Beautiful Ever After

4.25 stars--BEAUTIFUL EVER AFTER is the second and final instalment in Georgia Cates’ contemporary, adult BEAUTIFUL ILLUSIONS erotic, romance duet focusing on thirty-three year old, Scottish businessman and widower Maxwell ‘Hutch’ Hutcheson, and twenty-two year old, American student Caitriona ‘Lou’ Louden. BEAUTIFUL EVER AFTER should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events and cliff hanger of book one EIGHTY-ONE NIGHTS. There is a slight cross-over with the author’s SIN TRILOGY series with the inclusion of the Breckenridge family from the aforementioned series.

SOME BACKGROUND: Desperate for money Caitriona Louden becomes an Inomorata woman, a ‘for-hire’ girlfriend for the rich and powerful. Never expecting more than a temporary arrangement, Cait is matched with a man named Hutch, the man with whom she will fall in love.

Told from dual first person points of view (Lou and Hutch) BEAUTIFUL EVER AFTER follows the continuing story of thirty-three year old, Scottish businessman and widower Maxwell ‘Hutch’ Hutcheson, and twenty-two year old, American student Caitriona ‘Lou’ Louden. At the end of book one EIGHTY-ONE NIGHTS, our heroine Caitriona Louden walks away from the man that she loves in order to protect our story line hero. Devastated and heart broken Lou falls into a depression, a depression matched by Maxwell Hutcheson. Unable to accept the loss of his love Max desperately searches for Caitriona Louden, a woman he knows only as Lou. Threats from the past pushed Lou out of his life but Max isn’t willing to let go without a fight. What ensues is the rekindling relationship and romance between Hutch and Lou, and the potential fall-out as Max’s past threatens everyone he loves.

BEAUTIFUL EVER AFTER is an emotional story of heart break and loss; betrayal and vengeance; acceptance, love, and moving forward. Once again, if you are a fan of the author’s BEAUTY series you will see a familiar outline and parallel correlations the author calls a ‘fusion of old and new material’. Georgia Cates pulls the reader into a sexy, spicy and sensitive story; a stunning and wonderful look at life, fate, romance and love.

3.0 is my rating. While I eagerly bought the second book I expected way more. The first was such a promise and the second well it sputtered with a few peaks but mostly left important things undone. Why did Max’s first wife not get pregnant? He was sterile. He said so. So how does he have 5 yup 5 kids with Cait now? Blair ~ that whole thing could have been so much more...you lit the match and let the fire die. Really, after all she did it ends with a lunch and she just gives up...did not match her character. Also bugged me how she kept walking into Max’s house with a key, through both books and while he hated her...no one took her key away!! Kinda weird. Like getting ready for a hurricane and getting drizzle. Their wedding was great but all through you kept waiting for the shoe to drop...maybe that is the point but really was disappointed in the fizzle.

I loved this brilliantly written duet by Georgia Cates. Hutch and Lou’s love story was sexy and beautiful. Thank you Georgia for sharing your amazing talent with all of us. I can’t wait to read you next book, duet or trilogy❣️❤️💋🔥