All Comments on 'An Unexpected Reaction'

Something about this story that always brings me back to it; it's one of the best stories on this site, by arguably the best writer on this site. Three of the five best stories I've read were written by you.

Just reread your story. Loved it the first time and enjoyed it just as much this time. Great to read a story with a positive ending.

Had to read it again, it is one of my favorite stories. I need to learn how to put in my favorites.

se4cond time i read it . still a damn good story .

Read it again and think that this is one of your best!

Overall a good read and well done by the author.

I did not rate stars for it however, as while milder than many in this genre, it falls into locking on the main male character's view as the only right way and they are the victim. With undercurrents of devaluing women as emotional, illogical, troublesome etc.

Jace does seem at the core a decent guy but needs to see his own lack of emotional maturity, bad choices (picking a partner with needs he is not well suited to meet; they speak different love languages) and only seeing his way as THE right way and needing to control. That is not too say other's misbehaviors are excused, however he played a major role in things developing the way they did. He wasn't just a passive innocent victim. Additionally he almost lost Amanda at the beginning of their relationship with his stunted ability to communicate and understand his own emotions and hers. Additionally, rather than leading through inspiration and first communication, especially at the beginning with Amanda, he several times just falls back on being controlling (which is weak and immature). It would have been great to see him recognize these things and grow.

I loved it, and gave it 5 big stars. This was my 2nd time reading it, as I needed a feel good story to read, that was kind of long, but not overly long and this one fits the bill nicely. It hits all of the check marks too, including a love story between him and Amanda. Sure he had one with his first wife, but it ended badly, He really should have called it quits the first time Becky cheated on him, but then he might not have met Amanda and restarted his life.

I often think of all of the mistakes I made when I was younger that led me to my wife of 43 years, and this story kind of reminds me of some of them (brings back good memories). Thank You for sharing it with us Q, I love it.

Great story. I lived that. But I stayed. We had three kids. Middle one some other biological dad. Found an old HR folder from a bank she worked for saying she was criticized for having an affair with her boss. I confronted her, she said she was sorry I found out but she couldn’t get enough sex and loved being dominated.

Second time reading it. Loved the second part of it and the fiery loyalty of Amanda, only wish we all had partners with that quality.

Rereading. Overall a 5 but there are two stories here. The first is a 3.5 or 4.0. The second is a 6 with the exception of the very last bit - the ball squeezing routine is a serious negative. Complete crap. And, unless she wants Jace to stop working there is no way he can guarantee he'll never end up meeting "that woman" at another industry conference.

What did she exactly expect him to do when he found out she cheated on him damn women in these stories can be fucking stupid I admit so can some of the men

Long but still a good read. Loved it to the end both stories – Her cheating and BTB and then his transformation when he met a good woman! 5 -Stars!

He turned his ex down flat, the ball squeezing makes her look ridiculous, and so does telling the love of your life that he’s going to be a father just to rub it in his ex’s face. Way to make what should be something special into just a spiteful snark at a woman he just thoroughly rejected with class.

I don’t like perfect ‘Mary Sue’ characters, but I end up really disliking Amanda on the last page of this story.

Great story, the ending with the ball squeezing didnt think it fit with the way Jace and Amanda interacted with each other. but didn't stopped me from the ending.

To the anon that posted 20 days ago and you stayed as I said in my last comment women can be stupid so can men as your comment just made clear the fact you posted as anon says you don't want anyone knowing your name cause you like being a cuck I would have filed for divorce right away under adultery made sure the hearing was public and the media was there even in a no fault state you can still come out on top then I would have demanded partinty test done on all kids cause you can bet your ass I'm not going to pay for a child that is not mine cause my wife decided I wasn't satisfying her anymore in bed I don't have problems with raising a child that isn't mine if my wife had her before we was together but her having another mans kid while married to me and then trying to pass it off as mine not going to happen if you have a dick and balls be a fucking man and have some pride not a little cuck bitch

Really enjoyed the story, I think it is better being just one complete story. There was strong feeling of emotions the first part, Jace was betrayed by everyone, Becky and friends……. The 2nd half was Jace finding himself and Amanda both were so damaged. I thought it was funny with adding Celeste to the story “mother/sister, sister / daughter, father / sister” it is the South Lol…… The ending I like Amanda telling Race she was pregnant in front of Becky. I think it was the perfect time. Could of left out the ball squeezing out and the threatening Amanda……

Thanks for writing! 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

For me the story is a gem I learned many things I experienced emotion in a manner therapeutic healing I am grateful to have read it. Thank you

like you said, really should have been two stories. one a divorce tinged story, the second a man rebuilding himself and finding love in the romance category. both halves were enjoyable

Two stories - the first a 3.5, the second a 6.0 - I gave the whole thing a 5 even though the last "ball squeezing" bit was a serious negative and shouldn't have been included.

