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lmrivas54's review
5.0
Reading this story is like being on a train collision course. You know there will be a collision and you know there will a lot of hurt. I read the book in a state of fascination, watching how the author presents an adultery trope and makes it understandable, although heartbreaking.
Gabby and her husband Kyle have recently moved to a spectacular house, right next to the beach, in Hilton Head Island. She used to complain from the cold and dreary weather in New York, where they lived before, and this was her husband’s solution. The problem was that Kyle travels constantly for work, and now Gabby misses her family (parents and brother Ricky, and her best friend Teagan). She feels quite lonely, strangely dissatisfied with her life, and like something is lacking that doesn’t let her feel happy and content.
Enter Marcel Durant, landscape engineer, contracted by Gabby to fix the patio of the house into a lovely garden where Gabby can drink her morning coffee and enjoy the view of the beach. Marcel is a lovely specimen of a man who enjoys the outdoors, very fit, very handsome, and very kind. They’re immediately attracted to each other, and can’t help doing some flirting.
“He is so perfect—everything I’ve always wanted in a man. Too bad he can never be mine.”
Gabby is in a conflict; she feels attracted to Marcel, she feels lonely, and her husband is acting like a jerk. Moreover, everyone is telling her that her husband is a jerk, treats her like dirt, and she deserves much better. There’s this yearning for the attention of a man who will really satisfy her sexually, give her the attention she desires, in direct conflict with the guilt and a strange loyalty to her husband. Gabby married for comfort and convenience and there’s no real passion involved.
“There is something about a bored, rich housewife. They’re lonely creatures. All they want to do is talk”
Marcel is pushy and demanding, Gabby is torn by her attraction and need, the the stage is set for the inevitable crash. Although the book is about adultery which is abhorrent, the author makes a good case for why it happens here. There is something about Kyle we don’t like; he seems attentive and dismissive at the same time. He’s not a generous lover, barely pleasing his wife and mostly seeking his own pleasure.
The book ends in a spectacular cliffhanger, where we find surprising information that helps us understand Gabby’s mind-set much better. Now to wait impatiently for the conclusion!
Gabby and her husband Kyle have recently moved to a spectacular house, right next to the beach, in Hilton Head Island. She used to complain from the cold and dreary weather in New York, where they lived before, and this was her husband’s solution. The problem was that Kyle travels constantly for work, and now Gabby misses her family (parents and brother Ricky, and her best friend Teagan). She feels quite lonely, strangely dissatisfied with her life, and like something is lacking that doesn’t let her feel happy and content.
Enter Marcel Durant, landscape engineer, contracted by Gabby to fix the patio of the house into a lovely garden where Gabby can drink her morning coffee and enjoy the view of the beach. Marcel is a lovely specimen of a man who enjoys the outdoors, very fit, very handsome, and very kind. They’re immediately attracted to each other, and can’t help doing some flirting.
“He is so perfect—everything I’ve always wanted in a man. Too bad he can never be mine.”
Gabby is in a conflict; she feels attracted to Marcel, she feels lonely, and her husband is acting like a jerk. Moreover, everyone is telling her that her husband is a jerk, treats her like dirt, and she deserves much better. There’s this yearning for the attention of a man who will really satisfy her sexually, give her the attention she desires, in direct conflict with the guilt and a strange loyalty to her husband. Gabby married for comfort and convenience and there’s no real passion involved.
“There is something about a bored, rich housewife. They’re lonely creatures. All they want to do is talk”
Marcel is pushy and demanding, Gabby is torn by her attraction and need, the the stage is set for the inevitable crash. Although the book is about adultery which is abhorrent, the author makes a good case for why it happens here. There is something about Kyle we don’t like; he seems attentive and dismissive at the same time. He’s not a generous lover, barely pleasing his wife and mostly seeking his own pleasure.
The book ends in a spectacular cliffhanger, where we find surprising information that helps us understand Gabby’s mind-set much better. Now to wait impatiently for the conclusion!
nanoreadsxo's review against another edition
4.0
Overall I enjoyed the two books, the slow burn makes me experience their friendship from the start until the end. Yes it’s messy but I expected that going into this book about the affair and have no regrets. I couldn’t stop reading.
sharshell's review
5.0
**I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.**
This book, HOLY COW, I can't begin to say enough. Shanora Williams killed it.
Gabby and Kyle move into their new home in Hilton while Kyle still works in VA. Gabby loves being by the beach and the new house but she just feels like something is missing. She envisions the perfect patio, hot tub flower area in the backyard. After seeing men working across the street on the neighbors yard she finds out their work is exactly what she's looking for. What she never expected was to find the owner so incredibly sexy.
