All Comments on 'Let Myself Believe'

First of thank you for writing again. Welcome back.

Very entertaining

Best dialogue on Lit, as usual.

Author gifted, y'hear?

Wow, this was a tedious read. So many meaningless subplots, so many useless characters, so much asinine dialogue. You took a 3 page story and padded it out to 7 for no discernible reason.

And then there's the dumpster fire of a final act. I'm sorry, but why does Andrew care about his father dying? The man he himself acknowledges he feared and hated since he was old enough to know what fear and hate were. The man he never has a single positive thing to say about. The man he apparently has never had a single positive experience with. And he's upset because he didn't get to hear that man's final words to him? I could see him being upset that he never got the chance to spit on him or smother him with a pillow, but Andrew acts like his father would actually have had something to say that he'd want to hear. Like it would've been anything other than another gut punch.

There is literally no explanation as to why he went back. He wasn't going to see about any inheritance, he wasn't going to comfort his mother, he wasn't going to show off that he was doing more than fine without them and their bullshit. He said they wouldn't give up looking for him, which doesn't at all fit with the attitude they displayed before and what we know about them from Andrew's side, but why does that matter? They can look all they want; they can't make him return. None of it makes any sense. Nor does Natalie's abrupt heel-face turn. She goes from taking blatant joy in his misfortunes, to running up and embracing him like they're best friends. And Andrew even laughs about it, when by all rights he should be freaked out and suspicious about her behavior. Hell, William and Victoria are the only characters in this whole story who show any kind of consistency; everyone else is apparently bipolar.

All in all, far from the author's best work. Boring, tedious and utterly nonsensical.

Victoria has set the new standard for a true loving wife and mother. I hope William does some time with a very large prison daddy.

5* and thank you for another great story.

And the comedian was Bob Nelson.

I swear i went over page three several times

I think you accidentally cut half a page, on momnet he was heading for the bus and back to college, the next he had been working as a farm hand for several months with no inbetween

Good story!

5

And?

That comedian's name is Bob Nelson. I was sure it would have been Steve Landesberg, but then I googled "Dain Bramage" and found that Bob Nelson's video can be found on YouTube.

Oh, great story. Five stars.

I love all your stories!

I moved this! My only complaint is that it wasn’t long enough.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

like the story

hating most of the characters

planet with an 90% douchbag population

so as an author you did everything right! ^^

Great story...5 * Thanx!

Loklie

Freakin' excellent. Sir, you have the same kind of ear for realistic, stilted, dialogue as the late Elmore Leonard, who was the best. I mean, hell, you write the way people talk, which creates so much depth and color in your characters, not to mention dressing the stage inside that 'Theater of the Mind'! It's funny... for some reason, I heard Ria's 'voice' in my head as Cajun, maybe 'Yat' and not Colorado.

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Superior writing. Destined for my Literotica Top-100.... maybe -50, even! A solid 5++++/5!!!

Enjoyed the story. The comedian was Bob Nelson.

ooooo lol almost there man dont think they are giving pain meds to a prego i mean i could be wrong but that doesnt sound right to me lol any enjoyed the story still hard to get around ur writing in tongues.

Have always loved your stories the characters feel real and relatable

Hilarious as usual! Loved it

Gotta admit I was pretty curious as to the father of Natalie's baby, as messed up as it is I was half sure that it was an incest child. Overall I'd say the story was wonderfully entertaining. A tale about a man who has to find his worth and something worth living for outside the shadow of his horrible family. Although it would appear that he only real reason that they wanted him back was that without Andrew as the fraternal punching bag and William in charge of making decisions, they had to accept the fact that he was an arsehole who'd been coddled all his life. If William was a competent businessman, would any of his family even care to try getting Andrew back?

I'm really glad that Jimbob is writing again, some of his stories are my all time favorites on this site. Sure this wasn't an "Nothing to Offer" or "Inferno" or even "Ice Heart" but as far as the Loving Wives genre goes it's easily a 4 star story. Can't wait to read the next one!

Keep up the good work and remember it is your story NOT anyone else's property.

Nice to see you posting again. Thanks for the the great story!

Glad to have you back! Need more of the hall of gamers to write again (those that still can😞)

Excellent story, really enjoyed it.

Very well done, Comedians name is Bob Nelson. Very Funny guy

did everyone in Colorado speak Cajun patois?

I am glad to see you again. I love your little universe. This was lovely. Absolutely lovely.

great to have you back in LW :)

That was fucking brutal, ooof.

Nice job jimbob! Great characters a fun read. Thanks for sharing your work.

JJ1

Thoroughly enjoyed it and thanks for the laughs

5 Stars

I always find myself being drawn back to reread your stories multiple times. Being a Boston girl or as some of your characters might say, Boston gal. Your dialogue is incredible, you speak in tongues sir. I've never been further South than central Florida, but you make me want to visit Louisiana. That is a betrayal of my Yankee roots lol Once again good sir thank you for a great story I'm pretty sure I'll read this one a few more times too.

"realistic, stilted, dialogue" - Um, stilted dialog is overly formal, hardly realistic!

That was like some crazy Jerry Springer episode.

