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The Walker Brothers #1
Worth the Wait
He broke her heart. When he finds out just how badly, it will break his too.
Nick Walker found the love of his life when he was just nineteen.
Found her.
Loved her.
Lost her.
It's been ten years since Nick watched the only woman he ever loved walk out of his life. Now this FBI Special Agent will do anything to win her back.
But it won’t be easy…
Mia’s heart was shattered by Nick. They'll have to face their painful past if they want a future, including Mia's own secret about that day it all fell apart.
Do you believe in second chances?
Nick Walker found the love of his life when he was just nineteen.
Found her.
Loved her.
Lost her.
It's been ten years since Nick watched the only woman he ever loved walk out of his life. Now this FBI Special Agent will do anything to win her back.
But it won’t be easy…
Mia’s heart was shattered by Nick. They'll have to face their painful past if they want a future, including Mia's own secret about that day it all fell apart.
Do you believe in second chances?
Kindle Edition
First published January 10, 2017
About the author
Claudia Connor
13 books2,387 followersClaudia Connor is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling series, The McKinney Brothers.
Claudia writes, warm, heartfelt contemporary romances with a bit of steam, a lot of family and always a happily ever after. Claudia attended Auburn University, where she received her undergraduate and masters degrees in early childhood education, and completed her studies in Sawbridgeworth, England. When she's not writing, she enjoys movies, reading, and travel, with a heavy dose of daydreaming during all three. Claudia lives near Memphis, Tennessee, with her husband and three daughters.
You can find out more about Claudia’s books at http://claudiaconnor.com
or stop by and say hello on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/ClaudiaConnor.
Claudia writes, warm, heartfelt contemporary romances with a bit of steam, a lot of family and always a happily ever after. Claudia attended Auburn University, where she received her undergraduate and masters degrees in early childhood education, and completed her studies in Sawbridgeworth, England. When she's not writing, she enjoys movies, reading, and travel, with a heavy dose of daydreaming during all three. Claudia lives near Memphis, Tennessee, with her husband and three daughters.
You can find out more about Claudia’s books at http://claudiaconnor.com
or stop by and say hello on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/ClaudiaConnor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 545 reviews
May 25, 2017
3 Reliving the Past Stars
Some Spoilers
So let me start by saying that I love Claudia Connor. I loved, loved, loved her McKinney Brothers series. When I finished Worth the Risk (Hannah and Stephen's book) I was so madly in love with Hannah's overprotective, broody, sexy FBI agent brother Nick and I couldn't wait to get his book. So when I got this book from Netgalley I was so excited I did a happy dance. I just knew I would love Nick and Mia's story! Just knew it. But now after finished it I just feel disappointed and sad. Here is yet another book all my friends loved and I didn't. I waited for and dreamed of this book and it just didn't live up to my hopes.
Before I say what disappointed me about this book, let me start by saying what I did like about it. It was well written. I love Claudia Connor's writing style. I loved all the characters in this book. I loved Nick. I loved Mia. I ate up all the cuteness that was Nick with toddler Hannah. Every time 2 year old Hannah would say " I bite" I melted a little. I even liked some of Mia and Nick's backstory. Just some like the very start. I loved getting more of Hannah, and Stephen, Abby, and Matt, Luke, and Zach. I also loved getting little tidbits of Dallas who was again not in this book other than being talked about but still managed to intrigue me. All that being said as much as I loved Mia and Nick I hated their love story.
I know that sounds stupid when I just said I loved both of the main couple but It's their love story that left me wanting. For one the book goes through tons of flashbacks. I'm okay with flashbacks but there was so many that around 50% of the book is in the past. And it flipped between the past and present so much I got whiplash. Then almost all of their love story was just painful. There was no balance of good times to bad. It was a few minutes of them falling in love then tons and tons of bad. Tons and tons of Nick pushing Mia away. Tons of Nick taking his pain and guilt out on Mia. I could have handled that if when they got back together in the present it would have been good, but instead I got more sad and bad. The first time Mia and Nick come together it was Mia that went to Nick. Which I didn't like. He was the one that pushed her away so I felt he should have been the one to make the first move. Instead I also had a big problem with the fact that Mia hasn't slept with anyone else in the 10 years her and Nick were apart, but Nick has been sleeping around. Normally that doesn't bother me when the main couple has been apart for years, but again I felt this unfairness to their relationship. I felt like Mia always got the short end of the stick.
Then what follows is Mia and Nick pretty much just ignoring each other for weeks and months at a time. The few times they are together they hurt each other. It was just so sad and damn depressing. I was expecting this great love that ended and then they meet up years later and the great love was still there making for a powerful second chance love story. I don't feel like I got that at all. The only time in the book I felt I got some romance was the epilogue. The epilogue was very sweet. The rest of their love story just made me sad. Even not liking their love story I still felt it was an okay read just not great. The sweetness at the end went a long way to soothing my butthurt. I still love Claudia Connor and I am still looking forward to Zach, Luke, and Dallas's stories.
http://jessicasoverthetopbookobsessio...
