*Received an ARC copy from Readers First for an honest review*

"You know, Cathy,' he said, his captivating blue eyes filled with love as he gazed down, 'every morning I wake up and think I can't possibly love you any more than I do, and each day you do something that makes me love you even more."

Oh wow. Ok, ok. So I don't like stories where one of the main characters is trapped in a marriage which they should never have gotten into in the first place. It makes me really sad and rather uncomfortable to see romantic interactions happening between the one married character and another new character that is introduced. But Jean Fullerton really did this story justice. I do not agree with adultery but the whole premise of this book and Cathy's backstory with Stanley and everything she's had to endure did resonate with me so much on a personal level and I could completely understand how and why she allowed her herself to feel for Archie.

I found the scenes and settings so thrilling and engrossing. Not overly crowded with too much dialogue or too much setting building but just enough to give us the information needed to clearly visualise these scenes and these characters as their story plays out. I could not contain my wrath and rage for Violet's character and, even though I expected her to get a comeuppance at the end of the story, it was well worth struggling through all 407 pages of this book just to see Stan and Violet get their just desserts.

The plot and romance between Archie and Cathy was so sweet and so well done I really enjoyed reading it. The intimate moments were not too explicit, it was handled very well, and I just loved all of the characters and all of their interactions. Between the siblings, and the parents, and the children, I was thoroughly engrossed and gripped by the story.

I would have rated 5 stars had Archie and Cathy actually been able to get some closure and finish her marriage to Stanley, being able to then marry themselves, and that is the only reason why I did not read it five stars. The novel was fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed it and will possibly pick up some more of Jean Fullerton ration book stories in future as I am really invested now in the Brogan family intrigues and want to find out the other family members' stories. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody who likes historical fiction or Romance.