Those who think they know me would tell you I’m a caring mother, a loyal friend, and a dutiful wife. They’d say the golden path which led me here is the road every little girl dreams of taking. However, the guise of my happy existence has come to be just that—an illusion. A mask of contentment intended for the world to believe. Not many years into my marriage, I became an abandoned housewife to … abandoned housewife to an adulterous husband. A proud, but sad, mother of two beautiful daughters.
My days were spent somewhere lost between empty and alone.
Then he came back. Mason Cole offered a second chance to share the life we were supposed to have together. He gave me a glimpse of myself. The woman I’d forgotten long ago.
My road to hell was paved with good intentions. But sometimes good intentions get lost amidst a heart’s desire.
At least mine did.
Now I’ll tell you why.
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Keep Happy by A.C. Bextor
Rated 5 stars
This story shocked the heck outta me! I wasn’t expecting to be completely enthralled. I thought..ho hum.. another poor marriage ending in divorce book. That isn’t what this is about. Its about lost love, friendship, strength and new possibilities. There is humor, loss, sexiness and self revelations. Did I love it? Absolutely! Is it full of “feels”? Yes, yes it is!
Katie wasn’t my favorite character at first. She really grew on me until i admired her. I loved her strength and her stubbornness along with her soul. She humored me as a child who then grew into an amazing adult.
Holy smokes! Mason was H-O-T (Piercing blue eyes! Woo Hoo! ) from the beginning and only gets better with age. He is the perfect blend of a Book boyfriend. Harley Riding, curt, a take-charge guy with the looks but he has a softer side when Katie is around. The things Mason says to Katie! Make my stomach flutter and my knees quake. (Swoon Worthy!) I also loved his take on greeting cards! Ha ha I totally agree!
I enjoyed the addition of Katie’s girls. They are the perfect blend of Katie (which i enjoyed). They also provided endless entertainment. For me and the characters.
The story is told from Mason and Katie’s POV. Sometime we are in the past and others in the present. The blend of the two were done perfectly. My only issue was to me the ending seemed kind of abrupt. Not sure where else it could have gone but maybe an epilogue to make me feel more complete with the ending. On the other hand…. I read the “what’s coming next” section. That made me happy to no end! A smile came over my face. Thank You AC Bextor for that!
Keep Happy by A.C. Bextor is a story M about second chances. It shows that not everything is always as it seems.
What would you do if everyone thought you had the perfect life? Would you spoil the illusion or reinforce the image?
Katie chose to let everyone believe the lie. She let everyone thing that her marriage and her life is everything you would hope for. And yet behind closed doors she was hiding a multitude of secrets.
But when Mason comes back into her life things begin to change. She is shown glimpses of what she had and what could have been. And Katie begins to wonder if the life she has it as set in stone as she always believed.
I found this to be a really heartwarming story. It is the first book I have read by A.C. Bextor but I liked the writing style. I felt sympathetic towards Katie and found myself wanting better for her. The disconnect she felt with her life was believable and relatable. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Katie and Mason’s lives intertwine for years. They gave something that grows from young friendship to deep friendship to love. They were torn apart by Mason’s terrible home circumstances, and life continue on for Katie…or did it? She is a shell. Her marriage …or lack thereof, has been over for some time, but for the sake of their children she and Thomas stay together. They think they are doing the right thing, but they don’t realize at what cost. Katie takes a journey to slowly rediscover and live for what makes HER happy. And that happy is Mason. He has not ever gotten over Katie. They rediscover each other and how they can move on together…which is fantastic.
This book does flash back at times, but the author does it in a way that make sense and doesn’t dwell on the past… I am candidly not a fan of flashbacks, but these are well placed and make sense. All in all a good read! I would read the next one in the series.
Definitely going to be in my top 10 reads of the year! This is my first book by AC Bextor and I couldn’t put it down and now I am definitely going through a book hang over. Excited to read the next one.
Keep Happy
By: A.C. Bextor
5 out of 5 stars
The story Keep Happy by A.C. Bextor is a wonderful romance book. It is a story about two people who fell in love with each other and how even though they had an amazing bond their lives each took a different path. Their attraction and intense feelings for each other have never changed. Will they get a second chance together? This is a story that hooked me in from the very beginning and I didn’t want to put down until I had finished the last page. It had my emotions going up and down all throughout the book. There are times what I read had me frustrated, sometimes angry at situations that are happening, however, there is also the warm feeling that I get reading about two people I felt are meant to be together. I was always rooting for them to get an HEA. I loved the character of Mason Cole. He is a handsome man and he can have any woman that he wants. All he has ever wanted is one. Mason was a troublemaker when he was younger however now he is someone that helps out in the community through the job that he has and also volunteer work. The woman that Mason is in love with lives a life that is lonely and the face she wears hides what she truly feels. She is proud of her two daughters however you can tell that she doesn’t have the life that she has always wished for. What does the future hold for these two? This story is told from a duel point of view. It has plenty of steamy scenes that makes the temperature in the room rise. Have a cold glass of ice water ready. I highly recommend this book. I have read other books by this author and have never been disappointed with any of them. I can’t wait to read what she writes next.
Mason Allen Cole stole my heart as soon as he appeared on the page of my ereader. Like Katie Dyer, the heroine of AC Bextor’s story, I was intrigued with the apparent bad boy with a caring heart. I won’t lie; this story blew me away. Ms. Bextor’s style breaks through the typical lost love trope. The reader glimpses the couple from their first meeting, through their separation, and eventually to their HEA. It’s a long, tortured road for both of them but the journey leads to a more than satisfying HEA.
Teenage girls often crush on boys a bit older. Little does Katie know, the young man she drooled over while building their pool one summer would repeatedly impact her future. Throughout her teen years, she has experiences with Mason that cement their attraction to each other. However, while Mason has the same pull, he won’t cross the line until Katie is of age.
As a couple they are each other’s reason to breathe, however the situation that Mason lives in is less than ideal and eventually he is forced to leave his soul mate.
Errors in judgment are made, responsibilities arise, and doing the right thing becomes an obligation to live a life that revolves around someone besides the love they both need.
There is so much emotion and passion in this story; it’s hard to not reveal spoilers. Everyone knows a woman like Katie Dyer. A woman who is held in stasis by her loyalty and circumstances she feels she has no control over. Existing, but not really living the life she was meant for. Living a life of obligation rather the life she imagined.
Katie is a strong woman; there is no doubt about that. She loves fiercely and her children are her crowning achievements. She’s beautiful, smart, and loving, even in betrayal. While her daughters are polar opposites they are great characters. Amelia is quiet and introspective, while Averie is outrageous and funny as hell. Almost a reboot of her mother in her teen years.
Mason is the man every woman dreams of loving: handsome, strong, protective, and deep in his soul loyal to his heart. A man of few words, when he speaks you had better listen because it’s important. The circumstances he grew up in were less than ideal, and he endured them longer than he might have if not for his love of Katie Dyer.
This book is full of heart. It has it all: love, loss, passion, angst, suspense, and humor. I look forward to more books like this from AC Bextor