Some Spoilers
So let me start by saying that I love Claudia Connor. I loved, loved, loved her McKinney Brothers series. When I finished Worth the Risk (Hannah and Stephen's book) I was so madly in love with Hannah's overprotective, broody, sexy FBI agent brother Nick and I couldn't wait to get his book. So when I got this book from Netgalley I was so excited I did a happy dance. I just knew I would love Nick and Mia's story! Just knew it. But now after finished it I just feel disappointed and sad. Here is yet another book all my friends loved and I didn't. I waited for and dreamed of this book and it just didn't live up to my hopes.
Before I say what disappointed me about this book, let me start by saying what I did like about it. It was well written. I love Claudia Connor's writing style. I loved all the characters in this book. I loved Nick. I loved Mia. I ate up all the cuteness that was Nick with toddler Hannah. Every time 2 year old Hannah would say " I bite" I melted a little. I even liked some of Mia and Nick's backstory. Just some like the very start. I loved getting more of Hannah, and Stephen, Abby, and Matt, Luke, and Zach. I also loved getting little tidbits of Dallas who was again not in this book other than being talked about but still managed to intrigue me. All that being said as much as I loved Mia and Nick I hated their love story.
I know that sounds stupid when I just said I loved both of the main couple but It's their love story that left me wanting. For one the book goes through tons of flashbacks. I'm okay with flashbacks but there was so many that around 50% of the book is in the past. And it flipped between the past and present so much I got whiplash. Then almost all of their love story was just painful. There was no balance of good times to bad. It was a few minutes of them falling in love then tons and tons of bad. Tons and tons of Nick pushing Mia away. Tons of Nick taking his pain and guilt out on Mia. I could have handled that if when they got back together in the present it would have been good, but instead I got more sad and bad. The first time Mia and Nick come together it was Mia that went to Nick. Which I didn't like. He was the one that pushed her away so I felt he should have been the one to make the first move. Instead I also had a big problem with the fact that Mia hasn't slept with anyone else in the 10 years her and Nick were apart, but Nick has been sleeping around. Normally that doesn't bother me when the main couple has been apart for years, but again I felt this unfairness to their relationship. I felt like Mia always got the short end of the stick.
Then what follows is Mia and Nick pretty much just ignoring each other for weeks and months at a time. The few times they are together they hurt each other. It was just so sad and damn depressing. I was expecting this great love that ended and then they meet up years later and the great love was still there making for a powerful second chance love story. I don't feel like I got that at all. The only time in the book I felt I got some romance was the epilogue. The epilogue was very sweet. The rest of their love story just made me sad. Even not liking their love story I still felt it was an okay read just not great. The sweetness at the end went a long way to soothing my butthurt. I still love Claudia Connor and I am still looking forward to Zach, Luke, and Dallas's stories.
http://jessicasoverthetopbookobsessio...
February 10, 2017
4.25 stars!
If you love extremely emotional reads and second chance romances, this is a book you need to read asap! This one is intense and will put your feelings through the ringer, but it’s a truly beautiful story of true love, first love, and forever love.
If you’re like me and have read the McKinney brother’s series, you’ve wanted Nick Walker’s book since the moment you met him. Nick is Hannah’s older brother and has raised her since they tragically lost their parents when Hannah was 2. When Hannah was just a baby, Nick found the love of his life. Mia and Nick were together for many years. They were in love. Then something happened that completely tore everything apart. It left them both alone and their hearts in tatters. But neither one of them ever moved on. Not really. When you meet that one true love of your life, you can’t just move past that and find someone else.
There is so much love in this story, but also so much loss. I felt like I cried so much while reading, it was just a somber read for me for much of the storyline. I couldn’t help but be tearful. But there are also moments of laughter, love and family that made my heart soar. It was just all around emotional. Mia and Nick both broke my heart. I rooted for them to find their way back to each other so hard. They both deserved that kind of love again. Both had been through so much.
I do wish that this couple would have found a way back to each other much sooner. A part of me understands why they were apart for so long, but another part of me knows that so much pain and heartache could have been avoided if either one of them would have just came to their senses and went after the other. I hate seeing people miserable and in pain and I wish that could have been avoided. Ten years is a long time to be unhappy.
Overall, I thought this was a great addition to this series. I’m looking forward to more books from the Walker family and it’s great to see the McKinney family scattered throughout the story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves emotional reads. It was an engaging and enjoyable read!
If you love extremely emotional reads and second chance romances, this is a book you need to read asap! This one is intense and will put your feelings through the ringer, but it’s a truly beautiful story of true love, first love, and forever love.
If you’re like me and have read the McKinney brother’s series, you’ve wanted Nick Walker’s book since the moment you met him. Nick is Hannah’s older brother and has raised her since they tragically lost their parents when Hannah was 2. When Hannah was just a baby, Nick found the love of his life. Mia and Nick were together for many years. They were in love. Then something happened that completely tore everything apart. It left them both alone and their hearts in tatters. But neither one of them ever moved on. Not really. When you meet that one true love of your life, you can’t just move past that and find someone else.
