Parker Cruse despises cheaters. It might have something to do with her boyfriend sleeping with her twin sister. After a wedding day prank involving a strong laxative, that ends the already severed relationship between the twins, Parker decides to grow up and act twenty-six. Step One: Move out of her parents’ house. Step Two: Find a job. Opportunity strikes when she meets her new neighbor, Gus … she meets her new neighbor, Gus Westman. He’s an electrician with Iowa farm-boy values and a gift for saying her name like it’s a dirty word.
He also has a wife.
Sabrina Westman, head of a successful engineering firm, hires Parker as her personal assistant. Driven to be the best assistant ever, Parker vows to stay focused, walk the dog, go to the dry cleaners, and not kiss Gus—again.
Step Three: Don’t judge.
Step Four: Remember— when life happens, it does it in a heartbeat.
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PSA -Looooooong Ramble ahead !!
“Today is my favorite day.”
Today I picked up a book by the author who stunned me with her story -Look The Part, and I fell into the habit triggered by Jewel’s words, I FINISHED it in one go. 8am-8pm!! Nothing was done, no chores, no bath, no food. The words just spun a web and I was caught in their midst….voluntarily. There’s something so satisfying in reading a book that thrills you at every page with novelty and originality, like a long drink after a day of thirst. I’ll be buying Kindle Unlimited for the sole purpose of reading ALL her books, back to back !
The story is simply a switchboard of triggers. Heavy cheating is involved , so people who don’t like it -STAY AWAY!
Me? I don’t let anything bother me, the more taboo, controversial, the better . My firm belief is
there’s a lot of gray area when it comes to relationships and why we do what we do to connect, love, and navigate this crazy life.
Anywho… there’s this sassy, funny, perky girl -Parker Joy “Efficiency” Cruse. All sunshine and bliss, who has been slapped hard in the face by life.
Parker Cruse hadn’t planned on wearing the boomerang label, nor had she planned on her high-school sweetheart cheating on her with Piper—her twin sister.
BUT THEN LIFE HAPPENED!
So she moves far away from her family, all across the road and block over, in her inherited Grandparents house.the neighbour’s dog-Rags gets covered in cockleburs and her heart entangled with *le sigh* August Eastman! All 6.4″ of lean, mean sex machine!. BUT he’s married!!!! M.A.R.R.I.E.D.!
because … wife … married … off-limits.
Finding the married neighbor guy attractive was not allowed, especially for Parker, president of the “I Hate Cheaters Club.” Thinking of him as old, gray, and balding became her survival.
But THEN LIFE HAPPENED !
Her Brain goes one way, Heart goes other !. She’s embroiled and how! And to twist the knife even further, she gets rescued from dying of starvation by being gainfully employed by his wife-Sabrina*faceplam* ! Could life BE anymore complicated or………tantalizing for Parker *sigh*
Gus has a sexy smile, sexy laugh, sexy walk and a sexy body, a walking talking sex pop, lickable and kissable ! Parker has such a hard time sticking to her resolve of staying away from a married man.
THEN LIFE HAPPENED ! They do fall in love and things get so complicated * groan*. By this time it gets really confusing, Gus justifies it
love is an emotion that resides in your head and your proverbial heart. It has to be nurtured to grow or it dies. But … desire … it’s instinctual. Physical. Carnal. And when it wants its way, your brain shuts down and the only heart you hear is that blood-pumping organ in your chest. A slave to your desire, readying your body to do one thing and one thing only …Get. Off.”
By this time they have a plan in place, things to declare, statements to make, places to be.
Suitcase packed, breathing on hold, piñata to be hit.
THEN LIFE HAPPENED . I throw my kindle to the wall * smash*
Fall on the floor, start crying like a baby and cuss jewel to the next world ! Could Parker BE any more devastated,and readers so stunned
What do I do ? Where do I go? Who do I see to fix this ?
It’s a vacuum after a hurricane ……everything is still standing, yet nobody has survived. A harsh truth is staring Parker in the face ! No ask Levi walks in,showing everyone the soul mirror.
This character is the most pure and pristine I’ve ever met. He can’t lie. He still hasn’t invented lies, which is a Bane & Blessing both. And he teaches Parker the trick to survive -smile. Smile through pain, smile through misery and smile through heartbreak. Smile till jaw hurts and tears stop.
“Let’s smile. Not the guilty, courteous one that we’ve been sharing with everyone else today. The kind that physically hurts your face after a few seconds. The kind that will leave all the muscles in our faces sore for the next hour. It will be our little secret.”
It felt like the world’s ugliest, most ridiculous smile, but she held it.
