bookgirl0925's review
3.0
3.5 Stars
I really enjoyed this book. It is a total remake of Sweet Home Alabama but that's ok because I loved that movie. I had an instant soft spot for Canaan Ford, something about a broken man just makes my heart beat a little faster. The book title is a bit deceiving because Canaan is not Maggie's ex but her still legal husband and there were really no "benefits" to speak of in that sense. I will admit that I didn't care for Maggie and didn't really think she deserved Canaan. Instead of staying and working through what was wrong, she took the easy road and left to start a new life leaving him behind to pick up the pieces and care for her grandmother. She wasn't in all those years concerned for him and worried about the destructive path he was on? He was still her husband and she just gave up on him too easily.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a total remake of Sweet Home Alabama but that's ok because I loved that movie. I had an instant soft spot for Canaan Ford, something about a broken man just makes my heart beat a little faster. The book title is a bit deceiving because Canaan is not Maggie's ex but her still legal husband and there were really no "benefits" to speak of in that sense. I will admit that I didn't care for Maggie and didn't really think she deserved Canaan. Instead of staying and working through what was wrong, she took the easy road and left to start a new life leaving him behind to pick up the pieces and care for her grandmother. She wasn't in all those years concerned for him and worried about the destructive path he was on? He was still her husband and she just gave up on him too easily.
greylandreviews's review
4.0
4.5 stars
ARC provided for honest review
Sept 19th
MORE PLEASE!!! I forgot how much I love Williams stories. There so damn addicting! Plus with second chance romance (I'm a sucker for them). I loved Maggie and Canaan's story so much and I just want more and more.
ARC provided for honest review
Sept 19th
MORE PLEASE!!! I forgot how much I love Williams stories. There so damn addicting! Plus with second chance romance (I'm a sucker for them). I loved Maggie and Canaan's story so much and I just want more and more.
Spoiler
There is cheating in this book.rockchick's review
3.0
Canaan and Maggie's story was a fun read.
It deals with serious issues but the angst level was tolerable.
Canaan and Maggie where high school sweethearts and they got married because Maggie was pregnant.
She lost the baby and Canaan as well. He didnt cheat on her , he just checked out emotional. He dealt with the loss by drinking and fighting. It wasn't until Maggie left him that he realized his mistake.
The story is told from Maggie's POV. We feel her pain but also determination to get out of a bad situation. She was married but alone. So she left and sought a better life for herself.
Years later Maggie returned and she met a whole new , but also familiar , Canaan.
I enjoyed the book. Maggie has feelings for Canaan but is unable to trust him as before. She reminds him of the broken promises and vows.
But Canaan isn't deterred. He owns up to his mistakes and works hard to convince Maggie he is a better man. That this time around, he will not fail her.
Exes with Benefits is a great second chance romance and the authors best work till date.
kara_hildebrand's review
5.0
Nicole Williams is one of my go-to-authors. I've been a fan for years and she's hasn't disappointed me! She's constantly coming up with fresh ideas, interesting plots and sexy, likeable characters. Exes with Benefits is her new gem. It's an epic second chance romance. Childhood friends who become teenage lovers and marry at eighteen. It ended before it really began and heartbreak sent Maggie running from her husband, her family, her friends and her home. Five years later she's back to serve Canaan divorce papers. She's made a name for herself in Chicago and she just wants him to sign the papers and get back to her life. But he has other ideas. He's her husband and he's not letting her go without a fight. He agrees to sign them if she give him one month. Just one month of dating and spending time together and if she wants to leave, he'll let her go. Canaan isn't the same man he was when Maggie left. He's changed. A lot. He's not the angry teenager with a chip on his shoulder, he just needs to prove to Maggie that she's always been the one. Maggie doesn’t have time for this. She has a life and a career she loves, but she can't bring herself to say no to Canaan. They didn’t' work out before, so why would they now. Canaan is even sexier than he was. The grease and coveralls just add to his appeal, damn him! Maggie is learning that he's not the same man. He's calmer. Sexier. Sweeter. And determined to keep her. Is she strong enough to hold her ground? Will Canaan and his charm show her they are meant to be together forever? I loved this story! OMG! Canaan is perfection. Pure perfection. Yes, at the beginning I wanted to smack him upside his head, but he's grown up, matured and has the words and actions that Maggie needs. She just has to let go of the past and look at her future. This is an emotional story with a lot of past baggage and current obstacles and I was honestly worried that I was going to have to curse Nicole! But I knew she would never let me down. Overall, it's an emotional story filled with sexiness, humor, sadness, redemption, second chances and sweet words. I already want more of Canaan!
