After All Is Said And Done: A Novel of Infidelity, Healing & Forgiveness

Its rare that all I want to do is read a book. This story drew me in because it was so powerful at its core. I am not even sure how I stumbled upon it. I think I was on a page for one book that said at the bottom people who bought this book also purchased... so I clicked on it and read the description and decided to go for it. Though this story was much longer than most e-books I normally read, I simply couldnt stop until I finished. If I hadnt had to sleep and work, I would have read it straight through. But I still read it every chance I got. When all was said and done, I loved the story. It has some language and a few pretty steamy scenes in it, but it didnt take away from the value of the novel for me. What I loved about the story was how deep it went and how honest it was. Ive never seen a more compelling portrayal of alcoholism and the damage it can do to adults. For the most part I loved all of the characters. There were times when I didnt like some of them at all, but thats like real life. Sometimes we dont like the people we love. And sometimes we just need to know when to walk away and let someone learn the hard way that they need help. The ending was fanstastic and I think it worked well for the story. There are people that are good for us and the relationship is healing. There are some people that are like poison to our souls. Ethans insight about the healing power of forgiveness toward the end was enough to move a reader to tears. I was so glad when he found peace and joy in life again. Some picky little things that drove me nuts were the excessive use of exclamation marks. Any seasoned writer knows that they are not needed most of the time and should be rarely used. If it hadnt been for all of those marks in the story I would not have believed this was the authors first novel. It was very well-written and other that, had few flaws. This story engaged not only my head, but my heart. I was afraid - more like terrified - at times as well as extremely sad about situations that occurred. There were no easy answers, but the author had the characters acting in ways that made sense and fit their situations given their lives and what they knew. More than that, I felt like I knew these people kind of like I knew characters in a soap opera I used to watch many years ago. I often held my breath as they did crazy things that fit the drama of the day and couldnt wait to find out what would happen next. And though the author did not have a pure point of view (in other words there was some head-hopping) she actually did this very well. Its not easy to have multiple viewpoints in a scene and do it well. I am sad that this story ended, but was excited that a prequel is coming out in 2012. Im definitely getting it as I want to know how it all began and I know for sure it will be told well. Hopefully it wont have a thousand question marks in the story, but even if it does, Im sure Ill enjoy it.

This is always a sign of a good book for me, when a few days after Ive finished a novel, Im still thinking about it. This is definitely the case with

Two couples as much thrown together as they are torn apart by infidelity, this book drew me in from the start as I eagerly continued to discover what would happen next? Descriptive & well planned, the realism had me believing that the main characters within After All Is Said & Done were my colleagues. Men act like men as the women do what women do best in this moral wrenching take on professional life & what goes on behind closed office doors. I am happy to recommend After All Is Said & Done to all who enjoy this genre & hope that others in search of something new will give this new author a chance as I look forward to much more & a second glance.

I chose this new novel as a pick from kindle. I was surprised how quickly I was drawn into the intriquing lives in Serenity Harbor. There are four main, strong characters, doctors Ethan and Jessica Harrington and Gavin and Sarah Williams but family and friends become involved as questionable foes or friends. As you become involved in the story, you will question the decisions and morals of the team of doctors. Love and honor, betrayal and injustice, jealousy and envy rip through the novel. You must decide what actions are a choice and what decisions are made to live by, FOREVER!

Sarah is married to Gavin, who has had an affair with Jessica, but she is married to Ethan, and pregnant with his child. They are all doctors sharing partnerships, friendships, and perhaps too much personal space all intertwined together. But right now everything is about to explode as Jessica goes into labor and has a son that everyone but Ethan knows is not Ethans. The affair with Jessica and Gavin was over, spouses had taken them back, forgiveness was extended, and then all the lies come out and the one night turns into a baby. Gavin comes clean with Sarah about the baby and their fragile relationship becomes cracked beyond repair and Sarah decides to move on without him. But Jessica and Ethan live under the guise of the babys parentage and Jessica is getting really good at keeping secrets she should be confessing. Jessica wants them to remain a couple and if lies are needed to make that happen, so be it. When Ethans father passes away the pressure of his life explodes like fireworks around him. Ethan crumbles under the stress from complicated family relationships, his supposed failures and misdeeds until the only comfort he finds is in the bottle of scotch sitting by his elbow. When the bottle creates new issues and no longer provides comfort Ethan starts to see only a dark tunnel with no light. When the worst that can happen to you already has what would your next step be? The long trip from infidelity to reconciliation is one paved with truces, promises and hope. When all those things turn into a huge deception no one is going to forgive or forget and the chance of moving on is almost impossible. Ethan, Sarah, Jessica and Gavin cause pain to one another but when you walk forward what is behind you may stay there and you can rise again from the ashes to build a new life if you are honest with everyone including yourself. This book had me daunted before I even started reading it because it has quite a few pages to it. But once you start the number of pages turns out to not be required to give you all the information you start to crave. The plot follows a clear path, with answers to questions, which all readers enjoy. What I did not like is chapters that are usually separated were run together and at times I had difficulty figuring out what was going on. Other than that - great read.

