Review: Heartwarming Series - a testament to what love can overcome
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 11, 2014
The Love Series Box Set contains Maddy and Reid's complete story. It chronicles the defining moments of their lives: their first interaction at the party, the beginning of their relationship and the ups and downs of those first few months, their time spent apart, struggling to not reach out to each other, Maddy's pregnancy, their marriage, and finally, their new life together as a family.In the first book, Let Love In, Maddy is starting her first year at college after experiencing more loss than a young woman should have to at her age. As she transitions to this new life, she makes a few promises to herself in the hopes of wiping the slate clean:1. Choose Happy2. Appreciate Beauty3. Let Love InSoon, Maddy finds her happiness with Reid, a man who is just as broken as she is. Their relationship is not easy. At first, Reid doesn't want to give in to his feelings for Maddy because he doesn't do relationships. But, he finds himself unable to resist her and for once, he wants to be with only one woman.I loved the pace of Maddy and Reid's relationship in Let Love In. It is a realistic look into how two people who have never really been in a relationship learn to open up and let themselves be loved by someone else. Their connection is strong but messy. They experience many bumps along the way, and readers are left wondering at the end of the book what happens next.As the second book, Let Love Stay, begins, Maddy and Reid are reeling from life changing news, and Maddy gives Reid an ultimatum in order for them to move forward. She wants him to deal with his broken past and finally move past it; she feels it is the only way that they can be together. Reid is not ready, so he walks away from Maddy, and she is left trying to figure out what she is going to do next - with or without Reid by her side. As both Maddy and Reid deal with their individual issues, they both feel like the other has given up on their relationship and perhaps, they will never be together again. Soon though, Reid realizes that the one thing he needs to deal with his past and move forward is Maddy, so he seeks her out to get back what they lost when he walked away. From then on, any issue they face, they face together as a united front. Despite the pain and suffering that Reid goes through in LLS due to his past and his mother's illness, his love for Maddy grows and solidifies. He doesn't let his mistakes detract him from having a happy future.Let Love Stay is a testament to what happens when a couple stands strong together, being a shoulder to cry on or a hand to hold.  Both Reid and Maddy understand what the other needs, and as they work through all of the difficulties they face, it only strengthens their bond. At the end of the text, Reid and Maddy get their HEA and become the family they have always wanted.Whenever I finish a series and I reach the end of the last book where the hero and heroine get the HEA....I always wonder what happens next...where does life take them and how are they doing with everything now that they have decided to be together for the long haul. Melissa Collins gives me that insight into Maddy and Reid's new life together in Let Love Shine, and boy does their love light up their lives. In book 3.5, readers get to see them be husband and wife and mother and father. Their interaction with their little boy, Braden, is super sweet! The bond they have with each other only intensifies with the love they feel for their child. I love that we get to be a part of their lives for just a little bit longer. What I love most about Let Love Shine is we get to see Reid's work with kids in need. His compassion for those students who need someone to reach out to them and help them truly shows how much Reid has grown through his relationship with Maddy and his acceptance of his past. Maddy graduating from college and the expansion of their family are the little added bonuses that make this novella such a heartwarming read.The Love Series, to me, proves what can happen when two people love each other enough. It is not always perfect - it's messy and there is pain. It might feel like it will never get better, but as long as they hold on to their love for each other and willingly open their hearts, in the end, it will all be worth it.Thank you, Melissa Collins, for a series about how love ultimately wins out in the end despite everything that life can throw at people.Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.4 poison apples!(The Fairest of All Book Reviews)