Book Summary: 

A woman on the edge. An ex undercover cop hiding from the past. A second chance to save their marriage.

Two faint lines on a pee stick. That’s all it took to derail Jules’ career. Now she’s rubbing shoulders with other parents at school pick up and struggling to keep a lid on her growing frustration.

Mick spends his days (and nights) pouring though tax returns searching for white collar criminals because it’s safer than confronting the trauma of his past.

When Jules discovers a petite bombshell cuddling up to her man in a bar, she does what any self-respecting wife would do. She throws a glass of wine in his face and tells him to “go to hell”.

It’s the wake-up call they both needed.

For too long, Mick and Jules have pretended their marriage is fine when it’s not. So, they agree to try to salvage their relationship, if only for the sake of their daughter.

But when their secrets are exposed, they will have to tackle their personal demons head on or risk losing everything.

No more half-truths. No more pretending. No more excuses.

My Review:

There is so much to unpack in this book, I don’t even know where to begin. I have read every book in Karen’s series, and while they normally mix drama, suspense, and laughter, this one delves deeper into the darker aspects of the human psyche. In “With or Without Vows,” we are reminded that while we might believe we can control our minds, we are often powerless against their pull when they decide to drag us under.

One night. That was all it was supposed to be – just one night, first names only, no numbers – just unbridled passion to blow off some steam before the rest of her life began. Jules wasn’t expecting the parting gift that would derail all her plans, but she wouldn’t trade Riley for the world. Of all the surprises that followed her encounter with Mick, his unexpected return to her life was the most shocking. Not only had he come back, but he also knew about his daughter and was ready to explore a future with Jules. What once seemed like a fantasy quickly became reality – until one letter and an ill-timed visit destroyed it all. Fast forward to the present, and that initial bliss has turned into a living nightmare filled with fears of infidelity, lies, and secrets. A growing chasm now separates Mick and Jules. How can they save their marriage when they can barely save themselves?

The first half of this book flew by! I couldn’t put it down. One issue I’ve had in the past with Karen’s books is her tendency to be redundant, but in the first half of this book, she nailed it. I was engaged, enthralled, and on the edge of my seat, eager to know what would happen next. She has a talent for tiptoeing around what the reader really wants to know, making us turn the pages faster and faster to finally discover what really happened (or get rewarded with glimpses for our patience). The redundancy did start to creep back in before we reached the inevitable third-act breakup. This dialed back the momentum a bit, creating a slight dip, but she quickly picked up the steam again, making it feel like a minor blip over the entirety of the book. I suspect this was due to the need to extend the length of the book more than anything else. You can tell when Karen might have noticed it because she would veer left or right with the thought instead of reiterating the same points. Bravo on this new tactic – it paid off!

As I said before, there was just so much in this book! I can’t gush enough about these characters. Jules is such an enigma – she preaches politeness but can flick someone off in a heartbeat. She tries not to judge others but judges herself too harshly, which pretty much makes her a modern-day woman. She’s loyal to a fault, almost to the point where her blind loyalty breeds distrust because of past issues with her father, constantly planting seeds of doubt in her mind about the strength, commitment, and power of love.

What I found most fascinating, and I don’t know if Karen did this on purpose, was the stark contrast between her friends. You have Claire, who, compared to Taylor, is the good, kind “angel” – always there for Jules when she needs her, a friend, confidant, caring and compassionate. Then there’s Taylor, who doesn’t care about anything or anyone but herself: self-centered, self-absorbed, and would leave you for dead. Two people who are polar opposites yet influence who Jules is, what she thinks, and how she views her life. Even Mick commented on how much Taylor poisoned Jules’ thoughts with ideas of cheating, infidelity, and doubt.

Speaking of Mick, the way Karen wrote his character shows her immense talent for character development. He was a constantly evolving figure, and even though he was written in the first person, he was so good at lying to himself that he convinced the reader along with him. We weren’t clued into how bad things were for him until his own façade began to crack – then suddenly, we were able to see past the shield to a man who has been running from his past for seven years, a man who worked so hard to protect those he loved from an event that took everything from him that it was doomed to do the same in the present. His realization, his process of confronting his demons, and his redemption were some of my favorite parts of this story. I loved that the resolution between Jules and Mick wasn’t just magically done – everyone is healed, and they lived happily ever after. Karen kept the dance true to life – for every couple of steps forward, something would cause them to stumble backward, whether it was in their own personal journeys or in the repair of their marriage.

That was another thing I appreciated – Karen could have easily gone the miscommunication route, and once that was cleared up, all would be well. Instead, she went deeper and made it clear it had nothing to do with miscommunication from one side but the overall lack of communication and support from both sides and how it reflected on the vows, the promises they made to one another. The fact that they were suffering beside each other for so long spoke volumes.

The heat was definitely front and center in the story. If there was something that Jules and Mick never lacked, it was chemistry and passion – even when everything else was fragile. I liked how Karen made sure to show that even with an intense physical connection, it isn’t enough to sustain a marriage.

Jules and Mick were the perfect example of how little control we truly have over our demons. We can convince ourselves all we want that we are stronger, smarter, know better, but we aren’t, and we never will be. Mick tried to suppress his trauma, and all it did was become a constant task of barricading the floodgates, working to keep the pain out but blocking anything else from coming in. Same with Jules – she was determined to believe that she could handle all the disappointments in her life and that her solutions of popping a pill here or drinking a bottle of wine there were easily controlled. She wasn’t the problem; life was the problem, and her solutions were not just helping; they were her life raft. She didn’t realize her raft was leaking. Through the book, we witnessed the constant justifications, despite voices of reason piercing through the logic. It just shows the power of denial and the effect of lying to oneself – it doesn’t make the problem go away; it just makes us blind to it until it’s too late.

I had only imagined what went down with Davo, but when Mick took us back to that day, when we saw it through his eyes – I think I may have stopped breathing for a moment. All of a sudden, it all made sense; it wasn’t just his mind magnifying what happened; it was truly protecting him from one of the most horrifying experiences of his life. To say that parts of this book are utterly heartbreaking would be an understatement. You won’t need a box of tissues, but you will come away with a deeper understanding of empathy as you can’t help but feel the pain of these characters.

I am curious if we have reached the end of this series or if there is still more to come. In either case, it has been an honor to watch Karen’s writing evolve. I knew she was capable of making some magic, and as expected, she delivered!