*SOME SPOILERS* In a nutshell, this story is about one mans triggers and downward spiral to alcoholism as well as his steep climb back to reclaim his life. The last happens only with the friendship and love in one womans heart, which is what really matter After All Is Said And Done. Ms. Buchanan either works in healthcare or has done impressive research. If someone is reading this, do not take that to mean that this story is in any way ugh! gray-and-dreary and therefore to be avoided. I usually sidestep health issue-related novels myself, not wanting to be inundated after a days work of it. But I made the exception here because the author is an excellent writer as well as a storyteller. Once I started reading, I could not stop until I;ve reached the end. The characters, the storylines, the writing is t-h-a-t good & compelling. The hero s basic goodness really shines through so that I was kept rooting for him to come out on top and kept page-flipping for that HEA he richly deserves. There is nothing soap operatic about this story. Such a description implies that life imitates art / fiction whereas this story quite accurately portrays the low-point, rather ugly dramas that do occur in an alcoholics life. It really opens with the repeated cheating of two people who were each married to others. What made it more painful was the cheaters were already forgiven by their spouses the first time around yet they did it again and this time resulted in a pregnancy. If thats not bad enough, the female cheater lets her husband believe the baby is his! He is so happy. Imagine how feels when the truth comes out! At this point Im already looking for a romantic angle and hoping this cheaters husband will end up with someone more deserving of him. Before I can feel too sorry for him, (and yes hes the hero) the story moves on to his fathers death which at first seems like its just another event. In reality this is the last straw that breaks the hero because he, in fact, had an abusive childhood. From herein on, the hero descends into a full-blown alcoholism and all aspects of his life, slowly but surely, falls apart. Again, this might sound either depressing or simply blech. But what makes this story readable is that while Ms Buchanan acquaints us with the main points of certain tragic turns, she does not linger over it ghoulishly through TMI but instead moves along briskly. The reader is spared that dreaded blow-by-blow ugliness of detail and equally dreadful soppy sentimentality. My heart just ached for the hero every time hes in denial about having just a little too much to drink and each time he does so, he loses something / someone. Except one wonderful, wonderful human being who stands by him to the very end. YES! He does get a happy ending. The other characters are just as fascinating though not always in a good way. Theres the other man, the unfaithful but very sorry cheater wife, the other mans wife who is also the heros clinic partner and friend, the innocent baby, the heros troubled, mercenary sister, the abusive dad, the stand-back / hands-off / judgmental friends or colleagues and a couple of supportive ones. The POV is mostly the heros, his cheating wife, the other man and his wife and to a lesser extent, the other characters when they come on. This works for me, I had no problem distinguishing whos thinking what. By the time the story got to the romance part & happy ending, I was just too glad. The hero really deserves it, so does the heroine. Theirs is not merely a first-sight-sexy-pull kind of love but one that survived tests of fire. Because of the storys 2-year span, it might seem too long especially when one looks at the number of pages, not that I noticed. I was just too busy reading and was a little sorry when the story ended. If asked to qualify this book, it isnt Harlequin goody, nor does it have the blitheness of chick-lit, its certainly not erotica. More like A Novel as it ought to mean, with a strong substance and a nice vein of friendship & romance. I liked, too, that towards the end, the setting switches to the UK from Maine. So, I rate this story a solid 5+. Its a keeper. Id suggest looking round for a slightly better price than is offered in this site. I bought my ebook elsewhere.

Initially, I was drawn to this book because it dealt with alcoholism and unforgiveness. Both are issues that have dramatically affected our family, and the latter is affecting it now. I joined a blog tour to give away a copy of it, and the author did a guest post along with it. After reading her guest post, I knew I had to read this book. I contacted her, and she graciously sent me a copy to review. She warned me about any issues I may find with the book (I cant tell you how much I appreciate it when authors do that), but I was convinced this was a book I was supposed to read. And I am so glad I did! The writing style, plot, and characterization in this book are absolutely exquisite. In the beginning, I struggled to keep the characters straight. (My fault, not the authors). I finally got Gavin, Jessica, Sarah, and Ethan straightened out. Ill let you read the book and figure all that out yourself. I truly feel that this book was very realistic. Sometimes an author will write a book and water down the topics so that there is a happy ending. Belinda Buchanan does not do do this. She handles the issues of infidelity and alcoholism in a way that is real, human, and tragic. And she shows you exactly what bitterness and unforgiveness can do to a person. I am glad that author warned me about the adult portions. Yes, there was some profanity and intimate scenes. Most intimate scenes occurred between married people and did not go into great detail. Practically all profanity was used sparsely and at what most would feel were appropriate moments. I was not nearly as offended as I might have been if the profanity was rampant and incessant. The amazing thing about the characters is that I grew to love Ethan in spite of everything. In fact, I was amazed to discover that through everything (dont want to spoil it for anyone), I still loved him and never stopped. I wanted him to make it, and there were some emotional points. In fact, as I read a good portion of these portions, I was in a classroom with a group of students, and I really forgot where I was! I was not overly aware of what was going on in the class. There were also points that just hit too close to home. I came from an emotionally abusive marriage, and some of the situations very difficult to read. In conclusion, I so wish that those close to me who are struggling with bitterness could learn the lessons that the characters did in the book. They so need to understand that hatred and anger accomplishes nothing if you keep holding onto it. You must let it go. I am very grateful that the author gave me this book for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100 percent mine.

Great characters but did he really have to forgive her for her actions. Great ending and only fitting for two lost characters

An emotional and different type of story line that is about the aftermath of infidelity. Ethan finds out his wifes affair but forgives Jessica. That is until he finds out that the child, whose conception was after the so called affair. She and Gavin kept up the affair, thus producing a child. Gavin was also married, to Sarah. This was a tormented story that showed how Ethan coped, or not coped. His demons and how he was able to grow and overcome her infidelities. Not an entertaining read. So much hurt. And the adulterous couple didnt seem to get any negative effects toward them It all seemed to focus more on Ethan.

This book kept me guessing. I couldnt put it down. I was rooting for Ethan the whole time and my heart sank when he reached his darkest hour.