It's always good to get a story from Sheriff James Robert Thibodreaux of St Elizabeth's Parish!

I could picture Victoria in my mind, and who doesn't want a girl who walks around the house mostly naked?

Loved it, me. Writing in tongues makes the characters real. I've tried it and it's very hard to do believably

Thank you for coming back. Love your stories.

Good job!!!

I picked it up and just couldn't put it down, until I finished it. Was worth the read. Thank you.

Yep that hit the spot, after all the crap that passes for stories on here it’s good to read a decent one, gems are a rarity for a reason, they make wading through the mire to discover one well worth it.

excellent story

JimBob’s back! One of my favourite authors here.

Great story as always with a mixture of lovely and awful characters.

Look forward to more stories.

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

I normally really enjoy your work, but I have to agree with SystemShock on this one.

Why did his father treat his son with such contempt? Was the mother unfaithful and Andrew a bastard? That's the only reason I can think of to explain his appalling behaviour.

Natalie took real pleasure in tormenting her brother for years, so why did she act so overjoyed to see him? What about guilt for the years she treated him like shit? Where was the apology? Why did Andrew just forgive her after all the abuse he suffered?

As for William, it's a shame Andrew didn't just pull the trigger. Did the brother get sent to prison for aggravated assault and attempted rape of Victoria? It would've wrapped the story up nicely to read about William being made into bubba's bitch.

Also, what happened to Candy? I hope Andrew eventually fired that whore for gross incompetence, in revenge for betraying him with William.

Re the "sin" of having tattoos and piercings. The Old Testament lists the Commandments. As part of Hebrew Law there are 613 Commandments. Unless they are Fundamentalist Christians very few Christians follow the Commandments. This is where the Commandment List includes: Not getting tattoos nor piercings. Not eating shellfish, Nor Pork. Nor shellfish/shrimp/prawns. Nor snails. Not trimming beards. Not cutting the hair on the side of the head. Not wearing mixed fabric garments. Naturally I've paraphrased. But you get the point. Few Christians even read the Bible FULLY so they don't even acknowledge what is in their own holy book.

Brilliantly entertaining, many thanks

Excellent tale there. Really enjoy your stories and the interesting characters that you create and weave into the story. Thanks very much for your latest offering.

GOOD JOB, JimBob44!

Enjoyed the story. I do hope you write more often and publish here. So we can all enjoy!

JLR2

Very good story thank you.

Agree with SystemShock. Unexplained character change.

Also 1st page is peer pressure/harassment behavior from the friends. Is everyone an asshole in that universe.

Thanks for the story, it a privilege to read whatever you write. Many Thanks!

The comedian's name is Bob Nelson. He is hilarious..

Too many Hick dialogues for my taste, therefore only 4*...... *grin*

The only reason Natalie is happy when Andrew come home is because she know William is a bad father. If you know what I mean. She was on William's side until she got pregnant. Should've tag incest, author.

My goodness, this was so good. Just love your writing style and character development. You had said previously that you were taking a break from here. So, so happy you changed your mind and submitted a new story. Have read all your work several times and will do so again.

Always enjoy your adventures coming from DeGarde, Louisiana! You have a unique style that allows me relax and enjoy the ride without getting too upset at the crazy, down home things your characters do. 5*

Needs some serious editing.

Couldn’t “put it down”. My chief problem though, was why Victoria from Colorado had to talk like your normal Louisiana characters more than Andrew, Natalie or William? That did not make sense to me. Living in a trailer out west doesn’t really infer the need for a southern colloquial speech pattern.

Just as entertaining as always. Thank you for your efforts.

Very nice story. well deserving of the 5 stars i gave it. I love a good story and you told a good one.

For the first half I kept wondering why Andrew would not use his degree. But it fit into the story well.

it took a while to get into your prose but the payoff was worth it. Ria's reading of Little Willy was awesome. Thanks for a feel good read.

What an interesting ride!

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Not bad. Not great. Those 2 “friends” of Andrew in tne opening scenes were….annoying. Also annoying was having Victoria talking like a Cajun when she was in Colorado 😎

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Something was just missing from Andrew’s character. Depth. Seriousness. Putting up with his highly dysfunctional family for so long. Just something….

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The strength of the story was the romance between Andrew and Victoria. THAT was where you shined with this.

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4 ****

Nicely written, I put it down once cause I thought it started out as a cuck story. I hate cuck stories. But I pressed on and felt Victoria wouldn't fall for William's B.S.

Nice to see you back

Thoroughly enjoyable. Love seeing the underdog triumph, flawed characters recognized or their true value, and families celebrated. Was also pleased by the references to Daughters and the Nasty Pig from your recent story, but worry about picking up the slang ;>

And please, do something about Tom and David.

JB44! Glad to have you back. Great story as always 5*s.

Very good story - but what happened to William in the end?

Great read. Really enjoyed your story. Usually like shorter stories, was surprised that this was over so fast. Stayed with it because I am a huge fan of your works.

Ha! I remember that skit too. "Cuz the mind is a terrible thing." Found it on YT.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_7tIBk_DfQ Bob Nelson's football routine on Dangerfield show, youtube.

