Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
This was a complete pleasure read. I love this series and Aubrey and Grant are wonderful together. The second-chance romance is sweet and gritty, and I love the combination of playful banter and the darker themes that give the story some depth and maturity.

Over the past year, I’ve become a massive fan of Kate Meader’s writing. Whether it’s firefighters, lawyers, or hockey players, Meader writes fabulous characters and addictive romances. My favourite thing about Meader’s writing is her women. Too many romance writers focus solely on writing interesting, attractive men. Kate Meader actually writes convincing women. Meader’s women are wonderfully familiar but they’re also strong, successful, and aspirational characters. Meader’s women don’t need heroes to save them, they want partners who can meet them as equals. Aubrey is a perfect example. As a lawyer, she’s driven and formidable. But she also struggles with insecurity and emotions she can’t express. Aubrey is complicated, likeable, and uncompromising.

Grant and Aubrey’s relationship is complex and much of the story sifts through the past, reliving their courtship and examining the ultimate divorce. It’s not an easy read and probably the most challenging of the three books in this series. Readers dealing with grief, infertility, or relationship problems may find this book triggers them but I felt like most of the darker themes were handled sensitively and carefully. The lighter moments – Aubrey’s obnoxious cat, Grant’s Southern Charm, and the relationships between the men and women from the previous books – made this story feel more accessible and more enjoyable than most books about divorce and grief.

My one reservation is the fairy-tale epilogue that wraps up the series. I know we want happily ever afters in our romance, but I feel like Charlie, Trinity, and Aubrey deserved more than the clichés we’re given at the end. All three are fierce and unique in their stories so I’d kinda hoped for happily ever afters that reflected their identities and their relationships.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is the third book in the series and I have loved them all, but this one is by far my favourite. It is such a change from the others, being a had-love-but-got-divorced, rather than don't-believe-in-love-at-all story. It sets the scene totally differently and for me worked beautifully.

Aubrey and Grant – on the face of it two powerful lawyers who once had it all, and each other – now pitted against each other in court and avoiding each other in life. Inevitably, mutual friends getting married means that they have to be in the same room and appear to get on. There is no clear reason for them getting divorced – although, sadly I guessed quite quickly why, and I thought it played out in a very moving way, with a few twists to catch me out... be ready with tissues!

When we get to learn about Aubrey's heartless family, and her strained relationships with her parents and why, it is easy to understand how Grant filled a hole in her soul – and that no one else has since come even close. For Aubrey that is agony, for Grant it gives him hope. And he has healed enough that he is ready to take the chance to restore their proper lives to where they were.

From the very beginning, I was utterly engaged in this story, to the extent that I read it in one go, finally turning my bedside light off at 2.30am, utterly exhausted, but completely satisfied. Thank you, Kate Meader, for a beautiful book.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/F Second Chance Romance
Triggers: Miscarriage

Aubrey and Grant had an amazing relationship... until it all fell apart. Despite their breakup, they have had to interact with each other in divorce cases. Also, they share a friends group. Aubrey has tried to stay away as much as possible, but when it becomes apparent that she has to attend her grandma's birthday party, she knows she'll have to come clean about her divorce. Aubrey has felt like a failure all her life. Her parents were not helpful in that department.

Grant knows that he is still attracted to Aubrey. But does attraction equate to love? He wants to know where they went wrong. When he is presented with an opportunity to help Aubrey with her family, he jumps at the chance. He wants her back and he'll do whatever he can to show her that he's all in again.

This is a story about love, loss, and healing. It was nice to see Grant and Aubrey able to talk out their past. Being attorneys, they could argue both sides, but when their true emotions were laid bare, it was difficult to argue that they hit a rough patch and didn't know how to come out the other side. I did wish that there was more chemistry. Their interactions seemed forced at times.

I have not read any of the previous books in this series, but didn't feel that it was necessary to know who the characters were or their dynamics.

Aubrey Gates and Grant Lincoln are two of the hottest divorce attorneys in Chicago. After meeting in law school, Grant KNEW Aubrey was “the one”. They are the IT couple, until they aren’t. In the first two novels, we are introduced to Grant and Aubrey, but are never given any clues as to why their marriage ended. Their friends and fellow attorneys don’t even know the real story, just that they completely miserable without each other.

