From New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author M. Leighton comes an epic tale of a love so deep that it defies all the odds, breaks all the rules, and promises never to die.Dane James worked my stepfather’s fields. He was the boy next door. Strong. Hardworking. Forbidden. From the moment we met, we were star-crossed lovers—always wanting, never having. We loved each … wanting, never having. We loved each other for most of our lives, but right from the beginning destiny had other plans. She knew we would fall in love. She knew we would fall apart. Over and over again, like the curse of a recurring nightmare. Or the hope of a familiar dream.
Our past was tumultuous. Our future was bleak. But the one thing we always had was the beautiful now.
Until that was taken from us, too.
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This book… this book… I don’t even know if I have the words to tell you my love for this book…
I have been a huge M. Leighton fan from day one. So when she flipped to the pen name, Michelle Leighton, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I should have known that changing a pen name doesn’t change how good you are!
*** WARNING ***
You will need a FULL box of tissues to get through this one.
Can you believe that that’s all you are going to get from me?!?! Yep, this book is one that you need to sit down and have the time for Michelle Leighton to take your heart on a journey that it will never forget.
Side note, this book is in my top 5 books that I have ever read. Enjoy!
~ Review by Heidi Pharo
Growing up is never easy. It’s even harder when as a young girl, you don’t have the support of your mother. Money fuels the course of your life and your future. A feeling of never belonging is the reality in Brinkley’s life. Pushed to stay in ‘circles’ that foster those with financial wealth, Brinkley finds that she longs for a friendship that cannot exist in the superficial world that she is pushed into.
Through thick and thin, there is one person that seems to be the shoulder that Brinkley leans on for comfort. Dane is the son of the foreman at Brinkley’s step-father’s farm. A person that is deemed unworthy of Brinkley’s affection. However – Dane is the one that brightens even the dreariest of times that plague Brinkley’s life. They meet in the fields on ’their rock’. The place belonging to both their hearts.
Time doesn’t always show kindness when one needs it. For Brinkley – her revelation of falling in love with Dane does not turn out the way she expected. Pain, heartache, and secrets follow the love that grew in those fields. Time offering no reprieve of what was once something beautiful.
As the years pass, Brinkley always wonders what could have happened to the future if she confided in Dane. Now – the passing of time leads Brinkley back to the one place she never wanted to see again…..her childhood home. This time – there is a greater calling for Brinkley’s return. A daughter that needs to find her own miracle.
The last thing Brinkley expected was to see Dane in the place she used to call home. Two paths that are once again destined to cross. Time hasn’t been kind to Dane or Brinkley, but both have learned to rise above their obstacles. Now that fate has intervened once more, will these two childhood sweethearts will once again find themselves face to face with a past that is not forgotten. As tragedy and secrets swirl around them, Brinkley and Dane discover that their love is still as bright as fireflies in the night.
Ahhhh…..let me catch my breath!! What an amazing book!! How can I describe this book to you without giving it all away? Let me start by saying ….this novel is one that definitely should be at the top of your reading list!! It’s one of those stories that stays with you long after you close the cover on the last chapter.
The rollercoaster that Brinkley and Dane find their lives mirroring, just doesn’t seem to stop. When it finally levels out, both discover more than either could have imagined. Lost memories, forbidden love, and the desire to hold on to that one love that few ever experience…..the realities that Dane and Brinkley must navigate through. The Beautiful Now is another amazing novel in my M Leighton library!! Trust me….you do NOT want to miss this one!!
Well, I think my eye swelling has finally down after so much crying…think I’m joking when I ran out of tissues and I grabbed a kitchen towel to use! Freakin’ M. Leighton, I should know by now that her books always, ALWAYS pull the emotions out of me and be more prepared but I keep thinking maybe this one will be light and fluffy but NOPE not going to happen and to be truly honest I’m glad because the way she writes, man she just grabs me and never lets go. I am still talking about The Empty Jar and I read that one over a year ago. Phenomenal!
This story goes back and forth in time starting with the current year of 2004 (yes not current to us but it is current year in the book) to the glorious year of 1984 when Brinkley and Dane meet. We start off with Brinkley who is now 32 years old returning to her momma’s home in Shepherd’s Mill, South Carolina, its where Brinkley lived when her momma married a real creepy man when she was 12 up until the time she left home, but she’s not returning alone she’s bringing her daughter with her who is sick and needs to see a specialist at Duke.
Brinkley was told that she had to act a certain way, be friends with certain people, and never to go near Dane James who is the son of the foreman employed by her stepfather. Well, you know what its like to tell a child they shouldn’t do something, it makes them want to do it even more. But Brinkley isn’t rebellious and doing it just because she was told not to, Dane came into her life and saved her a few times over the years and they had such a powerful since of rightness when they were together that even when they tried to stay away it was hard for them to do so.
Dane and Brinkley were great, I loved the friendship they shared as well as the chemistry you could feel whenever they were around one another. I didn’t like the way everyone treated Dane and I definitely didn’t like Brinkley’s mother or stepfather. As a mother I can not imagine me telling my child not to speak with someone because they didn’t come from money….that’s just wrong on so many levels.
On a funny note, I have to mention that Dane’s full name is Dane James and I have to admit that there were numerous times while reading I was subconsciously changing his name to James Dean, not sure why that was but it happened a lot.
This was another great ready by M. Leighton and I highly recommend it to everyone that likes when they are so engulfed into the story that they feel as if they are a part of it.
**I voluntarily Reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book**