Ryan Walters and Jackie Bowen became instantaneous friends during their wild and free years of college. He, the rugged, yet all American football player from a stable family fell hard for Jackie, the exuberant, spontaneous girl from a broken home who lived and loved life to the fullest. Too young to commit and wary of damaging the unique bond they shared, the friends to lovers make a pact … promising to find one another again at the age of thirty and marry—if not already committed.
Years apart, after much growth and change, the two best friends seek one another out. In college, neither Jackie or Ryan could possibly know that every relationship to come would fall short of the one they’d shared together all those years ago.
When the two meet again, love and chemistry soar beyond their wildest dreams and they agree to make good on their promise. But a second chance at love can be fickle and fleeting.
The Marriage Pact is a story about letting go and loving with your whole heart no matter the circumstance—or how much it hurts.
The Marriage Pact, the second book in The Viral Series following Missed Connection, by romance authors K. Larsen and Mara White is based on a heartbreaking viral Reddit post. Each book is a stand alone novel.
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This book completely slayed me. I was an emotional, blubbering mess.
How can a person endure so much pain in their life! I had to have a ton of tissues for this book, so be prepared people if you are planning on reading this book!
It was beautifully written, the storyline was unbelievable and the characters are now ingrained in me.
I totally felt for these two individuals who went through so much in life. They had so much chemistry towards each other and loved each other fiercely, but Ryan made a pact with Jackie to marry if neither one was in a serious relationship nor married by the age of 30. He wanted to give her space after everything she had gone through. They were both still young and full of life, they each went their separate ways and tried to move on from each other.
But when you love someone so much, all you do is compare them with your current squeeze and there is really just no comparison. You know deep down inside that the love of your life, no matter where they are, will always be the love of your life regardless if they’ll ever be a part of your life again or not.
But Ryan and Jackie found each other again after many years and after everything she endured in her life, she was finally able to let him in and trust him unconditionally. She knew that she just couldn’t live without him anymore and they were giving each other that second chance they both deserved, but life had other plans for them that shattered hearts, minds and souls.
I know this book is going to stay with me for a long time, I loved it so much. There is a message in this story and hopefully people will learn from this.
Mara White and K. Larson did such an amazing job with this book, if I could give this book 10 stars, I definitely would give it 10 stars!
The Day Mara White and Katie Ferrari Larsen decided to write together, is the day I bought shares in Kleenex. And boy I alone can push their sales up.
The story will scoop your guts with a dull spoon, it’s that sweet and heartbreaking wrenching
Ryan Walters and Jackie Bowen meet in University of Wisconsin , and they literally fall in love at that exact moment he spots her in Starbucks line , cursing other customers out loudly ( like I’m cursing Katie and Mara now !!!) . They just don’t know it yet !! He wants her exclusively, she’s afraid of any emotions
Jackie loved sex , she even loved to cuddle, but she would avoid the depth, any of the emotional parts. Sometimes, it felt to Ryan like he was trying to catch a slippery fish with his bare hands or a skittish cat in the backyard. You move, they retreat . You act passive they approach again. It was often mind -numbing, infuriating, hair-tearing frustrating, but Ryan couldn’t have let go, even if he’d wanted to. Jackie was a drug. His drug.
He wanted to crack open her hard outer shell and peer through translucent skin to see the blood in her veins, the fragile, tiny heartbeat.
And unexpected tragedy tears them apart, states apart !
Before going away, they make a Pact, if none of them find someone to settle down with anybody else, before they turned 30, they’d marry each other .
The Pact is an invisible thread that ties their love together.
It’s a beautiful story , to give the two DEVILS their due. Completely slayed me…never even saw it coming!!
Like blind spot drivers, until they slam right into you and knock the wind out of you ….literally !!!
I hate both these brilliant authors and it may be awhile before I talk to both of them ever again
Go read the book. Be gutted. Join me in cussing them out LOUD!
Motherf@$^*(#£$¥€
REVIEW: 5 Stars
“No one else had ever spoke to his heart like she did, and honestly, he didn’t want them to.”
Well……shit.
I willingly give my heart to these two authors and I don’t even question it. Willingly!!! They have “magical heartbreak” down to a science. This is now the second book that they have broken my heart with. The second time they’ve made me cry. And while this is the second book in the Viral Series, it is a complete standalone and the only connection to the first book is that they are both heartbreaking perfection. Truly. If you haven’t read Missed Connections, you can read my review HERE.
At 33%, I was feeling an inevitable heartbreak coming on. The buildup was very impactful the way they were telling this story. I knew I was in for something big. By 86%, I sprung a slight leak and by 88%, there was no holding back. I was a wreck. Full stream of tears. I wasn’t really “crying” per se, but I knew the tears were free flowing. A true love. A real love. A destined love. Jackie and Ryan had a love most people yearn for. I loved how smitten Ryan was with Jackie and he never held anything against her. What a pure heart he had. Did Jackie make me angry a few times? Yes, she was super ridiculously stubborn, but it was her light and her personality that drew Ryan in and he loved her for who she was. My gosh, I’m still shaking my head. I’m still heartbroken. This story was so moving. It made you think and understand, grasp and feel. My heart hurts….oh so good.
“I know. I’m just — what if I fail?”
“What if you thrive?”
I know, collective cringe….but third person from them was storytelling gold this time around. I normally don’t like it and I have said that many times, but it’s becoming more the norm and I am feeling that a select few can’t write in third and I’m more and more finding ones that actually can. The difference in this book for me was that I read it as if I was being to the story. I don’t normally like that, but the way this one was told was perfect. It was easy to read and I enjoyed their storyline so much. I felt like I was on the outside looking in and marveling at how deep their love was and how hard she fought it, and how they finally came together with the singular realization that they were always meant to be. Their love was the epitome of what true love really is. It surpassed all obstacles and never let anything get in the way once it was all said and done. I am still on a broken-hearted high from this book, as K and Mara know how to really bind your heart to their story and make you fall in love. Without choice, you FALL hard.
My poor aching heart….my poor, poor heart.
“Sometimes God takes away what we love. We have to accept his lessons, even when we don’t like them.”
~BEE