Monday, October 11, 2021

SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE by Tari Faris, Reviewed by Winnie Thomas and Rebecca Maney

WINNIE'S REVIEW:
Since You’ve Been Gone is book 3 in Tari Faris’s Restoring Heritage series, and I loved returning to the close-knit town of Heritage, Michigan and the colorful, interesting people who live there. Faris has a talent for creating realistic, endearing characters with varied problems and backgrounds and changing them for the better. This book features a double storyline with Leah Williams and Jon Kensington as the main couple, with Madison Westmore and Colby Marc’s story as a bonus.

Faris started the book out strong and kept up the action to the satisfying conclusion. Elements of faith and inspiration are woven carefully into the story and added powerful substance to it. Themes of hope, forgiveness, and overcoming fear and failure are uplifting and resonated with me.

“One person can fail only so many times.”

“Failure can be a good thing, but you have to learn from it and fail forward. Let the failure push you on to something greater.”

I’ve enjoyed this series, and I’m looking forward to more wonderful stories from this author. I recommend this book and series to those who enjoy contemporary romance with inspirational elements. 4.5 stars
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Revell through Interviews and Reviews. All opinions are my own.

REBECCA'S REVIEW:
"One person can fail only so many times. That was her theory . . . "

Leah Williams is ready for a win; she's back in Heritage, Michigan . . . she's ready to begin a new chapter . . . again . . . she just needs the cooperation of a man who holds all the cards in his hand, the one and only Jonathan Kensington. Definitely all grown up, Jon can no longer play the role of teen-age nemesis, but can he possibly transform into a friend? Leah hopes so, for her future aspirations depend on it.

Jon Kensington is backed into a corner and his uncle knows it. The proposed buy-out of Leah's building will crash her dreams, although Leah's shaky business plan (if you could call it that) really isn't worth salvaging in its present form. If only Jon could still draw on his father's wisdom . . . a man who loved the community of Heritage, and who knew how to support the local economy in every way possible . . . without crushing the dreams of a beautiful, quirky, stubbornly creative red-head.

There's a lot to learn about love in this small town of Heritage with its happily-ever-after vibe. Guaranteed to relish the journey, readers will walk the walk with not only Leah and Jon, but two other not-so-newcomers who find more than they bargained for . . . with a can of paint. . . and maybe even way before that, with a high school jersey.

"Little had they known back then that God had such great things in store for each of them. They'd just had to wait on His perfect timing."
*I received a copy of this book from the Baker Publishing Group through Interviews and Reviews. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are entirely my own.
3.5 stars

SEE NICOLE'S REVIEW

SEE PAULA'S REVIEW of the RESTORING HERITAGE Series

BackCover Blurb:
With her vision and his know-how, this thing just might work . . .

Leah Williams is back in the quaint town of Heritage, Michigan, and ready to try again to make her business a success. But blank slates are hard to come by, and a piece of her past is waiting for her there. Heir to the Heritage Fruits company, Jonathan Kensington is the guy who not only made Leah's past difficult, but he also seems determined to complicate her present as well.

In order to avoid forcing a buyout of Leah's building, Jon will have to strike a compromise. Can the two of them work together? Or will their troubled past set the tone for their future?

Revell Publishing, September, 2021
Available in digital ebook, paperback, and audiobook:
Buy Since You've Been Gone at Baker Book House

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