One night. One too many drinks. One mistake. That’s all it took to derail my marriage. Now, all I can do is beg for a second chance. To try and redeem myself in a bid not to lose the love of my life. I’m determined to use every second, every moment I have to show my wife how much she means to me—to rebuild the trust I shattered.But the harder I try, the more I start to realize our marriage had … realize our marriage had fallen into a routine of complacency and misplaced priorities long before my indiscretion.
Isabelle is a strong, passionate, beautiful woman—a wife who has sacrificed so much for me. I just hope it’s not too late for us, and that I’ll be able to convince her that our love is meant to be kept.
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Meant To Be Kept is Ms. Foster’s debut novel and it’s good. Tanner and Izzy are college sweethearts who are now married with children. They’ve fallen into the routine patterns of everyday life and somewhere along the way, they became complacent and status quo. Unfortunately, Tanner makes a huge and regrettable mistake of kissing another woman.
Now it’s Tanner’s mission to right his wrongs and win Izzy back. And boy did he grovel over and over again! I was vested in this story and at one point I felt down right sorry for him. They had to overcome a lot obstacles and I was hopeful that these two could work it out. Ms. Foster did a great job of writing a realistic story and one that readers can relate to. I liked the fact that she gives the reader an in depth look at how Tanner and Izzy’s love story began and where things went wrong throughout their marriage which led to their current situation. It’s a slower paced book but it’s worth it. I’m glad I took a chance on this book!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43549507-meant-to-be-kept
It’s a nice story focusing on issues between a married couple.
This is a wonderful debut romance. It starts with a marriage in trouble. The story, however, is told through brilliantly crafted dual timelines, showing the parallels of the couple’s young love story of the past with their present story–one in which they work to find their way back to each other after one of them (Tanner, the guy) massively screws-up.
Now, one might think in a story like this it’d be hard to love the hero, but the author draws him so well that you are on his side pretty quickly, even if he doesn’t always have a lot of allies and is often his own worst critic. The way he takes on so much and does so much heavy lifting, you understand him cracking and can’t help root for him. You WANT him to have the HEA that he works so hard to deserve.
Izzy, the heroine is also equally nuanced. She’s certainly someone whose side you often take but never a victim and she has a clear arc of her own. You adore her and want good things for her but she’s still very human.
The author does wonderful work with themes of connection and family building. I also love how the story explored the idea that there can’t be all give, that there has to be some take, that you need to demand something for yourself to be a good partner.
And oh, the love between them is also lovely and satisfying. And the side characters! So many awesome ones. One can only hope there will be more books involving some of Tanner’s fabulous younger brothers, each who is clearly his own unique person with a story to live. Just a wonderful read! I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author!
I’ve been sitting here trying to figure just how to review this. No amount of words could do this book justice. It’s heart wrenching emotion shattering, and heart warming. A realistic story about finding love, believing you lost that love to finding that love again and falling in love all over again. This story had me hooked right from page one.
And I was about to embark on a new adventure. A three-book series from an author that I didn’t know a thing about.
What made me take the chance were the blurbs. Not other reviews. It was all the blurb that left me intrigued.
Amelia Foster is a new author to me and I’m envisioning a long journey.
Her writing is sweet, filled with feelings and so much more.
Meant to be Kept is the first book from the Meant to Be series and it explores the lives of Isabelle and Tanner.
These two had the perfect marriage until the day Tanner kissed another woman.
Now she wants him out of her life and he wants a second chance.
But can it be done? Can Izzy forgive and forget?
Sweet book with lots of feelings into the mix.
Great plot, very well written, super engaging, and intense.
It was one chapter after the other that I couldn’t stop reading.
It was perfect to have their story from the beginning and the present as well.
Their struggles were meant to keep us glued to the kindle and it was perfect.
There were parts of the book that I wanted to slap someone… Jeez. Stubborn much??
But then, there were others that I felt sorry for them.
Overall it was a sweet book with a few bumps on the road.
Can wait to start book 2.
This was a good read. There were parts that dragged on a little too long. Tanner made mistakes but so did Izzy on not communicating more.
This book reminded me of the movie Hall Pass, except there’s no actually hall pass granted. Anyways I digress, things definitely get stale after a lot of years together and there being kids involved. However, it does have a HEA, the only downside for me was the very slow burn second half of the book.
This book was superb. This book is the first book I’ve read by author Amelia Foster but I will be reading more in the future. I fell in love with Tanner and Izzy from the very beginning. This book is impossible to put down. This book was about a couple that had been together for twelve years. Dated for four years, married for eight years, and had twins. Their love had to weather a strong storm. Kudos to Amelia for sharing this treasure with us. I highly recommend this book.