The chemistry between Gabby and Marcel sizzles off the page! The dynamic of these characters had me routing for them from the first conversation. I can't wait to get book 2! Thank god it's out soon. I have to know what happens next!!
This book, HOLY COW, I can't begin to say enough. Shanora Williams killed it.
Gabby and Kyle move into their new home in Hilton while Kyle still works in VA. Gabby loves being by the beach and the new house but she just feels like something is missing. She envisions the perfect patio, hot tub flower area in the backyard. After seeing men working across the street on the neighbors yard she finds out their work is exactly what she's looking for. What she never expected was to find the owner so incredibly sexy.
The chemistry between Gabby and Marcel sizzles off the page! The dynamic of these characters had me routing for them from the first conversation. I can't wait to get book 2! Thank god it's out soon. I have to know what happens next!!
booklovershangout's review
4.0
Shanora Williams has become a go to author for my favorite forbidden romance. This story is captivating. It pulled me in from page one and I am completely involved in these characters lives. I find myself rooting for specific characters. I don't want to give anything away. All I will say is I need more. I need the next story yesterday, because I am so excited to see what is going to happen next.
bookmaniacforever's review
5.0
⭐️ 5 "Would You Leave Him for Me?" Stars ⭐️
When it comes to Shanora Williams, I always know what to expect with her books and she never fails to captivate me. With The Man I Can’t Have, she starts The Ward Duet in a very convincing way! This story had me completely hooked from the first few pages. I already knew from the blurb that this novel is a forbidden romance with cheating, but this story is truly so much more than that. Gabby and Marcel’s illicit relationship is an exquisite slow burn that starts with friendship and attraction and grows into something meaningful! This couple is simply mesmerizing!
"He has a hold on me - a tight lasso wrapped around me that I can't break free from - and he knows it. We both know it."
Marcel Ward is a hero I won’t forget anytime soon. He’s all maleness and southern charm with confidence and a flirty attitude. He’s also sexy, unapologetic and possessive. Events of his past made him realize that each instant counts and life is too short, so he goes for what he truly wants: Gabby. Marcel knows his pull toward the married woman is special and not one-sided, so he doesn’t relent in his pursuit of her affection. All the little things he does for her are just so sweet and adorable! He surely made me melt!
As for Gabby, she’s also an interesting woman. When she’s with Kyle, her husband, she’s so subdued and missing a certain spark! She seems so lonely. With Mr. Ward though, the dynamic is so different and intense. She’s Miss Gabby, a sassy little thing! She’s lively, amusing and cute. There’s no doubt that I’m rooting for the other man in this love story. Let’s just say that her husband is an ass and all read long I was questioning her reasons to marry him.
I enjoyed the fact that Gabby and Marcel’s actions aren’t all impulsive, but well thought. They don’t jump into sex to quench their carnal desire for each other, but they slowly develop a friendship beforehand. This affair is wrong on society’s standard, but for them this magnetic bond is unquestionable. I adored every single instant they shared going from flirty to funny, to provocative to jealous to passionate and poignant! They’re amazingly beautiful together! Their intimate moments are truly powerful and scorching hot. Did I tell you that Marcel is a dirty talker? One more reason to be team Marcel, ladies!
"I fucking' want you! I want you more than the air I'm fuckin' breathin' right now! Sorry if that shit offends you, but I'm a fuckin' man, and I'm not about to lie to you or myself about how I feel!"
This novel was addictive! Shanora Williams skilfully brought to life charming, alluring protagonists with this exceptional connection I’m always looking for! The feelings The Man I Can’t Have gave me were so powerful and spellbinding! It ends on a cliffhanger that had me so stunned I don’t know how I’ll be able to wait for the sequel! If you love deliciously sexy yet emotional romances, TMICH is really a novel you need in your life!!!
** ARC received in exchange for an honest review **
jdemaere's review against another edition
5.0
On... my.... I can’t even!
I’m so very angry right now that I can’t even deal! Kyle is a piece of crap!
Gabby is sweet and loving... and at first her attraction to Marcel bothered me. But I understand everything now!!
I’m moving on to book two now... I hope Kyle gets what’s coming to him!
I’m so very angry right now that I can’t even deal! Kyle is a piece of crap!
Gabby is sweet and loving... and at first her attraction to Marcel bothered me. But I understand everything now!!
I’m moving on to book two now... I hope Kyle gets what’s coming to him!
amandanomaly's review
4.0
This one and the follow-up were hard to put down! (I read the follow-up in one day.) My only complaint for this one (and that one) is the many, many mentions of types of tables; we don't constantly need to know if a table is a four-top or six-top or high-bar or whatever table. It was distracting and like nails on a chalkboard every time.
nadine_booklover's review
4.0
”Every single one of these kisses are stolen, because I don’t belong to him.”
