Review: Contrite by Kathy Coopmans

What happens when the man you’re married to isn’t the man you married anymore? Clove Calloway knows within an hour of picking up her husband Turner from the airport that something is different. Yet she can't pin point what. Together since College, they know everything about each other. So why has she spent the last few days watching everything he does, hoping for a clue? What could have happened within that week he was gone?
One way or another she's going to find out.
When Clove invests in the help of her brother Zack, a police detective, she’s afraid her suspicions of infidelity will be confirmed. Terrified that such news will crush her heart, she sets about preparing for the worst.
Only to find it's much more than she could have imagined—there is no other woman.
Clove’s life is about to descend into a web of deceit, lies and betrayal.
Appearances can be deceiving… and only the Master Manipulator will be left standing.
“The eyes only see what the mind is prepared to comprehend.” – Henri Bergson 

5 Fantastic Stars!

Review by Jen Hagen 

I have no words…No words at all…I am thrown up against the wall with my mouth hanging wide open after completing this book.  Here’s my dirty little secret – I almost always skip to the ending of a book to find out how it ends; but every once in a while I like torture myself and read a book without knowing how it is going to end.  I made up my mind that I was going to go in blind with this book and take myself on the wild ride from the first page all the way through to the end.  I never expected what was thrown at me.   How do I even begin to write about this book without giving away the plot?  I’ll try my best…

Clove and Turner have been together for 8 years and are business partners in an accounting firm.  They are together so much that every characteristic, physical attributes and nuances are fully memorized.  Any variation of these would be noticeable almost immediately by the other person.  After Turner returns from a week-long business trip, Clove can sense something is different.

The man staring back at me doesn’t look like the same man who left me a week ago.  No.  This man has a blank expression on his face; his eyes are as vacant as they come.  

Clove immediately thinks that Turner has cheated on her.  Why else would there be a change in his demeanor?   Everything continues on in their lives as if nothing is different – going to work, carrying on with their routines, and having dinner with her brother and his family.  The only noticeable change in Turner’s behavior is his more aggressive sexual behavior.  Clove is torn between embracing the change in his sexual aggressions or to be concerned for the reason behind it. (Note:  These “dirty” little escapades are quite steamy!)

But even though the lower half of my body enjoyed his dirty talk, the upper half that holds my heart is desperate to know why the hell his unfamiliar, foul words leave me with such desire for him to do exactly what he said he wanted to do. 

Clove is desperate to find out what Turner is hiding.  It helps that her brother is a detective.  With his expertise and credentials, he is able to unveil the first of many twists in this story that will have your stomach plummeting. 

“Is he cheating on me?”

“It’s worse, Clove.  Much worse.”

The way he looks at me tells me whatever his news is, it’s going to rip me to shreds.

  

Clove needs to carry on with her life as if nothing has changed.  She cannot let it slip that she knows the secret.  This is where you will be wrangling with your emotions over what is right and what is wrong.  Clove is doing what is expected of her and even though she knows it’s wrong, she has to do it – everything depends on her keeping herself in check and playing the game.  Her devotion to Turner is clear that she will sacrifice anything to prove her love for him. 

I am locked in my own personal jail and I will never be free.  Every waking second makes me hate the person that I have become more. 

As the truth is slowly unraveled, you will be forming your own conclusions.  You will be switching out your hypothetical endings after every page turn.  You will be wondering who to believe.  You will be bamboozled. You will never ever anticipate what the ending will bring.

“Look at me!  Look at what you have done!  You have destroyed me.  I’m broken beyond repair.”

This is my first book that I have read of Ms. Coopmans and she has left an indelible impression on me. I will add her to my list of authors not to miss.  I do need to tell you that this book may not be suitable for all readers.  There may be a few triggers, and the sex scenes may be bothersome because of the circumstances.  I hope I didn’t give away anything with that warning, but I feel the need to allow the reader to make their decision based on what they consider tolerable.