6 complete books + 1 novella. Over 1250 pages, 412,000 words! The Now and Forever series is a blend of contemporary romance and romantic suspense with a dab of modern historical romance topping it off. Books 1-5 span ten years in the lives of Mac Caldwell and his wife, Callie. Callie’s Story reveals her tragic background, before she met Mac. The Beginning explores the where, when, and how … explores the where, when, and how Mac’s father, Sam, fell in love with his mother, Ellen.
This saga of the Caldwells and their friends brings you into the lives of people so real, you’d swear you’ve met them. Be a fly on the wall of their world as they make good choices or bad ones, deal with heartache and joy. Laugh with them, cry with them. Join them on their journey to find love and create fulfilling lives.
All these books have been professionally edited and proofread.
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A Love Story
This was a really sweet love story, wrapped around a deviously plotted crime story. Callie and Mac are both just surviving, carrying on after the bad endings to previous relationships. Together, this pair was almost too precious for words. They’re both a little gun-shy but they’re also prepared to do whatever it takes to make it work. The drug trafficking ring hidden in the midst of their small community provides additional drama and tension to the book. I noticed that at times, the story would wander away from what I thought was the main plot line and then get a little carried away with details that weren’t strictly necessary. I really enjoyed getting to know Callie and Mac and I can’t wait to read more about them, their friends, and family.
The Book of Danny
Losing her husband at such a young age has hurt Eliza badly and now she guards her heart fiercely. Preferring safe and painless to anything that would make her feel. Danny is everything that is noble and proud about the men and women serving in the military. These two need each other but they’re almost too stubborn to embrace the amazing thing they have between them. This book contains so much emotional turmoil; good, bad, and everything in between. However, I really wasn’t a fan of all the ‘other partner’ drama in this book. One of the sweet bonuses to this story is that we get the chance to see Callie and Mac again.
Blind Love
Peter is sweet. A little full of himself, but sweet nonetheless. Lara has survived a traumatic experience and the music Peter plays is one of the few things that can make it past her defences. There is a lot of story here, and a lot of individual story lines within the book, giving it a bit of a daytime drama feel. There is a wide cast list, including all our favorites from the series. So if you haven’t read the previous books, do that first. There were times that I found it a bit difficult to keep track of what was going on, or why it was important, and a couple of the story lines didn’t feel like they tied in to the main body of the book until the very last minute. But like those daytime dramas, I’m going to keep tuning back in because I don’t want to miss anything.
The Renovated Heart
This was a little different than what I had gotten used to with this series. There really wasn’t the intrigue and suspense that characterized the earlier books. However, I really enjoyed the ability to focus on the two main story lines and their messages of healing and hope. Kit, Tunney, Sarah, and Jim have all come through devastating ends to relationships and are now reluctant to trust in love anymore. We get to witness as each couple comes to know each other and learns to trust one another. We get to watch as their love stories bloom. Though, I did kind of miss seeing the extended Caldwell families in action.
Love’s Journey
I so enjoyed coming back to the heart of the extended Caldwell family. Callie and Mac make an amazing team. Through the course of this story, life puts extra obstacles in their way but they’re able to scramble past them with only a few scrapes and bruised along the way. I was also glad to see Kaitlyn and Chase get a second chance to get it right. This family proves that when the love is present, there’s no end to the things that can be accomplished.
Callie’s Story
This book is extremely emotional to read after the first book in the series, but I think it would do a disservice to Callie and Mac’s story to read this one first. Knowing how this story would end before I even started it, made several scenes even more poignant. I’m glad we have this opportunity to better understand Callie’s state on mind when we first meet her in book one. Like I said about his brother Danny, Kyle is the epitome of everything that is noble and honorable about our military personnel. So, I think Mac was justified in being jealous of Callie’s feelings for Kyle.
The Beginning
There were lots of fun silly moments in this book, but there was some stuff that bugged me too. There’s a lot of book here. More than I needed in order to “get” the story. I suspect that the original format of the online serial contributed to this. The jealousy and possessiveness exhausted me. I could have done without a several of the rounds of “I love you”, “I hate you”, “I love you”, “I hate you” back and forth. I also didn’t enjoy watching the infidelity and the hypocritical emotional outbursts that followed. However, the ending contains some beautiful, touching moments that highlight how Sam and Ellie’s story is the foundation of what happens in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author.