This is the story of Zamora (aka Z) and Marcus’ relationship journey from their teenage years to adulthood. Told a decade after their upsetting breakup, Anna Black explores what happens when two hearts destined to be together find themselves with all the wrong people.

I have mixed feelings about Love Delayed. At the heart of the story, Anna Black, brings readers into the joys and sorrows of Z and Marcus; however, there are many parts of the book that were rushed or seemed unfinished. For me, the first 25% of the book needed to be flushed out more. I am a big believer that the beginning of any story should show the readers who the characters are and why we should root for them. This did not occur until well into the story and I felt cheated to not have known Z and Marcus better in the beginning. Despite this, the middle part of the book kept me captivated and made me wanting more from the unfinished/rushed parts.

Overall, great premise with some solid moments, but there are definitely missed opportunities that would have made this a five star read.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. 2.75 ⭐️

Loved Z! She says everything that I'm thinking and doesn't hold back (which I love).

THE DRAMA!

Fate always has a tricky way of bringing us back to the ones that are meant to be.


I'm SO curious about Josh and Zar and want to know more and maybe even get more of them ;)

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!!

What a great book! I really enjoyed this book. I couldn’t put it down. The author has such a good writing style. This was a first for me by this author but will not be my last! I enjoyed the characters. They had good chemistry.

Couldn't finish this one - found the story hard to get into and the characters difficult to connect to. Not my favourite narrators either.

Actual rating 2.5

I want to start out by saying this is NOT a bad book, I just don’t think this weighting style is my cup of tea.

I had the ALC version of this book, having 3 narrators was a weird choice, I believe that the pov of the third person could’ve been done through one of the narrators that were already in the story ? I don’t think she herself needed a whole mother narrator.
I had a really hard time connecting with any character of this book, it just didn’t go as smooth as I was expecting, no depth in the character & lots of side story lines that truly provided nothing to the story.

I think the idea of the story is great but the delivery was just a little off.

There is a LOT of drama in this book... After a huge misunderstanding and a bigger amount of ego, Zamora and Marcus break up. 10 years later they run into each other again, and we're taken on a roller coaster ride while they work out what went wrong, and what they really want now. And then add in a bit of a con, and you've got quite an intense ride.

The narrators did a good job of bringing Zamora and Marcus to life. I wasn't sure why a third narrator was needed for Elliana.

The story didn't have the greatest flow, and I didn't understand why the characters did what they did a lot of the time.

Still, not a waste of time, and it could be enjoyable for some.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Recorded Books and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This needed trigger warnings of infertility I couldn’t finish it after 75% the first few chapters I was crying so hard!

I DNF'd this book at 9%.

Honestly it was a struggle to make it even this far. From the prologue, I knew that I wasn't going to like this book. I wanted to like it so badly but it was so disjointed and chaotic. It felt like the book had no structure and the pacing was bizzare. We listen to this long prologue about how the mc wants to go to culinary school and she decides to sign up for a 13 month program in another state without consulting her partner. He is rightfully upset.

The two are clearly unable to communicate and should not be together but imagine my surprise when the male narrator comes in and it's his POV! This, to me, indicates that they are endgame in this story and I knew there was no way I could root for them to be together after that terrible start.

To make things even more chaotic, we jump ahead in time and she's MARRIED to another man and his pregnant mistress shows up at her door. I felt like I was getting whiplash with the story. Where was the setup? Where was act 1, the catalyst, anything? There was no semblance of story structure here and it felt like a first draft.

Wasn’t my cup of tea. Couldn’t connect to the characters at all. Some sections just seemed to come out of nowhere and others barely mentioned

I will not be able to review this book, as I DNF.

Usually I will give a book longer to catch me, but this one actively turned me off. It was a rough start with the prologue, knowing this guy is the eventual love interest. Of course people grow and change, but both characters were so flawed in that little snapshot that it made me simply not want to continue, her keeping something so huge from this great love of her life and him not showing any semblance of support to her life dream. Then, in chapter one she's married to a guy who impregnated another woman...in my opinion it was too much drama to introduce so early before we care about the character at all.

It just wasn't for me, and I will not be leaving a review on my blog or any other sites.
Thank you for the opportunity. Wish you the best of luck.

Really enjoyed this story. The narrators didn’t 100% do it for me but was able to get past that. Will definitely check out other books from this author.

