I had a wonderful time with In Between Forever by Mika Jolie. It took me on a journey filled with angst, heartache and insecurities. Although this is the fifth book in the Martha’s Way series it can stand on its own. The characters, from the primary to the secondary ones, appear in the previous books, whetting the reader’s appetite for their stories.
The reader’s initial encounter with Keely and Blake, the couple featured in this installment, was in The Scale, the first book in the series. In that story, the reader witnessed the planning and the moments leading to them becoming man and wife. Five years later, the reader got a first-hand look into how their relationship has developed since that happy moment. To their friends they appeared to have the perfect marriage, but no one knew of their problems with infertility. A problem which threatened to destroy their marriage.
In Between Forever gave the reader an inside look into the struggles Blake and Keely faced as they tried to come to terms with the possibility of not being able to have children. Their pain, anger, grief and despair permeated the story, leaving the reader sympathetic to their plight. All this had a negative impact on their marriage. However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Amidst the pain, anger and despair they went through a process of forgiveness and healing, giving them hope for better things to come. The process not only aided in the repair of their marriage, it also extended to their relationship with their relatives. Blake and his parents had the chance to repair their broken relationship, while Keely and her sister, Minka came to terms with an incidence of jealousy which occurred five years ago.
This story showed that communication, understanding, patience and forgiveness are the key ingredients needed to make a marriage work. Keely and Blake went through all these phases, resulting in an outcome that left the reader feeling quite satisfied.
This was a well-written story, and one the reader would recommend to readers who enjoy romance stories that focus on the events which occur after the I do moments.
| Story Evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Plot | |
| Characters | |
| World Building | |
| Writing Style | |
| Pacing | |
| Cover | |
| Enjoyment | |
| Ending | |
| Overall: |   |
[bctt tweet=”In Between Forever by Mika Jolie offers readers an inside look into marriage and the struggles couples face as they work to preserve their relationship. #romance #marriedcouples” username=”TtlyAdd2Reading”]
About Mika Jolie
Mika Jolie is the bestselling author of the Martha’s Way series. She lives in New Jersey with her Happy Chaos—her husband and their energizer bunnies. A sports fanatic and a wine aficionado, she’s determined to balance it all and still write about life experiences and matters of the heart. Let’s face it, people are complicated and love can be messy. When she’s not weaving life and romance into evocative tales, you can find her on a hiking adventure, apple picking, or whatever her three men can conjure up. She loves to hear from readers.
