a dare issued by Mark, it tore the families apart. Mark, dealing with issues of his own, feeling overwhelmed with guilt, commits suicide.
Fast-forward two years. Colby is still reeling from the past. Her marriage wasn’t what it seemed. She’s been practicing law and finding it weighing her down as much as her past. She wants to make a fresh start, so she decides to open a restaurant with help from her family. Her executive chef quits a few weeks before opening and her brother brings in award winning chef Alec Morgan, Joe’s older brother. She and Alec were close growing up, Alec always her protector, but since Joe’s death haven’t spoken.
Alec Morgan has secrets that caused him to lose focus and cost him his restaurant and his reputation. Working at Colby’s restaurant is a chance to redeem himself and help her find her happiness. He has been secretly in love with her since they were kids. He also wants to fix/heal his relationship with his dad, who has never thought his profession manly enough.
The more time these two spend together, the more they are drawn to each other. Their secrets still lie between them. Once they are revealed, will they be able to overcome their pasts to make a future together?
I had trouble with Alec’s character. He was supposed to be this nerdy, quiet, easy going guy yet a yelling, driven, intense, perfectionist kitchen machine. The two just didn’t gel for me.
So. Much. Angst. And regurgitating. Joe’s death, Mark’s death, hiding Mark’s diagnosis, Colby’s mother’s issues with her ex, Hunter’s issues with his step mom, the half sister’s issues, Alec’s dad’s issues with everyone (he was a real jerk for the entire book), etc. It just made the whole book feel so heavy and morose. And while I know this is just the first book of the series, so much was still left unsettled.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.
Fast-forward two years. Colby is still reeling from the past. Her marriage wasn’t what it seemed. She’s been practicing law and finding it weighing her down as much as her past. She wants to make a fresh start, so she decides to open a restaurant with help from her family. Her executive chef quits a few weeks before opening and her brother brings in award winning chef Alec Morgan, Joe’s older brother. She and Alec were close growing up, Alec always her protector, but since Joe’s death haven’t spoken.
Alec Morgan has secrets that caused him to lose focus and cost him his restaurant and his reputation. Working at Colby’s restaurant is a chance to redeem himself and help her find her happiness. He has been secretly in love with her since they were kids. He also wants to fix/heal his relationship with his dad, who has never thought his profession manly enough.
The more time these two spend together, the more they are drawn to each other. Their secrets still lie between them. Once they are revealed, will they be able to overcome their pasts to make a future together?
I had trouble with Alec’s character. He was supposed to be this nerdy, quiet, easy going guy yet a yelling, driven, intense, perfectionist kitchen machine. The two just didn’t gel for me.
So. Much. Angst. And regurgitating. Joe’s death, Mark’s death, hiding Mark’s diagnosis, Colby’s mother’s issues with her ex, Hunter’s issues with his step mom, the half sister’s issues, Alec’s dad’s issues with everyone (he was a real jerk for the entire book), etc. It just made the whole book feel so heavy and morose. And while I know this is just the first book of the series, so much was still left unsettled.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.
October 27, 2017
I received a free copy of this book from BookSparks for an honest review. After reading and enjoying a lot of suspense books lately I was ready for a change. Before I Knew came along at the right time. Colby was widowed two years ago and is now ready to move on from her grief and start some new ventures in her life. She has decided to open a restaurant and her childhood friend Alec has been hired as the new chef. Alec is also ready to make changes in his life. His brother Joe died just over two years prior to this and Alec has since suffered from depression and career setbacks. Joe had also been friends with Colby and her husband. Needless to say there is a lot of past history between Colby and Alec. Alec wants to run an upscale restaurant and is determined to reclaim his status as an award winning, renowned chef. Colby has other ideas. She wants a more moderate style of restaurant. These are just some of their issues. They also both have trust issues, family issues and secrets they have withheld. As Colby and Alec embark on their professional relationship they realize they want a personal relationship too. How well will this all mix? I found this book very entertaining and enjoyable.
August 21, 2017
Well, this was lovely.
