The golden boy and the rebel girl who cost him everythingTough prosecutor Callie Hunter left the small town and never planned to return, but an unexpected inheritance requires her to return to the scene of her life’s greatest heartache.When she encounters the town’s golden boy who once owned her young heart—only to learn he’s fresh out of prison. All David Langley wants is to be left alone to … David Langley wants is to be left alone to scrape together a life unrecognizable to the boy who once carried the town’s dreams on his shoulders.
Until he let Callie Hunter derail him.
The draw between them is still there, but having her see how far he’s fallen is unbearable. The more she’s with him, however, the more she knows that who he was didn’t change. There has to be more to the story.
But second chances don’t happen for convicted murderers, and when old enemies conspire to send him back into the hell he barely survived, the only one who can help him is Callie.
The last person on earth he’s willing to ask for anything.
“Jean Brashear’s distinctive storytelling voice instantly draws in the reader. She writes with warmth and emotional truth.” ~ #1 NY Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber
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Jean Brashear’s distinctive storytelling voice instantly draws in the reader. She writes with warmth and emotional truth.
This is a very emotional and somewhat tragic second chance romantic story about small town life and what a man will endure for those he loves.
This is a well written story with lots of intrigue and suspense.
It was a great read and didn’t disappoint
One of my favorite authors
Big city prosecutor + Small town ex-con=???
Wow! What an emotional journey for Callie & David. And a small town with with prejudice. It was hard to put down once I got past the halfway mark. You won’t know till the end if the second chance will ever happen. It’s a very well written novel by Jean Brashear. You get pulled right into the emotional drama of the lives of Callie and David from the start. I highly recommend this novel.
I did receive an ARC and have chosen to write an honest review.
How may times have we thought about needing a “do-over” or “second chance” at something but it was not to be? This book is totally about taking a wrong turn in life and it cost everything. Callie lived with her elderly great aunt as a young girl; she shunned society with her black garb; she lied to those who tried to help her; and, she paid a huge price (as did those she lied to). Now she has a chance to make so many things right, to correct so much done, but, she can’t take away the pain that was caused. I enjoyed this book and the story-line and I loved the strength it took for the characters to survive. This author has a way with words that will make you smile and also drag out the Kleenex. The book will make you happy and give you some anxiety but I recommend this story and especially for those that dream of a second chance.
Love this book!
This was an emotional sweet second chance romance that grabbed me by the heart right from the beginning. David’s story is gut wrenching yet lovely at the same time which just makes you want to give him a big hug. Once the town’s golden boy he’s now fallen from grace and returns as an ex convict and outcast. Callie is also back in town for a short amount of time. She’s gone on to big things as a prosecutor in the city. The spark that was once between these two is still burning brightly but can their lives possibly work together? When David once again finds himself in trouble it seems Callie may be the only one willing to help him. Will she come through for him or will she leave town again?
I highly recommend this one!
The Price He Paid is sad on so many levels, but the characters are so deserving of a happy ending. As high schoolers Callie and David formed an inseparable bond, until circumstances pulled them apart. Back to attend the funeral of her great aunt Callie learns she has inherited the estate and several rental properties.
David is just back from prison and trying to help his ailing mother when they meet again. Circumstances and life lead to David wanting nothing to do with Callie, plus a town who thinks he got off too easy.
This is one of those books you can’t put down. Callie and David are so deserving of a happy ending and a reconciliation. Throw in a surprise ending and this book has everything.
This is a very intense and moving story. It is exciting, emotional, dramatic, suspenseful, intriguing,heart breaking, surprising and so much more. You have a small town who isn’t what they seem to be. Two people who were everything to each other. A tragedy happens and he serves time in prison for something he didn’t do. But there is a reason for that. There are those who hate and despise him and would like nothing more to destroy him further. It is amazing how vivid the imagery in your mind is for this one. I highly recommend it. I received a review copy and voluntarily review it.
She was a wild child. He was the town golden boy. After she left his life changed, and not for the better. Wow, what a heartbreaking but happy ending story. Another great one Ms. Brashear
Callie and David’s story has to be one of the most heart wrenching stories I have read. This story draws you in and keeps you there. I read it in one sitting; wanting to find out how everything would be resolved. This is a second chance love story but it seemed there were too many obstacles to give Callie and David the chance they deserved. Jean Brashear knows exactly how to wring out every emotion in a reader with her writing and this story is no exception. This is definitely a must read.
Awesome story, great characters that is filled with emotions, drama with just the right amount of steam to keep
you captivated. The book is so hard to put down, I finished it in one sitting with minimal sleep.
Callie left the small town to start a new life as a prosecutor. When she received news of her aunt’s passing, she
was summoned back for her inheritance.
David spent 15 years in prison which turned his life upside down. He now pretty much keeps to himself and takes
care of his mother.
Callie and David had a history which tore them apart and affected David’s life after her departure.
