In the story of every relationship, they say there are three sides, his, hers and the truth. Ben Burgess Jr.’s Love and Happiness is a raw and brutally bold tale of a marriage gone wrong and how selfishness, deceit and infidelity can erode a marriage until it is nothing more than a congealing puddle of rancid sludge. How many times can a spouse forgive the sins of the other? How much blame should each share? Follow the journey of Karen and Chris as they travel the path to marital implosion, one brutal act at a time.
She had it all, but it wasn’t enough. Karen needed more than one man to please her. She needed to feel worshiped; being tied to one man and her beautiful children was not enough. She wanted excitement, to live life on the edge, completely missing the point that she already had it all and with a little effort on her part, she could have even more with Chris.
Chris was a dedicated father and husband, always working extra to provide for his family, thinking of their future, but he forgot the present, and had little energy for the wife he inadvertently took for granted, thinking he was “doing right by his family.” But secrets have a way of unraveling and betrayal is hard to overcome, especially when the betrayer refused to own the deeds.
It takes two to love and it takes two to argue, but it took more than either had to give to discuss and repair their marriage. Is it possible that sometimes Cupid gets it wrong and there will be no happily ever after?
Hang on tight, Ben Burgess Jr. is going to hit every pulse point you have, from the raw sexually scenes told with blunt frankness to the inner thoughts and perspectives of both Chris and Karen. Eye-opening, far too realistic in today’s society, Mr. Burgess tackles the death of another marriage with a clear-headed vision that will leave you reeling. Unafraid to give us characters to dislike far beyond just their actions, we are given both sides of a story, as well as being able to sense the skewed perspectives of the characters. Raw, gritty and from the gut, everyone will take something away from this tale, thanks to the ability of this author to connect soul-deep with his readers.
In Love and Happiness by Ben Burgess Jr., can love conquer all or does the infidelity of a spouse kill the love in a relationship? From the outside, Karen has everything that anyone could desire. She has a handsome husband who loves her very much, she has beautiful daughters, and a really nice house seems just like icing on the cake. No one knows that she is actually cheating on her husband, and not with one man, but with two. She feels neglected, unloved and unappreciated. This is why she fell into an extramarital affair with Tyrell and Raheem.
She fears that these affairs will tear her family apart and break her marriage, so to avoid that she breaks off with those two men. Chris thought his life was perfect. He was madly in love with his wife, but then why did she cheat on him? When he finds out that Karen is cheating on him, he breaks down. But when a threat tries to tear their family apart, both of them are trying to figure out if they should stay together. Can Chris forgive her infidelity? Can Karen believe in her husband’s love?
I have to tell you, I was not expecting Love and Happiness to be like this. I thought the novel would be filled with too much emotion and angst. Yes, there was a lot of emotion and angst, but it was just the right amount of it. It does not ruin the impact of the story, and what a beautiful story it is! Even though you will hate Karen so much, you will not be able to stop yourself feeling for her when you read more. And Chris is a really good man; he is generous and very kind. The novel is the perfect example of the importance of communication in marriage. I really enjoyed the novel! Good work!