We have Colby and Alec, they’ve known each other for years, but sadly they are torn apart because of some horrible tragedies. My heart really hurt for these two, they were in such a difficult situation, so much that it held them back from moving on, even with each other.
I felt it was great they were both willing to move on from that tragedy and I hated Alec’s dad for not allowing him to do that. I get the grief, but that man was awful, just wanting everyone to hurt like him.
I loved Colby, although I wasn’t much of a fan of her not wanting to discuss her past in order to move on. I understand it was painful, but there were so many things she needed to say and to hear from Alec; so her initial reluctance annoyed me a little.
Still, they were the perfect people for the other to start again.
The story, although a romance, also deals with some serious issues, such as suicide and how their loved ones are able (or unable) to move on.
Like a said, a lovely read with ups and downs, just a little bit of everything.
*Thank you to the author for providing an ARC in exchange of my honest opinion*
We have Colby and Alec, they’ve known each other for years, but sadly they are torn apart because of some horrible tragedies. My heart really hurt for these two, they were in such a difficult situation, so much that it held them back from moving on, even with each other.
I felt it was great they were both willing to move on from that tragedy and I hated Alec’s dad for not allowing him to do that. I get the grief, but that man was awful, just wanting everyone to hurt like him.
I loved Colby, although I wasn’t much of a fan of her not wanting to discuss her past in order to move on. I understand it was painful, but there were so many things she needed to say and to hear from Alec; so her initial reluctance annoyed me a little.
Still, they were the perfect people for the other to start again.
The story, although a romance, also deals with some serious issues, such as suicide and how their loved ones are able (or unable) to move on.
Like a said, a lovely read with ups and downs, just a little bit of everything.
*Thank you to the author for providing an ARC in exchange of my honest opinion*
September 8, 2017
I was thoroughly disappointed in this book. I found it in the trending this week section hoping for a good read and ended up with a flop. The book was whiny and uninteresting. It also heavily featured the author's voice rather than writing so I can feel the characters voices. Even having this be the first book in the series there were several times I thought to myself while reading "that character would never say that". Other than the author's overly effeminate voice coming through that random points, The book also featured lots of irritating characters that lacked chemistry which resulted in lots of whining without any payoff at the end. Overall this book sucked mostly because it came off sounding deep and interesting from the book cover, which just increased my disappointment in the end
October 2, 2017
Before I knew is an emotional story about loss and starting over. It has been two years since Colby Cabot-Baxter watched her husband, Mark commit suicide. She is ready for a new start with opening a new restaurant. Her old friend Alec Morgan is dealing with his own regrets about his part in both his brother's accident and Mark's suicide. He is now getting a second chance at making amends with Colby, his family and his reputation as an award-winning chef.
The story was well written and the characters were well developed. You definitely felt the pain that everybody was going through. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Montlake Romance for supplying a copy of Jamie Beck's "Before I Knew" in exchange for an honest review.
The story was well written and the characters were well developed. You definitely felt the pain that everybody was going through. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Montlake Romance for supplying a copy of Jamie Beck's "Before I Knew" in exchange for an honest review.
June 15, 2024
4.2*
Wait 🥹🥹🥹🥹 why did I actually love this book. It felt like it was a real life situation with real life circumstances and real characters that have actual, believable issues that were handled with poise, thought, and true emotion. However! The two main characters Colby and Alec had a lot of baggage and kept secrets from each other. And their reasoning for keeping their respective secrets were to “protect” the other *major eye roll* They wanted to live that drama free life but guess what?? The drama free life isn’t achieved by being dishonest and keeping secrets!! But the writing was amazing and the plot was intricate but not complicated, which I loved. I’m looking forward to reading the next two books in the series!
Wait 🥹🥹🥹🥹 why did I actually love this book. It felt like it was a real life situation with real life circumstances and real characters that have actual, believable issues that were handled with poise, thought, and true emotion. However! The two main characters Colby and Alec had a lot of baggage and kept secrets from each other. And their reasoning for keeping their respective secrets were to “protect” the other *major eye roll* They wanted to live that drama free life but guess what?? The drama free life isn’t achieved by being dishonest and keeping secrets!! But the writing was amazing and the plot was intricate but not complicated, which I loved. I’m looking forward to reading the next two books in the series!
