All Comments on 'The Wedding Gauntlet'

It would have been interesting to hear some of the things the kids avoided telling Paul that could have explained why Kathy didn't seem happy with her life with her "first love but not her true love," but not if Paul would have had to sit through it. Maybe Kathy's disappointments are another story worth exploring?

Great story, but it felt unfinished. You made a feint towards exploring Kathy's unhappiness and then just dropped it. I'd suggest you either edit some more detail into this version or do a sequel. It didn't help that the last page (4) had just one sentence on it. Knowing that another page was coming I was expecting some cleanup, I guess :-)

Well written love story! Could really feel his pain, then the way Colleen wormed her way into his heart. Thanks!

Great job. Consider a story about the ex. You left plenty of tale to tell there. 5 well deserved stars.

Very touching. I hate when the betrayed husband self punishes. He woke up in the end and found that better woman. Kathy deserved no happiness. She must have lost her baby as there was no younger sibling at the wedding.

That was a true romance. I enjoyed it a lot.

Excellent story, please keep them coming!

Helluvayarn.

Very nice feel good story and there is certainly enough setup for another one

Very nice story. Thank you very much.

Genuinely enjoyed this story. 5 stars. Thank you!

I think we get enough clues about Kathy's story to be able to fill in the blanks. Anyway, a solid tale.

Excellent. Thank you.

Fine story. Plot that one could relate to , and sensitive characters. Worth every one of 5 stars.

I enjoyed reading this one a lot. You developed the main characters very well. I might have enjoyed Kathy being fleshed-out a bit, but I don’t think your brief treatment of her detracted from the main story.

Thank you for writing, and thank you for sharing your work.

Thanks for a most excellent story. I’ve very much enjoyed it.

Great story! Thanks!

Loved the story! Thanks. Just 2 points that gave me pause. First, I'm not sure what the deal was with Kathy. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. The distinction between first love and true love confused me. Did she just have buyer's remorse? I did like the way the MC handled Kathy's hallway ambush. That was close to perfect! Second, Jason's elopement was highly disrespectful to and hurtful for the MC and warranted more fire from the MC. Still, loved the characters and story.

Brilliant

Very satisfying.

Consider doing Kathy's story

I really enjoyed this, seeing how he came out of his shell after so long, how he took the responsibility off the kids, and how he started living again. I liked, too, how you dealt with Kathy. She thought the grass was greener on the other side but discovered that it not only wasn’t, there was no way back and she had to make do with the mess she’d made. Great job, 5*

Loved the way the story unfolded. But I agree with others that Kathy's story needed to be fleshed out or told in another story. 5 stars.

Needed more resolution on Kathy's story, a lot more...

One of the best I've read for a while. I agree with others that there's a story to be told about Kathy, from her point of view & also think that not going into it at the end of this one is the right way to go. *****

Lovely . Just lovely . TC Ireland

I don't think we needed *huge* amounts of stuff on Kathy's story, but what happened with her pregnancy? The child would have been Christi and Jason's half-sibling so would have presumably been at the wedding and a major part of their life

So this is a continuation of suspicion by whiteone_redone? Well written overall though.

This is more romance than LW but a very nice one nonetheless. Thanks for sharing.

lol, I just noticed it was in romance section. My bad.

Normally, I do not like a lot of tedious backstory, but it is completely unexplained why Kathy was depressed for 15 years and, if so, why she stuck with Karl. And this line is entirely unexplained: ""Karl isn't my true love, he's my first love. And I didn't get what I wanted, Paul. Not even close. I just did the best I could with what was left to me." "What was left to me?" What's that all about?

An absolute 5. I read this today because of there being a new rhetthebrat story in LW, and in checking out his author page saw that there had been this story in Romance after the previous LW tale and the new one (which I will read after commenting on this story). He exhibits a deft touch throughout this, sort of like the Goldilocks bed that's not too hard, not too soft, but just right. Paul and Colleen may have connected immediately, but still took their time getting together. The plot develops organically, with obstacles surmounted smoothly, but surmounted nonetheless. The unease Paul feels at the Jason/Jessica elopement is credible, and his muted response is appropriate, showing that Colleen is right in her opinion that he's been a very good father. Now, the predominant comment from other commentators is the lack of information about Kathy (what happened to her pregnancy, what was the nature of her discontent--or buyer's remorse--with Karl, there should be a Kathy-centric sequel, etc.). It's a valid point, and maybe rhetthebrat will choose to write a companion story as requested. But as fritz51 so wisely noted, not shoving Kathy's story into this one was the best course of action. And if there never is such a companion piece or sequel, this story will nevertheless still stand on its own as a fine 5.

