Every Time We Say Goodbye by Liz Flaherty {Review}

Every Time We Say Goodbye by Liz Flaherty

Kindle Edition

Published April 1st 2016 by Harlequin Heartwarming 

 

 

He had her at "hello again…"

After the prom night accident that had stolen the innocence of his small lakeside hometown, Jack Llewellyn had run. The guilt—especially facing his high school sweetheart, Arlie Gallagher—had been too much. Now he had no choice. He was back in town, and on Arlie's radar.

Arlie couldn't believe that after all these years, she still had him under her skin. He was such a changed man…a responsible business owner, a single parent. Would he understand the changes she'd gone through, the secrets she lived with? She was ready to forgive him but was he ready to forgive himself? And did they have to say goodbye this time?  

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

My Review: 4 Stars

 

"Children are not to be blamed for the faults of their parents." -- Aesop. Jack and his half brother, Tucker, had a loser father, one who made a terrible mistake, causing an accident that affected not only their lives, but the lives of close friends and the entire small lakeside community. Thirteen years later, Jack still can't get over it and after years of running from his heritage, he's back. It was hard for me to understand how a smart, "jack-of-all-trades" kind of guy, couldn't move on and realize that he is not his dad and that no one blames him.

Arlie has a dead-beat mom and is much closer to her stepmom. Afraid that her genes will cause her to be like her biological mother, she's in no rush to have a family. When Jack left, she was crushed and can't believe that some things are so different after so many years, while other things remain unchanged, such as her feelings for him.

These characters both have secrets, deeply rooted issues involving their parents, and fears that make it very difficult to move forward in life. I enjoyed the process of growth and watching the transformations. Dreams are meant to be reached for and not just thought about. Of course, my favorite moments were the interactions between the two and I loved watching them rediscover one another. I love good, strong, family relationships and this story has those in abundance. Conflicts and love set the pace for this fine contemporary romance. I always know I'm going to get a great story with a Harlequin Heartwarming and this one is no exception.

 

Content: mild romance (kissing, talk of teen pregnancy, mention of past indiscretions); mild language (taking the Lord's name in vain a few times); mild violence (mention of drunk driving, deaths). Clean.

 

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Buy Links:

 

 

About the Author:

I was always daydreaming as a kid, about living in elegant places where other people made your bed and dusted your furniture, wearing clothes that screamed triumphantly, "Liz Claiborne, size two!" every time I put them on, and writing blockbuster novels.
Instead, I live in a big old farmhouse back a dusty lane, where whoever is the last one out of bed makes it and no one bothers with dusting. My clothes mumble sheepishly, "J. C. Penney, buy a bigger size." And my novels aren't what you'd call blockbusters. What they are is stories about people like me and maybe like you, whose dreams have gone awry or simply withered up and died. It's my job as a writer to take care of those dreams, either by straightening out the old ones or finding new ones. Either way, I love it, and I'd love hearing how you feel about how I've done that job. Email me at lizkflaherty@gmail.com