Permanently sidelined by an injury, former NFL quarterback Colton Greene is temporarily hiding out in a friend's hometown to avoid the media and the reminders of all he's lost. Maple Valley seems like the perfect place to learn how to adjust to normal life. The only trouble is he's never really done normal before.
While Kate plays things safe and Colton is all about big risks and grand gestures, they both get what it's like to desperately need direction in life. An unexpected project gives them both a chance to jumpstart their new lives, but old wounds and new dreams are hard to ignore. Starting over wasn't part of the plan, but could it be the best thing that's ever happened to them?
My Thoughts:
This book started so slow for me. The first few chapters were slow reading, and I almost put it down. But I hung with it and I am so glad I did. Once the story got going, it was hard to put down.
As soon as Kate arrives back in her hometown, we discover that she is deeply hurt from her past and is just not going to let anyone in her life. She loves her family deeply and cares for each of them, but she has no plans to let anyone from the outside get close enough to love her again. She is easy to like, and seems like someone I could be friends with in real life.
Colton is an equally wonderful person with a horrible past of his own. Not only is he down on himself from the loss of his football career, but he has a broken childhood that haunts him. He has big plans to sulk around and feel sorry for himself. Colton is also a likable guy, and I found myself wanting to know more and more about him as the story progressed.
Of course, it's no secret that Kate and Colton get close pretty quickly. Through their project they are working on, they slowly fall for each other in a major way. But they both have their pasts that haunts them to the point that neither is willing to give in to what is so obvious to everyone else.
I loved this book, and I loved these characters. This is a new series and I am looking forward to reading more about Kate and Colton, and well as getting to know more members of this family better. This series is worth getting started on.
Melissa Tagg, author of Made to Last and Here to Stay, is a former reporter and total Iowa girl. In addition to her homeless ministry day job, she is also the marketing/events coordinator for My Book Therapy, a craft and coaching community for writers. When she’s not writing, she can be found hanging out with the coolest family ever, watching old movies, and daydreaming about her next book. She’s passionate about humor, grace, and happy endings. Melissa blogs regularly and loves connecting with readers at www.melissatagg.com.