Even though they can hardly stand to be around the other, not out of hate or dislike, Aubrey approaches Grant with a favor. Aubrey is supposed to attend her grandma’s 90th birthday, but hasn’t told the family matriarch about their divorce. So she enlists Grant’s help in deceiving granny. But Grant’s feeling are real and he’s going to use their time together to prove to Aubrey they are still good together.

Kate Meader is masterful in bringing Grant and Aubrey’s story to life. Life is not easy and neither is marriage. It’s a lot of work! Grant loved Aubrey so deeply, that he let her go. Was it a mistake? Probably. Aubrey was so afraid of showing emotion and talking through the “hard parts”, that she gave up without a fight. When “trapped” in a car heading across the country, thoughts and feelings surface. Will they be able to find themselves again? I laughed, cried, wanted to strangle Aubrey...this novel had all the feels! I also LOVED their nicknames. It made them seem more real. I received a gifted copy and all opinions stated are my own.

Normally when I receive an ARC, as I did for “Then Came You,” I read the book with a pen and pad in hand in order to makes notes and record impressions for my review as I read.

That went out the window with this novel. I forgot about my sacred responsibility as an impartial reader and was completely swept up in the story.

I won’t synopsize the plot; you can read that on many other sites. This is a beautiful story with characters that grow and change. The central conflict is heartbreaking and performs, for me, that rare author feat that even if you have not been there yourself, she makes you feel as though you have. Highly recommended, as are tissues.

ARC supplied for an honest review.

Wow, Then Came You has everything I want in a romance novel--compelling, interesting characters, melt-my-Kindle hot sex, and delicious banter. One of my favorite reads this year! I'd give it 10 stars if I could!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was good, I won't dispute that. It was emotional with all the feels. It's just not what I like to read about. A bit too much realism for me in a sad world. I hurt for Grant through most of the story. I felt Aubrey called all the shots, a ball busting lawyer who took that persona home where it had no business. Disfunctional family or not, I thought she was a b**ch, so yay for her clients, but not so much for Grant.
Her cat, funnily enough, was just like her and did add humor.
The ending was emotionally happy.
I did not read the 1st book in this series, but doubt that would change my feelings on this journey. I don't feel I've missed any key factors. Not a big fan of 1st person dual POVs either, rather feel like a ping pong ball, unless its extremely well written and flows.
ARC copy from NetGalley. These are my honest & voluntary thoughts on "Then Came You".

This was the perfect way to tell Grant's story. I've been a fan of this series from the beginning, and have been waiting to hear how Grant will find love. SPOILER: Having lost children myself, I was deeply connected to their loss, and felt the portrayal of this was accurate, and heartbreaking. I love that they were able to overcome this, and felt the ache that Grant felt in wanting to fix the issue. For me, I was a little thrown off by Aubrey — she seemed a little cold and mean to Grant, but over time, I understood why she built the walls she did. Overall this book is five stars of love, heartbreak and truth.

Whoa, this story came out of left field and smacked me up along side the head in a big way, totally unexpected. I was anxiously awaiting Grant and Aubrey’s story, and this author knocked it out of the ball park. It’s got the passion, emotional drama, sass and humor you would expect out of this couple, what I didn’t expect was the overwhelming heartache this couple put themselves through. The reasons for their breakup is nothing short of heartbreaking, but watching this incredibly fascinating couple put the pieces back together made for an awesome story. Loved everything about it, very well written, laughed a good part of the way through, Libby is the Grandma you would give anything for, and Cat Damon is nothing short of hysterical. Definitely worth the read, and a great addition to this great series.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book.

I am on a second chance romance binge and Then Came You by Kate Meader had my heart bursting at the seams! It’s the third book in the Laws of Attraction series but it can most definitely be read as a standalone.

Talk about an emotional journey! The feels in Then Came You are insane. So much pain I felt for divorce lawyers Aubrey and Grant, because even though they were divorced from each other, you could clearly tell they still loved each other immensely.

“White hot desire ravaged his features and briefly he closed his eyes, my touch clearly too much. Owning him like this, the glory of it, thrilled through me.”

Majority of the time I was reading this, I just had to know what in the world happened between Aubrey and Grant to make them leave each other. Seriously, there’s so much attraction, friendship and just pure emotion during each encounter and I could not for the life of me figure it out.

When the meaning behind their divorce finally did surface, I was heartbroken. I felt so much for these characters in that moment that I had to take a few deep breaths. Kate Meader sure does know how to bring on all the feels and I kept thinking why have I not read anything from her before!?

