"When you know what you want, it's worth mustering
up the bravery to go after it."
- Lauren
He’s torn between love and honor...
Lucas Danby has always regretted the decisions that caused his dishonorable discharge from the military—and he’s never stopped trying to redeem his honor. He's spent the past decade taking on dangerous short-term missions as an elite private soldier—the only part of his life that's ever gone right. But the high-risk work never cures his shame. Now he’s stuck stateside, mentoring a new recruit. Worse, he's sick of lying to the people he cares about most—including the woman he’s secretly loved for years.
She can’t escape her house of memories...
Jenessa Belville should be happy. She's the hometown girl everyone loves, after all. But she’s also the last Belville left—and if she had her way, she'd leave the name and all its painful memories behind. Which is exactly what she hopes to do once she sells Belville Park, the massive estate she inherited from her parents. First, though, she needs to restore the property’s once-glorious gardens. But on the same day she puts up the “For Sale” sign, she discovers three children hiding in the caretaker's cottage, thrusting her into the unexpected role of temporary guardian.
Fighting for their future means healing from the past...
Struggling to mentor a young man with scars nearly as piercing as his own, Lucas offers to help Jenessa restore the Belville grounds. Though drawn together by a trio of kids who tug on their hearts and the sparks they can’t deny, past secrets and current sorrows threaten to pull them apart. Only the brightest love and hardest sacrifice can turn the house Jenessa never wanted into the home she and Lucas have always longed for.
About the Author:
Melissa Tagg is the Christy and Carol Award-winning author of swoony and hope-filled small-town contemporary romances, including the Maple Valley series, the Walker Family series, the Where Love Begins series, and the Enchanted Christmas Collection. She’s also a former reporter, current nonprofit marketing strategist, and total Iowa girl.
Melissa has taught at multiple national writing conferences, as well as workshops and women’s retreats. When she’s not happily lost in someone else’s book or plugging away her own, she can be found spoiling her nieces and nephews, watching old movies, and daydreaming about her next fictional hero. Connect with Melissa at melissatagg.com.
My Thoughts:
Melissa Tagg has long been one of my favorite authors and I was super excited to read this newest book! I don’t read much rom-com, so her books are a little different from my usual taste, which I think is part of why I enjoy them so much. They overflow with laughter, romance, beautiful descriptions and settings, along with plenty of “awww” moments. To say that I enjoyed this book is a little underwhelming. I truly loved getting to read Lucas and Jenessa’s story and am now pondering how long it would take me to read all of her previous novels again.
Setting and dialogue are two things that make or break a book for me, and this story has both in droves! Ms. Tagg creates such beautiful places with her words and I always end a Maple Valley story longing to visit in person . . . I so want to meet these curious and lovely people who take up residence in my mind and heart while I’m reading! I don’t think I can choose a favorite of all of Ms. Tagg’s books, but I can say that I really love this group of friends she’s placed together. From Marshal and Mara’s book (Now, Then, and Always) to waiting for what will hopefully be Sam’s story at some point, I’m so enjoying getting to know this unique group of friends. And I have to laugh out loud quite often at the great banter and dialogue between them!
"Personally, son, I happen to think a weather faith is a good faith.
It means you've been through a storm and back. Or maybe you're still
in it - still fighting. Maybe your belief if battered and weak.
But that just means you're in a prime place for a rescue.
For a miracle."
- Arthur G. Flagg
If “wearing your heart on your sleeve” could take physical form, I think Ms. Tagg’s books would be hers. Between the covers of each of her books are, without fail, broken people struggling, grasping, wrestling . . . to find hope, to find God. The stories are progressions of a lesson learned and it’s apparent that in at least one aspect of it, the author learned from personal experience. I so appreciate how real fiction can be at times and how beautifully she shares hope and peace, amidst the trials and difficulties she puts the characters through.
Side note: the kids in this story just pull on your heart so much!
Overall, I would highly recommend this story! And am even now plotting a reread at some point soon. :)
As always, thanks for stopping by! There are several more quotes I'd love to share, but I don't want to risk spoiling anything!
I'm not sure I'll manage another post before Christmas, so just in case, I truly hope your Christmas is beautiful and filled with the people you love!
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