This is not exactly a duet but the first book (Tina & Harris's story) gives context to this story and should be read first. The two stories are happening concurrently so some scenes are seen from the other character's point of view.

I liked Libby better in the first book when I couldn't hear her thoughts. She comes across overly judgmental, not to Greyson because his behavior in denying his child on such flimsy evidence got him exactly what he deserves but to the other people around her, especially Tina her best friend.

Libby was not very understanding to Tina and when she finds out the huge secret Tina is hiding makes it about her when she should have really known better.

The strength of this book is Anders ability to take these old school tropes with the obnoxious heroes and turn them around by giving the heroine agency. Libby doesn't forgive easily and she makes Greyson work for his happy ending. This is a win in my book.

I recommend this to anybody who likes to see the hero pay for their mistakes and grovel.

Nothing But This
by Natasha Anders

This is the first book by this author that I have read. But, I found myself so mesmerized by the characters that I couldn’t put it down. The storyline was so real, It felt like being right there in the room with the characters.

For our lead female we have Libby Lawson, she’s a sous-chef in a restaurant in London. She grew up in the Chapman home as her parents were employed by them. Libby had a fun sibling like relationship with Harris, but with his twin Greyson she was treated with coldness. Libby harbored a crush on Greyson all through her teen years.

Our male lead character is Greyson Chapman, a dark mysterious and silent brooding man. But then he was that way since childhood. He accused Libby, or Olivia as he insisted on calling her, that she was a stalker. As it turned out he’s actually the stalker, as knew where to find her. He was ready to meet as adults now, and he planned to keep her.

It didn’t take long, the second chapter to be exact, for things to fall apart. A males ego apparently can grow to ugly proportion. His cruelty and nasty accusations destroyed his marriage, and drove his wife and daughter away. It took him four months to decide maybe he was wrong. Thus, begins the “bring them home” plan!

Unfortunately there wasn’t much of a plan. Libby finally had the chance to give him a piece of her mind and laid it out flat. It’s an emotional path that they travel, each trying to do what best for themselves and baby Clara. And they weren’t on the same path.

While Greyson’s working on receiving Libby’s forgiveness, Harris was also working through his and Tina’s situation. So we have double the emotions going on in this story.

Throughout this story, we see Tina having issues with the baby. But no one knew the reasoning behind that. After Tina finally let’s Libby know the reason, Libby feels such grief over not knowing and being there for her. But, Tina stated because of their age difference she felt it wasn’t right to place that burden on her.

I don’t want to spoil the story, so please buy this book! Find a quiet place with a box of tissues and read about redemption, forgiveness and what it takes to realize love. My heart thumped, my eyes leaked and I fell in love with this story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#Netgalley

3.5 Stars

I also received the first book in this series via Netgalley but couldn't get into it and read some negative reviews so didn't read it. I requested book 2 as I liked the synopsis.

Again, I found it hard to get into at first but I stuck with it and it soon picked up around the time Greyson decides to get Libby back.

The story of the couple from the first book seems to run parallel with this book and they feature a lot.

Greyson found out he was infertile age 19 after contacting mumps. He has known Libby for years and when he meets her again when they're older they fall straight into bed and he finds out she was a virgin. He asks her to marry him. The flashback scenes were more telling than showing and so it was hard to feel their connection or that they may have fallen in love. Fast forward to Libby giving birth and Greyson acting cool with her. He then tells her he's infertile and he knows the baby isn't his and that she has been unfaithful. What he doesn't tell her is he believes she has been unfaithful to him with his twin brother Harris (from book 1). Libby is then obviously done with him and moves away.

Greyson confronts Harris with his belief he has fathered the child and had an affair. He then realises how wrong he was and that the baby is his. However, he waits 4 months to contact Libby again. During this time he drank a lot. He does a lot of grovelling and tries to change his ways to win Libby back.

This went on for most of the book. I'm more a fan of alpha male heroes but I did like Greyson. He's very sweet. He's quite an insecure man and has always felt like a loner. He moves to where Libby and his daughter Clara are living and tries everything to win her back. He bonds immediately with his daughter and him and Libby become lovers again but Libby is still really hurt by Greyson and can't trust him. I liked how Greyson couldn't express himself well around Libby. I really felt his frustration and regret at how he had hurt Libby. When the story is told from Greyson's POV, it was refreshing to read how hurt a man feels and how his emotions are affected by his actions. There is an emotional part towards the end when Greyson decides to be completely honest with Libby.