Then Came You was most certainly my type of romance. Pure raw emotions that just tear you up, but with that comes humor and characters you just don’t want to let go of. I’m defiantly recommending this sweet, captivating second chance story to all of my romance lover’s out there. You will not be disappointed!

Plus, it’s also steamy as hell LOVE Grant Lincoln!

A great read that immediately drew me in and kept me totally immersed in all that was happening until I read the last word. I loved the undeniable chemistry and romance between divorced Chicago attorneys Grant Lincoln and Aubrey Gates. The well crafted story moved seamlessly between their points of view and I went through the whole gamut of emotions on their road trip to Boston for Thanksgiving and her grandmother's 90th birthday. I highly recommend "Then Came You" and look forward to reading more from this gifted author.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my honest review. I liked it so much, I purchased a copy to read again later.

I certainly do love a second chance and this one fit the bill. Grant and Aubrey were once in love and married but to the dismay of Grant it ended . Now Aubrey is in a bit of predicament and Grant is willing to offer assistnace and try to get a bit closer to his old love . He knows that there is still a spark but she is too stubborn to admit it...so it is time to show here how good they once were and can be again. I loved the flirty witty banter and how Grant always knew what Aubrey needed even if she was unsure !!
~~Michele McMullen~~

I really haven’t read too many second chance divorced couple stories. Aubrey and Grant had some heavy baggage between them. You could tell that the love was still there but there was definitely some lack of communication between them. There are quite a bit of sexy times between them so they had that going for them. There was a couple of times where the internal dialogue would go to their past and sometimes it was confusing and hard to follow when they went there. But it all worked out and I still enjoyed the story.

I was pleased overall with this conclusion to the Laws of Attraction trilogy. Kate Meader excels at writing novels that interconnect while not requiring the reader to have read the entire series. Then Came You is a second chance at love story. Divorce attorneys, also divorced themselves, from each other, make for an interesting romance. Their chemistry was never in question. The primary couple had a lot to overcome, not the least being their own opinions about what caused them to divorce. I wavered on whether or not I thought they'd make it to their happily ever after for sure. Then Came You was an entertaining, sexy read. I'll leave it up to you to decide if they'll make it this time.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

I voluntarily read an advanced review copy of this book

This book and this series was great. I loved the fiery Aubrey and the strong and handsome Grant. Grant and Aubrey are two lawyers that fell in love... married and then divorced. Unfortunately for them they never fell out of love...

Aubrey needs help and Grant can't help but want to offer a helping hand. Will Grant be successful in getting Aubrey to give their marriage another try ? Read and find out!

Overall this book was really good. Aubrey and Grant were so stubborn that I wanted to shake them... and then hug then both until they realized that they were meant for each other. Very good read and a very good series! I cant wait to see what will come next!

This book was such an emotional read and one that I could totally relate to.

I loved the flirty banter between Grant and Aubrey. Once married and now divorced - the two embark on a trip that turns into therapy for the two. They still love each other, but the reason for the split (which you'll have to read to find out) is heart wrenching and is so relevant to many couples. Some survive and many don't.

Such a great read. Loved it!

After reading Illegally Yours, I was anxious to know the story behind Grant and Aubrey. I liked the road trip aspect complete with the sexual tension. Speaking of sexy times, there was quite a bit since it was used as a form of communication for Aubrey and the scenes were well done. I am a fan of Kate Meader's writing and this story illustrated her craft well. I wasn’t crazy about Aubrey's character, but I think it was because she was written in that way. Now Grant? All day, every day. He is great and can generate the swoons for this reader. I have very much enjoyed this Laws of Attraction series.

Let me start off by saying: THE JARGON IN THIS BOOK WAS SO SO GOOD. I absolutely adored this book, and I thought the law scenes were pretty accurate, even if it's not quite normal to have sexual tension coupled with normal tension between opposing counsels. The language used in this story was gorgeous, and the plot was built in a way where every flashback, every new piece of the story melded together to create the cohesive insight of Grant and Aubrey's life. This book is definitely going into a special place in my heart (I love law and love stories, okay). I also rejoiced at the openness between the two main characters - while they each have their secrets, they're never afraid to show that they want each other. Overall, great read, and probably would read again.

