After All Is Said And Done: A Novel of Infidelity, Healing & Forgiveness

I chose this new novel as a pick from kindle. I was surprised how quickly I was drawn into the intriquing lives in Serenity Harbor. There are four main, strong characters, doctors Ethan and Jessica Harrington and Gavin and Sarah Williams but family and friends become involved as questionable foes or friends. As you become involved in the story, you will question the decisions and morals of the team of doctors. Love and honor, betrayal and injustice, jealousy and envy rip through the novel. You must decide what actions are a choice and what decisions are made to live by, FOREVER!

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It was my first time reading this author. She went into detail, gave a backstory and drew you in. This author is a great story teller. 10 stars!!

After All is Said and Done is a powerful story, gripping and unputdownable right from the start. From the opening scene, you are caught up in the drama and the lives of these four characters, watching their joy, pain, anger and depression as though you are viewing it firsthand. Its a fast paced novel, with short bursts of scenes, some only a couple of pages long. It helps to keep the novel moving forward, so you do not even realize how long it is. Even with these brief scenes, you become enthralled with Ethan, angry at Jessica, disgusted with Gavin, and sympathetic to Sarah. There were times when I just wanted to reach out and hug Ethan during his trials... I just couldnt help it. Each character has their flaws and strengths, and you can relate to every one of them as they struggle in life to pick up the pieces and move on. This was such a great tale that I would highly recommend it. I am really looking forward to watching this author grow.

Its rare that all I want to do is read a book. This story drew me in because it was so powerful at its core. I am not even sure how I stumbled upon it. I think I was on a page for one book that said at the bottom people who bought this book also purchased... so I clicked on it and read the description and decided to go for it. Though this story was much longer than most e-books I normally read, I simply couldnt stop until I finished. If I hadnt had to sleep and work, I would have read it straight through. But I still read it every chance I got. When all was said and done, I loved the story. It has some language and a few pretty steamy scenes in it, but it didnt take away from the value of the novel for me. What I loved about the story was how deep it went and how honest it was. Ive never seen a more compelling portrayal of alcoholism and the damage it can do to adults. For the most part I loved all of the characters. There were times when I didnt like some of them at all, but thats like real life. Sometimes we dont like the people we love. And sometimes we just need to know when to walk away and let someone learn the hard way that they need help. The ending was fanstastic and I think it worked well for the story. There are people that are good for us and the relationship is healing. There are some people that are like poison to our souls. Ethans insight about the healing power of forgiveness toward the end was enough to move a reader to tears. I was so glad when he found peace and joy in life again. Some picky little things that drove me nuts were the excessive use of exclamation marks. Any seasoned writer knows that they are not needed most of the time and should be rarely used. If it hadnt been for all of those marks in the story I would not have believed this was the authors first novel. It was very well-written and other that, had few flaws. This story engaged not only my head, but my heart. I was afraid - more like terrified - at times as well as extremely sad about situations that occurred. There were no easy answers, but the author had the characters acting in ways that made sense and fit their situations given their lives and what they knew. More than that, I felt like I knew these people kind of like I knew characters in a soap opera I used to watch many years ago. I often held my breath as they did crazy things that fit the drama of the day and couldnt wait to find out what would happen next. And though the author did not have a pure point of view (in other words there was some head-hopping) she actually did this very well. Its not easy to have multiple viewpoints in a scene and do it well. I am sad that this story ended, but was excited that a prequel is coming out in 2012. Im definitely getting it as I want to know how it all began and I know for sure it will be told well. Hopefully it wont have a thousand question marks in the story, but even if it does, Im sure Ill enjoy it.