"You're a married woman, Maggie."
"My husband forfeited his rights years ago."
"He's here to reclaim them."
Damn. Canaan was in his mechanic jumpsuit, but he has shrugged out of the top half and tied the arms around his waist, leaving nothing to cover his upper half except a thin white tank painted to his skin and a whole mess of grease streaked everywhere else.
"Because you can't write a great love story without a tragedy to overcome. Because that's when love's proved. Not when life's easy, but when it's so damn hard you can barely breathe."
"We are wrong for each other in all the right ways, Canaan Ford."
"You're a married woman, Maggie."
"My husband forfeited his rights years ago."
"He's here to reclaim them."
Damn. Canaan was in his mechanic jumpsuit, but he has shrugged out of the top half and tied the arms around his waist, leaving nothing to cover his upper half except a thin white tank painted to his skin and a whole mess of grease streaked everywhere else.
"Because you can't write a great love story without a tragedy to overcome. Because that's when love's proved. Not when life's easy, but when it's so damn hard you can barely breathe."
"We are wrong for each other in all the right ways, Canaan Ford."
star_sapphire's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
books4dayswithrobyn's review
5.0
Yes yes yes!
Nicole Williams has to be one of my favourite authors and she's wrote some of my favourite books and this one is up there witht he best!
I absolutely love love loved it!
Canaan and Maggie have a murky past that really tugs at your heartstrings, so many things have happened that really is just a case of either wrong timing or just a bad case of events that are out of their control.
This book isn't what i expected but it also is at the same time. Nicole put her own spin to the classic falling love again with your ex.
Canaan i absolutely loved him! I haven't got a bad word against him, he's had a rough time with alot of things and he does what he thinks is right, obviously what is right isn't always the best for everyone but it was tough and really well put together after his own heartbreak.
Maggie i liked her and i didn't.
I liked her because she's a well written character and you really feel her but i didn't like her because some of her actions effect my precious Canaan and i just wanted to shake some sense into her!
I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for this book, possibly from when Nicole first mentioned about it but damn it really didn't disappoint!
It. Was. Everything and more!
💜💋
Nicole Williams has to be one of my favourite authors and she's wrote some of my favourite books and this one is up there witht he best!
I absolutely love love loved it!
Canaan and Maggie have a murky past that really tugs at your heartstrings, so many things have happened that really is just a case of either wrong timing or just a bad case of events that are out of their control.
This book isn't what i expected but it also is at the same time. Nicole put her own spin to the classic falling love again with your ex.
Canaan i absolutely loved him! I haven't got a bad word against him, he's had a rough time with alot of things and he does what he thinks is right, obviously what is right isn't always the best for everyone but it was tough and really well put together after his own heartbreak.
Maggie i liked her and i didn't.
I liked her because she's a well written character and you really feel her but i didn't like her because some of her actions effect my precious Canaan and i just wanted to shake some sense into her!
I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for this book, possibly from when Nicole first mentioned about it but damn it really didn't disappoint!
It. Was. Everything and more!
💜💋
ness11's review
4.0
*ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review*
4.5 "One month" Stars!
'Exes with Benefits' was an emotional and consuming second chance romance. A story about young love and marriage. About the resilience it takes to make a relationship work. And if love is ultimately the answer, or if it's better to just walk away.
It's been five years since Maggie left behind the life she had and never looked back. But now with an unfortunate situation, Maggie finds herself returning to the small town of Farmington, Missouri. Farmington holds a lot of memories for Maggie, but also a lot of heartbreak. It's also the one place she didn't think she'd ever step foot in again. And when she comes face-to-face with Canaan, the husband she left behind when she left, it brings back all the reasons why she left.
Canaan and Maggie met at a young age. When Maggie needed a friend, Canaan was always there. They fell in love and married at eighteen. Unforeseen things happen in their lives that start pulling them away from each other. Canaan spends his nights fighting and drinking and causes Maggie to slip away. She can't take it anymore and does the one thing she knows she has to do. She leaves.