One drunken night is all it takes to cause a mirage down a wayward path. Tanner is beside himself when his brother tells him about his escapades the night before and he does the only thing he can, go home and tell his wife what he did. The takes off into POV’s going from their time of meeting to the present. Will he be able to right the wrong and will his Belle forgive him?
We’ve all been there, an incident that happens when we are either drinking too much or not thinking about what we should be doing (or not doing) at a particular point in time. Sometimes we get lucky and have understanding friends and family, and other times it rips at the fabric of our being and all we hold to be true. This is what happened to Izzy/Belle.
This story is told via storylines from the past and the present. I like the varying times because you have a deeper understanding of the characters, their foibles and that not everything is as it seems. The way the story starts you think that you might be siding with Izzy/Belle, but as the story progresses I found myself rooting for Tanner because he wasn’t a bad guy and he should not be penalized for a small transgression. Izzy/Belle is not perfect either and we learn more about her and how she handled various situations in the recent past that are fodder for her actions to this event.
I enjoyed that all of the characters possessed real traits – I didn’t feel like any of them were just filler to round out a story. There were times that Izzy/Belle got on my nerves because of her insecurity and because the situation was really not all Tanner’s fault. But she was real and that is what made the story all that much better.
Tanner made a horrible mistake while away from his wife Izzy. He rushes home to beg for her forgiveness. As expected, Izzy is devastated but agrees to give him until their anniversary to prove that she can trust him again. On this path to forgiveness, Tanner realizes just how much he’s changed prior to his mistake and the tole it’s taken on his family.
I loved this book. The plot and characters are very believable to realistic. In relationships, trust is probably the most important thing besides love. It can take years to build up and only seconds to destroy. I liked the way it was written as well, starting in the present, then back to the past to see how it tied together. I’ve never read a story like this. Very interesting and a nice touch. Tanner’s mistake lead him to reveal more about this other mistakes in the past few years that changed his marriage over the years. Sometimes, that needs to happen in our lives to help us appreciate what we have. Great book!
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a really good read. I enjoyed the simplicity of the storyline, and the way Amelia Foster expressed how couples can grow apart as a result of life and self imposed beliefs, highlighted by Tanner’s transgression.
The love between Tanner and Isabelle was sweet yet saucy, and we can all relate to the insecurities Izzy finds herself succumbing to.
Tanner was a strong character and his love for Izzy shines throughout the whole book.
I look forward to reading more books in the series.
This wonderful and moving love journey of Tanner and Belle is one of true forgiveness, honesty and humbleness. She could have held onto her feelings of anger, hurt and betrayal while he could have kept what happened to himself…even if some of his facts were twisted…but neither of them took the easy way out. I love their saying of “nobody leaves.” Just shows the willingness on both of their parts to be the best they can be…together!!! Can’t wait to see how Mr. Wyatt is finally tamed!!
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Let’s get to it. From the blurb you know there is cheating and for some that is a turn off. Tanner did a not so smart, drunken thing and one would be prepared to hate him for it. But I didn’t, and here’s why, he owned it. From the very beginning Tanner owned his mess up and all the proper groveling ensued. Yes, he was drunk, but no he didn’t use that as an excuse for his behavior or to try and play it off as not a big deal. I was prepared to dislike Tanner, but he made it impossible.
As Tanner and Izzy work through his indiscretion, and he is putting in the effort to win back her trust, other things come to light. Kissing another woman wasn’t the first time he’d let her down and broken promises to her. Writing about an established couple gives a different perspective on the relationship. We aren’t watching new people fall in love, we instead watch a couple rediscover each other and renew their love along the way.
Life, and responsibilities took over and the little things fell the wayside. It’s easy to take those around you for granted. Izzy, she had her own idea of what being a supportive wife meant, which in large part was not complaining. With each thing Tanner forgot, she swallowed down her hurt and disappointment and put on a happy face. Her own history with her parents made her put on a happy face in fear of upsetting the balance and worries of abandonment.
Ms. Foster weaves her story alternating in present and past. We see how they were in comparison to where life had taken them. Over a series of dates Tanner arranges to win back his wife’s trust they slowly get back to where they were. It’s a heart-warming story and I wish more people wrote about married/long-term relationships.
I fell so hard for Tanner and Izzy. Their story was heartbreaking, but also sweet and satisfying. It isn’t often you find an established romance done well, but this one was knocked outta the park. Tanner makes a huge mistake, but his drive to fix it and his devotion to his wife is so endearing. We’re all human, and Tanner is no different. Yet he strives to better himself and become the man his wife and children deserve. So heartwarming.
Okay, my lovelies, I’m extra super-duper excited to do this review, as the author happens to not only be one of my writing group besties, she’s also my in-real-life bestie. I’m so ridiculously proud of Amelia Foster for landing a publishing contract for her debut novel, Meant to be Kept, as well as TWO OTHER CONTRACTS for two separate books set to be released in the next few months! That doesn’t even include the other three books in her Meant To Be series that’ll be forthcoming from Limitless Publishing in the not-too-distant future.