I really enjoyed this story, both times I read it. So good I read it again several months after my first reading. Interesting plotline, likeable characters, good dialogue, this one had it all.

What JoeBetterBNice said

The hope their is one more chance.

This is the 2nd time I have read this and still remains a really decent story and of course the question still remains what kind of damn reaction was she expecting when he caught her cheating

This is a good story - BOTH segments of it made it the amazing tale that it is. Technical stuff was good, no flaws hopped out at me. The story flowed evenly, making it a really pleasurable read. I’ve revisited a few times now and it makes me smile each time.

3 years ago, I posted my critique, about having read it for the 4th time. STILL great. It's in my archives as one of my 'top ten'. And while you can't rate it higher, I give it 10 stars again, as I can't count, and they won't change the system. I dismiss all the stupid, quibbly comments as 'I can't write, or try to, so I bitch'. I just read it again. Still great. And Mrs. Bear(retired nurse) says with all the blood tests, etc., you can probably get a good idea of the sex before three months. Again, great story.

The BEAR

I really liked it except at the end where Amanda thought it was just fine to squeeze his balls until he almost passed out, which I really hated. Assault is assault, pain is pain, he had done nothing to deserve retribution and he had done something similar to cause her pain everyone would be screaming and he'd be on his way to jail.

Thanks for one of the best stories I’ve read I have read it before but couldn’t remember what it was called or who wrote it it’s now in my favourites

Great story and excellent writing. This could easily be expanded into a novel.

Very enjoyable story, marred only slightly by a common mishandling of the famous triplets "to, too, and two." Pity about that!

I've read this a couple of times, and it's still one of my favorites, and it's also in my personal favorites I give it 5 big stars. I do love it, as it has a little of everything (like most of your stories), including plot twists, heartache, joy, fun, and laughter along with sorrow and tear jerker moments (maybe plot twists). This one is one of my favorites though (a top 10 contender with Boston to Birmingham right up there, along with a few others like Separate Vacations, keeping running shoes under the bed). I think that's what makes you such a good writer, in that you'll add little details (nuggets) in your stories for the reader to find.

Loved it. Great job.

Yes Q, you took a bit of a liberty there, this really should have been two separate stories. Please try to bear in mind that some of your readers really don't have time to plough through a nine page long story, I only stuck with it because it's one of yours.

You have a marvellous writing style that keeps me coming back for more but if you'll permit me one small moan it's that the original cast of characters seemed to simply drop out of existence half way through and it left me feeling that the brief reintroduction of Becky near the end was somewhat forced, like you felt there had to be such an encounter to tie the two halves of the story together. Much better if you'd made it a two parter.

WOW, what a sleeper. Couldn’t stop reading.

Always a favorite. Thanks.

I love the story and have read it several times. Has just a little more conflict than I prefer, but that is probably my ptsd talking having spent years in crisis intervention. Well done!

Top 5 ever written.... Great story!

My second or third reading and I still really like it. Several people have commented that is really two separate stories and I agree, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. I hate the part where Amanda squeezes the MC's balls until he almost passes out. No call for that--absolutely unacceptable. The rest is great.

Read the 1st page and Jace seems like a pompous douchebag. I'm not surprised he was cheated on.

Amanda shouldn't have given his ass the time of day. Slamming her on the car and spanking her cuz he's pissed? "You got 10 minutes to get ready or it's a repeat of that day in the rain." "Get back there and help her put on some makeup." "I expect a straight answer when I ask you a question." I've read two of your stories so far and the both MCs have been straight asshole characters. Control freak smart asses that take over every scenario and tell everyone how it is and how it's gonna be. Real know-it-all, god complex fuckers lol. Amanda should've kicked him in the nads and told him to fuck off.