There is so much love in this story, but also so much loss. I felt like I cried so much while reading, it was just a somber read for me for much of the storyline. I couldn’t help but be tearful. But there are also moments of laughter, love and family that made my heart soar. It was just all around emotional. Mia and Nick both broke my heart. I rooted for them to find their way back to each other so hard. They both deserved that kind of love again. Both had been through so much.
I do wish that this couple would have found a way back to each other much sooner. A part of me understands why they were apart for so long, but another part of me knows that so much pain and heartache could have been avoided if either one of them would have just came to their senses and went after the other. I hate seeing people miserable and in pain and I wish that could have been avoided. Ten years is a long time to be unhappy.
Overall, I thought this was a great addition to this series. I’m looking forward to more books from the Walker family and it’s great to see the McKinney family scattered throughout the story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves emotional reads. It was an engaging and enjoyable read!
January 13, 2017
::: FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED ::: 4.5 stars
This was one of the most heart-warming and ROMANTIC books I've read in a long time! If you're a fan of protective single dad heroes and emotional second chance love stories, then you have to read this book!! There are SO MANY FEELS -- deep pain and heartbreak, and yet such tender passion and beautiful healing -- and SO MUCH LOVE!! This book made me cry, it made me laugh, it made me SWOOOOOOON and it kept my heart racing because I just knew without a doubt that this couple was meant for each other and no matter how much hardship life put them through, they'd always find their way back to each other.
When Nick was barely twenty years old, his parents died in a car accident leaving him as the sole guardian of his younger brothers and two-year old baby sister, Hannah. Desperate to keep his family together in the wake of this loss, he assumed all parental responsibilities and in an instant everything about his life changed. With Hannah being so young, he became incredibly protective of her and she became deeply attached to him. He'd even carry her around with him to classes in college and tried his best to never let her out of his sight.
With a traumatized toddler in his care, the care of his brothers, and his focus on school consuming his life, the last thing he was thinking of was dating anyone. But then Mia came into his life and over the next few months and years, it became unquestionable clear that not only was he completely in love with her, but she was 'the one' for him.
But when an unexpected tragedy ripped through their lives, they lost everything. Until ten years later, when their lives brought them back together... giving them a second chance at the love they both still held in their hearts.
Okay I need to take a minute to gush over how HEART-MELTINGLY ADORABLE it was to see how caring Nick was of his baby sister. I mean seriously. PURE SWOON MATERIAL. He was the epitome of a good guy -- responsible, kind, caring, deeply protective. Seriously, I don't think it's possible not to fall in love with him. GAH! *melts*
My favorite thing about this book was that I FELT the story from the start. You know what I mean? Like my heart was fluttering all over the place as I read. Sometimes it takes a while to connect to a story, but this one I just clicked with right from the start. Nick and Mia were so perfect for each other and the tenderness of the love they shared was beautiful. There were so many feels. So much history. So much love and pain... I was completely drawn in.
The story takes place in present day (twenty four years after Nick and Mia first met in college), but there are many flashback chapters that take us through their history from the day they met until the day they fell apart. I really loved the way the past and present were melded together because it kept the story constantly moving forward while filling in all the necessary blanks that brought the story together.
While it was inevitable that this story would be painful and heartbreaking at times -- Nick and Mia had been through so many hardships, enough to strain even the strongest of relationships -- I never doubted that they both still loved each other and it was just a matter of time before they'd be strong enough to make their way back to each other.
I was also also relieved that there was nothing involving other women/men in their lives. There are no crazy ex's, no sleeping around, nothing like that. I just really appreciated that the story didn't have any unnecessary drama in it.
And even though Nick and Mia's romance is the heart of this book, I loved that there was more than that going on. The deep bond between Nick and his baby sister over the years was gorgeous to witness. He'd given up nearly everything to care for her and protect her, and from her perspective, she didn't even remember a time when he wasn't there to watch out for her. And now that she was ready to build her own life and put the horrific incident that scarred her in the past, it was the hardest thing he'd ever done to learn to let go over her and trust the world with his baby girl.
If you're a fan of heroes with kids, emotional romances, second chance love stories that'll tug all your heart-strings and even break your heart, but then will put back all the pieces, then this is the book for you! It was everything I could want in a romance. I loved the intensity of the emotions, the push-pull of their lives and love, the intensity and tenderness of their feelings for each other, and the way I just knew that they'd find their way back to one another.
Gahhhhhh I actually even cried in one of the scenes because it was just THAT beautiful. You'll know the scene when you get to it. I don't want to say what happens exactly but it's at 83% and seriously... THE FEEELS!! And I was really impressed with the way that this book was structured because it strongly exemplified the "show not tell" approach to storytelling with the way that, throughout the book, it took you through all these important scenes spanning two decades, in a way where they could be references in a later scene and, because you weren't just being told about them but because you had actually experienced those specific moments WITH the characters, they meant so much more because you were remembering them too. I hope that makes sense lol. I was just really impressed with it.