Loved this book, I could not put it down. Kate Meader didn’t disappoint. I loved the story because it is so easy to believe that it would happen. Aubrey and Grant were meant for each other in opposites way and they had a perfect relationship but life happens and everything falls apart. You can see the hurt that they are going though but of course they are each blaming their self and not telling the other one what they are really thinking and feeling. I loved that they finally were honest with each other towards the end and started to work things else. I am looking forward to finding other great reads from Kate Meader.

I love second chance romances and I went into this one with very high expectations. If you read the first two books of the series, Grant and Aubrey sort of danced around each other. No one knew why they had divorced. I anticipated unlocking the keys to the mystery.

Aubrey and Grant are from two different worlds. She is rich and privilege. Her economical status already put her out of Grant’s league. However, when they met in school, the attraction was too strong to ignore. Grant is a true southern gentleman. He is the product of a single teenage mom who doted on him and did everything in her power to raise him into a strong man.

The story flashes back and forth between the present and the past. Aubrey hurt her wrist and needs to get home for Thanksgiving. Grant offers to drive her to her parents because she doesn’t want to leave her cat alone during the holidays. This may be the opportunity for them to discuss the pain they both share from their divorce.

The two day ride home spurred a lot of resentment, guilt and pain for them. Readers discovered that they share a loss. A traumatic event occurred and they both handled it differently. The intimacy and emotional connection is still very intact but the lack of communication took such a hold of their relationship that it did not resolve itself until the very end. Herein lies the problem of this story.

The romance is strictly physical. The flashbacks to the past give a great insight to how they push past their external barriers (i.e. her family background, etc). The present is a constant merry go round that I wanted off midway through the book because they were not communicating. Aubrey is a hard character to connect with. She feels as though she is not good enough for Grant. In some ways, I agree because he is so saintly. However, she struggles with her family dynamics and that plays a heavy part in the lack of communication from her. It is not until the very end that she finally opens up and shows true emotions.

By the end, all of their secrets are revealed and both families are healed. A little too neat? Yeah, that’s what I thought since everyone struggled to talk the entire book.

I’m still happy they got their HEA and the epilogue made me smile. It is good to see all the other couples from the previous books.

~ Samantha

3.5 Stars

From the moment we were introduced to Grant and Aubrey in the first book of this series their relationship and its ending were such a mystery and I was dying to find out what could have possibly caused this couple, who were obviously still in love, to call it quits.

I don’t know if it’s because I had so long to build up their story in my head or because the personalities I created in my imagination didn’t match up to the characters that appeared on the pages, but I found myself not really falling in love with them as a couple in the way that I expected.

Ironically, after waiting to see these two get their HEA, throughout most of the book I kind of wondered if Aubrey even deserved Grant. Grant showed his love for Aubrey in everything he did and in a strange way I admired him for walking away when he realized that he wasn’t getting the same effort back from her, especially during their shared heartbreak and loss.

Random Personal Issue: It’s funny because I got angry when Grant mentioned that it was the “Yankee” in Aubrey that wouldn’t let her show weakness or pain and to accept, or even ask for anyone’s help. As a Yankee, I took this personally but probably because it was too close to the truth.

I remember just waiting for that big moment where everything came to head and ignoring their issues just wouldn’t be an option for Aubrey anymore. I could feel the heartbreak and pain from both of them when it finally did happen, but by then I was already invested in Grant’s pain and how he had to suffer in silence for so long to appease Aubrey’s way of coping, that I still didn’t feel like she was giving enough. I just wanted so much more from her.

It kills me, absolutely kills me to rate this book 3.5 stars. Not because it’s a bad rating but because it doesn’t reflect my feelings about Kate Meader’s writing, which is fantastic. I’ve clearly been a fan for a long time and that has absolutely not changed. Unfortunately, I was more invested in this couple when they were secondary characters than I was when finally getting their story.

Over all of the books of this series, I have been the most curious about Aubrey and Grant. Why did their marriage end, can they come back from divorce, if they still love one another how could they break up? All of these questions have been burning in my mind over the past year while waiting for their book to be published and their story was definitely worth the wait.

Marriage is hard and sometimes there are things that make it seem like it can't go on. Maybe one partner thinks the other can do better, maybe they don't communicate enough, maybe there are outside stressors that push them apart. I loved that Grant and Aubrey's story was an honest, real, and raw look at how hard a marriage can be and I loved that even though they had divorced, their love for each other was still completely obvious.

I have loved all of the books in the Laws of Attraction series but Then Came You is definitely my favorite!!