So, all that being said, you’re probably asking yourself why you should listen to anything I have to say on the Amelia Foster subject. After all, I’m biased, right? Well, clearly, yes. However… I would like it to be noted that I beta read this story for Amelia within a couple of weeks of our first meeting several years ago. At the time, I had no connection to her nor did I hold any bestie-love favoritism. I also fell deeply and madly in love with her characters. Truly, she writes such lovable, relatable characters, I can’t imagine anyone not falling head over proverbial heels for each and every one she writes. And then begging her for more.
Meant to be Kept is an established romance between Tanner Carlisle and his wife, Isabelle. During a night of drunken revelry with his younger brother, Wyatt, Tanner makes a mistake. A big, marriage-threatening mistake. Throughout the book, we see Tanner own his screw up and do everything in his power to win back the love of his wife and best friend, whom he lovingly calls Belle despite the rest of the world using the shortened moniker of Izzy.
While we watch Tanner fight for his wife in the present, we also see the sweet evolution of their love from their college-aged POVs. The building of their relationship in the past is a welcome balm to assuage the pain of witnessing the crumbling heartache of their present lives. But, as any good romance assures, and something little Miss Amelia lives and breathes for, there is of course a happily ever after. Both for the Tanner and Izzy of the past, as well as those of the present. The journey to get there, however? It’s one helluva ride, and one I highly recommend you take for yourself.
I really loved this story! This was my first book by this author and she has won me over completely! This was one of my favorite tropes as a second chance love story. I was hooked from the very first page and quickly fell in love with the author’s writing style. Izzy and Tanner are definitely one of my favorite couples. The book begins with Tanner making a terrible mistake that threatens his marriage to Izzy or Belle, his nickname for her. He makes it his number one goal to prove to her that their love was meant to be and that she is all he’ll ever want or need. From chapter to chapter, while following their journey of forgiveness, the author also tells the story of how they met and fell in love. She managed to write both timelines effortlessly. I was easily able to follow along and it kept my interest and excitement level up. Their love story was just really beautiful. I also loved Tanner’s family, the Carlisle clan, especially his three brothers. I look forward to reading their stories with Wyatt’s being next. There is a level of cheating that takes place and usually I steer clear of stories like that. But this is a bit different and easier to accept and root for Tanner as he wins her back. The ending will leave you smiling and a heart filled with warmth.
I’m not going to sugar coat this one folks, this romance blew me away in the best way possible. It’s a beautiful, smart read which is focused around the concept of fighting for love. One of the main ways this book stopped me in my tracks was that it tackled all of the preconceived notions I thought I’d have, and twisted them on their head. Prime example: our male lead, Tanner. Based on the synopsis and the first few pages, I was determined that I was not going to like this guy. We discover in the opening scene that during a guy’s weekend away with his brother, he gets borderline black-out drunk and starts making out with a woman who isn’t his wife. Gee, alcohol and cheating? What an absolute gem. I thought the author would have a hell of time trying to convince me that this guy was worth giving a second chance to. Lo and behold, simply by the end of the first chapter I found myself rooting for Tanner to succeed in winning back the trust of his wife, Isabelle. That’s no easy feat ladies and gents, and yet it was done so effortlessly that it draws in your attention where you can’t turn away until we get to “The End”.
While we don’t necessarily get the very best first impression of Tanner, it barely takes any time at all before we sympathize with the man, and hope against hope that Isabelle will be able to forgive him for a seemingly unforgivable transgression. There are a few key features that the author weaves in to get us to love Tanner. First and foremost, we must look at the transgression itself. Yes, in a drunken stupor he kissed another woman. Downright stupid. And yet, our opening scene presents us with a broken man who is fully aware of the error of his ways, and is filled with nothing but regret. At no point do we see him try to hide this from his wife, or lessen the gravity of his mistake. Instead we see him come home right away to admit to her what he did, and he vows that he’ll do whatever he can to make it up to her. He even sets a deadline, begging that she find the strength within her to forgive him, allow him to prove how much he still wants her and only her by their next anniversary which is just 43 days away.
The second clever move on the part of the author was the use of flashbacks throughout the entirety of the novel. On the one hand these flashbacks help demonstrate that Tanner has always been a romantic, and that Isabelle was always meant to be his one and only. Even though this first chapter starts off with a rather negative portrayal of Tanner getting up close and personal with another woman, by the end we feel like we’ve seen who the true Tanner is through a flashback, and it’s far from a womanizing cheater. He has a soft and romantic side which has revolved around Isabelle since the first moment the two met. I for one was shocked that within this first chapter alone I could so quickly go from an initial determination of wanting to hate this guy, to recognizing by the end of it that he simply made a stupid mistake that he is fully willing to atone for.
