Customer Reviews

Loves Me, Loves Me Knot

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I can't begin to say what a bad taste this book left in my mouth. I finished the whole thing essentially just to find out what happened, but the author lost me the minute she used sexual assault as a plot device. Drugging someone and tying them to a bed to force them to have a kid? Not cool for a woman or a man, sorry. I knew it would never happen, but in my opinion "Happily Ever After" in this book would have involved the hero pressing charges. Nothing that the hero did to the heroine, not his changing his mind about having a family, or any aspect of their divorce, made that ok.

This was not the book's only failing. The worst offender was the quite frankly silly framing story- a magic loom that weaves magic yarn that gets people together? What?

I have to agree with another reviewer- Susan Elizabeth Phillips did this story MUCH better. Skip this and pick up Nobody's Baby But Mine instead.

Jenna and Gage were once married. And while I do like the idea of rekindling old romances and lost loves, this fell short.

I was intrigued by the blurb but within the first two chapters I was shaking my head and thinking 'No, no, no that is so wrong.' Jenna wants to have a child, it's a driving force within her and rather than go the legal way about it, she tries deceit and drugging. In real life, what she did was Sexual Assault by drugging him, tying him up and taking advantage of him while he was semi-conscious. Lets also mention that Gage is a COP, ummm, wouldn't he know the law let alone feel very very violated. That pretty much set the scene for me. Although I liked the rest of the book to some degree, I really felt Betts could've used a different strategy to get them together.

That said, although this was her first book I read, I always believe in giving an author another shot.

I love Heidi Betts as an author...this series...and the characters she constructs. I loved the obvious dynamics between Jenna and Gage. I did NOT however enjoy the primary plotline, which was Jenna's devious, selfish attempt to get pregnant despite her ex husband's insistence that he didn't want children. There is absolutely no way to justify an act of rape. And yes, it WAS rape. Like another reviewer mentioned, this never would have been a reverse plotline that anyone in their right mind would have accepted. So why do some find it insignificant because it brings them together in the end result? Sexual chemistry between them nonwithstanding, she STILL drugged him...she STILL deceived him...and she STILL held him against his will. What kind of example does this story serve? That a man's choices are secondary to a woman's, and with a few drugs and some bondage, you can achieve anything your little heart desires? Yes, I enjoyed this story to an extent, but on some notes, it left me with a very bad taste in my mouth. There are a million other ways this story could have been written. Betts chose a very tacky and deplorable one. It's also interesting to mention that this same story was also very similarly written FIRST by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Not very original Heidi!

because it seems to be a trend among romance writers to have the heroine do terrible things to the hero and to have the hero forgive the heroine for things that just aren't forgivable. You would never write Jenna and Gage's story in reverse for example. Say Gage was the one who wanted the baby and Jenna didn't because of her career so they split up. Would you ever think it was okay for Gage to drug her and tie her up and try to get her pregnant to force her to have his baby and then let him raise it by himself? Even if she was into the sex once she woke up & he got her all hot? If he tricked her into getting pregnant against her will would this be forgivable? Legal? Not likely. I think over the top feminists are writing some of these stories.

Likewise the Zack and Grace story line goes way out of bounds. You would never think it was okay if Zack trashed Grace's apartment & vehicle and stole her dog and important childhood keepsake. You would think he was psycho and had lost his mind. You would never write a story where Grace got back with him after he committed that violence. Not even if Grace had cheated. Grace was violently out of control and needs some jail time and anger management courses IMO. Also if I was Zack I'd be seriously worried about my dog's safety. I have a feeling Zack will still be begging Grace's forgiveness for something he didn't do in book 3 and everyone will shrug off what she did to his stuff simply because he's rich and that is a common prejudice.

That said, this is an entertaining read. It's just not about decent heroines or smart heros. I'm just a little tired of reading about abusive females and abused heros.

This book tanked big time. Based on the description, I figured it could only get away with such a turn-off plot device if it was almost as good as Susan Elizabeth Phillips top-notch Nobody's Baby But Mine that also featured a woman doing something very wrong to get pregnant. Betts was not even close. Gah, it was horribly done ... and to add insult to injury, just a bad book as a whole and not worth finishing :(

I picked up Loves Me, Loves Me Knot because I liked the cover. That guy looks like a tall drink of water and very sexy in his pajamas...and I'm a sucker for a good set of shoulders. Sue me.

