Publication Date: 03/03/2015
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 304
ISBN-10: 0425276872
ISBN-13: 978-0425276877
(Received for an honest review from Berkley)
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, itunes
Kelly Moran on the WEB: website, twitter, facebook, goodreads
Excerpt from Return To Me, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.
Synopsis:
A Covington Cove Novel—First in a new contemporary romance series from an award-winning author featuring "two characters you'll never forget." (Carly Phillips, New York Times bestselling author)
With every beat of the heart comes a memory of what could have been…
Ten years ago, Cole Covington was just another rich kid who got everything he wanted—including young and trusting Mia Galdon. Then one night everything changed, and two hearts were shattered. Cole buried his guilt in the military, where love was just part of the past. Now Cole has come back home, emotionally damaged, guarded, and unprepared for what’s waiting for him…
At the urging of Cole’s sister, Mia has returned to the Covington family’s coastal home in Wilmington as a private nurse to help Cole recover. With her uncertain personal life at a crossroad, Mia doesn’t have the luxury of saying no to the job. And she soon finds out that the attraction is still alive. So are memories of betrayal. But Mia will discover more than the power of resilience. She’ll discover a secret Cole has held for years, one that will force them to confront the past and give new meaning to letting go, forgiveness, and a future worth fighting for.
Thoughts:
Kelly Moran brings readers the first book in her new Covington Cove contemporary romance series, Return to Me. This is a great second chance love story that will grip the reader from the first page to the last. The author uses several different analogies to other classic pieces of literature to bring about a story that is both compelling and endearing. If you are looking for one of those books that makes you want to tear you hair out one minutes and cry your eyes out the next, this one is perfect for you! A great start to a new series!
This is my first book by Kelly Moran and I'll have to say, I was impressed with several different things about this book. I liked the way Moran harkens back to stories like Cinderella, and Jane Eyre to give her novel both a ring of the familiarity, and a touch of that fairy tale like nostalgia. Mia is the daughter of the maid when rich boy Cole Covington meets her. Though the sparks fly and they become an instant couple, Mia doesn't meet the expectations of his family. Later on after several years have passed, Cole returns home from the military wounded in both body and spirit and Mia returns to care for him in order to pay the bills and take care of her sister. Definite parallels to both classic pieces. I loved that about this book.
The characters were also so compelling and entertaining. From the very first chapter readers will fall in love with Cole and start to root for him to find his happy ending. It's obvious that the war in Iraq has taken his will to live and he comes across as a very tortured hero. I always like a hero that has a little more at stake than just finding Miss Right. Cole needs to mend his spirit as much as his body and that adds a totally different dimension to that part of the novel.
Mia is also just a wonderfully developed and deep character. She is very selfless and takes good care of her sister. She sacrifices so much for her family that readers won't can't help but fall in love with her. Watching her care for someone she felt had betrayed her was a joy. She was still compassionate and caring in spite of what happened between her and Cole and I found myself really admiring her as a character. I think Moran did an excellent job with characterization all the way around and that made this just a really good read.
Bottom Line:
This is a book that will speak to a lot of people. I love a military hero and this was super special. I think readers will appreciate Cole's story and be able to relate to his reasons for betraying Mia in the first place. Doing what your family expects of you is a big thing and even though it screwed up his life, he was changed by that decision and it affected everything after. I loved this one. A great chance to get in at the beginning on a what will probably be a great series!
Return to Me is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.
I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!
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