Never Really Over is live!
This book will leave you searching for your own farm boy. A small town single dad romance about forgiveness, and a love that stands the test of time.
Amazon | Amazon Worldwide
Blurb
With one phone call, Colt’s life turned completely upside down, inside out, backwards, spiraled out of control… however you want to say it.
He was used to life not going as planned, but this little detour changed his life forever and completely terrified him. But he didn’t have time to dwell on the fact he was now this toddler’s one and only parent.
His little niece Poppy needed him and he was determined not to fail her.
But life continued to throw him curve balls. While trying to learn his new normal, Layla, his first and only love, breezed back into his life. That might have excited him, but he hadn’t counted on the fact that she’d changed over the years.
Gone was the girl he fell in love with, replaced with someone he could barely stand to be around.
Colt didn’t have time to deal with a snobby, bitter grump when he had a farm to run and a toddler to raise.
She may still be the most gorgeous person he’d ever laid eyes on, but to him, beauty was about more than what was on the surface.
The problem was, he was starting to wonder if the new Layla wasn’t really who she was.
He tried to resist her but sometimes love is never really over.
Review
5 stars
What a beautiful story! An emotional small-town, second-chance-romance with an irresistible single-dad farmer and a woman trying hard to make up for the mistakes of the past. It’s a story of forgiveness, second chances, and finding where you’re meant to be, and it gave me all the romance butterflies. I loved it!
Colt and Layla were high school sweethearts and madly in love. But Layla wanted more from life than small-town living, and when Colt refused to go with her, she headed off to the big city all alone, wanting to experience a different life, and leaving Colt and all of their friends behind.
12 years later, Colt’s world has been upended when the death of his beloved sister leaves him the sole guardian of her 7 month old daughter. It’s a role he takes on without hesitation, and even though he is devastated and grieving, he puts his heart and soul into caring for little Poppy, determined to give her the best life possible, and oh, my ovaries!
“She’s mine. Forever I’ll be here for her and be her everything. I would have been with her forever, anyway, I’m just in it a little deeper now. Not hard to love her. She makes it easy.”
At the same time, Layla has returned to town. She feels she’s accomplished what she wanted from her life in Chicago and something has been missing for a while. Turns out, that something is her small home town. But as comforted as she finds it being back at home, she knows she’s got amends to make.
I messed up all those years ago when I left and didn’t look back and I know it.
Colt and Layla’s reunion isn’t easy. Even though they both moved on from their relationship, there is still so much hurt between them. Colt feels that Layla dismissed everything that he loves about his simple but life, and is understandably wary about letting her back into his life – even as a friend. Layla knows she messed up, and she’s desperate to prove that home is where she wants to be, and she soon realises that her feelings for Colt never went away, and she prepares to fight for her man.
One look at Colt today was a stark reminder of what and who I’d lost … I’ve learned. I’ve grown up. I experienced the life I thought I wanted only to realize I didn’t want it after all.
I fell in love with Colt when I was barely old enough to understand what love is and never fell out.
It’s a difficult situation, and I could absolutely understand where both Colt and Layla were coming from. Their pain and longing for each other is palpable, but their connection is strong, and I could feel all of the emotion between them. There is anger, pain and guilt, but overriding all of that, they still love each other deeply, and watching them work through their issues and find their way back to each other is just gorgeous.
“Do you want to live the rest of your life without Layla by your side or man up and take back what’s always been yours?”
There is flirting, meaningful looks, winks, grins and gentle touches, and I felt every. single. moment of it! There’s also a whole heap of eye fucking which managed to get me all riled up and excited for everything that I knew was to come. And when they finally get there, they’re completely open and honest with each other about what they’re feeling and what they want, and I was in a world of swoon as they found their way back to each other.
“Colt,” she whispers, her voice a lustful combination of turned on and scared. I know the feeling.
“Yeah, baby?”
She makes a noise in the back of her throat. “Oh, shit, you called me baby. I can’t handle this.”
“Sorry. Am I overstepping?” I ask, reluctantly removing my hand from her.
“No! It’s just, she drops her head, shaking it back and forth, “I never thought…”
“Never thought what?”
…
“I never thought we’d be able to even consider getting back to this.”
“Are you considering it?” I ask her, even though I know the answer. I need to hear it from her lips.
She watches me closely. “I am. Might be stupid, but it goes beyond consideration straight into hope, I’m hoping for this.”