Another first for me this year. I’ve never read one of Shanora’s books before and again I have to ask myself how did I miss this talented author?
The Man I Can’t have is a book with many layers, but not the obvious ones. You need to pay close attention to every detail.
In an ingenious way Shanora Williams hid hint after hint between the lines, they blended flawlessly into the story so that you didn’t pay them any attention. Only at the end she does make you see. Not only does she open your eyes to the hidden things happening in the story but you can’t help make the comparison to real life. How many things do we not see because they seem “normal”? How often do we miss hints that would give us a clue about what is going on?
”This fire. This forbidden power. The ache that only he can create and take away.”
To be honest, I was quite wary of this book. I’m not into cheating in romance books (neither I am in real life) but I’m very well aware that this is a thing and you can’t avoid being confronted with it or make it disappear just because you don’t want things like that to happen. Because it does. For very different reasons and each person involved needs to deal with it their own way. And each case is different.
This book shows it clear as a blue sky that not everything is black and white. Most things are something in between, a grey zone. Feeling lonely in a marriage/relationship is a real thing. So is staying in that marriage/relationship out of convenience. Everything about this books screams: Open your eyes, THIS is also reality.
”He is so perfect – everything I’ve always wanted in a man. Too bad he can’t never be mine.”
It took me some time to get used to the characters and their connection or lack thereof. It took me some time to connect to the characters, because each of them is complex in their own ways. Even though they might come across as simple, believe me: they are not!
The vibes, why Gabby lent towards Marcel are so relatable, it shocked me a little. And even though I want to say that Gabby comes across as a woman that’s not strong enough to stand up for herself and that she hides behind the fact that she is Kyle’s wife, she is everything but. She is real, her struggle is real and in the end it totally broke me.
Marcel seems to have a six sense, I can't explain it.He's a - by his past - broken soul and his soul recognized Gabby's instantly. This connection is not only obvious but tangible. You feel his struggle to stay away from Gabby in every fiber of yours and you really do get why he's breaking. Why both are breaking, giving in.
”How can a man survive knowing that sad truth? That he fell in love with a woman he can’t even have?”
With The Man I Can't Have, Shanora Williams delivers a story that challenges your fundamental principles. This book is incredibly moving and leaves you hanging with a big bang cliffhanger.
”He isn’t the man I can’t have. He’s the man I’ve always needed.”
Another first for me this year. I’ve never read one of Shanora’s books before and again I have to ask myself how did I miss this talented author?
The Man I Can’t have is a book with many layers, but not the obvious ones. You need to pay close attention to every detail.
In an ingenious way Shanora Williams hid hint after hint between the lines, they blended flawlessly into the story so that you didn’t pay them any attention. Only at the end she does make you see. Not only does she open your eyes to the hidden things happening in the story but you can’t help make the comparison to real life. How many things do we not see because they seem “normal”? How often do we miss hints that would give us a clue about what is going on?
”This fire. This forbidden power. The ache that only he can create and take away.”
To be honest, I was quite wary of this book. I’m not into cheating in romance books (neither I am in real life) but I’m very well aware that this is a thing and you can’t avoid being confronted with it or make it disappear just because you don’t want things like that to happen. Because it does. For very different reasons and each person involved needs to deal with it their own way. And each case is different.
This book shows it clear as a blue sky that not everything is black and white. Most things are something in between, a grey zone. Feeling lonely in a marriage/relationship is a real thing. So is staying in that marriage/relationship out of convenience. Everything about this books screams: Open your eyes, THIS is also reality.
”He is so perfect – everything I’ve always wanted in a man. Too bad he can’t never be mine.”
It took me some time to get used to the characters and their connection or lack thereof. It took me some time to connect to the characters, because each of them is complex in their own ways. Even though they might come across as simple, believe me: they are not!
The vibes, why Gabby lent towards Marcel are so relatable, it shocked me a little. And even though I want to say that Gabby comes across as a woman that’s not strong enough to stand up for herself and that she hides behind the fact that she is Kyle’s wife, she is everything but. She is real, her struggle is real and in the end it totally broke me.
Marcel seems to have a six sense, I can't explain it.He's a - by his past - broken soul and his soul recognized Gabby's instantly. This connection is not only obvious but tangible. You feel his struggle to stay away from Gabby in every fiber of yours and you really do get why he's breaking. Why both are breaking, giving in.
”How can a man survive knowing that sad truth? That he fell in love with a woman he can’t even have?”
With The Man I Can't Have, Shanora Williams delivers a story that challenges your fundamental principles. This book is incredibly moving and leaves you hanging with a big bang cliffhanger.
”He isn’t the man I can’t have. He’s the man I’ve always needed.”