My heart is broken by this time. I don’t think I can go on….i want to abandon ship. You will too. But my advice, after falling so hard the only thing to do is to get up, dust your clothes and start walking…away! Walk all the way to Arizona, or drive with Levi and Parker, to Be a person in his life
Rain splatters on arid hearts and they come to life again. He’s clinging because for once in his life he wants to be a better liar, just to protect her from his blunt truths. He works his firm, hard as rock abs and ass off to try and change and hold Parker in his home and heart.
“I’m afraid of having everything that means nothing and nothing that means everything.”
But Man Proposes and God Disposes, all the adages are ridiculed and smashed to smithereens
The truth doesn’t always set you free, and lies are not always deception. But I don’t have a choice.”
What do you choose between the Devil & The Deep Blue Sea ?
Is lying wrong when it protects people from hurting and truth all that a virtue when it destroys marriages and relationships? What a dilemma Jewel puts us in. She HAS to show us a way, get us out of this mindmaze…please!
I was not above begging at this point , to anyone to provide some relief , some respite from debilitating pain. OH GAWWWD!
WHEN LIFE HAPPENED, it did it in a heartbeat. That space between time. A first inhale, a last exhale yet it’s seems like eternity.
The moral of the story – THOU SHALT NOT JUDGE !
There was no way of imagining that mile in someone else’s shoes. That understanding only came from lacing them up and taking the journey.
Now the FEELS. Jewel opens her Pandora’s box and out fly the FEELS, they pinch you, hit you, slap you, shake you so hard your heart falls down on the floor. You literally will be scraping it off the floor and trying to make some sense of life, as it happens.
There’s no dearth of very likable and some laughworthy characters and scenes . When at a reststop the “Bitch-Humper” gets frisky or when The THREESOME have quiet dinner , I was snickering and giggling non stop. But here’s my conundrum, if the story is written with so much humor that made me laugh inappropriately and giggle like a schoolgirl, why was there pain in my heart, a boulder sized lump in my throat and were they my tears of laughter or tears of anguish that wet my cheeks nonstop throughout this book. The jury is still out!
I loved the REALITIES jewel forces us to watch ringside. This is EXACTLY what happens in real world. So what do we do, do we walk away from life ….no ! So why walk away from controversial books? Art has always imitated life and this book is the FINEST example of it. I have in my short life, seen and experienced very closely at least 10 such cases of interrupted Love-Lives which were meant to cross the “Till Death Do Us Part” thresholds, yet strayed from the HEA paths whenever the snake tempted them with Apples.
I will shove this book down your throats shamelessly. You MUST MUST READ this book. If only to admire the words. What fluidity and what finesse, I’m completely under Jewel’s spell and will tackle hug her like a linebacker in Philly, when I meet her in sept. Nobody can save her leg from my humping…i swear !
I started 2018 with a phenomenal book which shot straight up to the Six Star ladder -Look The Part and I thought, no way is another book gonna come close to it, leave alone top that !
and that’s WHEN LIFE HAPPENED!!
Jewel E.Ann, you’ve got yourself a stalker ! A bonafide pestering, relentlessly chasing, hiding in the bushes( maybe!) Peering over your shoulder into your computer, waiting on tenterhooks for your next words, while devouring the ones floating around in Booklandia, tackle-hugging and shamelessly,embarassingly, crying stalker by the name of Shabby!
I’m so honored to have met your stories and will be more when we meet.
6, yes SIX “Rags to Riches” stars
5* Breathtaking stars
I was in the mood for a Jewel E. Ann read and this book had been on my TBR list for some time. I went into it blind because I wanted to experience the journey I knew I would be taken on and boy I was not disappointed!
This book wrecked me when I did not expect to be wrecked! I was enjoying the journey and anticipation of where the story was headed when suddenly, out of nowhere, it came to an abrupt halt in huge way I never saw coming!!
This book had all the feels you can imagine, angst, sorrow, heartbreak and love so deep my heart is still aching. To be honest there were also some very humorous and witty moments which calmed my throbbing heart.
The characters were so real and likeable. I became absorbed into their lives which is probably why I felt the emotions I did.
I loved this story, the writing was flawless and real.
“When life happened, it did it in a heartbeat. That space between time. A first inhale, a last exhale. The dawn of realization, the eve of what was and never again would be.”
Whoa…what a journey this was. WHEN LIFE HAPPENED couldn’t be a MORE fitting title for this book. We truly live life one day, one moment at a time and each decision leads to the next part of our lives. This book was about those things…moments that took us down paths that weren’t necessarily OUR plan, but in the grand scheme of things, it just so happened to be FATES plan. Also, this book showed that we’re all HUMAN, with flaws and imperfections of our own, but we’re also capable of love and forgiveness. We are resilient “creatures” that are capable of so much.
“Today is my favorite day.
“You said that yesterday.”
“That was yesterday.”