March 4, 2020
Very much a downer. Maybe it's me, but I read to be uplifted. This didn't do it.
June 4, 2018
Before I Knew: The Cabots Book 1 is by Jamie Beck. This book deals with the aftermath of an accidental death and a suicide. How families deal with each is something that needs to be looked at. No family reacts in the same way. It also deals with bipolar disorder.
Colby Cabot-Baxter has had a rough two years. First, her husband, Mark, and her best friend, Joe, had gone on a hike near Lake Sandy, Oregon. For some reason, Mark dared Joe to jump off a cliff and he took the dare and was killed. Joe had lived next door to Colby’s Mother as long as she could remember. She, Joe, Hunter, and Alec had played together since they were children. Colby and Joe were best friends while her brother Hunter and Joe’s brother Alec were best friends. Joe’s death made Mr. Morgan blame Colby which made for rather cold neighbors. He blamed Colby because she introduced Mark to Joe. As if this wasn’t enough for Colby to handle, Mark had bipolar disorder but refused to stay on his medication and made Colby promise not to tell anyone about it. They could handle it. However, Mark was wrong and in a depressed mood, he jumped out of the window to his death. He did this in front of Colby.
Now, after two years, she was going to open a restaurant in town. Her Father helped her get set up and her brother Hunter found a chef for her. She had definite ideas on what she wanted A Certain Tea to head in. What she didn’t plan on was the chef being Alec Morgan being the chef! How would this work? As a chef, Alec had definite ideas on how the restaurant should run and what the menu should be. It was almost the exact opposite of what Colby wanted.
The book was really good and as the start of a series was intriguing.
Colby Cabot-Baxter has had a rough two years. First, her husband, Mark, and her best friend, Joe, had gone on a hike near Lake Sandy, Oregon. For some reason, Mark dared Joe to jump off a cliff and he took the dare and was killed. Joe had lived next door to Colby’s Mother as long as she could remember. She, Joe, Hunter, and Alec had played together since they were children. Colby and Joe were best friends while her brother Hunter and Joe’s brother Alec were best friends. Joe’s death made Mr. Morgan blame Colby which made for rather cold neighbors. He blamed Colby because she introduced Mark to Joe. As if this wasn’t enough for Colby to handle, Mark had bipolar disorder but refused to stay on his medication and made Colby promise not to tell anyone about it. They could handle it. However, Mark was wrong and in a depressed mood, he jumped out of the window to his death. He did this in front of Colby.
Now, after two years, she was going to open a restaurant in town. Her Father helped her get set up and her brother Hunter found a chef for her. She had definite ideas on what she wanted A Certain Tea to head in. What she didn’t plan on was the chef being Alec Morgan being the chef! How would this work? As a chef, Alec had definite ideas on how the restaurant should run and what the menu should be. It was almost the exact opposite of what Colby wanted.
The book was really good and as the start of a series was intriguing.
August 26, 2017
Jamie Beck is one of my favourite authors, and I'm always excited when she brings out a new book. Before I knew is the start of a new series, The Cabots.
Books dealing with grief are not my favourite, especially when it is one of the main themes in a story. However, with this said I still enjoyed this book. It has a lot going on, and the story was really interesting.
Colby Cabot-Baxter lost her husband 2 years ago and has never recovered. It's not because he was the love of her life, or she can't imagine life without him. She can't get over the circumstances surrounding his death. Growing up she has always been close with the boys next door, Joe and Alec. Her husband and Joe were involved in an incident that leads to both of their deaths. Joe accidentally kills himself taking part in a stupid dare, and Mark, her husband committed suicide as an after effect. Colby's relationship with Alec became non-existent, and they both lost everything. 2 years later they are both ready to try, and fix their life's and families. Colby starts a restaurant, and her brother hires Alec as the head chef. They need to work together to save them both.
4 stars out of 5. *ARC received, however, I read this book view Kindle Unlimited* I've read all of Jamie Becks books, and I'm a huge fan. Her writing style sucks me in, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
Books dealing with grief are not my favourite, especially when it is one of the main themes in a story. However, with this said I still enjoyed this book. It has a lot going on, and the story was really interesting.