Twas an alright read, it was very the right moment right time. The husband cheating and knocking someone else up then the child ending up not being his and then Zamora also finding out he got her pregnant after they ended things. To running back into Marcus whos engaged to someone else to her having a miscarriage and THEN Marcus fiance's finding out shes pregnant but it not being Marcus . SO many holy fuck moments.

This wasn't for me at all, it tried to do too much and it also felt like both main leads were not just flawed but not always kind

Love Delayed by Anna Black is an engaging romance that has its highs and lows. The story explores themes of love, timing, and second chances, with a premise that draws readers in. The characters, particularly the leads, are relatable, and their emotional struggles feel genuine. While the writing style is engaging, there are moments where the story could have benefited from deeper character development and more tension to keep the momentum going. Overall, it’s a sweet read for fans of romance, but it lacks that extra spark to elevate it to something truly unforgettable.

Anna Black's Love Delayed presents a compelling premise—a second-chance romance between former college sweethearts reuniting after a decade. The concept holds great promise, especially for fans of heartfelt reconnections and stories that explore the enduring pull of first loves.

Strengths:
The narration of the female protagonist, Zamora Hill, was a highlight. Her voice brought a sense of authenticity to her character and made her journey relatable. The underlying plot, which combines themes of love, regret, and loss was enough to keep me curious about how the story would unfold.

Areas for Improvement:
I thought the concept of this novel was really intriguing. However, the execution didn’t quite resonate with me. In my opinion, the flow felt choppy and underdeveloped. I also noticed an overemphasis on mundane details and repetitive verbiage, which distracted me from the central narrative.

Additionally, while the female narration was strong, I found the male protagonist’s narrator less effective which affected the flow of the narration. For narrating a latino character, I felt that his Spanish was lacking. This mismatch made it harder to connect with Marcus’s perspective, which was crucial to the story's emotional balance.

Overall Impression:
Although Love Delayed didn’t fully align with my preferences, I do believe that there is an audience for this novel and who will greatly enjoy it. The plot was intriguing enough for me to want to continue with this audiobook. I appreciate the author's attempt to explore themes of forgiveness and fans of second-chance romance who enjoy 'messy' narratives may find this book worth exploring. For me, however, it was a mixed experience.

Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Perfect for a quiet afternoon or whenever you're in the mood for a nice, feel-good story.
I really loved this story. It was a sweet second-chance romance about two successful people who reconnect after ten years. I love that they realized they still have feelings for each other. It captured the warmth of rediscovering love after a long time. The story was light and engaging, with just the right amount of emotion to keep me interested without being too heavy. It was beautiful I’m probably even reread it again the characters and story was lovely.

Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Black and RB Media for an advanced listener copy of Love Delayed. I enjoyed the book, minus a few scenes that were difficult to get through. I believe there should be trigger warnings for certain scenes, particularly regarding toxic relationships, sexual assault, and miscarriage.

The book was narrated by Tamika Katon-Donegal, AhDream Smith, Freedom. At times the reading seemed a bit choppy, but otherwise I enjoyed the narration.

publication Date- November 26, 2024
#LoveDelayed #NetGalley

Overall 3.5
Spice: Off page

You read the book from both viewpoints of the FMC and MMC and it feels like it's on repeat at times. Once you get past the repeating it was a pretty interesting read with several plot twist you didn't see coming. I was not a fan of the narrator especially when the female tried doing the males voice instead of just having the male do the males voice. The narration made it seem more dramatic than it needed to be and made the duplicate parts really drag out. There is mention of spicy scenes, but you don't read about them on page. It was already dealing with adult topics so the on-page spice would have enhanced the book. Overall, it was a quick listen.

This book was not for me. Not sure if it was the narration or the book itself, but I didn’t like the book.

Love Delayed by Anna Black was an okay romance read for me. It had all the classic romance tropes, which, while enjoyable at times, made the story feel a bit predictable and less authentic.

The storyline follows the familiar setup of "the one who got away" and "the cheating boyfriend," paired with the reappearance of a first love who happens to have a gold-digging girlfriend. While these elements can make for dramatic twists, the execution felt a bit rushed, and I found myself wanting more depth in the characters and their relationships.

That said, there were moments that held my attention, especially the chemistry between the main characters. Fans of straightforward, trope-heavy romances might enjoy this more than I did, but for me, it lacked the emotional depth and originality that make a romance truly memorable.

Thank you Netgalley for opportunity to listen to this book.