Lauren Layne’s latest novel about the healing power of redemption tells the story of a crush gone wickedly wrong, proving that what you want isn’t always what you need.
Growing up in New York, Michael St. Claire never expected to spend his twenties wearing cowboy boots. But that was before he learned about his real father, a total stranger with a family in Cedar Grove, Texas. Once in the Lone … Texas. Once in the Lone Star State, Michael meets Kristin Bellamy, who is exquisitely refined and everything Michael always thought he wanted in a woman. The only problem is that Kristin is dating Michael’s new half brother, Devon.
Kristin’s mouthy, curvy sister Chloe has always been in love with Devon Patterson. So when Michael offers to help Chloe break up Devon and Kristin, Chloe agrees to a deal that seems too good to be true. Before long, Chloe finally gets her man, only to make a startling discovery: She no longer wants the guy she had to fight for—she wants the one who stood by her side.
After all he and Chloe have been through, Michael swears he’s damaged goods. Can Chloe convince him that love is worth the risk?
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I loved it! I love all her books. This one was especially good! I love Chloe and she was so real and genuine. Michaels journey was a nice offset to her’s. They both are trying to find themselves. Yet both approached it differently. It was great.
This is the first book that I read from this writer, so I haven’t read the two stories before this one but that wasn’t a problem for reading this book.
What do you do when you discover that your father isn’t your father? That your real father is a man you don’t know and that he lives with his family in Texas. Well, this happens to Michael St. Claire and he decides that he will go to Cedar Grove in Texas in search of his real father.
But what do you do when you’re there? Well, Michael decides to hang out and discover who his father really is before he goes and tell his father about his existence. He does this by working in the club where his father is a member from. There he meets beautiful Kristen Bellamy. A young woman who reminds him of his first love. But Kristen is dating his new half-brother Devon. Now, what will be better than to get close to Kristen and maybe through her get close to his ‘new’ family? And maybe he even can use Kristen’s sister Chloe too?!
Chloe Bellamy has always been second best. Her sister Kristen is the beautiful and slim one and Chloe’s the mouthy and curvy girl who loves school and hates sports. Her only friend at school was Devon Patterson until he became popular and fell in love with her older sister Kristen. Which broke Chloe’s heart. For years now she has watched Devon and Kristen together, keeping her feelings to herself.
But now there’s someone who sees through her and offers his help to get her the guy that she always wanted. It’s the chance of her life!
And so begins a summer where in Michael helps Chloe in changing to the girl that Devon would want. This means that Chloe and Michael have to see each other a lot and slowly they get to know each other pretty well. Michael confesses secrets to Chloe that almost nobody knows. The more time they spend together the more something is happening between them.
At the end of the summer who will Chloe choose? The guy, who she has loved for the most part of her life or the guy, that saw her before she changed in a beautiful swan?
Although I didn’t read the first two stories of this series. That wasn’t a problem for reading this story. The writer explained what happened in Michael’s past. I really loved Chloe and her comments towards Michael. How she behaved with him, how she tried to let him talk about things. And I especially loved the end.
This is the third book in the Redemption series and wraps up the story of three BFFs more than nicely. It’s actually pretty fantastic. See, Ethan, Michael, and Olivia have pretty much been besties since the cradle. Ethan and Olivia were a couple since about age fifteen, about the time Micheal fell in love with Olivia, too. He always stayed in the background in their relationship being the supportive sidekick. Until the day he didn’t…That’s where this series started.
Now, it’s Michael’s story. He’s left his cush life in NYC for a country club in Cedar Grove, TX. As an employee, not a pampered member. He’s atoning for his sins, for breaking up Ethan and Olivia (even though they’re OK with that now). He’s always been the odd one out, no one has ever chosen him. See, not only did Olivia reject him, that same day he found out his father really isn’t his biological father. That’s part of why he’s landed in Texas.
Back to the country club gig. After a few weeks there he meets Chloe, immediately recognizes what’s going on between Chloe, her sister Kristin, and Kristin’s boyfriend, Devon. Yep. Been there, done that. He can’t stand it. He sees Chloe for what she is…pretty amazing but needs some work. More importantly, he sees Kristin for what she is. And so the story takes off.
There are plenty of laughs at Chloe’s outrageousness, some tears at the way she feels about herself and the defense mechanisms that she uses, then cheering as transformations begin to happen. This is truly a story of redemption, redemption from several things. It’ll have you screaming and cheering at the same time.