Well thought out and well written. My favorite of any I’ve read.

third time around,enjoyed just as much as the first two times .

Fabulous!

72 and the best I have read in many a day

Great story, up until the domestic violence at the very end. The assault and threat of grievous bodily harm by the second wife was a very poor ending, a harbinger of woe for the main character..

Don't know how many times I've read it. Absorbing, it sucks you in. Fantastic mad skills, M. QHML1.

BUUUTTT...yeah, you knew there was one.

Nitpick: last page - describing Beth's 'rock'. 'Descried' is likely not what you meant - he didn't need any especially observant investigation to see the ring. Probably left out the 'B' in described. Still, until then I didn't know that descry had a past participle.

Not really a grammar nazi, just loved how descried/described still made sense. Sort of. ;-^)

🙋👍👍👍👍👍😉😁🤷💯💯💯💯💯✌️

A heartwarming tale, very well told. 50 stars!!! Keep rolling out such stories, man. Qhml1, you are a good writer.

I've read several times, still fresh and moving. A masterpiece.

Fantastic story. Everyone got what/who they wanted.

Rereading for the umpteenth time. Really two stories here. The first is a 3.5 while the second is a solid 6.

The only thing that detracts from it is the last section (the "ball squeezing" scene). There was no need for it - and unless Jace is going to retire there is no way he can promise to never be in the same room with Becky again - after all, they're both in the same business and it's inevitable they'll end up at the same conference(s) sometime in the future.

5* An LW classic, and one of the few I reread. Thank you.

I just don't understand the notional characters in these stories passing up huge cash payouts for "Alienation of affection" and Police harassment/ stomping on Constitutional Rights AND The CRIMINAL acts of a SHIFT COMMANDER let alone a vanilla LEO.

Money doesn't buy happiness EVER, BUT it certainly buys a much better brand of misery!!!

Thank you for a lovely story.

I work in the field of Foster Care and Adoption, just much further north on I-75 than where this story ends up. It is very special to hear about Foster Care in a story, and as I am in the field I wanted to resolve some misconceptions. Hopefully, doing so is good advertising for recruiting new foster families!

The process biological parents and their children go through within the court can be a long one. It will carry state by state, child by child, and judge by judge. Many people think that parents lose rights to their children quickly after children are removed from the home. That is not the case.

In most states, rights to a child are determined individually according to each child. This means if only one child is being abused then only that one child might be removed from the home. However, in the case of an attempted rape by the bio-mom's POS boyfriend, both daughters would be removed from the home on an emergency basis.

When removed the first effort is to place both siblings in the same home. The responding government agency would file an emergency notion with the court to remove the girls f om custody. Meanwhile, that agency would interview bio-mom and then girls to learn of any possible relatives the girls could be placed with. The first choice is always a biological relative, followed by a licensed general foster home for small groupings 1-4 children, and then group homes. Due to there differing ages, that placement in the same General home would have been very difficult. It is easy to find placement for a 6 year old girl, but not so easy for a 15 year old. For then sake of the story we should assume no relatives were identified.

For about 1-2 years, the bio-mom would have been working with the court and foster care agencies to return the children to her home. A lot of bio-patents have trouble seeing the required life changes as a benefit. Usually, Amanda and Celeste would have had home visits with their mom, and sibling visits.once a month. If Amanda ends up in Group home , those visits wouldn't have occured. Also there wouldn't be visits, if bio-mom didn't leave her POS boyfriend, which many don't until it is too late. Until parental rights are terminated, the court would have been focused on trying to help bio-mom create a safe home for the return of her children. If bio-mom doesn't follow court order treatment (AA, classes, hold onto a job, have a safe home) she would lost rights to both girls. In the context of this story, bio-mom could have lost rights to Amanda first when a licensing agent assessed the attempted rapist boyfriend to still be present in the home. A judge may have assessed that the threat to Celeste was not the same, and bio-mom briefly got her act together enough to get Celeste back into her home before screwing everything up again later. It would be unlikely for a 6 year old girl placed in foster care into a general foster home to end up in an abusive group home later on, but it can happen.