Canaan tugged at my heart. He was such a complex character. There was so many layers to him. He knows he messed up when it came to Maggie. He would do anything for her to take him back. It took her leaving for him to finally realize what he had. And he will do whatever it takes to win her back. All he wants is a second chance. A second chance to show her that it was always her, and that all the love he felt for her hasn't gone away.
“You fight for what’s important. That’s the way life is. And you are worth every fight I have in me.”
Will Canaan convince Maggie to give them another chance? Can Canaan show Maggie that they're right for each other? Can love conquer all? Well, you have to read the book to find out.
4.5 "One month" Stars!
'Exes with Benefits' was an emotional and consuming second chance romance. A story about young love and marriage. About the resilience it takes to make a relationship work. And if love is ultimately the answer, or if it's better to just walk away.
It's been five years since Maggie left behind the life she had and never looked back. But now with an unfortunate situation, Maggie finds herself returning to the small town of Farmington, Missouri. Farmington holds a lot of memories for Maggie, but also a lot of heartbreak. It's also the one place she didn't think she'd ever step foot in again. And when she comes face-to-face with Canaan, the husband she left behind when she left, it brings back all the reasons why she left.
Canaan and Maggie met at a young age. When Maggie needed a friend, Canaan was always there. They fell in love and married at eighteen. Unforeseen things happen in their lives that start pulling them away from each other. Canaan spends his nights fighting and drinking and causes Maggie to slip away. She can't take it anymore and does the one thing she knows she has to do. She leaves.
Canaan tugged at my heart. He was such a complex character. There was so many layers to him. He knows he messed up when it came to Maggie. He would do anything for her to take him back. It took her leaving for him to finally realize what he had. And he will do whatever it takes to win her back. All he wants is a second chance. A second chance to show her that it was always her, and that all the love he felt for her hasn't gone away.
“You fight for what’s important. That’s the way life is. And you are worth every fight I have in me.”
Will Canaan convince Maggie to give them another chance? Can Canaan show Maggie that they're right for each other? Can love conquer all? Well, you have to read the book to find out.
jaime_fiction_fangirl's review
4.0
4.5 Stars
This was a fantastic second chance romance. Full of raw emotion and just the right amount of heat, Canaan and Maggie's story was a true testament to real love and never giving up.
Maggie left 5 years ago and never planned to come back. When circumstances force her back into town and she comes face to face with her past and does her best to hold strong. She's there to deal with her Grandma's death and to serve Canaan divorce papers. She wants to leave her past behind her once and for all but she never expects to find a brand man standing in front of her asking for one more chance.
The star of this book for me is definitely Canaan. A bad boy who lost his one true love after some tough circumstances and bad choices, he's spent the better part of 5 years bettering himself to win her back. I can't even tell you how happy I am to see the hero as the one waiting for a second chance to prove himself. I adore that from the very moment Maggie steps back into town he's doing everything he can to show her how he's changed since she's been gone, but takes his time to let her choose him at her own pace. He's not pushy or impatient but he makes it a point to show her instead of just tell her. I fell hard for Canaan and I don't want to get up.
*I received an ARC from the author for voluntary review
*Find this review and more like it at www.fictionfangirls.com
This was a fantastic second chance romance. Full of raw emotion and just the right amount of heat, Canaan and Maggie's story was a true testament to real love and never giving up.
Maggie left 5 years ago and never planned to come back. When circumstances force her back into town and she comes face to face with her past and does her best to hold strong. She's there to deal with her Grandma's death and to serve Canaan divorce papers. She wants to leave her past behind her once and for all but she never expects to find a brand man standing in front of her asking for one more chance.
The star of this book for me is definitely Canaan. A bad boy who lost his one true love after some tough circumstances and bad choices, he's spent the better part of 5 years bettering himself to win her back. I can't even tell you how happy I am to see the hero as the one waiting for a second chance to prove himself. I adore that from the very moment Maggie steps back into town he's doing everything he can to show her how he's changed since she's been gone, but takes his time to let her choose him at her own pace. He's not pushy or impatient but he makes it a point to show her instead of just tell her. I fell hard for Canaan and I don't want to get up.
*I received an ARC from the author for voluntary review
*Find this review and more like it at www.fictionfangirls.com
giulia_arg's review
4.0
3.5 stars
I liked the general plot and Canaan but i really couldn’t stand her, i didn’t connect with her character.
I liked the general plot and Canaan but i really couldn’t stand her, i didn’t connect with her character.