Most generally romance novels end when the couple is engaged or even when they marry, very few explore married life. That's where this novel goes. What happens when the spark is fizzling? Chemistry is still there but life gets in the way. For Imogene and Theo, a few things are getting in the way of their happily ever after starting with the fact that the two are from completely different social classes. Imogene comes from an incredibly wealthy and prestigious family that vacations in Nantucket whereas, Theo was born and raised in Nantucket and is considered a townie. They worked for years to over come the societal hurdles which included Theo taking a job at a family friend's company where he is completely miserable. He suffers through it for Imogene and his marriage.

For years, Imogene and Theo tried to have a baby. They began trying shortly after dating even before they were engaged. Through the fertility treatments and IVF appointments, Imogene and Theo were met with disappointment. Multiple negative pregnancy tests, miscarriage, and family pressures all mount for Imogene. She decides that her marriage is over. She can't take the pressures from her family. She wants to take her rightful place in the family business that her father should have given her, but took away when she married Theo. She returns to her family, but they have other plans. She has to stay with Theo for one month and after jumping through all her father's hoops she will take over the Human Resources division of the company after a few months.

A few issues happen for Imogene beginning with the fact that she still loves her husband, but she's divorcing him to make him happy. She knows that their life makes him miserable. She's pregnant. She doesn't want to tell him even though her best friend thinks she should. Spending the month together reminds them of why they fell in love with each other. Theo doesn't want to give Imogene a divorce. He wants her--only her. Not her family and all the societal requirements. Just the beautiful girl who let him sleep with her in a coat closet hours after meeting. His intelligent planner who threw caution to the wind when it came to him. Now, she's not willing to do the same in order to save their marriage. He's going to let her go.

Until he discovers she's pregnant.

He's going to do everything in his power to keep his family.

Is he too late?

Can he make his wife realize how much she still loves him?

Is her place within her family and the company more important than him and their child? ( )

Not for me.

Find this review and others at Carlene Inspired.

Messy, heartbreaking, painful. These aren't the words one wishes to use to describe their marriage, but they are the words that Imogen Walsh and her husband, Theo, are using. At a difficult time in their lives they should be turning to each other, but Imogen is searching for fulfillment at her family's company, contemplating turning her back on the Walsh name and embracing all the expectations that come from walking back into her family's fold. Theo is left feeling much like the sea, crashing and flowing, but never really reaching land. When a chance at the forever love they once wanted presents itself again, Theo and Imogen must choose to either embrace fear or risk losing true love for good.

I have never been married, I have never come from a wealthy family dynasty, and I've never faced the trials and tribulations that Imogen and Theo faced, but I feel like I have after reading Down We'll Come, Baby. Carrie Aarons weaves a heartbreaking tale of love, loss, and the powerful sense of duty one can feel. Imogen is a woman who made a choice for a love, a woman who is now reconsidering what love means for her in the face of pain and the offering of wealth and status. She's a difficult heroine to like, a villian more so than a hurting wife. She is at the center of this novel and while one could easily dislike her, it is also very apparent that she is grasping at straws as her life tumbles in on her. Theo, the handsome, rugged construction worker and husband to Imogen, is the best part of this novel. His love is unwavering, his heartbreak is palpable, and the steps he's willing to take to make things right, to have love, is just incredible. His love for Imogen can only be described as all consuming passion.

Down We'll Come, Baby is an unpredictable romance with so much angst your heart won't stop hurting until the very last page. It features realistic marriage hurdles and while I didn't always connect with the heroine, it has a couple that discovers just how much they're willing to fight for love. It is another well-developed novel from Carrie Aarons, an author whose character development and interactions I always love. It's painful, it's steamy, it's romantic, it's a book you must read if you love romance with a touch of reality.

ARC provided. ( )

4.1 stars

What a beautiful and heartfelt story showing that the universe sometimes has a plan different than what we think we want or need. The struggles were handled with delicate and poignant care. ( )