When Isabelle first hears the confession of how Tanner kissed someone else, she is understandably distraught. Even though we’re rooting for Tanner to succeed in all of his various romantic attempts to win back his wife, we can also sympathize with the difficulty she faces in letting him back into her life. At times you almost want to scream at her, “He obviously didn’t mean to do it! He clearly loves you! Just forgive him already!”. But, let’s be honest, that would simply be too easy, not to mention rather unrealistic.
Something that the author captures so brilliantly when it comes to Isabelle contemplating her relationship with Tanner is that it was never a question of love. Isabelle will always love him. He’s been her best friend and partner for 12 years, not to mention the father of her children. It’s not possible for her to fall out of love with him that quickly. No, instead we see that it’s actually a question of trust. If she agrees to let him back into her life, she’ll obviously still love him, but will she ever be able to trust him as fully as she did before that disastrous weekend? If she can’t, then is it really worth bringing him back into her life at all?
In addition to utilizing flashbacks to show us the sweet side of Tanner’s character, these flashbacks also serve a few other key purposes. First, they demonstrate that for the past three years or so Tanner and Isabelle’s marriage hasn’t been as idyllic as we the audience, or even Tanner himself, thought it to be. We see through so many flashbacks how Isabelle was always the light of Tanner’s life, and he was devoted and committed to her in every way possible. We just assumed that this kiss with the other woman was the first and only indicator of how Tanner failed in an aspect of his marriage.
However, as the anniversary deadline approaches, and Tanner tries to think up various romantic dates to go on with Isabelle, he simultaneously realizes how his focus on work these last few years has created a certain distance between him and his family. The little things he used to do with them, such as movie nights, weekend breakfasts, etc. had fallen by the wayside. He was still a loving father and husband throughout that time, and his affection for Isabelle never wavered, but he can’t help but acknowledge that he wasn’t putting as much of an effort into his family as he did in the beginning. It’s a realization that I think would speak true to many couples out there. Just because you’ve finally found your one true love doesn’t mean you can stop demonstrating how much you love them.
Another important purpose of the continual use of flashbacks was that it brought Tanner and Isabelle’s entire relationship full circle. By this point you might be getting tired of my repeated mention of these flashback scenes, but I think I can say with 100% confidence that never before have I seen a more brilliant and polished inclusion of flashbacks to tell a story in my life. And I’ve read a crap ton of books. Each and every chapter within the book is divided into two parts: past and present. The present always details the various ways that Tanner is attempting to win back the trust of his wife, and we then see how those attempts correspond to a certain moment from their past through the flashback scene.
At the start of the novel, the present scene involves Tanner admitting to Isabelle how he kissed another woman, while the scene in the past shows the initial moment when Tanner and Isabelle first met in college. Throughout the rest of the book the flashback moments move in a linear progression throughout Tanner and Isabelle’s relationship from their first meeting to their first date, kiss, sexual encounter, meeting with the parents, living together, marriage, kids, etc. By the last chapter we see in the present that we’re at the final deadline of Tanner and Isabelle’s anniversary, the moment when Isabelle must decide if she’s ready and willing to accept Tanner back into her life. And as for our flashback scene? By the end the flashbacks have taken us right up to the very moment when Tanner went away with his brother for the guy’s weekend where the initial transgression first occurred at the beginning of the book. I mean…WOW! The beauty of how everything came together full circle so seamlessly from start to finish cannot be overstated.
I read this in literally a day and a half, devouring it. It has all the things that are NOT my tropes, NOT my interests, and even had a trigger warning. Yet I loved it. I couldn’t put it down.
Cheaters. Hate them. Still, this story brought it all around to making you root for this couple to figure out their mess, reconnect, and make it work because they deserve each other for a HEA.
Married Couples? Rarely read them. Because, let’s face it, those of us who have been with the same partner for a decade or more know that it’s tough to keep that sizzle. This story directly addresses that and brings the sweet and tender while still being sexy as hell.
Infertility and/or pregnancy issues. Huge trigger warning for me! But this book handled it with sensitivity and from the viewpoint of a character couple who gets that struggle, who has been in that fight, and has come out the other side. Literally, I was so moved, I had to stop and just let it roll over me a few times.
Okay, so she calls him baby too many times, and he’s a bit smoother than I like my heroes. But seriously, that’s just tiny picking at this point. It was that good.
Highly recommend. Brings both the sweet and the heat.
Great story of a couple trying to find their way back to each other while he also tries to rebuild her trust after letting another woman touch him. It was so sad to watch each realization Tanner had of his mistakes along the way, but it just made him try harder. It was refreshing to see them admit their faults. I really like the flashbacks to their relationship along along the way, from the first time they spoke to the fateful trip.