I love all kinds of romance and love stories, but the kind that have always had the deepest impact on me have been the ones where the couple has had to struggle against great hardship for their love, where they've beat the odds, where they've overcome everything that tried to keep them apart and they've *earned* their happiness. It's the kind of love that you appreciate so much more because you know what they could have lost. It's just really beautiful.
The story is told in third person, but it's always clear that some scenes are from his POV and others from hers. As I mentioned, it also goes back and forth between their reunion in the present day, and their college years when they first met and Hannah was still a baby. The different parts of the story were very well balanced and integrated.
This can be read as a complete standalone. You do not have to read any other book before or after this in order to understand and enjoy this story. It is also the only book focused on this couple. However, this book is connected to the other standalones in the McKinney Brothers series, and this is also the first standalone in the spin-off Walker Brothers series. Basically, in one way or another, the heroes of these books are all siblings and the heroines generally know each other so the stories are connected. You can read them all separately, but if you enjoy one, it's likely that you'll want to read the rest of them. I personally have only also read Worth The Fall (the first McKinney Brothers standalone) back in 2014 and it was one of my Top Favorites of that year. I love that one, I didn't read the few the next few came in between (but they sound great!), but I loved this one too. Heartfelt, romantic, and full of feels!
I genuinely adored this book and highly recommend it!!
Rating: 4.5 stars! Can standalone.
Buy WORTH THE WAIT (Kindle)
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“I loved you yesterday. I’ll love you tomorrow. Every day.”
This was one of the most heart-warming and ROMANTIC books I've read in a long time! If you're a fan of protective single dad heroes and emotional second chance love stories, then you have to read this book!! There are SO MANY FEELS -- deep pain and heartbreak, and yet such tender passion and beautiful healing -- and SO MUCH LOVE!! This book made me cry, it made me laugh, it made me SWOOOOOOON and it kept my heart racing because I just knew without a doubt that this couple was meant for each other and no matter how much hardship life put them through, they'd always find their way back to each other.
He broke her heart. Now this FBI agent is down on his knees to win her back.
Nick Walker found his one and only when he was just nineteen.
Found her.
Loved her.
Lost her.
It's been ten years since Nick watched Mia walk out of his life. Ten years of pain and regret. Now he will do anything to win her back.
But it won’t be easy…
Mia’s heart was shattered by Nick. They'll have to face their painful past if they want a future, including Mia's own secret about that day it all fell apart.
When Nick was barely twenty years old, his parents died in a car accident leaving him as the sole guardian of his younger brothers and two-year old baby sister, Hannah. Desperate to keep his family together in the wake of this loss, he assumed all parental responsibilities and in an instant everything about his life changed. With Hannah being so young, he became incredibly protective of her and she became deeply attached to him. He'd even carry her around with him to classes in college and tried his best to never let her out of his sight.
With a traumatized toddler in his care, the care of his brothers, and his focus on school consuming his life, the last thing he was thinking of was dating anyone. But then Mia came into his life and over the next few months and years, it became unquestionable clear that not only was he completely in love with her, but she was 'the one' for him.
But when an unexpected tragedy ripped through their lives, they lost everything. Until ten years later, when their lives brought them back together... giving them a second chance at the love they both still held in their hearts.
“I love you, Nick Walker.”
His mouth curved in a slow smile, and he caught the back of her head. “I love you, too,” he said against her lips. “I loved you yesterday. I’ll love you tomorrow. Every day.”
Okay I need to take a minute to gush over how HEART-MELTINGLY ADORABLE it was to see how caring Nick was of his baby sister. I mean seriously. PURE SWOON MATERIAL. He was the epitome of a good guy -- responsible, kind, caring, deeply protective. Seriously, I don't think it's possible not to fall in love with him. GAH! *melts*
My favorite thing about this book was that I FELT the story from the start. You know what I mean? Like my heart was fluttering all over the place as I read. Sometimes it takes a while to connect to a story, but this one I just clicked with right from the start. Nick and Mia were so perfect for each other and the tenderness of the love they shared was beautiful. There were so many feels. So much history. So much love and pain... I was completely drawn in.
He brushed his lips over hers, let them linger. Kissed his way over her cheeks, her temple, back to her mouth. “Stay,” he whispered.
Even with the ball of fear in his gut, he whispered again. “Stay.”
…
He needed her like air; he always had. The quick, hot spark flared through him just the way he remembered. She was everything that every other woman wasn’t. She was Mia. She was his.
The story takes place in present day (twenty four years after Nick and Mia first met in college), but there are many flashback chapters that take us through their history from the day they met until the day they fell apart. I really loved the way the past and present were melded together because it kept the story constantly moving forward while filling in all the necessary blanks that brought the story together.
While it was inevitable that this story would be painful and heartbreaking at times -- Nick and Mia had been through so many hardships, enough to strain even the strongest of relationships -- I never doubted that they both still loved each other and it was just a matter of time before they'd be strong enough to make their way back to each other.