This was my first Jewel E Ann novel and can wholeheartedly say that it is DEFINITELY UNFORGETTABLE! I LOVED how she told Parker’s story. Parker endured MANY bumps in the path to her HEA. These “bumps” were not part of her plan, but I know that she wouldn’t want her HEA to look any other way than how it ended. Sometimes it’s the unanswered prayers that lead us where we are meant to be.
“For the tiniest moment, she let herself wonder if everything in her life to that point had truly led her to him.”
WHEN LIFE HAPPENED had me swooning, laughing, and CRYING. There was a plot twist in there that I did NOT see coming and it obliterated my heart. Like my heart fell out of my chest and was laying lifeless on the floor. I flipped back pages in my kindle thinking I read/missed something, but I didn’t, it really did happen. *heartbroken* But I was informed that I MUST persist and finish the story, so I did and I am SO HAPPY that I did. I recommend going into this book as blind as possible! It’s truly a journey that is best experienced without ANY foresight.
5 stars
I really didn’t want to read this book, due to the cheating factor. But I trusted Jewel E Ann with my heart and let’s just say she doesn’t disappoint. It’s another heart wrenching & emotional read. It has a lot of “feels” in it. You can’t help but feel bad for Parker, the main female character. She’s just such a nice, funny, unique person, that a lot of people just don’t “get”. Throw in so many more crazy characters and animals. And I got a surprise sport mention in this book, my favorite, volleyball. I literally finished the book this morning and had tears running down my face. It was an all out snot fest. You can just see yourself being friends with most if not all of the characters and the situations that occur feel so real and if you haven’t experienced some of them yourself, you know people who have. You need to read this book! That’s all I’m sayin’ since we can’t give out spoilers.
Wish I could give more stars
When life happened
Jewel e ann
Reviews on Amazon. Goodreads. And the book addicts. (Fb)
A glorious heartbreaking love story of loss and forgiveness that will destroy you to the depths of your soul and build you back up in the next chapter.
She makes you hate the character and then the next page feel bad for hating them and then fall in love and be ok with everything in the end …
That moment that single line that leaves your mouth gaping open because omgeee. No she didn’t. ..
How she builds characters up makes you fall in love with them .. her writing is phenomenal ..she just keeps getting better and better with ever book !! I have loved every book by the author she never disappoints !!
I started reading this one in bed one night. I laughed so hard I was afraid I was going to wake the husband up. And then in true Jewel fashion she broke my heart! I was softly crying and hating life. The author is Queen of the emotional read. I loved the quirky banter between Parker and Gus. I really kind of admired Parker for being gutsy enough to seek revenge on her sister and ex-boyfriend. Rags saves the story:)
Jewel E Ann is one of our go-to’s. Unpredictable and heart-wrenching. This one is the perfect angsty romance. Just the way we like ’em.
5+++++ Today is my Favorite Day Stars!!!!!!!!!!
Jewel E. Ann has put herself in my author file titled “Queen of rip your effin heart out, stomp on it and shove it back in your chest beating and feeling better than it did before”
I’ve been on a quest to read all of her books and I have loved every single one of them. As a matter of fact one of her books released earlier this year is my most favorite read of 2019 to date (if you haven’t read A Place Without You I highly recommend it). This book will rank in my top 5 favorites of hers and it will definitely be one of my favorite reads this year even tho it was released in like 2017!
JEWEL ANN HAS THE HOOK!!!!
You have to go into this book blind as I think it adds to the angst and overall story. Yes there is cheating and no I don’t condone cheating BUUUUUUT this is one of the most real stories about life and love and forgiveness I’ve ever read. It’s also heartbreakingly beautiful.
At 42% I was a puddle. I thought honestly I was gonna die because it was so damn sadI was cussing and threatening to throw my phone and begging for someone to hold me until the pain stopped. It happened again near the end of the book.
Jewel took one lost, bitter, broken girl and showed her that mistakes are made and forgiveness is possible. Parker realized that she had to forgive herself more than she had to forgive anyone in order to make a better life for herself. She was floundering and then they happened and then some things happened and then it happened and then it fell apart and then the forgiving began and then it happened and ALL was right with the world!
I LOVED every single thing about this book! Cheating, forgiving, loving, surrendering, the guilt, and most of all the pain. It made me feel ALL THE THINGS!!!!!!!!!
If you haven’t read anything this author has written I beg you to!!!! This was bloody FANFREAKINTASTIC!!!!!!!!
Angst
Cheating YES
Sexy Time
Epilogue
Plot
I don’t know how Jewel seems to do it every time but she knows how to make something ugly so human. My heart was pulled into so many directions with this book. Right and wrong. Black and white. Jewel somehow showed the reader how the world can look grey in between those black and white moments. When Life Happened brought me to tears, made me laugh, and made me sigh out loud. There was a twist I really didn’t see coming. She threw me for a loop with that twist but somehow, it turned out all right through the grey muddled water.
