Happy Tuesday Bookworms!
ABOUT THE BOOK
A battered heart needs healing.
A community needs rescuing.
A chartered course needs redirecting.
College history instructor, Josie Daniels is good at mothering her three brothers, volunteering in her community, and getting over broken hearts, but meeting aloof, hotshot attorney Ches Windham challenges her nurturing, positive-thinking spirit.
Josie longs to help Ches find his true purpose, but as his hidden talents and true personality emerge. Will she be able to withstand his potent charms, or will she lose her heart in the process?
A rising star in his law firm, Ches Windham is good at keeping secrets.
He’s always been the good son, following his father’s will to become an attorney and playing the game for a fast track to partnering with a law firm. Lately, though his life’s path has lost whatever luster it had—all because of his unlikely, and unacceptable, friendship with Josie. He struggles between the life he’s prepared for and the one calling to him now. Opposing his father has never been an option, and spending time with Josie can’t be one. The more he’s with her, however, the more he wants to be.
When a crisis tarnishes his golden future and secrets are revealed, Ches is forced to reexamine the trajectory of his life. Will he choose the path his father hammered out for him or the path that speaks to his heart?
♥︎ Previously published as Forever Music by Mantle Rock Publishing.
My Review
Forever Music was a novel that I read “blind.” It was chosen for me without me knowing anything about the story, and I’ve never read anything by this author, so I was a little apprehensive about what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised!
This story had a very organic feel. As I was reading, I kept thinking, “These could be real people with real problems,” which was refreshing to me. So many times, you read a Christian fiction and it has that too good to be true feel to it, but not this novel. The relationship that blossoms between Ches and Josie is natural and not forced, and I loved seeing the, elevate one another, despite them both coming from such contrasting backgrounds.
Family is a strong factor in this book, showing two sides of the same coin. Josie’s brothers were the sunshine to me, and I enjoyed every playful moment. I had always wanted a brother and after seeing how Josie is with her brothers I remember why. Ches’s aunt and uncle were such a refreshing part of the narrative and are a poetic picture of grace. Having someone in your life that loves you for you is something not everyone has, and I pray that those that do have these people in their lives never take it for granted.
Forever Music has a great flow filled with flawed characters that are trying to better themselves and the world around them. The ending was very sweet, but it was so abrupt! I would’ve loved an epilogue or a final celebration together, but alas that must reside in my own imagination. This is the first novel in the Forever series, so maybe we will see a more satisfying conclusion in a later book.
Overall, this was a great story! The faith and family dynamic were perfection, and I am so thankful that I was matched up to a novel that I truly enjoyed.
About the Author
Before writing novels, Hope Toler Dougherty published non-fiction articles on topics ranging from gardening with children and environmental awareness to writing apprehension. A native North Carolinian, she likes cheering with her husband, Kevin, for the Pittsburgh Steelers, ACC basketball, and Army West Point Football.
Things that make her happy include her four children, writing and receiving real mail, cooking, reading, books, book stores, book clubs, used book sales, libraries, crocheting, and traveling. Things that make her sad include washing dishes, de-cluttering, dusting, sweeping, mopping…
Connect with Hope by visiting hopetolerdougherty.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.
*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher through JustRead Tours.
All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.
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