Colby Cabot-Baxter lost her husband 2 years ago and has never recovered. It's not because he was the love of her life, or she can't imagine life without him. She can't get over the circumstances surrounding his death. Growing up she has always been close with the boys next door, Joe and Alec. Her husband and Joe were involved in an incident that leads to both of their deaths. Joe accidentally kills himself taking part in a stupid dare, and Mark, her husband committed suicide as an after effect. Colby's relationship with Alec became non-existent, and they both lost everything. 2 years later they are both ready to try, and fix their life's and families. Colby starts a restaurant, and her brother hires Alec as the head chef. They need to work together to save them both.
4 stars out of 5. *ARC received, however, I read this book view Kindle Unlimited* I've read all of Jamie Becks books, and I'm a huge fan. Her writing style sucks me in, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
October 31, 2017
I want to thank Jamie Beck, author and Goodreads First Reads Giveaway for my eBook copy of Before I Knew that I won in the Giveaway.
Before I Knew is an emotional romance that deals with family left after a tragic accidental death and then another family member taking his life. It has been two year since Colby Cabot-Baxter watched her husband commit suicide and she is taking positive steps to change her life and move on with the opening of A Certain Tea, a new restaurant. Alec Morgan is dealing with his own regrets about his part in both his brother's accident and Mark's suicide and his long-time love for Colby. He is also the new chef for her restaurant.
This sets the plot for the emotional ups and down Alec and Colby find together as they help each other heal and find the loving relationship they both want together. The support of Colby's half sister and her attitude toward life and her brother's loving relationship with his wife bring the family into the story. Humor comes with Colby's mother and her off-the-wall comments and ideas. The main antagonist is Alec's father and his refusal to accept Alec's choice to be a chef and in his eyes Alec's lack of he-man attitudes.
The resolution to all the emotional baggage makes this an excellent story and I am glad I took the time to read it.
Before I Knew is an emotional romance that deals with family left after a tragic accidental death and then another family member taking his life. It has been two year since Colby Cabot-Baxter watched her husband commit suicide and she is taking positive steps to change her life and move on with the opening of A Certain Tea, a new restaurant. Alec Morgan is dealing with his own regrets about his part in both his brother's accident and Mark's suicide and his long-time love for Colby. He is also the new chef for her restaurant.
This sets the plot for the emotional ups and down Alec and Colby find together as they help each other heal and find the loving relationship they both want together. The support of Colby's half sister and her attitude toward life and her brother's loving relationship with his wife bring the family into the story. Humor comes with Colby's mother and her off-the-wall comments and ideas. The main antagonist is Alec's father and his refusal to accept Alec's choice to be a chef and in his eyes Alec's lack of he-man attitudes.
The resolution to all the emotional baggage makes this an excellent story and I am glad I took the time to read it.
August 22, 2017
BEFORE I KNEW is an exceptional first book in Jamie Beck's new series THE CABOT'S. I was heartbroken before the end of chapter one and relished my heart being mended as Ms Beck wove her magic throughout the remainder of the story.
Jamie Beck has a knack for being able to pull a reader into her stories with potent plot lines and magnificently strong, yet flawed characters. These characteristics are certainly present in BEFORE I KNEW and each enhances the story and allows for readers to be totally engaged.
Colby and Alec, the main characters, as well as a host of secondary characters, are suffering from the loss of a friend and a family member. Colby and Alec are especially affected by the losses and are attempting to forge their way forward even though each is burdened with secrets and lies causing overwhelming grief and guilt. I felt the pain of their mistakes as they traveled their own paths towards a second chance life with each other. My tears were real and my happiness boundless as Colby and Alec finally learn the importance of honesty and forgiveness with themselves, each other and their families.
BEFORE I KNEW is a bases clearing home run! Thank you Jamie Beck for and engaging, outstanding read! I look forward to reading more books in THE CABOT'S series.
