Now and Then and Always

GIVEAWAY

TAGG, MELISSA
NOW AND THEN AND ALWAYS

After traumatic circumstances forced her from her job as a nanny, Mara Bristol finally found a place to belong -- the Everwood Bed & Breakfast. For months, she's helped its owner, Lenora, maintain the ramshackle property. But when Lenora fails to return from a long trip and the bank threatens foreclosure, Mara worries she's about to lose the only true home she's ever known.

Detective Marshall Hawkins is no closer to whole today than he was two years ago...the day his daughter died. When a reckless decision on the job propels him into administrative leave, he has no other plan but to get in his truck and drive. A one-night stay at the Everwood was supposed to be just that. But there's something about the old house -- or maybe its intriguing caretaker -- that pulls him in.

Together, Mara and Marshall set out to save the Everwood. But its secrets run deeper than they could've imagined. As they renovate the house and search for its missing owner, they'll each confront the pain that brought them to the Everwood in the first place...and just maybe discover an unexpected love to help them carry on.

My Review:

"Far be it from me to speak for the Almighty, but I feel fairly confident saying God isn't looking for impressive people. He's looking for people who are willing to be impressed by Him." (p 132)

Well, now, this is one of those 'this book is so good I can't find the right words to tell you how good it is" reviews. I'm flummoxed, confounded, disconcerted and clearly consumed by redundancy. :-) In other words, Melissa Tagg has left me addle-pated. 

Or maybe that was Marshall. Because, seriously, if he does not sweep you off your feet and jump start your heart then...well, you don't have one! It's tricky to write a wounded hero with the right combination of realistic grit and toe-curling warmth, but Tagg has created a broody hero worthy of Olympic size swoons. He's broken. And messed up. And cut off from God. Hurting and angry and balancing on the edge of something much darker. But all of that cannot completely bury the decent, honest, compassionate man at his core.

And then Everwood happens. An antiquated mansion that has a personality all of it's own. Welcoming in all its decaying beauty. Harboring secrets that it won't give up readily. Sheltering lost souls. Promising better futures. This house is a third main character and I love that!

Mara has been hiding out at Everwood for nearly a year. She's as captivated by the mansion as I am! Her reasons for going underground are hers to share and, if you're patient, she'll reveal all in her own time. Marshall's intrigued. And suspicious. His detective spidey senses are tingling...but so is his heart. There is such emotional depth to this romance! An angst-riddled path leads to their HEA, though, complete with mystery and danger! That was a fun twist. It doesn't overtake the relationship building and the soul-searching but it adds an intriguing undercurrent that amped up my reading enjoyment that much more.

"And I started thinking, what if that's like God? What if when we've fallen, when we're hurt, when we're in our greatest pain, He runs towards us?...What if it's not about me pulling myself together and getting up, but just...looking up? To see Him. Running to me." (p 306)


GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Now and Then and Always, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 12 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!