The story opens with a woman named Charlotte pushing an old family spinning wheel up into the attic. She's convinced it's magic and brings true love to the person she's thinking about when she weaves the yarn. She's just made some yarn for her niece, Jenna, who's been divorced from her husband Gage over a year ago. Jenna still loves Gage and didn't want a divorce.

Right after we meet Jenna, the story set me off for the rest of the book. Jenna is house-sitting for her aunt Charlotte, and Jenna's two best friends come over for drinks and get drunk. The subject of kids comes up, and Jenna is melancholy because she wanted kids with Gage and can't imagine having kids with anyone else. They hatch a plan to invite him over, add drugs to his beer, and then Jenna will tie him up and have sex with him to try to get pregnant. Now, I know this is supposed to be a lighthearted romance, but I really had a problem with that scenario. If the sexes would have been reversed he'd go to jail for that. I couldn't let that go and it marred my enjoyment of the rest of the book.

Gage is upset when he realizes Jenna tried to get pregnant, as the reason they got divorced was because he didn't want kids and she did. He decides he's got to keep an eye on her until she knows if she's pregnant, so he stays with her while she's house sitting. There are some tense moments, but they do talk about where things went wrong and revisit their relationship, including the reasons why he suddenly decided he didn't want kids after they were already married.

If it wouldn't have been for the involuntary stud service scene I might have enjoyed this book, but I just couldn't get past it.

Jenna Langan has been putting her life back together since her divorce from Gage and thinks she is on the right path. One of the things helping is her best friends and part of her weekly knitting group. However two of her friends are also in relationships with friends of her ex. That can be both good and bad, one night during a girls night together with the help of a few drinks, Jenna and her friends come up with a plan to get her pregnant from the only man she wants to have kids with - her ex Gage.

Gage Marshall knows that he was the reason that his marriage to Jenna broke up. Life after Jenna hasn't had that much excitement but Gage still believes that his job, as an undercover vice cop, is too dangerous for him to have kids. The night the Jenna calls out of the blue to ask for help with a plumbing problem out at her aunt's place, Gage thinks its weird but agrees to come over and see what he can do.

A planned seduction designed over drinks is doomed for failure or is it? Gage falls under Jenna's seduction but when the morning light shines, he discovers what was truly behind this night of heavenly sex. Jenna still wanted her child and she still wanted Gage to father it. Now she thinks he will just let her go on her merry way, possibly pregnant by him? Jenna has an awakening coming. Gage's reasons are still there, but Jenna just might be working her way through them. There is also the minor fact that just as Jenna and Gage seem to be finding their way again, their friends are falling apart. Can Jenna and Gage find a way to get back on track of their happily ever after and just what does a skein of yarn have to do with it?

A girl's night together leads to the seduction of a lifetime. Loves Me, Loves Me Knot brings together a couple that never should have spilt in the first place. Or that is what fate and one mischievous aunt believes. Jenna had her entire world fall apart when Gage suddenly changed his ideas on a family. Gage still believes that having a family with anyone would be a bad idea, but he didn't really intend for him and Jenna to divorce over it. I laughed many times while following Jenna's madcap seduction of Gage and then her follow through to bring them back together again. Even though there were a few times I wasn't sure if her plan would actually work, I had to give her credit for trying. I did understand Gage's change of heart and the reasons behind it, but I did have to give Jenna my backing in this one. I do think that I will be very suspicious if any family members offer me yarn that was handmade though. Loves Me, Loves Me Knot is a fun love story that shows all great romances deserve its forever.


Jo
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all three in this series. I am looking forward to Heidi Betts' next book!

I went into this book thinking it would be an okay read - something enjoyable. But the truth was I could not put this book down from cover to cover. I was impressed with the timing, the humor, the romance and their backstory!!!!

I have added the author's other books to my list :)

Ms. Heidi Betts has written a comical, fast-paced book about what can happen when exes get back together--for any reason. These two main characters were definitely meant to be together but for reasons you will understand when you read the book, they were divorced. This book gave much insight into the lives and thought processes of a couple whose marriage failed. They were vibrant, believable people who I had to love. I wanted them to work things out throughout all the twists and turns of the book.

The secondary characters, including the important Aunt Charlotte, made the story the hit it was. Betts' style of writing, while amusing, also was poignant. It was the type book I didn't want to put down. I recommend this book which, like most of hers, gives her readers the necessary HEA but doesn't take everything seriously. - Brenda Talley