SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE
Restoring Heritage Series, #3
by
Tari Faris
Genre: Fiction / Christian / Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Revell
Date of Publication: September 7, 2021
Number of Pages: 336 pages
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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?
SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE is an enchanting two for the price of one contemporary romance straight out of the Hallmark playbook. (Which I am ALL for. I may have watched 3 Hallmark movies today!)
Our first couple is Jon and Leah. The romance between these two characters is a great example of the one of my favorite romance tropes, Enemies to Lovers. The sparks fly off the page right away between Jon and Leah. Turns out, Jon and Leah went to high school together, but never really got along all that well due to some miscommunications. Now Leah needs Jon’s help to save her family store. Here’s a great quote showing off the sparks!
“Do I know you?” (Leah)Maybe it was a little immature, but she was in no mood for a reunion. She glanced at the departures board as another flight’s status flipped to canceled.Jon nudged her shoulder with his. “I know you know who I am, Leah.”
Sigh. Ms. Faris had me at Jon’s sarcasm!
The second couple in this novel is Madison and Colby. These two are the Insta-love couple in the novel. I’m always skeptical of people who fall in love in a matter of days. Do the characters even know each other? But what brings together this couple is Madison needs help to fix up her late father’s house for sale. And Colby needs some ‘normal’ after he’s singing career hit rock bottom.
The writing in SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE is wonderful. The plot is nicely paced throughout. Each of the main four characters are narrators in the novel. I was emotionally attached to the novel and the town of Heritage right away. The characters are well-developed and engaging. I genuinely appreciated the growth shown by all four characters by the end of the novel.
What really stood out to me while reading this novel were the life lessons that the characters learn, and in turn, that I could really take to heart. Here are two of the lessons:
- “Everything you choose to love comes with the risk of heartbreak”
- “Failure can be a good thing, but you have to learn from it and fall forward. Let the failure push you on to something greater.”
From me, Lesson #1 can apply to not only romance, but to friendship as well. Yes, putting yourself out there comes with a risk. But also comes with the possibility of a great reward. And, like Leah, I really should put myself out there more and trust others. I love the idea behind Lesson #2, learning from failure and the visual of falling forward. Both lessons are very positive and powerful.
SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE is the third novel in the Restoring Heritage series. It can be read as a stand-alone; I haven’t read the other two novels and thoroughly enjoyed this one. I will likely read the other novels for a better introduction to the town of Heritage. I enjoyed the brief introductions to the other characters in the town of Heritage, especially Otis the hippo. That is a magical story I don’t want to spoil for you!
Overall, much like the Grinch, my heart grew two sizes after reading this novel and I highly recommend it if you, like me, enjoy a happily ever after romance! I’m rating this a strong 4.5 Stars!
Thanks to author Tari Fari and Lone Star Book Blog Tours for providing this opportunity to review SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE. I received the novel free in exchange for my honest review.
Tari Faris is the author of You Belong with Me and Until I Met You. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers and My Book Therapy, she is the projects manager for My Book Therapy, writes for learnhowtowriteanovel.com, and is a 2017 Genesis Award winner. She has an MDiv from Asbury Theological Seminary and lives in the Phoenix, Arizona, area with her husband and their three children. Although she lives in the Southwest now, she lived in a small town in Michigan for 25 years.
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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
ONE WINNER:
A copy of the whole Restoring Heritage series,
a $10 Starbucks gift card,
and a bookish sticker pack!
(US only. Ends 10/22/21.)
A copy of the whole Restoring Heritage series,
a $10 Starbucks gift card,
and a bookish sticker pack!
(US only. Ends 10/22/21.)
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10/13/21 |
Author Video |
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10/13/21 |
BONUS Promo |
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10/14/21 |
Review |
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10/14/21 |
BONUS Promo |
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10/15/21 |
Character Spotlight |
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10/16/21 |
Review |
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10/17/21 |
Author Interview |
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10/18/21 |
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10/19/21 |
Top 5 List |
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10/20/21 |
Deleted Scene |
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10/21/21 |
Review |
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10/22/21 |
Review |
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