Review: Relatable, Moving, and Simply Wonderful
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 6, 2014
Since the blurb does such a great job of setting this story up I don't feel like I need to rehash it at all. If you've read the previous entries in the series you probably balled your eyes out when Candace was widowed. I'm pretty sure I emailed the author at 2am to tell her she owed me a box of tissues after that one and as much as I hate when bad things happen to characters I love, sometimes something amazing comes out of it. That is the case here.From the opening chapter to the final page I was hard pressed to put THEN & NOW down. It's a realistic dilemma Candace faces in the wake of being widowed but also, in the concerns over an age difference in a new relationship. If you're a married thirty-something like me you'll likely see a little bit of yourself in Candace and the what-if factor will have you rabidly tearing through the story. It could certainly stand alone though I'd very much recommend not reading this series out of order. I think having some perspective on her husband that passed away before this story starts made the stakes that much higher for me.Being from Eastern Washington and having spent part of my childhood living in the area the story takes place I felt swept back home with every turn of the page. The hot summers, the crazy drivers, the endless desire to sneak into your neighbor's pool. Moss always manages to transport me in this way but I think this might have been the strongest connection I've had with an overall story yet. I even thought to myself at one point 'huh, I haven't cried yet... what's up with that?' and within a few chapters I had big ol' alligator tears rolling down my cheeks.If you love the sort of romance that can move you, that feels so real you could be friends with the characters, you simply MUST read this series. THEN & NOW is very high on my list of favorite romances and if you take one recommendation from me, ever, I hope it will be to give Moss a try.Notes: Review copy received via author.