A very big miss to a very integral part of the story was what happen in Kathy's divorced life? Did Kathy have the baby? The super vagueness of the story implies Kathy had buyers remorse and her fist love may have skipped on her? Did Kathy have a mental breakdown after the fact - it was implied in the story?

/

What could have been a grand story on becomes OK due to the big miss. The story is about 3/4 done.

/

4.1*, Hooyah, but could have been a solid 5*

Fuck me! I already commented on this 5 at length a few hours ago (mine included the "goldilocks" analogy), but now feel like an absolute fool. The anon whose comment immediately preceded ibuguser's 2 postings is absolutely right - this IS a sequel to "Suspicion" (the whiteone_redone classic). Same names, same situation. Props to this fellow anon who caught something I am chagrined to have missed. And it's still a 5.

Lovely story!

The author did not introduce this story as he should have, by telling us that it is a continuation of a two-part Loving Wives story by whiteone_redone. The names of all the characters and the plot are lifted directly from that story, “Suspicion.” It would have given readers the opportunity to get the background that some commenters said they wished they’d had when reading this sequel. There are a number of sequels to the original story, and this is one of the better ones. My favorite follow-up story about Paul and Kathy happens to be the multi-part version by postscriptor, which is less a sequel and actually turns the original on its head. It may not may not be all that realistic, but it is quite inventive and satisfying.

Wow this dude is a pussy. Divorced more than 10 years ago and still shit like ducking into an office to avoid even the sight of his ex?? This eggshell let that straight up fear dominate his life and misery for way too long.

Well-written, though the protagonist is such a sad-sack that it's more than a little offputting, making it hard to root for him and Colleen.

Guy should not have been so miserable for so many years and then when given the chance at the wedding and she hinted that she was not ahoy with her first love he lost the opportunity for a fe more digs to make her feel really like shit.

I hate when the cheated-on husband self-punishes. The best revenge is living well. Kathy didn't deserve his self-flagellation. She just wasn't worth the trouble. His kids were punished more than their whore mother.

Nicely done romance. Many commentators express the wish to know more about Kathy. Why? It is enough that she is established as a broomstick pilot. "Have a nice life B" to Kathy covers it all for me. Nobody seems bothered by the lack of back story about Colleens ex.

Don't waste time reading.

I didn't read comments first on this and read about half.

What a sad sack piece of shit as another said.

Fugue state soft focus fifth etc.

Two years I will reluctantly grant but after that leave diaper behind and put on pants.

I think this an awesome story.

Please keep writing.

This was amazing. Tears. Thanks!

I’m not sure what happened to the story. Did a page or two get lost? Or, did author get bored writing it. It was a good read anyway though

The story was a good read, but the author really should have disclosed that it was a sequel to another’s work. Or, at the very least stated that the inspiration for his story came from another author’s creative abilities.

Good story. Fours grief and loss I would buy but 10 year's?

This poor man is ill and needed psyciatrist level help after the first year.

Quit

Need category wimpy.

Get Over It!!!!

She left!

How many times does it happen?!

How did he get primary custody?!

Years later and still has to get drunk?!

What a colossal W-I-M-P

Very well written. The author taps into the mc’s reaction to the sundering of a marriage (in this and other stories). Some critics fault the author for that reaction (e.g., wimp), as though no one could possibly react that way…and certainly not the critic. It’s like faulting Thomas Harris for writing stories about Hannibal Lecter…or accusing Harris himself of being a psychopath.

Nice end, but too much self imposed exile, by about 12 years. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sweet comeback story. Well-earned 5 stars.

Hooked

Outstanding story!

5

Kathy's statement that she didn't get what she wanted, just what was left to her, did she except him to remain in her life as a friend?

I think she had a fantasy of what would happen and it didn't happen and she got depressed.

I would have liked to hear more detail about Kathy, and why her life didn’t turn out as planned. Her voicing how much she misses Paul suggests her current relationship will not last. Excellent story.

Love this story. I had a bad one and it took me also 12 years. Luckily there were no children. Now life is great.

Okay do you all want to know why infidelity is such a vicious circle? This story says a lot, the husband gets dicked up his ass by a piece of shit of a human being of a wife and instead for telling his children the truth, that their mother needs help because she has the moral character of a $2 narcissistic hooker, no he pussy foots around with them telling them shit like "your mother loves you" and "what happened between your mother and I has nothing to do with you"

So, the kids grow up thinking mom did nothing wrong and seems happy, but dad on the other hand looks as though he wants to end his life all the time! I think I will follow my mother's example ............... AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! No matter who screws up their family CALL THAT KETTLE BLACK

This is pathetic. And yes he absolutely is a failure as a parent. It's been 5 years and he never bothered to get help. He put a burden on his kids because he couldn't man up and put his kids first. Yeah. Breaking up sucks. It hurts. My first husband abused me horribly. I moved on years ago and I never had the responsibility of children.

