*What Goes Around Comes Around by O.C. Shaw (Lily's story #1)

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A curvaceous 37 year old mother to 18 year old twins following an unplanned pregnancy to her first ever lover Greg while still at university, Lily finds herself lacking in confidence and dissatisfied with her life. Greg, an unsuccessful artist, is resentful of Lily who has managed both the home and income for the family. It manifests in a highly controlling relationship
A spontaneous decision to change her life introduces Lily to James, a handsome and wealthy 42 year old. An instant attraction forms between the pair which becomes increasingly evident and unavoidable. Lily struggles with her conscience when choosing between the men in her life. All choices have consequences and Lily learns that some come at a higher cost than others.

 

A 4.5 rating...

This little debut novel took me by surprise. And, the setting is in one of my favorite places... England.(smile) This was a very emotional and engaging read from start to finish. If you are a woman who understands what it is like to feel like you've given up your identity once the children were born then you will find it easy to connect to the character of Lily. This book also addresses the issue of spousal abuse and at times I wanted to jump into the book and throttle her husband Greg. I still do! He is an angry, controlling and self absorbed man who cares nothing for Lily's needs and wants. Lily feels unloved, ugly and awkward and her self esteem has taken a beating in an 18 yr. empty and loveless marriage. She is overweight and has a distorted view of herself which is also something most of us women can relate too. How many of us are constantly comparing ourselves to what our idea of a perfect body is supposed to be? When you start checking off all of the flaws it's easy to start to believe that you are not attractive or beautiful... and this is where Lily is at the age of 37.
Lily eventually decides to take a brave step forward and she decides to join the local gym. Lily is very clumsy and as she's walking through the door she quite literally falls into the arms of... James... a Rob Lowe look alike! Despite her humiliation she presses forward like a soldier! Through her visits to the gym she forms friendships and a kind of second family and we start to see a small awakening for Lily as she begins to build confidence in herself. Eventually she ends up joining in on a weekend of walks in the Peak District with a group of individuals to raise money for a good cause. During this trip she realizes that she is falling for James. Insert steamy love affair... :)
I am not usually a fan of books or characters that cheat on their spouses. But, in this particular story I was rooting for Lily to find the courage to get out of this abusive and loveless marriage. James was exactly the medicine she needed to start the process of re-discovering herself, her need for passion, and realizing that she doesn't have to just accept her fate as an invisible spouse. This relationship with James gives her courage to finally make that difficult step to ending her marriage. And, I was proud of her for making this decision not because of James but because she knew it was time.
Just when you think that Lily has it all figured out and we're going to have a nice tidy little Happily Ever After ending... events occurred at the end that both surprised and shocked me... and, yes I am itching to find out just where the author will take us in book two. James was keeping a big secret and Greg ends up getting the last word. But, Lily is still hanging on to hope...
What goes around comes around is a great title for this book. It is very much about Karma and my only hope is that karma will come knocking on Greg's door in book two!

Click HERE to read my review of book two!! 

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