Callie and David saw each other again but the hostility coming from David was a shock to her and to find out that
he was incarcerated. Life has not been easy for David and in a small town there is always a mean person who made
his life miserable.
When Callie found out that David was in jail because of fighting, she will do everything she can to get him out
despite his repeated objections. She felt David is keeping a secret, a secret that would clear his name.
Will Callie and David have a second chance at an HEA which they both deserve?
You will have to one click to find out.
I received a free book from the author and chose to voluntarily leave a review.
Callie Hunter vowed never to return but her great- Aunt Margaret had other ideas. She was rebelling against everything and Oak Hollow is where she landed. Her personal life is falling apart and now she needs to stay put to get her inheritance. David Langley was the towns golden boy until he ended up in jail. The two of them are trying to avoid each other but fate is not kind. Lawyer Callie wants to help and David wants no part of her. Oak Hollow doesn’t know the whole story. You won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough!
Jean Brashear has written another excellent standalone book! David and Callie’s story just broke my heart. The way David was treated by the town was heartbreaking. Callie’s willingness to look at who David was in the past as well as present endured her to me. An excellent second chances story.
David and Callie’s story tore at my heart. David’s story was especially heartbreaking; finding out if he would ever have any happiness in his life kept me whipping through the pages to see if he would ever have a HEA despite his belief that there would never be any happiness for him. David spent fifteen long hard years of his life in jail. Now he’s out and back home trying to live a quiet life and take care of his frail mother however, he let his town down in his youth and most are unwilling to forgive and forget how he disappointed them. Callie and David were childhood lovers, David standing by Callie despite what anyone else thought. But then they were ripped apart by Callie’s mother who took her off to another city. Years later Callie is a successful prosecutor in the big city when she’s called back to the town where she and David met to settle the estate of the one woman who truly cared about her when she was a teen. There she finds a now bitter and angry David who wants nothing to do with her or the help she’s sure she can give him. Their story and the way Ms. Brashear writes it ripped my heart to pieces and reassembled it in a softer way. I can’t wait for her next book to come out. I was gifted an ARC and am happily reviewing it with my honest evaluation.
A very emotional and almost tragic story about small town life and what a man did for his loved ones. This was a well written tale of a man who was sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Upon his release, he returned home to be shunned by most of the townspeople because the person who died was supposedly going to revive the town’s economy. The love of his life returns to visit after a death of relative and finds she has inherited properties to manage that she’d rather just sell.
They each learn the truths that neither wanted to remember and somehow find that they can overcome a lot of bias and narrow minded attitudes to explore life again.
I was provided an ARC by the author for an honest and biased review. No compensation was promised or received for this review.
This story was so intense and full of emotion.
It was so not what I was expecting. I liked David and felt really sorry for him. I liked Callie, and was sorry that she found herself in a bad situation after working so hard to pull her life together.
David and Callie were both damaged people. Yet, they were damaged at different points in their lives. When their second chance came around, I could only wonder how it was ever going to work.
The author did an excellent job of conveying all of the hurt, pain, despair, desperation, and anguish that David and Callie endured. Underlying all of that pain was a love and sense of trust they had to rediscover.
Oak Hollow was not a sweet little small town. There was a lot of jealousy, rage, fear, hate, secrets, and anger.
It became apparent early on that David was holding something back. The hopeful teenager that he used to be was gone after 15 years in prison. Callie’s life has turned around since her teenage years, but she had to come to terms with one looming mistake.
There are some things, I would have liked to have read more about. I can’t figure out a way to list them here without giving away the story. One thing I can say is that David and Callie get their HEA, but an epilogue would have helped, at least for me.
There was so much angst and despair, that when the story started to lighten up I could have used more happy times.
If you have read Jean Brashear’s Sweetgrass Springs series or Texas Heroes, this is not that type of book.
I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but I can say the book is well written. Once I started it, I found it hard to put down. I needed to see it through to the end, hoping there was some happy somewhere in it. There was. Eventually…..
I voluntarily read and reviewed the Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
ARC for honest review with no compensation
The Price He Paid by Jean Brashear is a standalone, such a powerful, emotional story and totally not what I expected…needs more stars!
David Langley, the town’s golden boy and Callie Hunter, the rebel girl and far to young for any emotional entanglement, spun a few lies and they became lovers but a tragedy tore them apart…then other things took David down a bad road… to prison. Now 15 years later they are both back in town… Callie, now an attorney, doesn’t know what happened to David after she left and he knows second chances don’t happen for convicts. Since he has gotten out of prison he just wants to stay out but someone is determined to put him back there.
Can Callie keep David from prison, figure out what happened all those years ago, rekindle the love they had as young lovers and find their HEA???
I always look forward to a Jean Brashear’s books knowing it will be a good read with an excellent story. I believe this is her best so far. I received an ARC book for a fair and honest review.