Title: I Liked You Better When I Didn't Like You
Author: Jhordynn
Publisher: Jhordynn
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:

"I Liked You Better When I Didn't Like You" by Jhordynn and Cornelious Jordan

My Thoughts....

What was so wonderful about this novel was that it was very insightful and uplifting storyline that will keep your attention from start to finish. I liked how this author was able to bring out the struggle and trials of it all and give the readers such a uplifting read about 'real life.' After ones past can one be forgiven and get on the right straight and narrow? Be ready for a read of many twist and turns and then at the end you get a wonderful awareness of 'self acceptance and forgiveness.' "When I Liked the You Better When I Didn't" really fits this story and in the end will Desiree learn to forgive herself?

More Thoughts....

I love this author's poem: PUSH....that is located the end of her story and I would like to share a little of it....

...."When I see His face, I have conquered,

And I'll have overcome. Me and you, God-- As army of one.

I've been delivered, I've been saved, I've resisted, And I've fleed.

I've pushed the devil away. From dominating me.

I move and I fight, And I fight and shove,

And I shove and I thrust, And I thrust and push."

I thought this was a deep well written novel by this author. To truly understand it all you must pick up the read and see how well this deliverance really is to the reader.

This was a very emotional story. Both Ali and Ronin have businesses that consume their lives. They encounter each other while on vacation and have an instant connection. They have one hot night together, but Ronin is gone without a word the next morning, leaving Ali hurt and wondering what's wrong with her.

Ronin had received the devastating news that his sister had been killed in an accident along with her husband, leaving him as guardian for his newborn nephew. He left for home immediately, so dazed with grief that he forgot to leave word for Ali. Overwhelmed when he gets home, with the baby still in the hospital, he contacts a baby-planning service to come help him get his home prepared. He stunned when Ali arrives.

Ali is furious when she sees it's him, thinking that he had been cheating on a pregnant wife while on vacation. She had been married to a man who had cheated on her, and for a terrible reason, leaving her devastated and feeling less than a woman. It takes awhile for her to calm down enough to listen, but once she does she is ready to help him.

I liked both Ali and Ronin. He's a high-powered businessman who has quite the way with the ladies, but when his family needs him he drops everything to be there. I loved seeing the way that even as overwhelmed as he was, Ronin was determined to make the best life possible for Josh. It was so sweet seeing him deal with feedings, diapers and crying fits. Having Ali around also makes him realize how much had been missing in his life. He feels such a deep connection with her, and is sure that she feels the same, but can sense that there's something holding her back. 

Ali has slowly put her life back together after the devastating end of her marriage. She has put all of her heart into creating the perfect setups for other peoples' babies. She is determined that she will never again risk her heart on a man that will treat her that way. Her encounter with Ronin on vacation was unlike anything she'd ever done before, and seeing him again puts her intentions at risk. She finds herself being sucked into their lives and her heart getting involved anyway. A devastating revelation about Josh, added to her own insecurities, sends her running, certain that there's no future for her with Ronin.

I loved Ronin's determination to show Ali how much he cares. It takes a giant gamble to get her to understand and believe that she can have the life she wants.