The story mentions Amanda getting approved for foster care, and mentions how difficult it would have been for her to find her sister. This is true. As I said, when Celeste is removed from a home, the responding agency is going to look for family member. The agency may have found Amanda. It isn't normal that a child would be placed in a house without meeting all adults, because they have to make sure those adults aren't child predators or criminals. Both Amanda and her husband would be approved together. In my state relatives don't need to be licensed as a general foster home but they are visited by a licensing agent once a year. A foster care agent meets the child once a month.

Celeste would not have been eligible for Social Security payments. Only 1 in 10 foster children do, and that is in cases of physical disability, mental disability, or survivors benefits.

A requirement for placement of a foster child is that the home be able to afford care of the child. There is more leniency for relatives, but the financials of the foster family would not result in a withholding of foster care payments. Those are an entitlement of Celeste, and include money intended for her. A foster family cannot refuse this money. Payment is about $16-19 a day, and can be more depending on the needs of the child. That doesn't include Medicaid or financial help for many other things. Especially mental health counseling.

Now, if Celeste had been in a group home where she was assaulted, that is grounds for a heavy lawsuit.

Nice I enjoyed it

Great story,keep up the good work!

In my top ten of the thousands of stories I’ve read here over many years. Wonderfully written, with characters that I actually cared about, not the usual fare. I think I would have enjoyed it almost as much had there been no sex included. The sex that was described was done tastefully.

My wife’ parents and siblings were killed in a car accident when she was a baby, the raised in an abusive home. The passages involving the girls lives gave an all too accurate description of how some of the most vulnerable are sometimes placed into “homes” that make their lives a living hell and scar them for life. Thank you.

Very good, VERY NICE!!

I am speechless, thinking about this story...how it all worked out for the best (except Becky...she will be So Sad for the rest of her miserable life!!)

Five**5**Stars...🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋🥵💯

Amazing simply Amazing.

Wonderful story. Excellent writing. I loved it. 5 stars.

When they got married why did his mother say she always wanted a daughter. Didn't Jace say his sister gave him the nickname he has. What gives. Was Amanda's mother not around anymore. If so why wasn't she invited to the wedding. A lot of holes in this story.

Read it twice, liked it the first time & the 2nd. The long stories are a killer for “US” that like to read straight through. Iv read some of your other works & enjoyed them too. 5 stars

I really liked this. Well written and emotional. It took me a second to realise what was happening when he had the flashback to how he met his ex and to the moment he confronted her. I sympathized with his feelings of betrayal as I've experienced it as well with my ex gf. So thanks for writing this.

He knew what she was like when they dated.

This is too sickeningly syrupy sweet to get off too.

Five stars. I love this kind of stuff.

An awesome tale, that is well worth reading. There are a few grammatical and spelling errors but nothing that disrupted the reading flow, nothing that cannot be put down to the variations in the use of English in two divergent countries.

I've joined the parade...just re-read and again got hooked...fantastic characters/dialogue, really top drawer...

Know I've read some of your other works, 154 a little too much to skim thru right now but...

going to put this in my all-time-best folder if not already, and bookmark your other stories

..and grabbing his balls at end...sheesh....!

Every time I read this I love it more. The only thing that I still think would have made it slightly better at the end would have been if Becky made the offer to Jace that she would dump her current husband and get back together with Jace. There should have been two loud inhales after that where Amanda was behind Jace and heard it but then also heard his response but then behind Amanda would have been her current husband who heard it and dumped her right there which would have proved even more so that Becky never changed. It is still a spectacular story that always has been one of my favorites.

GG

Five stars but it's really two stories. The first is a 4.0 (maybe a 3.5) and the second is a 6.0 - hence the overall 5.0.

The only negative is the "ball squeezing" bit at the end. Didn't really belong. Besides, unless Jace never attends another industry function it's impossible for him to avoid occasionally ending up in the same room as his ex.

Really good story worth the 5 stars only thing that could have improved it was Becky's husband to have heard her offer at the end

This was truly AWESOME

How about an update on where they all are now?