Libby is a very together person. She makes friends easily. Very similar to Travis. Yet Greyson keeps himself to himself and finds it hard to express his feelings, similar to Tina. I enjoyed this book but dropped 1.5 stars as the beginning and the flashbacks I didn't enjoy as much as the rest of the book. It would have worked better if we got to read about them falling in love, marrying and living together as man and wife whereas that is all just told to us and not shown.

Greyson and Libby have known each other their entire lives and have always been somewhat drawn to each other, but with Libby’s parents working for Greyson’s parents they are from different worlds and it’s just not possible for them to ever be together. Years later when he comes across a grown-up Libby, straight-laced Greyson decides to throw caution to the wind and go for what he wants. He and Libby marry, and it seems like life is perfect until a misunderstanding causes Greyson abandon his wife and their newborn daughter. When Greyson realizes his mistake, he does everything in his power to get his family back, but Greyson has burned a lot of bridges with his past actions. He not only has to win Libby back, he has to mend the relationship with his twin brother Harrison.

Greyson and Libby were first introduced in Harrison and Tina’s story, and that’s where part of the problem for me with this book starts. When I read Harrison and Tina’s story I more intrigued by Greyson and Libby and couldn’t wait to read more about them, needless to say I was disappointed when it turned out that almost half of Greyson and Libby’s story is a retelling of what I read in book one and it made it very difficult to not just skim while reading. Once the book hit a certain point it picked up for me because I started to get more of Harrison and Libby that I didn’t know, and it turned out to be a pretty sweet story. If you didn’t read book one you will probably be okay. Although, there are some repeated scenes from Harrison and Libby as well.
As far as the characters, I like the two of them. I have to admit, Libby wasn’t my favorite. This isn’t my first Natasha Anders book and I seem to follow a pattern in her books of not being a fan of the female heroines. I liked her but at the same time she was annoying.

I love a second chance romance and I was eager for this story but it just didn’t hit me where I wanted it to.

*ARC kindly provided by author, publisher, and NetGalley*

One of the first romance novels I ever fell in love with was ‘The Unwanted Wife’ by Natasha Anders. I have probably re-read it about 20 times at this point. This is why I was so excited to be given the opportunity to read ‘Nothing But This’ early as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just like ‘The Unwanted Wife’ I absolutely adored this book also. I fell in love with Libby and Greyson the same way I did with Theresa and Sandro.

Libby and Greyson have known each other since they were children. Libby’s parents worked for Greyson’s and so they had been in each others lives forever. They lost touch for a few years before reconnecting as adults and marrying soon after. The story really begins when Libby gives birth to their child whom Greyson does not believe is his.

Normally I hate these kinds of miscommunications in novels as I feel they are too often not explained well enough to be believable. However, here I could understand where Greyson was coming from. Although I was so angry with him at the start I could still sympathize and relate to his problems expressing himself.

As a heroine I loved Libby. She was strong and independent and didn’t just drop at Greyson’s feet after his betrayal. She also knew to put her child first always and I respected that immensely.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves romance the way I do.

I enjoyed the book and had much more sympathy for Grayson than I did in the first book.

What really was surprising was how petty and selfish Libby was with her friend Tina. Because in this book we heard her impressions and inner monologues rather than Tina's in the first book it was surprising how critical and one-sided her friendship with Tina was.

Great story!

I love second-chance-romances and when it involves a couple that are married to one another it makes it all that more sweeter!

Libby and Greyson initially had a whirlwind romance that had them dating, getting married, and pregnant all within a year! The thing is, Greyson thinks there is no way he’s the father of Libby’s baby because he believes he’s infertile! On the day their daughter was born, their relationship ended in a huge blowout! Now after a couple months of regret, Greyson is determined to make things right and win back his wife (and family)! The big question is Libby willing to give this relationship another go!?!?

Nothing But This is the second book in the Broken Pieces series and if you haven’t started this series yet, I really recommend it! Natasha Anders does such a great job with pulling on your heartstrings and she definitely came through with that in this book! I really liked Libby right off the bat, but Greyson had to do some serious groveling to Libby before he went into the “okay” column in my book lol! I was seriously shocked that Natasha Anders somehow made me love him by the end! I enjoyed this 4.5 star novel from start to finish! I’m so excited for the next installment!!

