If you’re lucky, you’ll fall in love – truly, madly and deeply in love. But what happens when that honest and pure love isn’t enough to erase your fears? What happens when your past rears its ugly head and threatens your future? Maddy and Reid had that kind of love – the all-encompassing, Earth shattering, once in a lifetime kind of love. Then life happened. Old wounds that were thought to be long healed and scabbed over are ripped opened and they are forced to face the possibility that, maybe, they are not strong enough to fight their demons and embrace the light. Together, they found out what love is, but now they will each need to heal on their own before they can ever be together again. They must face their fears and beat down their pasts in order to find their way through this crazy uphill battle called love. They’ve let love in, but now, they need to find out how to Let Love Stay.
So, I was blown away with Let Love In, you can read my review here.
But Let Love Stay is just WOW!!!. So we pick up right where we left off, Maddy kicking Reid out of the hospital. Reid is emotionally distraught but vows to make sure he will get Maddy and their child back. Reid’s only way to win Maddy back is to confront his past. This is what he sets out to do. He reunites with his mother and not to spoil but make sure you are prepared. These scenes are so gut-wrenching. Maddy must also face a few issues of her own. She first needs to grow-up a little. She needs to realize Reid is there till the end. Once she realizes this she then knows she made a horrible mistake in pushing Reid away. A warning, this story was written with more angst than the first. In Let Love In, it was more of the whirlwind love affair. In Let Love Stay this is more of an emotional read with trials and tribulations.
This story is so beautifully written, even with the heartbreaking parts. There are a lot of great moments ahead for Maddy and Reid, but you have to get over the much needed hurdles in this book. I loved Reid in this book, more so than the first if that is even possible. Maddy upset me at the end of Let Love In, but completely redeemed herself in this sequel. Even though the journey had some bumps and was extremely emotional, the book is heartwarming and the love these two share in amazing.
Melissa Collins has written a fabulous sequel to Let Love In. It is definitely a must read series for the year!! Splendid job!!!
5 Beautiful Stars!!
Next up will be Let Love Heal. This is Mel & Bryan’s story. Add to Goodreads here. Below is a teaser.
Point of View #1 – Chapter 5 from Katie’s POV
Yep, that’s him. I’ll never
forget him. It’s difficult to wipe away
the memories of your very first crush, especially when pictures of him line
your mantel.
looking around the parking lot.
Slouching down in the seat of my roommate’s car, I pray to God that he
doesn’t see me. When he turns his back
to the cars facing the coffee shop and struts through the door, my heart rate
returns to normal.
After countless attempts to get in touch with him, he’s finally
here. And now, suddenly, I have no clue
what to say. I know that what I have to
tell him is going to turn his world upside down, but time isn’t on my
side. I have to tell him. He has to know.
reach for the handle. Fuck! I can’t do this.
Megan, my roommate. Of course, because
she’s the best person ever, she picks up on the first ring.
She coaches from the other end before I can even get a word out.
up with is, “But, what if…” before she cuts me off.
in there.” I scan the interior of her
Corolla trying to find the hidden camera that she must have. How the hell does she know I’m still in the
car?
yet? Because I’ve known you forever,
that’s how. And I’ve heard this story
from every angle. You did the right
thing by calling him and now he’s finally doing the right thing by agreeing to
meet you. Now, get your ass in there and
talk to him and then call me as soon as you’re done. Okay?”
you. I’ll talk to you soon.” Her chipper voice makes me feel a little
lighter, but I’m still nervous as hell to get this over with.
and tears burn my eyes. I hope to God
that she’s right. I hope I’m doing the
right thing. I hope in the end of this,
that Reid doesn’t hate me and that I don’t make an already shitty situation
even shittier.
around my chest. God, it is freaking
cold out here. Yet, despite the chill in
the air, I still find myself walking ever so slowly into the Starbucks where
Reid is waiting for me.
small campus café, my eyes land on Reid immediately. Standing in front of him, I swallow back my
fear. Holding my hand out to him, I
smile brightly and hope for the best.
be Reid. I’m Katelyn Donovan.” I say almost unevenly. When he stands, his frame towers over me and
his chair screeches loudly on the floor.
Intimidated, by his size and the noise, I shrink back from him a little,
but keep my hand extended. Shaking his
hand is awkward, but at least he didn’t tell me to fuck off.
It’s … uh…it’s good to meet you, I guess.” His words come out sounding unnatural, uneasy
– as if he’s trying to conceal his true feelings. Okay, let’s get on with this, then.
chair and Reid takes his seat. The air
is thick with awkward silence as we both avert eye contact for as long as
possible.
even thought I think polite is the last thing he wants to be.
Let’s see how he reacts to this then.
Looking over at the brightly colored chalk board, I pretend as if I’m
trying to make a huge decision about which caffeinated beverage I should
have.
with a shot of caramel syrup.” Hmmm,
take that. Maybe it’ll help break some
of this tension.
order.
involuntarily. “I’m kidding. I’ll have a regular coffee; milk and sugar is
just fine.” I really was just trying to
lighten the mood a little. So much for
that plan, I guess.
get a text from Megan asking how things are going. I quickly type back a response that “things
are going just swell. We’re running away
tonight and getting married.”
my sarcastic response was successfully received.
drink in front of me, my nerves return. Still
unable to come up with anything to say, I feel lame.
response.
a palpable tension building in around us.
Leaning menacingly close to me across the small table, he seethes, “I
don’t want to be rude, well actually I do, but I won’t. You’re the one who’s been calling me, who’s
got something to say to me, so if you don’t start talking, then there’s really
no point in me being here.”
will strengthen my resolve. It doesn’t,
but he’s right. I’m the one who wanted
this. I need to say something.
all clammed up. I actually sat in the
parking lot for about fifteen minutes before I came in. I just don’t know where to start.” Rubbing my hands over my legs in the hopes of
warming them up is futile. My heart is
racing, but the blood refuses to warm my extremities. Perhaps it has something to do with the icy
atmosphere of this conversation.
whole swirl of anger move across his face at my question.
I say, “It’ll help me figure out where to start.” He doesn’t answer my question; he just shoots
me a look that I think means that I should continue.
phone calls was to arrive at this one question.
Thinking back over everything that has led me to this exact moment is so
overwhelming – so much so, that I can’t even spit out anything intelligible at
first.
is the last time you spoke with your mom?”
Reid’s, well to say that he’s angry is a huge understatement. I guess I should have expected that. You can’t go digging into someone’s past,
especially a past as dark as his, and not expect anger in return.
I’ve always been an avid reader. Majoring in English Literature was a no brainer. Becoming a teacher and instilling my love for reading into my students was also a no brainer. I’ve spent the last ten years teaching and I’ve loved (mostly) every minute of it. When I was home on maternity leave for my third son, I discovered a new genre that sparked my creativity. My passion for writing sprang from my love of reading and once I knew I had a story to tell, I couldn’t wait to get it out there. I only hope that my readers enjoy reading my story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
