Cal promised to wait for her. It was only for one year while Giselle pursued her dream job in Paris. Devastated when he marries someone else, she remains in Europe. When her failing eyesight forces her to abandon her work, she returns to Pine Grove–only to find that Cal, now a widower with a young son, lives across the street. Each nurses a broken heart and vows to never let that happen again. … happen again. But a small boy brings them together in unexpected ways. Can they move beyond the past to rebuild trust and a future together? Or will the truth of what happened all those years ago keep them apart?
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Cal Morrison can’t believe Giselle Davenport is living across the street in his neighborhood. She left Pine Grove to pursue her dream job in Europe.
Cal promised he would wait for her. Upon returning home, Giselle has become bitter,stubborn, and festering over the past towards him. Cal does not know the truth about Giselle’s health yet.
A special young innocent boy brings these two people together. Cal and Giselle need to sit down and bare their souls to each other, and learn to forgive.
This is a Pine Grove series book #4 . A delightful story of a second chance at love.
A second chance love story
Six years ago, Giselle Davenport left her sweetheart, Cal Morrison, for a one year job in Europe. Instead of waiting for her, Cal married someone else five months later. He’s now a widower with a son and she’s now back in town with a secret. What happens next is the plot of You Belong to Me by Jean Joachim.
For me, this well-written, character driven novel about second chances was both enjoyable and annoying. The story was emotional and predictable. It had a likable cast of characters, just like those in a small New England town. As to the lead characters, I really liked Giselle. She was strong and resourceful, and she not only could dish out her feelings, she could take it on the chin and keep standing. Sadly, I was not as “in like” with Cal. True, together they had the steamy chemistry thing down pat. However, when he wasn’t putting his foot in his mouth, he was being prideful, arrogant and unreasonably possessive. Not personality traits I’m drawn toward. I really liked his five year old son. Bobby definitely helped to balance his father’s gruffer side. I really liked the ending, including the epilogue. It truly was sweet and tender, with a side of hopeful.
Content alert: This book contains both secular and religious vulgarities (including the ‘f’ word); graphic sexual scenes and social alcohol use.
Disclosure: I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
A promise made before they even realised the implications, results in mistakes made, painful betrayal and unforgiving hearts. Cal is a boy that has been forced to grow up quickly after a night of too much wine and impulsive actions, resulting in a marriage he didn’t want. But he does want the son that resulted from that night. Giselle cannot bear the thought of returning home to find Cal with another woman and instead makes a new life for herself. However, after being diagnosed with a serious eye disease, she comes to the realisation that the only way she can have a future is if she returns home. The story is heartfelt and painful as Cal, now a widower and Giselle rediscover each other and find their way back to each other. The story is well written with a very good description of the symptoms of her disorder (something of which I have first-hand knowledge) and is a standalone that comes to a happy and successful conclusion. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.
I normally like to read books in order in a series (this one is #4 of 5); however, this didn’t detract from the story (the other earlier characters made cameo appearances). Giselle and Cal had a previous relationship but circumstances and time interfered. Now she is back in town and moving in right across the street. The relationship she develops with Cal’s son Bobby is heartwarming. She tries to keep her medical condition secret as she doesn’t want his pity. Their ages aren’t revealed until later in the book, but sometimes their reaction to each other’s situation seemed a bit immature. Easy to read, nice storm, thoroughly enjoyed! I received this book for free from ebBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.
You can’t go wrong with a book by Jean Joachim. This, however, is one of her best to date! Loved it!
A well-written small town, second chance romance with characters who ring true. They’re your friends, relatives, and the people next door. You want them to have their happy-ever-after, and as with any true romance, you won’t be disappointed.
High school sweethearts turned enemies turned lovers. This second chance has so much emotion, from anger to love and everything in between. Oh this pair! I am completely behind Cal’s mother in wanting to take them both and shake some sense into them. Cal and Giselle are so invested in cherishing their anger and hurts that it’s nearly impossible for them to see how they’ve grown from the young people that hurt each other. It almost broke my heart watching their battle of wills, despairing that they might squander this opportunity. I once heard a speaker ask the question “would you rather be right or happy?” Now, for me this is a trick question because they mean the same thing. But the idea behind the question is to snap the listener into realizing that being right for the sake of being right is often just a long slow trek into misery. I’m very happy to report that, unlike me, Cal and Giselle were able to answer this question correctly in the end.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author.
Cal Morris had one love of his life, but when Giselle Davenport left for a year to work in Europe Cal Moved on with his broken heart life and now Giselle is back and Cal wants nothing to do with her but take care of his son.
Giselle left for work in Europe and is back in pine grove but she has a secret and doesn’t want anyone to find out.
This book was absolutely Amazing and Heartbreaking and made you feel what the characters were going through and you felt their pain. I have to say this is absolutely my favorite book this year. The characters were absolutely incredible and the storyline flowed from the beginning until the end and heck I want more from them. Joan Joachim you absolutely stoked my heart with this book. Thank you for letting me review this Amazing book.