One of my pet peeves when reading romance is when the heroines instantly and unrealistically forgive and forget completely horrific behaviors from the “heroes”. And, unfortunately, it happens often in that chase for happily ever after. NOT so in this story! In fact it is the exact opposite.

For the first year of Greyson and Libby’s marriage, he acts absolutely dispicably - culminating in him claiming their child is not his because he is sterile, right after Libby has given birth. Libby, who was a virgin before Greyson and has NEVER had or wanted anyone but him is absolutely devastated. And, so is the reader! The writing is so exquisitly penned that one feels every single knife stabbing LIbby’s tender heart.

The story that follows is the journey Greyson must take after discovering he could not have been further from the truth, and the consequences of all his actions because of his fatal misjudgement. It is riveting reading for sure.

My only problem (and it was quite a big one for me) is in Libby’s neglect in taking responsibility for HER part in the problem. Although nothing could justify Greyson’s behavior, LIbby’s actions were a very large reason why he believed what he did. With nothing more than a short paragraph near the end, I didn’t ever feel she truly addressed the hurt SHE caused him with her exclusion from her life and friendships.

Overall, however, it is truly a masterful piece that deftly explores relationships at their very hardest. ... Oh, and it does have a very happy ending!!

Libby Lawson thought she had everything she could want from life, a gorgeous husband, seemingly happy marriage, a beautiful home, and she is about to become a first time mother. But within minutes after her delivery her darn near perfect life took a serious nose dive, after her husband informs her that he is sterile and cannot be the father of their newborn. Libby is completely devastated, the man she loved with her whole heart just ripped her entire world to shreds and then didn't even stick around to give her a chance to explain things. Now she finds herself stuck between a rock and a hard place... a place she never thought she'd be.

Nothing But This is a angst-filled page-turner that is destined to do a serious number on your heart and emotions... this book totally wrecked me! This first time read impressed on all fronts, I wanted a heart-squeezing story, and that is exactly what I got... wow what a story! These two and their heartrending story had my heart in my throat, the tears welling, and my heart feeling like it was in a vise the whole way through! I loved every single second of this one, the story line was very unique, the characters were perfectly crafted and easy to connect to, and the words were powerful... definitely one of my favorite first reads this year! If you like heart torturing tales then this is a book for you, these two will take you on a journey you will never forget! Highly recommend!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, via NetGalley, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.

THIS was seriously everything a second chance romance should be!! In this second standalone romance of her new series, Natasha Anders serves up an absolutely heartbreaking storyline of characters suffering through the most legitimately gut wrenching deterioration of their marriage. What an exquisitely tortuous reading experience this was, what a beautiful second chance romance unfolded. I eat every Natasha Anders novel hungrily but Nothing But This was especially delicious. 

I have never been so on board with a heroine denying a reconciliation. It's really hard to wrap your head around what Greyson has said and done in this story and I thought Olivia's actions, her decisions in response to his behavior were PERFECTION. All of their push and pull, the slow burning evolution of their second chance, the grovel that was more about actions than words, the sexual tension, the heartache, the absolute despair... it all made for such an emotional storyline that I absolutely loved. I love stories that hurt but that I can buy into, that I find believable and authentic and Natasha Anders nailed it with Nothing But This. 

As much as Greyson deserved to really grovel and needed to repent, I can't even tell you how much I came to love him. He was so broken, so tortured, so determined and I felt every bit of his longing, his devotion, his heart. I enjoyed every bit of the growth of his character, every moment of the rebuilding of what was once destroyed. This story hurt, it was peppered with moments of sweet tenderness, steamy sensuality and breathtaking romance and it felt seamless. It was rife with heart pangs and brutal chest twinges and I loved all so completely.

Rounding up to 3 stars

Words can not even begin to express how excited I was to read this book. The synopsis sounded so promising and this author is one that a lot of friends have been raving about. The synopsis for Nothing But This sounded amazing and I just couldn't wait to dive in.

