Former beauty queen Belle Thornton knows what it is to think she has it all, only to discover she never valued what was truly important. Raising her daughter and building a thriving thrift shop that helps single mothers like herself has taught Belle what the word beautiful really means. Unfortunately, thanks to her shady landlord, Belle must toss those hard-earned dollars into the money-pit of a rental that houses both her tiny apartment and her business or risk the city closing her doors. When funds dwindle as quickly as her to-do list grows, she is forced to rely on the absolute last rescuer she’d choose: Micah Shaw. Leaving Belle at the altar, pregnant, was the worst choice Micah ever made. He returns home, hoping to reconcile with Belle and their toddler. While balancing his medical residency with caring for his ailing mother, he strives to win Belle’s heart again and ensure her business remains open. Helping with that is the easy part. Chiseling through the rock encompassing Belle's heart is more of a challenge, but one he’s determined to conquer. If only he could get her to realize that a new lease on love may be their best collaboration of all.
My Thoughts
Just when you think an author can’t outdo herself she goes and gives you this masterpiece! I am honestly a bit speechless trying to come up with the words to describe just how much I adored every single second of this book! I literally lost track of time lost in its pages and as I reached the end I was floating on a cloud of giddy joy! I don’t say this lightly but I’m pretty sure this book was perfection.
If you read book one of this series you know that Micah and Belle were not the most lovable people when we first met them. Years of their parents treating them as less than or placing unrealistic expectations on them had really done a number and it came out in words and actions that made me wonder how they could ever be redeemed enough for me to like them. I needn’t have worried though because they were in the hands of a master and wow did she redeem them!
Three years have passed since the events at the end of At First Glance and I loved that there was that gap, because the years had allowed both Micah and Belle to grow and mature and gave authenticity to the fact that they really were different people.
The new and improved Micah seriously gave Jonah a run for his money (and if you don’t understand what I mean by that, see my review of At First Glance and take note of the Jonah crushing). He was everything you could want him to be, from the way he humbly admitted his faults and took full responsibility for his actions, to the way he bent over backward, literally running himself ragged, to be there for Belle and Anna and prove he’d changed, to the way he stood up for himself when the situation demanded it and called things like they were. He reentered Belle and Anna’s lives and refused to back away while also letting Belle have complete control over the pace of everything. He showed her with his every word and action that he was here to stay for Anna and for her if she’d just let him in.
I really loathed Belle a lot in the first book so she had the most work to do in my mind but I loved how between having Anna, getting her relationship with Penny back on the right track, and stepping out from under her mother’s controlling thumb she had softened into a genuinely sweet human being. The way she was determined to not repeat her mother’s mistakes with her own daughter and the way she let Anna be herself was beautiful to watch and I loved how she had turned her whole life into helping others! I also loved how she, like Micah, didn’t hide from or sugarcoat past mistakes but instead owned up to them and determined to be better going forward.
One of the most beautiful things about Tuttle’s writing is the authenticity. The characters feel so real, like people you could meet on the street, and the emotions are so well-written that I honestly find myself feeling them all with the characters, from the laughter and joy , to the pain and heartache I feel like I lived it all right alongside them.
Watching Belle and Micah fight their way not back but forward to a better future was truly beautiful and I was rooting for them every step. Their story was messy and hard but that just made the ending and reconciliation all the sweeter because true love isn’t easy.
I also can’t write this review without mentioning all the secondary characters! I loved catching up with Jonah and Penny, as well as seeing more of Rachel and her son Gavin and meeting Evan (who I think is gonna be someone special)! Plus all of the “Grands” that help out at Belle’s store who were so sweet and funny and gave a good kick in the pants when necessary!
So if all this gushing didn’t make it clear, let me state it again, I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK and you need to read it ASAP, no if, ands, or buts about it!
Meet the Author
ACFW Carol Award Finalist, Susan L. Tuttle was born and raised in the Mitten State where she met and married her best friend. A homeschooling mom of three, somewhere along the way she blinked and those three littles aren't so little anymore. Now she balances their young adult years with directing the women's ministry at her church and writing new stories. She fully believes that God is the biggest romancer in the world and that He loves each one of us lavishly even in all our imperfections--a belief tried and tested by her own misses at perfection. Never having met a cookie she didn't like, most days you'll find her enjoying one for a treat between chauffeuring her kiddos around, attempting housework, contemplating exercise, or coaxing her current characters to talk.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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