I was also also relieved that there was nothing involving other women/men in their lives. There are no crazy ex's, no sleeping around, nothing like that. I just really appreciated that the story didn't have any unnecessary drama in it.
No other woman had ever meant anything, couldn’t even remember another woman’s face. Because he’d never even considered moving on, never considered having a future with anyone else.
And even though Nick and Mia's romance is the heart of this book, I loved that there was more than that going on. The deep bond between Nick and his baby sister over the years was gorgeous to witness. He'd given up nearly everything to care for her and protect her, and from her perspective, she didn't even remember a time when he wasn't there to watch out for her. And now that she was ready to build her own life and put the horrific incident that scarred her in the past, it was the hardest thing he'd ever done to learn to let go over her and trust the world with his baby girl.
If you're a fan of heroes with kids, emotional romances, second chance love stories that'll tug all your heart-strings and even break your heart, but then will put back all the pieces, then this is the book for you! It was everything I could want in a romance. I loved the intensity of the emotions, the push-pull of their lives and love, the intensity and tenderness of their feelings for each other, and the way I just knew that they'd find their way back to one another.
“Look at me. I loved you, Mia. There was nothing else, no one else. Even after Hannah… I loved you. I just couldn’t get to you.” He took her face in his hands with a desperation. “I ruined us. I know I did. You tried to love me, and I pushed you away. But please tell me there’s a chance. Tell me I haven’t lost you. Not again…”
Gahhhhhh I actually even cried in one of the scenes because it was just THAT beautiful. You'll know the scene when you get to it. I don't want to say what happens exactly but it's at 83% and seriously... THE FEEELS!! And I was really impressed with the way that this book was structured because it strongly exemplified the "show not tell" approach to storytelling with the way that, throughout the book, it took you through all these important scenes spanning two decades, in a way where they could be references in a later scene and, because you weren't just being told about them but because you had actually experienced those specific moments WITH the characters, they meant so much more because you were remembering them too. I hope that makes sense lol. I was just really impressed with it.
I love all kinds of romance and love stories, but the kind that have always had the deepest impact on me have been the ones where the couple has had to struggle against great hardship for their love, where they've beat the odds, where they've overcome everything that tried to keep them apart and they've *earned* their happiness. It's the kind of love that you appreciate so much more because you know what they could have lost. It's just really beautiful.
“I miss this more than anything. Your arms around me, making everything better. How do you do that? How do you make everything better just by holding me?”
“Maybe because I love you.” With his hand in her hair, he tugged her head back and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.
The story is told in third person, but it's always clear that some scenes are from his POV and others from hers. As I mentioned, it also goes back and forth between their reunion in the present day, and their college years when they first met and Hannah was still a baby. The different parts of the story were very well balanced and integrated.
This can be read as a complete standalone. You do not have to read any other book before or after this in order to understand and enjoy this story. It is also the only book focused on this couple. However, this book is connected to the other standalones in the McKinney Brothers series, and this is also the first standalone in the spin-off Walker Brothers series. Basically, in one way or another, the heroes of these books are all siblings and the heroines generally know each other so the stories are connected. You can read them all separately, but if you enjoy one, it's likely that you'll want to read the rest of them. I personally have only also read Worth The Fall (the first McKinney Brothers standalone) back in 2014 and it was one of my Top Favorites of that year. I love that one, I didn't read the few the next few came in between (but they sound great!), but I loved this one too. Heartfelt, romantic, and full of feels!
I genuinely adored this book and highly recommend it!!
Rating: 4.5 stars! Can standalone.
Buy WORTH THE WAIT (Kindle)
__________________________
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✦ Main blog: Aestas Book Blog
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Shelved as 'hell-fucking-no'
January 16, 2017Some of my bigger triggers all smushed into one book.
1.Hero pushes heroine away and heroine does all the chasing. This is especially infuriating when the blurb makes it seem like it's the hero that does the chasing
2. Hero had plenty of women during the 10 year separation and heroine stayed celibate. HELLO SEXIST MUCH?! THIS IS 2017 WHY ARE AUTHORS STILL WRITING THAT SHIT IN ROMANCE?!
3. When they meet again heroine chases the hero even though he was the one that caused the separation. Hero did nothing IMO to show how sorry he was for the emotional and and verbal abuse he put her through. There was no groveling. They simply see each other after 10 years, sleep together almost immediately, and voila she's back in love with him.
4.Verbal abuse and poor treatment of the heroine without any groveling
That'll be a hell fucking no. I'm so sick of this antiquated take on romance. There's no reason to still be writing a weak heroine that stays celibate for 10 fucking years.
If your book includes the words "fuck, dick,cock,pussy, or cunt" OR contains any kind of smut then you don't get to claim "conservative" or "traditional" readers enjoy that bullshit. [Yes I'm aware this specific book doesn't contain those words but it does contain smut and I'm referring to romance with these specific triggers in general]. Maybe stick to YA/NA. This isn't specific to this author either. I'm sick of the hypocrisy in most romance novels coming out recently.
