Kindle Price: $2.99

Save $11.00 (79%)

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $17.46

Save: $15.47 (89%)

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.

Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Dear Agony: A Friends-to-Lovers Standalone Novel Kindle Edition

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 571 ratings

In this epic love story, Dear Agony forges a connection between an unlikely pair—a beautiful rose entwined in barbed wire and a shipwreck sinking into the darkest depths of the ocean. This agonizing romantic novel poses some gut-wrenching questions: What does a woman do when the man she loves is planning his own demise? And how far will she go to give him something to live for?

Dear Agony,

You've been my shadow, following me through childhood—filling my days and nights with terror and uncertainty. You cleverly disguised yourself as some form of pain or suffering as I grew into a young woman. We were unwavering companions … until I severed our ties.

I traded homelessness on the streets of New Orleans for a luxurious bed covered by the finest linens.
I traded dumpster diving for dinner in the finest restaurants.
I traded myself to a stranger—Bastien Pascal.

I have a good life within my platonic and mutually beneficial companionship with Bash.
He’s my friend. My mentor. My roommate.
Until everything changes.

I’m not supposed to get goosebumps when his hand brushes my skin.
I’m not supposed to be eager for his soothing touch following one of my nightmares.
I’m not supposed to think about what might happen if I reached out to him in the darkness.

Falling in love with him? Preposterous… unavoidable.

Agony, why are you back with a vengeance to rob me of this life I’ve come to love so dearly?

I’m finally happy. Don’t ruin this for me.

Always yours,
Rose
–––––
About
Dear Agony––
Heat level: 3/5
Cheating: No

Tropes and Themes:
  • Arranged Relationship
  • Billionaire
  • One’s Rich, One’s Poor
  • Age Gap
  • Friends-to-Lovers
  • Tortured Hero
  • Damaged Heroine
  • Surprise Baby
Read more Read less

Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

From the Publisher

Dear Agony Banner 1
Dear Agony Banner 2
Dear Agony 3

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Georgia resides in rural Mississippi with her wonderful husband, Jeff, and their two beautiful daughters. She spent fourteen years as a labor and delivery nurse before she decided to pursue her dream of becoming an author and hasn’t looked back yet.

When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing. When she’s being domestic, she’s listening to her music and visualizing scenes for her current work in progress. Every story coming from her always has a song to inspire it.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01MZ4GFZC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Georgia Cates Books, LLC (March 1, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 1, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1716 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 298 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 571 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Georgia Cates
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Georgia Cates is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Best-Selling Author of The Beauty Series. She resides in Mississippi with her husband and two daughters. Please visit georgiacates.com for additional information.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
571 global ratings
Dear Agony.. Sana's review
5 Stars
Dear Agony.. Sana's review
5 good grief stars!I. Am. Ruined.Like in really really ruined.When I was given this book to read and review, I never thought that it would be this painfully and beautifully heartbreaking.When Agony decided to turn her ugly face and give Rose Middleton a chance to finally have a decent life, she grabbed on it and enjoyed every bit of it to the fullest.Being one of the Fairy Godmother's girls was impossible dreams come true.With Vale, Rose learned how to live and how to become a woman she never thought she could be.But when it was time for her to part ways with Duets and join her new companion, Rose never thought that everything she learned couldn't have prepared her for Bastian Pascal.Diagnosed with an incurable disease, Bastian decided to use one of his best friend's duets as a companion in a strictly platonic relationship. He hadn’t much time left before going with the plan to end things his way, but hell if he wouldn’t make the most of it with the mysterious woman Vale kept talking about.The joy Rose brought to Bash's life was unexpected. She made him feel things he thought he buried with his family.“Rose is so different from any other woman I’ve ever wanted. She’s delicate. Fragile. Innocent. She doesn’t know how to play the seduction game, yet she has seduced my heart, body, and soul.I need her.I want her.I love her.”But..."Dying and falling in love. The two don't go together."Dear Agony is life showing her ugly face but failing to pass the ugliness to our souls.Dear Agony is an amazing book that's worth reading. I so much loved the characters. The story! Let's say it's something you won't be able to reac and forget.
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2017
Wow, Wow, Wow…..I can’t tell you how much I loved this book!!

I have been left speechless after reading this book. I don’t know how to put my thoughts into words that could possibly do this book justice. I think it is safe to say this in my favorite Georgia Cates book to date. She knocked this book out of the park.

I won’t be talking about the storyline much, because this one of those books you can’t truly appreciate it if you know stuff before reading the book. You need to feel all the emotions that flow off the pages of this story.

Dear Agony is a standalone novel that is told in Dual POV. I have to say I am really happy Georgia decided to write this book that way, because I think the reader really needs both sides of the story while reading it. This story was such a tragic an epic love story all rolled into one. Bastien and Rose’s story is told over the course of a few years and I loved how Georgia wrote this book. She moved everything right along by fast forwarding some time here and there, but nothing feel rushed and I don’t feel we missed anything either. The flow of this story was effortless!!!

I loved the storyline of this book. I will say that this book does cover a kind of heavy subject and one that hit kind of close to home for me. This story is kind of my own personal fear and makes you think about what you would do in this situation. As hard as it may seem while reading this book, I was happy with the ending of the book and it left me feeling good and my heart was full.

Rose and Bastien’s journey is not an easy one and it has it’s ups and downs, but what it just shows, is that love can really prevail in the end.

I enjoyed getting to know Vale as well in this story. I am hoping that she might get a story of her own. I think there are some serious secrets she’s keeping and I love to uncover them.