Initially, I was drawn to this book because it dealt with alcoholism and unforgiveness. Both are issues that have dramatically affected our family, and the latter is affecting it now. I joined a blog tour to give away a copy of it, and the author did a guest post along with it. After reading her guest post, I knew I had to read this book. I contacted her, and she graciously sent me a copy to review. She warned me about any issues I may find with the book (I cant tell you how much I appreciate it when authors do that), but I was convinced this was a book I was supposed to read. And I am so glad I did! The writing style, plot, and characterization in this book are absolutely exquisite. In the beginning, I struggled to keep the characters straight. (My fault, not the authors). I finally got Gavin, Jessica, Sarah, and Ethan straightened out. Ill let you read the book and figure all that out yourself. I truly feel that this book was very realistic. Sometimes an author will write a book and water down the topics so that there is a happy ending. Belinda Buchanan does not do do this. She handles the issues of infidelity and alcoholism in a way that is real, human, and tragic. And she shows you exactly what bitterness and unforgiveness can do to a person. I am glad that author warned me about the adult portions. Yes, there was some profanity and intimate scenes. Most intimate scenes occurred between married people and did not go into great detail. Practically all profanity was used sparsely and at what most would feel were appropriate moments. I was not nearly as offended as I might have been if the profanity was rampant and incessant. The amazing thing about the characters is that I grew to love Ethan in spite of everything. In fact, I was amazed to discover that through everything (dont want to spoil it for anyone), I still loved him and never stopped. I wanted him to make it, and there were some emotional points. In fact, as I read a good portion of these portions, I was in a classroom with a group of students, and I really forgot where I was! I was not overly aware of what was going on in the class. There were also points that just hit too close to home. I came from an emotionally abusive marriage, and some of the situations very difficult to read. In conclusion, I so wish that those close to me who are struggling with bitterness could learn the lessons that the characters did in the book. They so need to understand that hatred and anger accomplishes nothing if you keep holding onto it. You must let it go. I am very grateful that the author gave me this book for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100 percent mine.

An emotional and different type of story line that is about the aftermath of infidelity. Ethan finds out his wifes affair but forgives Jessica. That is until he finds out that the child, whose conception was after the so called affair. She and Gavin kept up the affair, thus producing a child. Gavin was also married, to Sarah. This was a tormented story that showed how Ethan coped, or not coped. His demons and how he was able to grow and overcome her infidelities. Not an entertaining read. So much hurt. And the adulterous couple didnt seem to get any negative effects toward them It all seemed to focus more on Ethan.

I wasnt sure what to expect from the description of this book. It seemed like it might be a romance book, and since I dont usually read romance, I didnt have a lot of expectations. However, I was pleasantly surprised after just the first couple of chapters. The actual writing is well done, the characters are realistic, and it wasnt hard to imagine this happening in real life instead of in print.

I am not a fast reader, but this book captured my attention immediately, and I finished 654 pages in less than three days. The book is well written and the pages just flowed throughout the entire story. You can find yourself relating to these characters and their real life situations. I was sad when the book ended, because I missed reading about Ethan, Jessica, Gavin, and Sarah. I loved this book, and hope to read more from this author.

I was pleasantly surprised how this new author was able to take such a complex plot and still retain control of all of the characters. This is the story of two families who have been shattered by infidelity ... Ethan and Jessica remained together because she was pregnant - while Sarah and Gavin end up splitting up - the infidelity was between Jessica and Gavin. The plot grows even more complex when Ethans father dies, and he struggles with his own demons concerning his childhood. Of course, with Gavin working with Jessica, and Sarah working with Ethan, there are some serious interpersonal issues that are detailed. If you are looking for a book with intimate scenes, you know youve found it - since the first chapter opens with Gavin and Sarah having sex in his office. In fact, every time the males in the story want to confront an issue or show their love - well, they act like males and go for it. Obviously, it doesnt always work - but hey, a guy can try, cant he? I found the story fast-paced, perhaps a little bit too much at times. But it held together well, and the conclusion made for a good ending. The one thing that was problematic for me was the fact that while spell-check was used, it does not catch misused words - homonyms. Peaked vs. piqued, poured vs. pored, youre vs. your, self-conscience vs. self-conscious. I tend to be a bit anal, and I tripped over these every time they happened. So, I deducted a star for that. Otherwise, I did enjoy the book.

The story is a little unbelievable: that a man (Ethan), would want so much to stay with an unfaithful wife (Jessica) who bore the child (Ryan) of another man (Gavin). Ethan seems to be more condemned for his reaction to the deceit and betrayal than Jessica and Gavin are for having the affair. Ethan is taunted and belittled at work by Jessicas and Gavins comments and confrontations. Their flirting at the company Christmas party drives Ethan to create a disturbance there with both of them. Eventually Ethan is confined to the hospital psych ward through the conspiracy of his sister, Renee, and the hospital staff. Of course his adulterous wife and her cousin, Grace, are assigned to be his doctors and they torment him with humiliating examinations and force-feeding. Jessica is especially cruel by bringing their son, which was fathered by Gavin, to visit Ethan to further remind him what he has lost and her contempt for him. In the end there is no comeuppance for Jessica and Gavin who seem to have had all their desires fulfilled and, I suspect, later on get married and have a family with their son. The hospital staff all go on with their lives while Ethan is left to rebuild from the devastation that has befallen him. He marries Sarah (the other discarded spouse in this love quadrangle) and they move to England. I guess I was expecting more of a story about someone excising a cancer from their life and moving on & moving up. It just did not satisfy me that way.