1.Hero pushes heroine away and heroine does all the chasing. This is especially infuriating when the blurb makes it seem like it's the hero that does the chasing
2. Hero had plenty of women during the 10 year separation and heroine stayed celibate. HELLO SEXIST MUCH?! THIS IS 2017 WHY ARE AUTHORS STILL WRITING THAT SHIT IN ROMANCE?!
3. When they meet again heroine chases the hero even though he was the one that caused the separation. Hero did nothing IMO to show how sorry he was for the emotional and and verbal abuse he put her through. There was no groveling. They simply see each other after 10 years, sleep together almost immediately, and voila she's back in love with him.
4.Verbal abuse and poor treatment of the heroine without any groveling
That'll be a hell fucking no. I'm so sick of this antiquated take on romance. There's no reason to still be writing a weak heroine that stays celibate for 10 fucking years.
If your book includes the words "fuck, dick,cock,pussy, or cunt" OR contains any kind of smut then you don't get to claim "conservative" or "traditional" readers enjoy that bullshit. [Yes I'm aware this specific book doesn't contain those words but it does contain smut and I'm referring to romance with these specific triggers in general]. Maybe stick to YA/NA. This isn't specific to this author either. I'm sick of the hypocrisy in most romance novels coming out recently.
February 6, 2017
*****3.5 Stars*****
{Netgalley ARC}
She’d gone from a girl feeling her first love to a woman who’d melded every part of herself to a man. And then he was gone.
This was a case where I saw a book being read by a lot of my Goodreads friends and my curiosity was piqued. Sometimes you come across a winner that way and other times you fail miserably. It was the latter that happened with this one for me. Maybe it was the title that jinxed it. I had just recently read another book with the same title which also turned out to be the biggest snooze fest as well. I spent six nights trying to connect with this story and all I did was catch up on some much needed zzz’s on my couch. I learned something about myself, though. I am not a big fan of the third person narrative. I like to hear the story directly from the main character’s mouths, and for the most part, the story was narrated. Another downfall was that for most of the book we go back and forth in time, from 24 years in the past to present. The past bored me to tears. The romance was hard to really feel and the steam was barely noticeable as the author just glossed over the intimacy. When the Hero is described as being a hardcore alpha FBI agent and then the steam is barely described, it just makes the story fall flat. I’m not one who needs panty melting sex scenes in all my books, but if the story doesn’t have it all, to begin with then I’m going to pick on the lack of steam too. Although this book can be read as a standalone, I did feel that maybe if I had read the previous book, it would have helped me to understand the family dynamic between the Hero, his siblings, and his girlfriend.
Nick Walker has become an instant father to his three-year-old sister, Hannah, and his three younger brothers when their parents die in an accident. He’s a nineteen-year-old boy attending college and trying his best to be the best parental figure for his sister to prevent any family welfare services from taking her away from him. While on campus he notices a beautiful girl and slowly they become friends. Eventually, a romance develops between them.
Mia is a shy and soft-spoken, extremely intelligent young woman. She’s studying to become a doctor. Her parents are immigrants and have all their hopes wrapped in their only daughter achieving all of her goals for the future. When Nick becomes a part of Mia’s life, they worry that she’ll give up on her aspirations of becoming a doctor in order to stay with Nick and help him raise his siblings. Nick makes a promise that he will never hold her back from finishing her studies at medical school. Eventually, Mia is accepted into Harvard Medical school on a full scholarship which will force the two to spend eight years apart. Somehow they manage to keep their relationship going even with the many years they spent apart. Then Mia returns home to complete her residency and she moves in with Nick and his siblings. Things are great for a while until one afternoon a terrible tragedy occurs. Nick’s sister, Hannah, is abducted outside her school and is missing for almost two months. Mia was supposed to pick Hannah up that day but was two minutes late. Well, this only helps to instill resentment and guilt that eventually ends up tearing the couple apart.
Mia ends up leaving when she can no longer take Nick’s cold demeanor towards her and even though he loves her with all of his heart, Nick does nothing to stop her from going. Almost eleven years go by before they cross paths again. Hannah is about twenty-eight now and almost a completely thriving young woman. She is engaged to a really great man who loves her more than anything and she works on a horse farm that specializes in rehabilitating children who have suffered from emotional trauma. Her horrific past still haunts her so she sees a Psychologist regularly to work through her issues. Her therapist is Mia, but Nick has no idea she’s living in the same town as him.
Soon the two meet up again but it’s apparent ghosts from the past are still very much present and Nick has never worked out his issues of guilt over what happened to his sister. So how can these two have a future when one person seems to be clearly stuck in the past and unwilling to move forward?
In the eleven years that they’ve been apart, Mia has never moved on from Nick. He was the last man she’d ever been with. Most recently she had attempted to adopt and was blessed with a beautiful baby girl but things didn’t work out and now life has dealt her another devastating loss. When Nick comes back into her life she finds herself afraid that he might emotionally abandon her again and it’s something she knows her heart won’t be able to endure again. Can two people with so much emotional baggage, overcome their ginormous obstacles in order to let true love back into their lives?