Nothing But This follows the story of Greyson and Libby. Things between Greyson and Libby have always been complicated. Libby has had a crush on Greyson for as long as she could remember and Greyson never once gave any indication that he felt the same way. It wouldn't be until years later, when fate reunites Greyson and Libby, that Greyson finally makes his move. Greyson and Libby have a whirlwind romance and before they know it, they find themselves married. The sky's the limit. That is until Libby ends up getting pregnant. Libby's happily ever after is anything but. Greyson believes himself to be sterile and his actions and treatment of Libby are inexcusable. Libby is so hurt. The only answer is to leave Greyson....Will Greyson open his eyes and see the mistakes he's made? Is the damage between Libby and Greyson too much to repair? There's only one way to find out.....

When I first picked up this book, I was hooked. I couldn't get enough of Greyson and Libby. I felt like I couldn't read fast enough. Their story started off so promising. A young couple who fell in love hard and fast and suddenly had the rug pulled out from under them....Yep, I couldn't get enough. I was angry. I was frustrated. The angst and hopelessness so palpable. I couldn't wait to see where this story would go. 

Unfortunately, things feel apart pretty quickly for me. As much as I loved the angst and frustration. I found myself annoyed with Libby and Greyson. Don't get me wrong, I totally was team Libby. She was so right in all the decisions she was making and I didn't mind seeing Greyson grovel. Greyson made some terrible assumptions and his actions were irredeemable. I loved that Libby put him through the paces and didn't just accept that he pulled his head out of his butt. She made him see how his behavior hurt her and she made him work for it.

However, after a while, the back and forth stopped working for me. It felt repetitive and like the plot was dragging. I wanted to see more from Greyson and Libby. I needed to see some type of a connection other than the baby & good sex. The sexual tension was on point and the angst factor definitely had my heart working overtime. But, I needed more than that. I needed some flashbacks of the good times and moments that would make me root for them. I needed to see these characters connect with their clothes on.  Like show me why these two characters should be together because at the end of the day, sex and a baby are not enough. My other issue was the secondary plot line between Harris and Tina. I found that to be really confusing since their story was the first book in this series. I get that their stories were running parallel with one another, but the way it was done, it felt like we never jumped ahead of their story, if that makes sense. Like I understand that some parts of their story were important to this plot, but it made it feel like this was all four of their stories instead of just Libby & Greyson's. 

Overall, I thought this book was an ok read. I think it will be a hit for some and a miss for others. I'm going to round this one up to 3 stars, because I really did enjoy the first half of the book. I think this story had a lot of good potential, but for me just fell flat. This is my first book by this author, and while I didn't love it, I would be open to checking out other books from her in the future.

<b>3.75 Stars</b>

I have been looking forward to this book ever since I read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2775057516">book one</a> in this series and we were introduced to the deliciousness of Libby and Greyson's hot mess of a marriage.

Everyone has tropes they love. Some more than others. And while I must say that I have a ton of tropes/elements I crumble for, here are a few that seriously crank my tractor:

-second chance
-marriage in trouble
-angst

And Natasha Anders brought all of that to this story in spades.

But you know what else you can always count on my homie Anders ALWAYS bringing to the table:

GROVELING. And there is nothing on this earth I love more than groveling. For serious.

And Greyson's was <i>delicious</i>.

Now, this book - as many of Anders books are - is based on a Big Miscommunication plot. I will be the first to admit that I usually HATE this plot device and avoid it like the plague. For some reason, however, I love it in Anders' books and keep coming back for more. In fact, this is my 9th Anders book. Because as I said earlier: Angst. GROVELING.

I also really enjoyed reading more of the backstory on Greyson and Libby's relationship and also the dynamic between Greyson and Harris and Harris and Libby. But what I think I enjoyed more than anything was seeing Greyson move to Riversend and make some bromances.

I could have done with some <i>more</i> flashbacks (which I can't believe I am saying, cause I usually hate flashbacks) of Libby and Greyson's relationship to cement their connection in my mind a little more, but other than that, I really enjoyed this story and - as always - look forward to more from Anders in the future.

Natasha Anders is a wonderful writer and this book is part of a duet about brothers and besties who find love together. It also is loosely cpnnected to her previous series. This is book 2 in the duet and you must read book 1 first. Of the duet this is my favorite story but to understand the characters and the storyline you must start with book 1.

THis is a 2nd chance, husband and wife finding their way back to each other after a horrible betrayal and the betrayal has nothing to do with cheating. It was amazing and I fell hard for Grayson and Libby. They were both wonderful characters who both made some huge mistakes and had a lot to make up to the other about.

It is well writtend and I loved both characters and it was so good. But its not a stand alone. Make sure to read the first book.