Friday, 13 July 2018

Release Day Review ~ After the Fall by Barbara S Stewart


Book Description:

One hand that hurt...
One hand that healed...

What happened behind closed doors was unknown. Chellie Nelson kept her secrets hidden and locked away. No one – none of those closest to her knew. 

And then one day it came out – an intervention that Chellie knew saved her life. But still, she lived with the past constantly in the back of her mind, holding her back from really living. 

She worked on changing herself, her surroundings, her thoughts... but it was still there. 

And then came Josh Dugan... hunky, sexy, pro football player. A bake sale and Rice Krispie treats, a fundraiser for her favorite charity and Josh was on a mission to woo and win Chellie Nelson.
His kind hands and loving heart help Chellie come to learn that she is worth far more than she’s allowed herself to believe. A love story and a partnership bring them closer together.

And then the horrible happens.

Follow her story as she finds happiness, and the voice she never knew she was capable of.

Buy Links:

Special release day price of $1.99, will rise after release


Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4 stars
***ARC received for an honest review***


“I didn’t know it, but I was looking for you.”


For those that love an emotional, poignant, tender, romantic read then this author is for you as Barbara S Stewart never fails to deliver and once again she nailed her signature. I love this authors writing style, you know that you are not going to get a hot and steamy erotic book, but you will get the stunningly beautiful, the hearts and flowers, the heartfelt romance and emotion filled ones and this book delivers that in spades. However, this is a little divert from Barbara S Stewart’s norm and there is a tough subject tackled here and as I would expect from this author it was handled with honesty and empathy and I felt every word.


“You helped me find strength I never imagined I could gather within myself. It was always there; I just pushed it aside and forgot about it. You helped me find that Chellie again.”


This is romance at its best, it is pure, emotional and from the heart. The emotion in this book is through the intense connection that these characters have and from the situations that they find themselves in through no fault of their own. Barbara Stewart’s style of writing draws you into her characters so you live and breathe their story therefore you cannot help but become involved and emotionally attached and her characters always stay with you for a very long time.

Chellie has had a tumultuous past, one that has not only left physical scars but mental ones too and they are often the ones that scar the most. With a great support network around her she has pulled herself up and out, but those mental scars often niggle when certain situations arise. Chellie has stayed away from the opposite sex, choosing to find herself, heal herself but most importantly, protect herself. Her heart is not hers to give, its battered, bruised and destroyed when it comes to love, but she didn’t bet on Josh Dugan and it seems her impenetrable fortress may have just encountered the one person that can cause its destruction.


“Don’t be me.”


We all know that Barbara Stewart writes swoon-worthy heroes. Her men are perfect with a capital ‘P,’ ones with charm, manners, those that ooze romance, have huge kind hearts and are just so damn lovable and Josh Dugan is simply PERFECTION. Gah, Josh had my heart fluttering every time he opened his mouth, his patience, his understanding, just his whole demeanour around Chellie was a joy to read and you knew from the very beginning that if anyone was worthy of Chellie, it was him.

For a Barbara Stewart book this was a little bit of a whirlwind, normally her books span decades, but this was quick for her. They say that romance is dead, well Barbara brought it back to life with Josh and Chellie and reignited the hopeless romantic that lives inside of me. Love happens to the best of us, there is always that special someone for everyone and more often than not they come along when you least expect but when they are most needed. Josh saved Chellie without a doubt, but Chellie gave Josh the one thing he never knew he wanted and definitely wasn’t looking for.


“He has saved me more than once and I’m not even sure he knows it.”


These two together just embraced the reader with their love, you felt it, you lived it and you breathed it and you cannot help but get swept away in their love story. The dark side of Chellie’s past comes back to haunt her, but the way that this part of the story was dealt with; while it was hard to read it conveyed just enough without being gratuitous. Barbara Stewart hits you where it hurts and really brings to the forefront a subject that is on the increase. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and the inner strength that Chellie possesses radiated throughout this book. Another winner from Barbara S Stewart.

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