Time for
Love series, book 1
New Adult Contemporary Romance
Released March 2014
Description:
Is
eight weeks enough time to earn back the love of someone you've betrayed...the
only one you've ever loved?
Shelly
has been in love with Cal since they started dating in eleventh grade. Despite
everyone saying that the odds were against them, they got married after
graduation and built a life together. Now, six years later, she is faced with
the ultimate betrayal. Devastated, her first instinct is to call it quits…
After
a drunken binge at his best friends’ bachelor party, Cal betrays the one person
who has always been there for him, his wife, Shelly. Terrified and realizing
she might divorce him, Cal must come up with a way to prove to her that his
love is true…
Cal
asks Shelly for eight weeks. Eight weeks to convince her that their marriage is
worth the fight. Will Shelly be able to trust him again, or will their marriage
end the way many others do when faced with opposition… In divorce?
About the Author
Award-Winning
Author Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011. Since then she has
published various YA and NA books. She is a lover of romance, family, and
friends, and enjoys incorporating those things in what she writes. When she
isn't reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and
children, traveling whenever possible.
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My thoughts:
I'm not big into reading stories that focus on infidelity in a marriage, but this book is different in that the incident has already taken place when the book starts, and Cal is immediately remorseful about what happens. He knows it's something he could never keep from Shelly, not matter how much it would break her heart, yet when he tells her the story, he's unprepared for her reaction of immediately wanting to file for divorce. He manages to persuade Shelly from filing right away by getting her to agree to give him 8 weeks to prove how much they love each other and that he wants to make their marriage work. Over the course of 8 weeks, Shelly learns what it's like to finally live on her own, and Cal discovers that the changes Shelly has gone through since their separation are a result of things she had always wanted, but didn't think he would approve of. Cal is hurt by that knowledge bomb because he loves for who and what she is, and would always feel that way about her, no matter what physical modifications she wants. On each of their 8 dates, Cal is ready to step outside his comfort zone and try to do some of the things Shelly likes to do (like attempt to sing Karaoke) and going to the ballet, and he also encourages her out of her comfort zone by taking her ziplining; he also manages to recreate a couple of important memories of their dates from when they were in high school. But will all of that be enough to salvage their marriage?
For the most part, the author did a good job on the cast of characters in the book, this was one of the few times where the circle of friends isn't taking any one side, they all want to see Cal and Shelly get back together, and that to me is a great support system (even for a fictional book). You could really feel how much Cal loves Shelly and how remorseful he is, but I just didn't feel that connection with Shelly. I can't say with certainty if I would respond the same way she did when Cal told her the truth, but I felt she was extremely quick to the jump the gun and end the marriage on the spot; she was quick fast in a hurry to throw the word divorce around. Maybe once I'd calm down, I'd be willing to do what it would take to see if the marriage is worth saving, but I wouldn't immediately go put the house on the market and move out within two weeks' time. But who knows, if that did happen to me in real life, I might have a Waiting to Exhale moment.
Again, a decent read with a good cast of characters, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series to see how that storyline plays out.
Rating: 
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks for taking the time to read and review 8 Weeks!
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