Romance novels don't usually have a lot of outrageous WTF moments, but a good romance author will drop a few subtle bombs just to make their story memorable. Well, that's exactly what Millie did! She gave us a few bombs, some subtle, some very blatant and that made this read that much better. Keep scrolling to see what our WTF moments were in this book.
1. "Just drive around the area. She couldn't have gone far."
When Sister Kathleen is released from the hospital, no one from The Abundant Life Center is there to pick her up. This elderly woman in her 80s was roaming the streets with dementia. The Bishop's response and reaction to this had me gasping. His lack of concern had me floored and somewhat pissed.
2. "On the outside, The Abundant Life Center, came off as a highly charitable organization that took it upon themselves to care for the old and sick. What was less apparent was the fact that these elderly members forfeited their power of attorney to the church in exchange for this 'care'. Yes we were helping the elderly, but by no means was the church doing it for free."
Being a Bishop & having elders in your care only to have them sign over their finances. To make matters worse, the church allowed said elders sleep outdoors. Said elders were also newly discharged from hospitals due to illnesses & suffered dementia.
3. "I didn't correct her. I never corrected anyone when they assumed I believed in God."
Drew's a pastor who didn't believe in God.
4. "My father hated that I knew her. To hear him tell it, I was friends with the devil himself fraternizing with a Palmier."
Drew came from a religious dynasty but was entangled with a voodoo priestess. Do ya'll know how the parish would lose their damn minds?!
5. "When I was a child, I used to think she didn't like me. Because I was too skinny. Because I was too dark. Because I was too skinny. She wanted a pretty, miniature carbon copy of herself, and I had disappointed her by being born."
We sometimes forget that celebs are human too. Eden Xavier's insecurities reminds us.
6. "Sabina would let Olivia live with me if it were up to her. I think getting married at nineteen had finally caught up to her. While her peers were out getting fucked up on Frenchman Street every other weekend, she was playing house with an old ass man and the baby who kept her anchored to him. No matter how religious she was, I knew there had to be some regrets deep down."
Andrew's step mother, Sabina, was the same age as him. That in itself was shocking, but what's even more shocking is that she had a daughter, Olivia, and didn't really want to be a mother. Her not picking Olivia up from school was a tell tale sign of her remorse of having a kid.
7. "The only friend I had, Anika, was never invited here. Some days I liked her. Some days I hated her. There were times where I just wanted to be like, "Fuck it," and invite her over. However, it was precisely the fact that she didn't know where I lived that made our relationship work. Anika and I worked best when I kept her at a distance."
Anika and Andrew were friends since childhood, so imagine the look on my face when I read that she didn't even know where he lived. Not only were they friends, they were fuck buddies. If you listened to her version of events they were soulmates. This should have been a sure sign for sis to not take their relationship so seriously, but she did the exact opposite.
8. "Like when a world-famous popstar checks in, they mention it. When that world-famous popstar is spotted making out with my soulmate in the main elevator, they definitely mention it. And when my soulmate carries said popstar up to her hotel room, and spends at least twenty minutes up there before coming back down, well honey, the phone rings off the hook. You've been sitting in this spot for what? A few hours? And ordered nothing... You waiting for someone?"
When Eden and Anika initially cross paths, we see Anika as one of Eden's fans. We then come to this same assumption when Anika shows up at the Moncler and "bumps in to" Eden again. She knew exactly who Eden was and had knew all about her dealing with Drew. I found myself having to reread this part of the book. I was just as shocked as Eden when Anika started revealing that she knew.
9. "We rarely ever talked about that day I found out she was cheating on me. We were kids then, but that pain was real. I learned a valuable lesson then."
As I got to the "meat and potatoes" of the story, I found myself wondering why Anika and Andrew weren't in a serious relationship. I found myself trying to analyze their pasts and blaming it on everything but what it was. Andrew didn't want to be in a committed relationship with Anika because he couldn't trust her. Even though her discretion was in the past, and so long ago, he still held on to it. Her trying to check Eden about her "man" made this even more shocking.
10. "Did Eden Xavier Steal Another Woman's Man?"
Eden's assistant and former bestfriend, Nayeli thought she was doing Eden a favor by having Anika speak with the press. Boy was she wrong! Instead of her clearing up rumors, she made them worse. The headline to this article had my mouth dropping as I read. Then for them to dig in to her past to make it appear as if she was always some kind of homewrecker really floored me.
11. "The white sheets of my bed were covered in blood and feathers. The blood had long dried, but all over the floor were at least a dozen discarded chicken carcasses, head cut off, rotting with maggots eating at the decay. Flies flew by the hundreds around the room, covering just about every surface.
I knew Anika was crazy at this point. Let's be honest, she wasn't even a real voodoo priestess, so for her to stoop this low was just disgusting. And not only was it disgusting, it wasn't even smart! For one, everybody knew it was her. Secondly, she compromised all of her connections with the hotel staff at the Moncler.
12. It's fine Andrew-I got what I wanted out of this city. Exception is the perfect love song-and I will be sure to thank you in my next Grammy speech-because that's all you were to me, lyrics on a sheet. You claimed that you love me, and if that was even true, I just want you to know I never felt even close to that for you. You served your purpose, and now I'm going home."
At this point in the story, one of Anika's tricks has finally worked. Andrew goes to tell Anika to leave Eden alone. While there she kisses him, a final goodbye kiss. Well that kiss was captured on camera and sent directly to Eden. The picture is quite deceiving because Eden believes that she has been played. I understood sis being mad, but I was not ready for this verbal assault she landed on my boy Drew. My feelings were hurt after reading this.
13. "Olivia was dead."
Olivia finally makes it to Disney World, only she doesn't get to go with Drew, she goes with Sabina, her mother. From the very beginning of the story Drew alerts the readers that Olivia is allergic to peanuts. Sabina gives Olivia a banana nut muffin that has traces of peanuts and does not, I repeat, does not have an EpiPen. How on earth can your daughter have a deadly allergy and you not be equipped to save her life?! Poor Olivia's vital organs shut down and she had no brain activity. She was kept on life support with no real hope of ever recovering. No matter how many books I read and no matter how many characters die, I'm never prepared for a fictional kid to die.
14. "There is no medical explanation for what happened to Olivia last night.
Her machines were off for six straight minutes.
And in those six minutes, six things happened.
One, Olivia regained some brain function.
Two, she opened her eyes.
Three, she somehow pulled every wire and tube out of her body by herself.
Four, tried to get out of bed and fell because her legs didn't work.
Five, she couldn't scream because her voice didn't work either.
Six, she fell asleep on the floor of her hospital room and wasn't discovered
until four o'clock this morning."
This was the most shocking part of the book in my opinion. It wasn't looking good for Olivia, but the Lord worked it out for her. There was no logical explanation for her recovery. A MIRACLE, that's it, that's all.
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