Jamie Beck has a knack for being able to pull a reader into her stories with potent plot lines and magnificently strong, yet flawed characters. These characteristics are certainly present in BEFORE I KNEW and each enhances the story and allows for readers to be totally engaged.
Colby and Alec, the main characters, as well as a host of secondary characters, are suffering from the loss of a friend and a family member. Colby and Alec are especially affected by the losses and are attempting to forge their way forward even though each is burdened with secrets and lies causing overwhelming grief and guilt. I felt the pain of their mistakes as they traveled their own paths towards a second chance life with each other. My tears were real and my happiness boundless as Colby and Alec finally learn the importance of honesty and forgiveness with themselves, each other and their families.
BEFORE I KNEW is a bases clearing home run! Thank you Jamie Beck for and engaging, outstanding read! I look forward to reading more books in THE CABOT'S series.
August 8, 2017
I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
An emotional and heart wrenching story from the first page to the last. Ms. Beck brought together well developed characters that told a story in a heartfelt and compelling manner.
The character of Colby is one of a woman trying to find her place in the world after the tragic death of one of her closest childhood friends and her husband's suicide. Her emotional state is fragile at the beginning but you can see her slowly regain her confidence and strength of purpose. She doesn't always get it right, but even failing is part of learning.
Alec is the brother of her childhood friend and has been secretly in love with Colby since they were teens. He harbors guilt about the accident that took his brother and the circumstances leading up to the death of Colby's husband. His childhood left him emotionally scared in such a way that he tends to accept blame for wrongs that laid at his doorstep, warranted or not.
Each character in this book shows the great depth of soul and heart as Colby and Alec try to piece together their lives again.
~~Wicked Reads Review Team~~
An emotional and heart wrenching story from the first page to the last. Ms. Beck brought together well developed characters that told a story in a heartfelt and compelling manner.
The character of Colby is one of a woman trying to find her place in the world after the tragic death of one of her closest childhood friends and her husband's suicide. Her emotional state is fragile at the beginning but you can see her slowly regain her confidence and strength of purpose. She doesn't always get it right, but even failing is part of learning.
Alec is the brother of her childhood friend and has been secretly in love with Colby since they were teens. He harbors guilt about the accident that took his brother and the circumstances leading up to the death of Colby's husband. His childhood left him emotionally scared in such a way that he tends to accept blame for wrongs that laid at his doorstep, warranted or not.
Each character in this book shows the great depth of soul and heart as Colby and Alec try to piece together their lives again.
~~Wicked Reads Review Team~~
May 4, 2018
Before I knew is the first book in the Cabot Family Series. This was my first book by this author and maybe my last. I have a difficult time giving poor reviews but this was one heck of a story.
Plagued by the suicide of a mentally unstable husband and the tragic death of a dear friend, Colby doesn't know how to move on; She's quit her job of an attorney to run her own restaurant only to be forced to work with her late friend's brother, Alec.
Honestly, I read about 10 pages and already thought "what am I reading," but since this was marketed as a romance, I figured this was just an introduction of sorts, WRONG! The entire novel was about insecurities and mistrust, lack of judgement and/or unsuccessful fertilization... every single character in this book had some sort of issue and to top it off, two of the characters with a heavy presence were dead- one committed suicide and the other jumped off a cliff on a dare. If you're expected a light-hearted novel, move along. This badboy will catapult you into a giant cloud of doom with the excess emotional drama. Definitely do not recommend.
Plagued by the suicide of a mentally unstable husband and the tragic death of a dear friend, Colby doesn't know how to move on; She's quit her job of an attorney to run her own restaurant only to be forced to work with her late friend's brother, Alec.
Honestly, I read about 10 pages and already thought "what am I reading," but since this was marketed as a romance, I figured this was just an introduction of sorts, WRONG! The entire novel was about insecurities and mistrust, lack of judgement and/or unsuccessful fertilization... every single character in this book had some sort of issue and to top it off, two of the characters with a heavy presence were dead- one committed suicide and the other jumped off a cliff on a dare. If you're expected a light-hearted novel, move along. This badboy will catapult you into a giant cloud of doom with the excess emotional drama. Definitely do not recommend.
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