Not near enough retribution for Little Willy or Candy.

A most enjoyable read, General.

I do hope you write a follow up so we can learn what happened to those two "Colonels", I was a bit pissed that private Andrew would entertain the company of such cheating douchebags.

A few of your scene transitions gave me whiplash, but the story was entertaining enough to make me gloss over them and the humor was delightful.

Victoria is awesome! You're a far better man than I am, I wouldn't have resisted parading Andrews' happy new family life on Candy's face.

What happened to Freddie and Ryan. Two pages developing the characters and they just disappear and leave Andrew high and dry. And the wife knows about it. Lost me there. Williams take down was a bit to easy.

Great story, I did wonder at first why you placed it in the LW catagory, but as your story went on it made more sense to see wher you had placed it. With the numerous spelling errors it was sometimes hard to read. Although I think you placed them in your story deliberately. I have really enjoyed your writing and will look for another story to follow along these same lines.

Always fun

Great as always!! Have so missed your writing thank you for your stories. I have yet to read one I don’t like👍

This is what an author is. Your stories, Jim Bob, keep me coming back. You tell a story and it remains in your head, almost as if you can see the settings, the characters you grow to know because you weave them in and out of your stories.

Thank you for writing again and sharing your stories with us. It’s always a pleasure to read your work!

I want to say that Bob Nelson also did a skit about a boxer who was a little punch drunk.

IIRC another one was him trying to pick up a woman and saying, “Hey babe, what’s your sign? I’m a feces..”

Really good read. All the characters were great except for Minnie and William. Minnie felt almost bipolar, and Little Willy way too one-dimensional. Guess they needed to be there to add the tension, and Victoria cutting him down to size at the end was fun. A little more subtlety to those characters, and it would've been an easy 5 stars.

Been saying dain bramage since I was young.

Thanks for the great read.

Greg to see JimBob back especially with an excellent story like that.

I am always happy to see anything new from JimBob44. He almost always rates a 5 from me. Mostly, I suspect, because his characters sound like my part of the world. Also, he takes the time to tell the full story, unlike another author here with the name Bob in his byline.

I was vastly relieved to read in the afterwords that Natalie’s baby is most likely not by William! It sounded like something he would do.

Good to read a new story from my favorite author. Good job.

One of the best stories I have ever read on here

Always entertaining yarn, made me smile. The brother is a waste of space. Love conquers all, once you find the right girl. JimBob44, thanks again. 5

As with all the rest of your stories… I LOVED it!

TK

I automatically start smiling when a new one of your stories pops up. Yeah, this one's really good. 5*

Comedian was Bob Nelson -- I believe the bit was from one of Rodney Dangerfield Presents HBO specials.

5⭐ - Enjoyed your story. Plot and character build up was nicely done.

While I'm sure there are still some elderly Louisianans who speak that illiterate dialect, the vast majority so not. Reading that drivel constantly in your stories is tedious. Moreover, almost no one else speaks reasonable English in these stories. Give the dialect and the attempt at being "cute" by writing non-Louisianans as semi-literate buffoons a rest. The plot is also is almost identical to another story (family favors the older son over the younger, etc.)

Then, there are the uninformed, unnecessary excursions into theology, e.g., "Obviously, he skipped right past the fact that Christ died for ALL, not just the ones this jackass approves of." This is Universalism, not Christianity. You also really don't need to include your anti-Baptist prejudices in your story. There's enough wrong with Baptists that it's unnecessary to push the dishonest "self righteous" stereotype. It reads as if you are projecting.

That was an excellent read!

Thanks.

Great story. Glad you posted another story. One of the better storytellers out here.

Well written first class story; one of those you read over again. Thanks for all the effort in putting it together.

Welcome back sir, you have been sorely missed. Great story well told as always. 5* and a big thank you.

In my opinion you are a gifted writer, and tho I get a little tired of the tedious down home dialogue, I enjoy the Louisiana culture. One of your better stories.

One heck of a story, sir. I enjoyed the hell out of it.

Wonderful story 5 stars!

Wasn’t crazy about them fucking with Ria in the room. Was she drunk that she couldn’t have woken up? But will ignore that.

Glad he ended up with Riana and Ria, but he is going to have to always keep an eye out on Rianna. No, not cheating but she doesn’t have her head set on straight. Why taunt William when she and more importantly Ria could’ve been in danger? What if Ria didn’t get through on the phone? If this was the only the only example of her not being smart, being impulsive, and prone to make poor decisions I would’ve ignored it.

But she will shorten Andrew’s lifespan for sure. But it will be a fun, adventurous, and loving shorter lifespan. So there is that!

Very good story… 5 stars!

Very good writing and a good story line! Very entertaining!!

Fucking brilliant, as usual.

OMG. Picky, picky, picky people who need a backstory and a minute-by-minute rationalization for every action. I assume if you’re on this site, you’ve probably lived a few decades on planet earth. For those who’ve just arrived from unknown parts of the universe, pick up a Pscyh 101 book!

Wow 🥰

Thanks for the stories. Love getting the flavor of live in La.

As always, a great story!