Until I Met You

GIVEAWAY

FARIS, TARI

UNTIL I MET YOU

Welcome back to Heritage, Michigan -- the small town with a big heart.

When she hears that the town of Heritage is looking for a new librarian, Libby Kingsley jumps at the opportunity. Little did she know the library is barely more than a basement room stuffed with dusty, outdated books. What the community really needs is a new building. But the only funds available are those being channeled into the new town square, and the landscape architect in charge of the project wants nothing to do with her plans.

All Austin Williams wants to do is get the town square proect finished, and he hopes it is enough to save the family business. Then he can extricate himself from the town that reveres the brother who cost him so much. But the local media and the town's new librarian seem to be conspiring against him at every turn. Will the determiend bookworm find her way into his blueprints -- and possibly even his heart?

My Review:

I'm always on board for a librarian heroine -- especially one who has the daunting task of transforming a sad, neglected, nobody-wants-to-visit-except-the-spiders, dust-encrusted tomb of a library. I was itching to roll up my sleeves and dive in to help Libby...and believe me she needs help on multiple fronts!

Faris delivers an intrinsically layered story of heartache and hope with not one but two tumultuous romances! Love how Austin and Libby and Nate and Olivia get equal billing and how their lives intertwine in a complicated pattern of twists and turns. So much raw emotion kept me on a romantical edge right to the very last page! 

There's plenty of laugh out loud moments too -- especially when it comes to Libby and Austin's numerous unfortunate interactions. Lots of giddy grinning and hearty guffawing that eased my tender heart from breaking completely over the tougher scenes. :-) But, just for the record, Austin is a super Grump with a capital G. Gah, but I wanted to book-tote whomp him upside the head a time or two. 

A solid inspirational thread on the many facets of forgiveness brings even more depth to an already 'meaty' read.

Until I Met You is the second book in the Restoring Heritage series and, while I think you could read it as a standalone, there is quite a bit of character carryover from the first book so be prepared to meet a lot of folks and leap into their lives mid-story.  Readers who have read You Belong With Me will be happy to continue on with Luke and Hannah's story as well. Heritage, Michigan is definitely a happening place and there's more in store with another novel and novella to round out the series!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback or ebook copy -- winner's choice. 

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Until I Met You, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a 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 September 4 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

You Belong With Me

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO READ DAY

FARIS, TARI

YOU BELONG WITH ME

Realtor Hannah Thornton has many talents. Unfortunately, selling houses isn't one of them.

When a business tycoon determines to raze historic homes in the small town of Heritage, Michigan, and replace them with a strip mall, Hannah resolves to stop him. She sets about helping Heritage win a restoration grant that will put the town back on the map -- and hopefully restore her disgraced family name. But she'll need help to to it.

As a foster kid, Luke Johnson never truly felt he belonged. Now he has a chance to earn his place in his hometown. But he doesn't anticipate how his relationship with Hannah will set into motion events that reveal the truth about who he is -- and who he was.

My Review:

Oh my wounded heart! What an emotionally angst-riddled debut novel with not one, but two rocky romances to navigate through. And Hannah just happens to be in the middle of it all. I can so relate to her resistance to change! In the midst of never ending changes! My tummy was in a maelstrom of knots in sympathy for her. :-) Talk about feeling your way through a story...this one is as tactile as they come.

Love the small town vibe and the the smorgasbord of secondary characters (including the four legged variety) that come with it. More angst along with sage wisdom like this courtesy of Aunt Lucy: 

"You can never really fix something shattered. But you can take the pieces and make something even better. Don't leave the painful parts of your life in a box on the shelf. Figure out how to make something beautiful out of them." (p 275)

And that's just what these characters do as they struggle to let go of past hurts and come to grips with their present while looking forward to the kind of future only God can lead them to.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of You Belong With Me, 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 winners announced on Saturday January 30 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!