I find it extremely unrealistic that any woman would be attracted to a man with no self esteem, no confidence and simmering rage.

"I'm the very fragile father of the bride." I am literally dripping with arousal right now. Because women totally want to bed sad sacks.

I am disappointed in some of the authors. We may not always agree on your stories but you at least try to make your stories believable. Hooked, you know better.

Fragile father of the bride. If this guy came into my office seeking help, I am not sure I could treat him. He is entirely loathsome and forces everyone around him to enable his misery. Dude is the biggest pussy on the planet.

Well written. Can't say I am a huge fan of the MC. It took him 10 years to realize how much burden he was putting on his kids. I don't buy that the kids thought Kathy did no wrong. They saw the effect on their father and Kathy had abandoned them as well as Karl didn't want them. Kathy is a total narcissist who fucked up. Why does anyone really care what were her reasons. Her actions and words speak for themselves. She abandoned her family for an old boyfriend. I am sure she got seduced and swept up in a fantasy. She was probably cheating on him well before hee proclamation and based on timing, who knows when she got pregnant. Her on brief encounter in thr hallway about "not getting what she wanted" and "doing thr best she could with what she had" suggests that she may have gotten pregnant before the split and knew there was no going back. Or maybe she got pregnant later. Does it really matter? Either way she made a conscious choice to murder her marriage, whether she felt trapped to do so or not is immaterial. Her betrayal was made complete when she abandoned her kids as well. That is just harsh. She doesn't deserve any sympathy. A woman who finds her "soulmate" and then breaks her family is either a narcissist or suffer form some other mental disorder. Of course Karl wasn't what she the thought he would be (inferred) seeing as living with someone and being in a loving partnership is not like the infatuation / lust of a romance rekindled. I am sure Karl is a jackals and sounds like Kathy is has serious depression and regrets. But really why should the MC care? She stabbed him in thr back. My problem with the MC is he didn't do the work to pull the dagger out of his back and until Colleen that would could never heal, so for 10 years, yeah he was the supporting father to his two kids but carried his pain so openly as a sad sack that he made then bear burdens that were not appropriate for his kids. Look at how his son eloped? Anyways sad but quite realistic and well written. But then again I would expect no less from this author. "A Mighty Pen" and its sequel are two of the greatest LW and reconciliation stories on this site.

A great story about healing. The people felt real, and the emotions true and raw. Those grousing about the fragility of the MC are people who have never been betrayed so deeply that they feel like they've lost themselves. Well written, and I'm left smiling at the end. I don't know what more you could ask for.

Another outstanding story. I would note that there is an earlier story where a Kathy leaves her faithful husband for her first love Karl. In the original, the husband is rigid and raises his kids well but never finds happiness. If this story was inspired by the one I mentioned, I'm glad the faithful first husband found happiness. And if this is purely stand-alone, I'm glad that happiness was found here.

Really enjoyed this story. I would have loved another 1000 words or so detailing two topics; first I assume he received custody of the children, how? We're they old enough to chose, did Mother abandon them? Secondly, the story referenced the Ex having depression and other issues, what happened to her happily ever after?

In spite of those two items, I really enjoyed this plot and storytelling.

Second read through for me, Still a very powerful read…even knowing what’s going to happen.

Could have stopped at the end of pg 3. The sentence at the end, which is is pg 4, cost you a star. So trite & cheesy.

To the idiot who took a star off because they were so upset that there was only one sentence on page 4, get some therapy! Oh, and BTW page breaks on MSWord are at about 750 words. When submitted to Lit, their page breaks are at about 3,000 words. There is no way for an author to deliberately put one sentence on a page. Get a fucking life!

Lovely story.

Simon_Masters

I found the story very moving.

Wow, it's dusty in my room all of a sudden! It's making my eyes water. Very sweet story.

I think it would heal him even more to forgive his ex-wife, and let her go.

I felt the story was missing something. You gave us hints that something was wrong with the ex, but no info. I wanted to know. You should have just left it out if you weren't going to finish it. Took it from 5 stars to 3.

I thought the story was good but a couple of things were lacking. The ending was a bit flat. Maybe because in both cases there was little understanding of what happened to his ex. Why was she so miserable, and how did she handle the upcoming wedding. But overall, a nice story. Thanks

No critique. Well maybe a small one of the writer. You write so well. I am working my way, one by one through your stories and am well beyond entertained but strongly impressed…

I loved the story and the recovery from the traumatic breakup. I gave it four stars for the lack of closure on the x wife’s decision.