This story was just so incredibly gloomy throughout almost the entire book. Even the beginning of their romance was lackluster at best. At one point, three-quarters into the story when we were no longer going back to the past, I was starting to feel connected to it but then when some more drama ensued I became bored yet again.
I have to admit though I was extremely curious about the other two couples in the story who had secondary roles in this one. I actually want to read the two previous books! Am I a glutton for punishment? I saw some good reviews on those. Should I try reading them or learn my lesson and steer clear??
WORTH THE WAIT is currently available. Those of you who have read the other books might like this one. You’ll get to be reunited with your favorite characters from the earlier books.
Amazon - http://amzn.to/2kcvl0Q
{Netgalley ARC}
She’d gone from a girl feeling her first love to a woman who’d melded every part of herself to a man. And then he was gone.
This was a case where I saw a book being read by a lot of my Goodreads friends and my curiosity was piqued. Sometimes you come across a winner that way and other times you fail miserably. It was the latter that happened with this one for me. Maybe it was the title that jinxed it. I had just recently read another book with the same title which also turned out to be the biggest snooze fest as well. I spent six nights trying to connect with this story and all I did was catch up on some much needed zzz’s on my couch. I learned something about myself, though. I am not a big fan of the third person narrative. I like to hear the story directly from the main character’s mouths, and for the most part, the story was narrated. Another downfall was that for most of the book we go back and forth in time, from 24 years in the past to present. The past bored me to tears. The romance was hard to really feel and the steam was barely noticeable as the author just glossed over the intimacy. When the Hero is described as being a hardcore alpha FBI agent and then the steam is barely described, it just makes the story fall flat. I’m not one who needs panty melting sex scenes in all my books, but if the story doesn’t have it all, to begin with then I’m going to pick on the lack of steam too. Although this book can be read as a standalone, I did feel that maybe if I had read the previous book, it would have helped me to understand the family dynamic between the Hero, his siblings, and his girlfriend.
Nick Walker has become an instant father to his three-year-old sister, Hannah, and his three younger brothers when their parents die in an accident. He’s a nineteen-year-old boy attending college and trying his best to be the best parental figure for his sister to prevent any family welfare services from taking her away from him. While on campus he notices a beautiful girl and slowly they become friends. Eventually, a romance develops between them.
Mia is a shy and soft-spoken, extremely intelligent young woman. She’s studying to become a doctor. Her parents are immigrants and have all their hopes wrapped in their only daughter achieving all of her goals for the future. When Nick becomes a part of Mia’s life, they worry that she’ll give up on her aspirations of becoming a doctor in order to stay with Nick and help him raise his siblings. Nick makes a promise that he will never hold her back from finishing her studies at medical school. Eventually, Mia is accepted into Harvard Medical school on a full scholarship which will force the two to spend eight years apart. Somehow they manage to keep their relationship going even with the many years they spent apart. Then Mia returns home to complete her residency and she moves in with Nick and his siblings. Things are great for a while until one afternoon a terrible tragedy occurs. Nick’s sister, Hannah, is abducted outside her school and is missing for almost two months. Mia was supposed to pick Hannah up that day but was two minutes late. Well, this only helps to instill resentment and guilt that eventually ends up tearing the couple apart.
Mia ends up leaving when she can no longer take Nick’s cold demeanor towards her and even though he loves her with all of his heart, Nick does nothing to stop her from going. Almost eleven years go by before they cross paths again. Hannah is about twenty-eight now and almost a completely thriving young woman. She is engaged to a really great man who loves her more than anything and she works on a horse farm that specializes in rehabilitating children who have suffered from emotional trauma. Her horrific past still haunts her so she sees a Psychologist regularly to work through her issues. Her therapist is Mia, but Nick has no idea she’s living in the same town as him.
Soon the two meet up again but it’s apparent ghosts from the past are still very much present and Nick has never worked out his issues of guilt over what happened to his sister. So how can these two have a future when one person seems to be clearly stuck in the past and unwilling to move forward?
In the eleven years that they’ve been apart, Mia has never moved on from Nick. He was the last man she’d ever been with. Most recently she had attempted to adopt and was blessed with a beautiful baby girl but things didn’t work out and now life has dealt her another devastating loss. When Nick comes back into her life she finds herself afraid that he might emotionally abandon her again and it’s something she knows her heart won’t be able to endure again. Can two people with so much emotional baggage, overcome their ginormous obstacles in order to let true love back into their lives?
This story was just so incredibly gloomy throughout almost the entire book. Even the beginning of their romance was lackluster at best. At one point, three-quarters into the story when we were no longer going back to the past, I was starting to feel connected to it but then when some more drama ensued I became bored yet again.
I have to admit though I was extremely curious about the other two couples in the story who had secondary roles in this one. I actually want to read the two previous books! Am I a glutton for punishment? I saw some good reviews on those. Should I try reading them or learn my lesson and steer clear??
