Review: Stay with me by Maya Banks

Stay with me, by Maya Banks

Getting her back will be the toughest deal they’ve ever negotiated.

On the night of her fifth anniversary, Catherine Cullen-Wellesley intends to break the news to the two men in her life. She’s pregnant with their child. It’ll be the perfect preamble to the vacation they’ve promised her: Two weeks on a Jamaican beach. No cell phones, no emails, no business.

But when Logan and Rhys blow off the trip for yet another “business emergency”, Catherine faces some difficult truths. She hasn’t come first in her busy husbands’ lives in a long time. Defiantly, she packs her bags for her long-awaited vacation—alone. It’ll give her a chance to figure out what the hell she’s going to do with the rest of her life.

When Logan and Rhys come home to an empty house, they realize two things: One, it was a mistake to take Catherine for granted. Two, they’re not willing to just let her walk out of their lives.

Winning her back will be the most difficult battle of their lives—more important than any business deal they’ve ever negotiated.

Chantal: I liked it a lot. It didn't hold up to the standards of Colter's Woman though. Sigh. I'm still waiting for someone to write a menage book as good as that one. It was still really good though.

Stories where the main people are already a couple and they are having troubles that need to be worked out are often my favourite. The couple, or trio, in this case are already married and had fallen in love a long time ago, so that was cool. I like seeing them being able to have a second chance.

Ames: I really liked it too. I like when women make the men panic.

I understand completely about waiting for a menage book like CW.


Chantal: Yeah, I liked how the guys freaked out with worry. Maya Banks really wrote the emotions well. When Catherine was upset about them not showing up for dinner again, I felt sad right a long with her. Then when the guys came home to find her (and her bags gone) I could feel their panic. A good writer can get that stuff across to the reader, and Maya certainly did it well with this book.

Ames: Yeah she did! I felt every disappointment right along with Cat. And I liked how Cat didn't give in too easily. And the men realized that too. When they do end up finding her and they have crazy sex, but then she disappears on them the next morning, I was like "yeah, keep them on their toes!"

I also liked the glimpse into how they came to be together and how they had nothing and the men were working crazy busy for Cat. It was a nice set up for the story and it gives motivation to why the guys are such work horses.

Speaking of the guys - Rhys and Logan. I must admit, I liked Logan more. :P

Chantal: I liked Logan better, too. I think it's because he is the more dominant of the two. And I like the rough sex that he is into :P

Ames: For sure for sure. hehe

The dynamics of the relationship worked really well too, once they did come together. Usually, in menage a trois stories there is some awkwardness at first and the heroine wondering about her main man getting jealous when an interloper joins the fray. But because they all came together at the same time (no pun intended there), there didn't seem to be jealousy. And usually with menage a trois - we don't get to see the happily ever after. So it was good to see what could happen 5 years down the road.


Chantal: Absolutely!

Okay, this is totally cliche, but I loved the baby ending. To me, a romance in not complete unless there is a pregnancy or a baby being born. It's the mom in me, I guess.

Ames: It has to be the mom in you. LOL I didn't mind it in this case. I don't know, I like when a woman keeps a baby secret. Just for a little while mind you. Another book this story reminded me of (baby-wise) was Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Kiss an Angel. But now that I think about it, she told the father she was pregnant and then she ran away. Hmm... somehow they still strike me as being similar. haha

Chantal: I don't mind the woman keeping the baby a secret as long as she has a good reason. A lot of times the reason is dumb, and then it ruins the whole book for me. In this case, I support her not telling the guys about the baby. It's not like she didn't plan it. She had it all set up cute-like to tell them at their anniversary dinner, but then they screwed it up by putting her last when it came to priorities. The guys finding out about the pregnancy the way they did... I don't want to give it away. Was sweet justice. They really deserved it, ya know?!

I have not read that SEP book. Is it good?

Ames: It was the first SEP I read, so I really liked it. Alex was this hot circus guy and Daisy was a social butterfly type. Total opposites. And she tames a tiger. I love it. I read when I first discovered romance. It'll always hold a special place in my heart. :P

And I completely agree with the sweet justice comment. I love stuff that like!!

Chantal: Cool, I'll check it out.

Do you have any negative to say about this book? What grade are you giving it?

Ames: Nothing negative. LOL It was a nice quick read (as you know) and I'm going to give it a B.

Chantal: I'm giving it an B+. It was rather good, nothing negative from me either. I'm still waiting for Maya (or someone, anyone.) to write a menage book as good as Colter's Woman though. That story was... epic! This one was good, but too short to reach the high that CW gave me. So yeah, a B+.