Review: Trouble Won't Wait by Piper Denna

Title:Trouble Won't Wait
Author:Piper Denna (Autumn Piper on the book jacket)
Release Date: November 5th 2012
Publisher: Lyrical Press, Inc.
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 5 Hoots
Reviewer: Karia

Sum It Up!  This book was a fantastic journey of loss, of love and of second (and third) chances.

Good things may come to those who wait, but trouble waits for no one...

Cheating is a dealbreaker...or so Mandy's always thought. But when she
catches her husband getting some "strange," she realizes how hard it is
to cut and run, or even file papers. She agrees to a month of
counseling, which will give her time to grieve the loss of her marriage
before she has to tell the world--and the kids. Then she meets Adam, who
gives her a hunky--if mysterious--shoulder to cry on, and that
thirty-day waiting period seems like an eternity.

Adam has no problem confessing that he's watched Mandy from his window
for months as she runs by his house. If he told her why, though, she'd
freak out for sure. He knows they've got a future together, if he can
think of a way to explain his past. And he's sure the rat-bastard who
cheated on her is putting the moves on her again, but he won't be the
revenge guy. The month-long cooling off period she agreed to is lasting
forever, and might just be indefinite, if trouble keeps getting in their
way.

Content Warning: Eccentric old lady pushing salt-of-the-earth advice,
bossy big brother, kooky counselor, super-secretive hunk, and perfect
justice served amidst adult situations and language. (Goodreads)

Review
Wow...I stayed up till 2am reading this story. It was so emotional, so
well written (except for the one typo where Laura/Lana was concerned)
and so heartbreaking. What would you do if you walked in on your man
getting some "strange"? When I first read the blurb, I was worried that
it was going to be him getting it on with a dog or transvestite. But,
thankfully, no. It was a straight up against the car balling of your
best friends girlfriend. Yuck! But worse yet, it was in your best
friend's garage at his Thanksgiving party with your kids in the other
room! What would I do? Grab a crow bar or equally heavy tool and whack
the crap out of his kneecaps. But, Mandy is a much sweeter, kinder
woman than I.

Mandy, Amanda, has been with Mike for 14 years. They have a 12 yr old
son and a 10yr old daughter. She works as his bookkeeper and general
homemaker, but recently decided to pursue her dream of writing. After
publishing two books, Mandy began to grow in her confidence and into
herself. The 20+ pounds she has gained being "wifey" has melted off her
as she walks and runs her neighborhood releasing tension. This tension
is eluded to more than described. But I could picture her growing
frustrations with her in-laws, her inattentive husband and her
unfulfilled relationship were wearing her down.

When she sees Mike and Lana in the garage, she literally breaks inside.
Thanksgiving afternoon, all is quiet, her house ravaged by her in-laws,
she escapes to her run. But today is different. Today, a handsome but
older man approaches her....Enter Adam. I love how he is described,
cute, dimples, slightly receding hair indicating his age...not perfect
and yet perfect for her. But then coming to her senses, Mandy realizes
that she is in a cemetery, hidden from the street and alone with a
strange man. And yet, he doesn't feel strange, Mandy notices...I loved
their clandestine meeting! Best line at their meet cute, was Mandy to
herself: "After all, you can't rape the willing."

As the story unfolds, the plot is all about Mandy, her growth and her
revelations that her marriage had been less than ideal for some time.
Mike, made classic mistakes most husbands do: he took her for granted,
put less and less effort into their lovemaking, then sought out
something hot and sexy to supplement his appetites. The killer part of
this was Mandy, for all intensive purposes, was a horny little thing.
She and Mike did the deed not 1 hour before going to that fateful party
at their best friend Brad's. Also, Mandy loved him. She admitted to
herself that she did, that she may be able to forgive and that was the
reason for the one month agreement. But also, the one month gave Mandy
time to mourn the loss of her marriage and prepare her kids for a new
life.

Adam is quite the enigma. I liked him right off, but then every so
often he would pull out a bit of crazy. Like threatening to kill Mike
if he touched Mandy, or threatening to go over there and haul Mandy and
the kids out of the house. Those seemed like red flags to me, but then
Adam would calm and Mandy would soothe him with gentle words and
promises of the future. They held true to the "letter of the law", not
consummating their relationship while Mandy wore Mike's ring. But,
their emotional relationship and deep connection seemed to belie any
efforts that Mandy and Mike could have made in their marriage counseling
sessions. Speaking of which, I feel sorry for Mike at many points and
actually believed him to be penitent until the counselor hit on Mandy
and he didn't believe her. Say what? He really didn't believe that
anyone but him could want her, desire her...

But desire her they did: from her brother's two friends, to the
counselor, to their best friend Brad. But in the end, Mandy only had
eyes and a mending heart for Adam. I loved the twists and turns along
the way to their HEA. This book was a fantastic journey of loss, of
love and of second (and third) chances. Enjoy!