Thanks

Very nice story well written. Good character development. Loved the gentle humor of the heroine. I didn't feel the need to have the blanks filled in for me concerning Kathy. For those who haven't figured it out first love is exactly that. My first love broke my heart. So did my second one. I did finally meet my true love. She held me in her thrall for 47 years before she passed away.

I had never heard of the "Suspicion" series but have looked it up. I'll read it and maybe look for other sequels another time.

I gave the story 5 stars as it was billed as a romance and the story focused on that with the failed marriage as background. The writing was technically correct (always a distraction when it's not) and the story was a nice blend of narration and dialog. Dad made sacrifices for his kids in the early years after the divorce but we are not given any clue as to what happened after the kids moved out. Maybe he tried dating. Maybe more is explained in the "Suspicion" stories. I simply don't know.

All in all a very good story.

OG

Excellent story! I gave it 5*. It would have been six if Paul wasn’t such a wimp. Just kidding, another great story from RTB.

Since this is clearly based on an earlier story, without any attribution it is simply plagiarism.

Great story. Thank you.

Fuck the ex. Knowing nothing about her keeps her in the proper place in his life, nowhere.

The interaction between Colleen and MC was fantastic. And Colleen was actually the most interesting character in the story ?

Wonderful Romance/Loving Wives story! I really enjoyed it. Well written. Excellent character development. I appreciated that Kathy was an ancillary character; we got to know just enough about her without her character taking over. Colleen is an awesome counterpoint to the MC. Thanks to that author!

Truly outstanding!

You could have made a longer time for they fall in love, at that age and after so long just surviving is unlikely that all of the sudden e fells brushed in love

I dislike Paul very much. So Kathy betrayed him and ended their marriage. Shit happens. Real men deal with the trials and tribulations, and do not become sad sacks. I dislike stories that promote the sort of immature and destructive behavior as shown by Paul. His misery effects the entire family and for no reason other than that Paul is too self-absorbed and lacks confidence to deal with downturns.

Years of pain and suffering …

5 stars

I felt for my man Paul. What could be more painful than the woman you love choosing another man over you after 16 years. Sometimes it's too hard to get over something. I'm glad Colleen came into his life and they took to each other so well.

I'm curious as to Kathy's life. The way you describe it she didn't get off easy and is unhappy as well. I wonder why. Can you give us a chapter 2 that reveals a little about her? lol. Great story.

If anyone wants to know what actual toxic masculinity looks like, it's every commenter here that feel like the MC isn't a real man, or is pathetic because a betrayal like that wounded him too deeply to heal. God forbid men have emotions other than lust and anger.

I read this story over a year ago and scored it a 5! I re-read it and still enjoyed it very much.

Your writing and storytelling skills are spectacular. I hope to read much more from you in the future. Thanks for sharing your gift.

very good. seems that his EX still wasn't happy, and her 2nd husband must have left her.

Really liked it, wished a bit more about the traumatic event.

Good but a wee bit unpolished. Missing information. Unknowns. But written well.

This was a good follow up for this family that was torn apart due to cheating. Thank you for a good read.

If I could, I would give the story more stars - the tale is insightful, loving, emotional and well anchored; who can ask for more?

People like Kathy the ex wife in the story are the type of woman that you can never really believe what they say when say someone is their true love or first love etc because that type of girl she’s just a flying off of whatever her feelings want…. one day she loved her husband next she loved her old boyfriend… who knows who she felt she loved all those days after.. the point is girls like Kathy are just slaves to their feelings/emotions and they themselves change like the wind and don’t understand themselves… almost like they’re lesser evolved humans who are just going after whatever feels good and have no higher brain loyalty evolved in them. Kathy represents the type of woman who is impetuous and lets she feelings lead her even tho it’s kinda stupidity and just an evolved mechanism to make humans breed and go after whatever makes her feel good. The problem is people in society can sometimes feel sympathy for these types of girls because they cry and cry and humans are prone to to care of and absolve crying women out of survival of the human race… doesn’t make these types of emotional callus people deserving of sympathy… in our society were not allowed to rob banks and no amount of crying after doing it would save you from the consequences… but humans are conditioned to breed and survive so they allow forgiveness of stupidity and terrible behavior when it comes to sexual relationships.. point is find someone not like Kathy who follows her little childish feelings wherever just because it feels good.

I liked it but felt it was missing details to make it a really great story. BardnotBard