Haven't finish yet but, animals so do have emotions. Google is ur friend not that I needed it to know that

How to write this in a way that you understand my true intent. I hate you, lol. I woke up in the middle of the night and said, find something to put you back to sleep. Stumbled on this and TWO hours later am writing this comment. Great story. Thank you for entertaining me and thanks a lot for keeping me awake! Lol

It seems obvious that I'm not alone in loving this story. Thanks Q, 5 stars

somewhere east of Omaha

Always a good story to read. Perhaps my 3td time now.

One of my favorites. Always great to have a visit

Gah....it's now 4:30 am, I only intended to start but wound up reading straight through. A wonderful story.

Thank you for sharing your work.

Great story and we love happy endings. Too bad Becky's new husband didn't hear her when she said she'd leave him for JC. That would have been interesting!

One of my favorites!

I loved it, and it's one of my favorites too. I gave it 5 huge stars. Not sure I care for the ball squeezing at the end, but everything else worked out just fine. I know some on here think this kind of thing wouldn't happen in real life, but it can. Circumstances have to line up just right for that to happen, but how I met my wife was something convoluted like this story, and we've been together for 40+ years now. I loved it, and Thanks for sharing it with us.

Очень хорошая история!

One of your best: 55555

Wonderful story. Read through it twice. Very enjoyable. Please post more like this.

I've read it several times now, and the squeezing his balls in the conclusion ruins it every time. And Amanda's demand that Jace never be in the same room with Becky is immature and unrealistic unless Jake never travels to an industry event again. Good character development and well written.

Would have better divided into two separate stories as the author suggested in his post script. Would also have been better without any of the casual violence with which it was peppered, especially the ball squeezing at the end.

JR

Still one of the better stories on here just had to re-read it as every so often I need a dose of Q in my life. BardnotBard

She cheated and he left and she thinks that was an unexpected reaction what the hell did she think was going to happen

You have more than a couple of nice comments. Congratulations 👏. I enjoyed this story a lot. Scorched earth indeed

Very well done. My hat is off to you!

Great story. Thus is the second time reading it. I really don't mind the length at all. One part, two part or three. So you beak it up, that won't change the story. As as reader that only gives you a convenient place to stop reading to book mark it. Me, I stop when I'm ready to stop reading and just come back to it. It's just a great book you start reading you never put down.

10 stars!

I liked it, but I think that if you're going to past the divorce in a LW story, then the ex-spouse needs to play some relevance in the ongoing story. I mean, there were A LOT OF WORDS about the MC moving on, finding a new girl, falling in love, their life afterwards, etc. The meeting at the show or whatever with Becky wasn't really the sort of denouement that you would think it would be because damn, that bitch had been long done and dusted for aeons at that point. Basically, if you shortened the ending down, it would be a great LW story. If you shortened the start down, it'd be a great Romance story. As it is - it's just sort of stuck in the middle. It's still well written, so a 4/5 from me, but it's definitely a story that didn't know what it wanted to be.

Nice to have a story that explains how the MC finally finds an honest and loving woman rather than a rushed paragraph as an epilogue to quickly tie up the loose ends.

Made a pleasant change and I felt your story was better for it.

I give out very few 5⭐️, I reserve those for the cream of the crop. Well done.

I’ve read it three times now and it’s one of the best stories on the site. I can feel his pain in your words, I can also hear her(Becky’s cluelessness). She knew she was wrong, she could have confessed and maybe saved her marriage but she really didn’t care. At the end, where she’s married, she’s more than willing to desert her new husband. Jace won big with Amanda, and he encouraged her to become her own woman. She did, she realized how special he is, and will never do anything to risk that. Great story and one I’ll keep coming back to. 5⭐️✨

Awesome story thanks for the hard work

Truly a great story, low on the sex high on reality.

Thank you ever so much

Becky was an easy slut before marriage so he's a stupid fool to think the skank would change

5* to Jace and Amanda

This is 5 stars all the way!! And, it's probably in my top 5 of all stories I've read on this site, ever!! Only disappointment for me was we never found out what was on those tapes and DVDs. We all know what was on there, but we never got details. Also, would have been a nice addition to know a little of her point of view right after the divorce and how miserable she was for awhile. Still though, top 5 story of all time

This is one of my favorites. I have already read it twice already. Yesterday and then the second time today. I read the good ones more than once. You pick up some things you missed on the first you read it.