I will say that this book does contain cheating in it but even if cheating is a hard limit for you – you should read this book. It shows us, as humans, are vulernable flawed characters which is raw and real. This book will hit you in all the feels.
I don’t know how she does it but I’m so glad I found Jewel’s writing. It is what I needed in this world! Also, shout out to Bethany Lynn (The Book Bee) who gifted this book to me! You are awesome!
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Once again, Jewel took my heart, put it through a blender, and then somehow, put all the pieces back together in a way only she can. When I say I ugly cried, believe me. I was driving and listening (I go back and forth lol) and nearly went off the road, that’s how taken aback I was at one particular moment. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out where she could take it from here. I think we’ve all been presented with that WTH moment in our lives where life happens and throws us into a tornado of thoughts and feelings and emotions. Worth every moment I spent listening and reading.
Parker, Gus, Sabrina, Levi, and Rags are a fabulous cast of characters intertwined by blood and love.
One of my pet peeves in novels is insta-love but somehow Jewel Ann’s writing and storyline had me ignoring that and flipping through even the most agonizing pages.
“We often hurt the ones we love most … or the ones we should love the most.”
At roughly the 40% mark, I was thrown for a unexpected tearful loop that left me angry. With the balance of the novel left to conquer, I struggled to imagine how Parker would survive such a devastating blow, and how I as a reader would mend.
Reading When Life Happened dragged me through the gambit of all emotions.
Have no fear Levi is one of the most endearing men ever. That’s all I’m going to say. Sometimes you just have to wait for the right person to come along before “your” life happens.
Unique story and characters. Excellent writing. This story was like going on an unpredictable journey in the best of ways.
I didn’t think I’d enjoy the story based on the description, but I am glad I took a chance. I loved it and I only wish we could’ve seen more into the protagonists future. I’m a greedy witch who wanted more.
I love how she pushes the boundary cheating, affairs, breaking the girl code I loved it all. Twists and turns, the unexpected just when you think you have it all figured out BAM she reminds you that you don’t. The undeniable attraction between August and Parker is so good and but felt so bad. Lines crossed. It takes bravery and balls to kill off a character most don’t do it. What I’m loving about this author is the female characters she writes, they are different and unique.
I loved Parker what a great character
Oh Jewel, the things you put me through. What an emotional rollercoaster!
Jewel E. Ann is one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed this book, but not as much as I love her dark and twisted stuff. This is a contemporary romance, and don’t be fooled by the blurb- there is so much more to this story than cheating. There were definitely some, uh, unexpected events that I didn’t see coming.
I really loved the hero of this book. I thought his flaws made him so unique. I thought he and Parker had a great connection even though it developed really quickly.
Overall, a great read. I am absolutely hoping for more. There are 3 other seemingly awful male characters that I would love to read about!
This book is EVERYTHING! Leave all of your preconceived notions at the door when you step into this book! You may think you know how you feel about the subject, but author JEA had me doubting my own name and wondering if there were such a thing as black or white.
“Gray. A terrible color. The murky water where sinners thrived. Parker Cruse was a hypocrite. A cheater. And in need of another change of underwear.”
Parker is an amazing heroine. Quirky, funny, sweet and caring. At the start of the book, she is still reeling from a betrayal by her twin sister and former boyfriend/current BiL. Parker at times lets others walk all over her, but when she decides to strike back watch out!
“No. I don’t hate cheaters. I’m sure there’s a lot of gray area when it comes to relationships and why we do what we do to connect, love, and navigate this crazy life.”
This was a roller coaster ride of a story! But ultimately, I’ve found that I just need to dive in and trust that this author will take me on quite a ride then bring me out at the end feeling better for the journey.
I loved every twist and turn in this awesome book! 5 Stars!
I read this book about a year ago in one sitting and I am still thinking about it. All her books are amazing but this one is my fave. I love the journey the character goes on. It’s tragic but real and inspiring. It’s a must read. I would recommend this to anyone but be prepared for a book hangover.
My review from October 4, 2017:
Oh.
My.
Goodness.
The feels. The love. The passion. The DESIRE. All the goodness of an amazing book. This story was so not what I was expecting. I went in blind, I recommend you do the same. SO. GOOD.
LOVED every second of this book. It was real, heartbreaking and passionate. One of those books where the story could be your neighbors or your friends. It’s messy at times and laugh out loud funny at others. I’m pretty sure I even cried. Cheating happens and both love and loss happen. At the end of the day, the title sums it up…When Life Happened. This was my first Jewel E. Ann book and it definitely won’t be my last.
I want Gus back.