I smile and give her neck a little squeeze. “I’m right there with you.”
Oh Colt. The man is amazing, and he absolutely stole my heart. He’s so freaking dreamy – both as an unexpected single Dad, and as a man opening his heart again to his first love, and actively working to create something real. And as mad as I was with how Layla initially handled herself, her apologies are heartfelt, and she works really hard to make it up to all of the people that she hurt. It’s not an easy journey for them, but it’s one they both want, and they put a lot of effort in to find their happy. It’s functional and blessedly angst-free, and I loved watching them overcome it all.
“I feel like we have so much to overcome and it’s a mountain in front of us, Cold. How can we possibly climb it?”
“By letting it go.”
“That simple, huh?” I laugh. It’s hardly simple.
“No, it won’t be easy but is anything in life worth having ever easy?”
Little Poppy is a big part of the story, and she is just gorgeous. Her relationship with Colt absolutely melted me, and I adored how she had him wrapped around her little finger. Watching Layla become a part of their unit was really special.
There’s also a fantastic bunch of friends and family that bring so much to the story. I loved how this group had each other’s backs so fiercely. It’s the kind of friend circle that anybody would want, and I love how up in each other’s lives they are. And special shout-out to Dalton who is freaking hilarious. I love that dude!
I loved this book. It’s sweet, emotional, funny and sexy, with just the right amount of drama, and it’s a beautiful story about second chances, forgiveness, and fighting for the one you love. It’s an absolutely gorgeous love story, and it left me feeling all fluffy with a huge smile on my face.
“Fuck, Lalya, I missed you. Do you have any idea how much?”
“I’ve got an idea, because I missed you too. No one else compares to you, Colt. You’re the best man I’ve ever known.”
5 stars!
An Advanced Reader Copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Excerpt
Conversation continues around us, but all I see is Layla. For the first time in over a dozen years, I wish my friends weren’t around.
I could pull her out of her chair and onto my lap. She’d feel my hardening erection and I wouldn’t care because she’s the one who did it to me. I’d reach up and thread my fingers through her hair, keeping it away from her beautiful face, and pull her lips to mine.
From that moment on, we would simply exist as one.
“Colt,” she whispers, her voice a lustful combination of turned on and scared. I know the feeling.
“Yeah, baby?”
She makes a noise in the back of her throat. “Oh, shit, you called me baby. I can’t handle this.”
“Sorry. Am I overstepping?” I ask, reluctantly removing my hand from her.
“No! It’s just,” she drops her head, shaking it back and forth, “I never thought…”
“Never thought what?”
Layla’s eyes never leave mine as if she’s hoping she can still read right through me. She probably can, and maybe I should be worried about that but I’m really not. If Natalie’s death taught me anything, it’s that life is short. Yeah, I was hurt. Tim pulled me aside earlier and said point blank that I had only two choices. Either get over it because life isn’t meant to be lived holding a grudge, or live alone the rest of my life and likely have to watch her eventually with another man. He’d understood the hurt, hell, he was the first one here after she left so he saw the destruction from the beginning. The other man part isn’t what changed my mind. It was the holding a grudge part.
Natalie would have kicked my ass if she’d still been here when Layla came back. She always told me we’d find our way back, our path just didn’t look like I’d originally thought it would. And maybe that’s part of why I was holding onto that hurt. Because my plan was changed.
“I never thought we’d be able to even consider getting back to this.”
“Are you considering it?” I ask her, even though I know the answer. I need to hear it from her lips.
She watches me closely. “I am. Might be stupid, but it goes beyond consideration straight into hope. I’m hoping for this.”
I smile and give her neck a little squeeze. “I’m right there with you.”
About the Author
From the Ground Up was Jennifer’s first published novel and now that she was bitten by the writing bug, has no intention of ever stopping. Jennifer makes her home in small town Iowa with her high school sweetheart, three beautiful, hilarious and amazing kids, one crazy Jack Russell terrier. This is where her love for all things reading, baking, and cooking happen. Jennifer’s family enjoys camping, boating, and spending time outside as much as possible. You’ll be her best friend if you can make her laugh and follow up with asking her what to read next. When she’s not writing, you can find her cheering the loudest at her kids’ sporting events (read as: embarrassing them), sipping coffee or iced tea out of a mason jar with her Kindle in her lap or binging on Netflix.
Amazon | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Reader Group
Goodreads | BookBub | Book + Main