Now don’t take my word for it, when it comes to this book….You need to just READ this book for yourself. I don’t think anyone will be sorry they read this story!!! It is just that good.
6 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2017
Ms. Gates has a way with words that keeps readers spellbound .Bastian is a bachelor who finds our he has ALS he doesn't want what time he has left to be alone.. He buys a duet (Rose) to live with him, travel and be his companion. They have a contract both don't want a sexual relationship. Bastian tells Rose about his disease after 9 months of friendship and tells her she should leave now to spare her any unhappiness. She refuses and promises to care for him, he informs he it will never come to that . He plans to end is life before he is bedridden or on a ventilator. She can't except his choice but wants to be with him . Rose and Bastian begin sexual relationship while visiting Hawaii, they both confess their love for one another. They grow closer and more deeply in love until Rose finds out she is pregnant. Bash wants Rose to have an abortion, he can't be a father when he is already having trouble from his disease. Rose won't kill the baby they created because he may not live. Bastian won't have anything to do were the baby is concerned, he won't go to doctors appointments . Rose is deeply hurt by Bash's treatment when he knew they had unprotected sex it could happen. Rose decides to leave him and move in with Val, he doesn't want to lose Rose but he doesn't want a baby. Rose becomes very ill and Bash takes her to the hospital, their son is born very premature . Bash learns he was being selfish,loving his child came so naturally. They marry and have another child a girl, at this point Bash is in a wheelchair . They are a happy little family, what the future holds they already know. Together they will cherish each day they have and Bash will fight to remain with his beautiful family as long as God wills.
7 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2017
Dear Agony brings together two people who have very different pasts and futures that are completely contradictory. Rose grew up in horrific conditions and experienced the worst types of things a person could know. Bastien had an idyllic childhood and everything a child could need or want. As adults, Rose is saved from the fate she’d long assumed was hers and her future became something she could never fathom while Bastien’s adulthood was littered with devastating losses and the future he’d always assumed he’d have, became something he knew he’d never be able experience.
Dear Agony pulled me in from the first page, I was desperate to know what Rose’s story was, what had happened to leave her performing on the streets in hopes of affording her next meal. Vale and the secrecy surrounding her only added to the intrigue of Rose’s story. There were so many layers of questions and secrets, I was dying to know everything. One we started learning more about what had brought Rose and Bastien to the point where they entered their contractual relationship my heart was broken for both of them. It was easy to see why they’d sought an agreement where the boundaries and rules were spelled out in precise language.
The plot of Dear Agony moved quickly, there were no moments where the story lagged or that I felt were boring. I literally never wanted to put it down because I was so riveted to what was next for Rose and Bastien. Sometimes, however, I did feel the pace of the book was detrimental, I would have loved to have seen more exploration of Rose becoming a more confident version of herself, more of her healing from her past. There were a lot of situations and events that could have used more than the quick telling they had, I would have loved more of this story. Particularly the end of the book, I felt like it wrapped up so quickly not all the things I wanted answers to got the answers they needed.
Dear Agony was a beautiful story, told with beautiful words and it will resonate with readers across the spectrum of romance readers. It was sweet and sad and it touched on primal fears we all have, even if we refuse to admit them. One of the things I most appreciated about Dear Agony was how the love between Rose and Bastien was a slow and steady build, not something that burned fast and bright, it was built on a firm base of mutual trust and respect. I also loved that this story wasn’t built around the next sexual encounter, Georgia Cates did a wonderful job of building their relationship on the things that make a true love story actually last for the long haul and it was exactly what I would ask for when telling a love story.
I desperately hope that we are able to visit this world again. I would love to see more of the Duets and Vale’s story seems so interesting, I have a deep desire to know what it is. Another glance into the lives of Bastien and Rose wouldn’t hurt my feelings either.
20 people found this helpful
Report

Top reviews from other countries

Tricia
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved the story, totally recommend reading it
Reviewed in Canada on July 4, 2017
Loved it!!

Made me cry and smile which always represents a great book in my world. The storyline kept you gripped and I didn't want to put it down even to sleep! Good strong characters and I love dual points of view which I got in this story. A must read for your book loving bucket list
aysha
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing agonising delight
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2017
I cannot put into words the magic that happens when i read anything by georgia cates. To say i get submerged into a story doesnt really do it justice. Its very powerful the emotions that get dragged out of the depths of you as you immerse yourself in the story. Sometimes its hard to imagine it is a story it is so real. I really liked rose as a character and thought her edge and acumen shows with help, hard work and determination what could be achieved. Sebastian is an enigma to say the least but a very endearing lovable one. Beautiful read.
2 people found this helpful
Report
Lauras_Book_Addiction
5.0 out of 5 stars Lauras_Book_Addiction
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2017
There is no doubt that Dear Agony could be compared to Me Before You but the story is also completely different. I loved Bash & Rose from the start and what I enjoyed the most was up until the end you didn't know what choice Bash was going to make. I've read nearly all Georgia's books and this just might be my favourite!!
Jill Kirtley
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2017
I put off reading this book sooner as reviews mentioned tears and well I'm not a fan of sad books, but I am a fan of Georgia Cates so I bit the bullet and dived in and I have to say I'm glad I did as I didn't really find it all that upsetting and certainly not the tear jerker I thought it was going to be. Bastien and Rose were great characters especially Rose she was so strong minded which of course she had to be seeing as Bash was stubborn as all hell. The story line was well written with the subject sensitively handled. I'd highly recommend it.
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?