Three Chicks and Their Books: Review Blitz: Torrid Affair by Callie Anderson

Cover Design: Sarah Hansen/Okay Creations

Release Date: September 13, 2016

Synopsis

I’m fucked.

The life I have lived for the past ten years is built solely on lies and secrets.

But I can’t help myself.

I’m in love with two different men. And one of them is my brother-in-law.

He’s my drug. My fire. My addiction.

But he’s married to my best friend. And I’m married to my husband.

I’m not ashamed. I have no guilt.

None.

I’m not fucked. I’m a fucked up person.

This is the story of how I ruined my life.

And the life of the one I loved most.

4.5 Stars
Review by Lisa Kane

Callie Anderson has put about a million warnings out there that this book has cheating. So if you can't handle that, do yourself a favor and read something else. Having said that, if you're still on this crazy train then dive into the shark infested waters with me!

Brielle is looking at her life and wonders how she got where she is-married to an abusive husband and at the end of her rope. She had such big plans for her life but instead of pursuing art she's worked dead end jobs. Her hopes of finishing college just didn't pan out and her life is one big mess of settling instead of living. But she can't do that anymore, her husband needs help and there is only one person who can get him the help he needs.

If I could go back and find that one crack, that first chip, the one that ultimately broke us...

Ten years ago, Brielle was in college along with her best friend Delaney. Brielle's always been the serious one, and Delaney's the gorgeous girl who turns all the guy's heads. Brielle meets a hot guy by way of a coveted parking spot and things seem like they may be heating up for them.

I opened my mouth to wish him goodnight but he leaned in. Half of his lips captured half of mine and I closed my eyes, hoping he would kiss me. But instead, he pulled away. A grin grew on his face and I felt my eyebrows furrow.
"That's half a kiss." His thumb brushed along my bottom lip. "Now you'll have to go out with me again to get the other half."

Delaney, meanwhile wants Brielle to go to a football game with her. She has a guy that she's interested in too. Um...I'm starting to get that weird feeling in my stomach. Something bad's gonna happen at this game...There just may be more action at this game off the field than there is on it right now.

I tried to apologize, but she shot me down and didn't let me explain. This wasn't the type of man I was.
Okay, maybe that was a lie.
But I liked Brielle.

Brielle is crushed and pissed and feels like she was being played. Brielle's done. She can't believe she was so stupid. Nate tries to say he's sorry over and over but meanwhile, he starts a relationship with Delaney. As in she spends the weekend at his place.

Nate introduces them to Julian. He and Brielle hit it off and they start going out. Nate is none to happy but he has no right to say anything. But Julian doesn't give her that butterfly feeling in her stomach. She just can't get over Nate. (These four spend way too much time together and the "things" Brielle hears between Nate and Delaney would make me sick) But there is something between Nate and Brielle and he wants to make things right.

It didn't matter how many times I tried to focus on Delaney.
All I wanted was Brielle.

Enter angst. Introduce drama. Say hello to heart break. Just when things look like they are going to work out for Brielle and Nate, fate throws a curve ball and that bitch is going to take no prisoners. Life changes on a dime, Brielle is shattered and Nate is forced to make a choice. He makes the WRONG choice. Nate's decision (I wanted to head bang this idiot at this point of the story) sets off a whole chain of events. Who marries who, who settles for less than they deserve. Who gives up happiness.

Me: It's not fair to ask, but please, Nate. Pick me. Don't stay with her. She will never love you like I do. Come back to me.
Nate: I can't.

It's ten years later and Brielle is about to come face to face with her past. I'm stopping at this point, because the whole rest of the story is based on what happens next. I can't quite wrap my head around Nate's decision. I hate when the main male character pushes away the heroine and leaves things unsaid. That always leads to conflict and tears and regrets. Torrid Affair is no exception. There is some consolation in knowing that Nate was more than aware he made the wrong choice, but all their lives would have been so different had he just questioned things more, had he just thought things out.

"Ten years ago I had a choice to make, you or her. You begged me to choose you and I didn't. For ten years I've lived with the wrong choice."

But the die is cast and four lives are about to intersect for the first time in a decade. Will Brielle ever find the happiness she lost so many years ago?

The few seconds we were able to spend together healed years of pain. And I'd rather have those few seconds than nothing at all.

I devoured this story, after reading Callie's Love Letters series, I was worried. This is a woman who does things to her main characters that authors rarely do-so I had good reason to be scared. The cheating is a non-issue for me-if it fits and it feels right I have no problem with it.

He had a wife and a kid.
I had a husband.
He was my brother-in-law.
It was wrong.
It was so wrong.
But it felt too fucking good.

Characters don't always do what we want them to-they break our hearts and scar our souls with their poor decisions, but if they didn't then where would be the great stories?

"When I kiss you, you'll kick your feet up and we will hold hands as we run toward the sunset."