WORTH THE WAIT is currently available. Those of you who have read the other books might like this one. You’ll get to be reunited with your favorite characters from the earlier books.
Amazon - http://amzn.to/2kcvl0Q
April 20, 2017
➦This book right here is aiming to be a very angsty and emotional read. It's a second chance romance about two people re-uniting many years later. I am not entirely sure that this was a book for me, there were a number of reasons I wasn't entirely feeling it.
➦While the writing is good, the book felt a bit drawn out and by 70% I pretty much lost interest. Honestly? It was one tragedy after another and I got depressed. And kind of bored. It might have been that killer migraine or... or... vernal equinox but I just wasn't invested in this read.
➦I guess I was looking for some balance. I wanted more happy moments in the midst of all despair. I wanted more explanations of important things rather than drawn out descriptions of scenes I could have gone without. In fact, without them I did go. It's called skimming. Overall, this book was just an "okay" for me.
January 1, 2017
4.5 Overdue Stars
She’d gone from a girl feeling her first love to a woman who’d melded every part of herself to a man. And then he was gone.
Talk about an intense read. I finished this over an hour ago and I’m STILL tearing up a little. You know what? I’m going to pull up my big girl panties and review the heck out of this one because, crying jags or not, Worth the Wait is one hell of a story.
Nick Walker was forced to step up and become the head of his family before any young man should have to. After the tragic death of his parents, Nick became the legal guardian to his teenage brothers and two year old sister, Hannah (her story’s told here Worth the Risk). What was once a fun and carefree existence for the nineteen year old college student quickly turns to chaos when classes mix with his siblings’ schedules and sweet little Hannah’s need to ALWAYS be with him. When Nick and Mia experience a meet cute thanks to Hannah’s wayward shoe, you just know things are finally starting to look up for Nick.
Fast forward a decade plus and the Mia/Nick coupledom is still going strong. Sure, she’s still finishing her residency and Nick’s has the whole “FBI Newbie” and big brother to Hannah thing happening, but somehow the two always find a way to make it work.
Until they don’t.
As much as this story had me leaking out of my eyes,
when the characters (main and secondary) got past the sadness. And Guilt. And loss. And finally moved on, I loved how invested I was in the story and the eventual happy times were made that much better because of the misery that came first. I will say that, as a parent, these folks went through things I never hope to experience, but in the end it made for a much richer story overall. The sadness and guilt also made me want to kick Nick in the nuts a little less, so there’s always that.
Bright side and all that jazz.
“You’ve been the keeper of us all for so long, I think you’re the one who needs a keeper.”
Can I just mention the writing for a minute? This is my very first Claudia Connor book.
I know, I know. She’s one of those authors I’ve kind of collected over time but never bumped up my tbr list. Let me tell you, that’s all about to change! The way Nick and Mia’s story flowed, via flashbacks and current scenes, was deftly done and while random blast from the past scenes can get annoying, these were done so well and were so necessary to the story that I just can’t imagine the book without them.
I love discovering new to me authors. Claudia Connor has managed to put herself on my auto buy list with the promise of more Walker Brothers books. Did I mention Nick has three brothers? Brooding, hawt firefighter, undercover DEA and army ranger type brothers? The rest of this series can’t get here fast enough.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
She’d gone from a girl feeling her first love to a woman who’d melded every part of herself to a man. And then he was gone.
Talk about an intense read. I finished this over an hour ago and I’m STILL tearing up a little. You know what? I’m going to pull up my big girl panties and review the heck out of this one because, crying jags or not, Worth the Wait is one hell of a story.
Nick Walker was forced to step up and become the head of his family before any young man should have to. After the tragic death of his parents, Nick became the legal guardian to his teenage brothers and two year old sister, Hannah (her story’s told here Worth the Risk). What was once a fun and carefree existence for the nineteen year old college student quickly turns to chaos when classes mix with his siblings’ schedules and sweet little Hannah’s need to ALWAYS be with him. When Nick and Mia experience a meet cute thanks to Hannah’s wayward shoe, you just know things are finally starting to look up for Nick.
Fast forward a decade plus and the Mia/Nick coupledom is still going strong. Sure, she’s still finishing her residency and Nick’s has the whole “FBI Newbie” and big brother to Hannah thing happening, but somehow the two always find a way to make it work.
Until they don’t.
As much as this story had me leaking out of my eyes,
when the characters (main and secondary) got past the sadness. And Guilt. And loss. And finally moved on, I loved how invested I was in the story and the eventual happy times were made that much better because of the misery that came first. I will say that, as a parent, these folks went through things I never hope to experience, but in the end it made for a much richer story overall. The sadness and guilt also made me want to kick Nick in the nuts a little less, so there’s always that.
Bright side and all that jazz.
“You’ve been the keeper of us all for so long, I think you’re the one who needs a keeper.”
Can I just mention the writing for a minute? This is my very first Claudia Connor book.
I know, I know. She’s one of those authors I’ve kind of collected over time but never bumped up my tbr list. Let me tell you, that’s all about to change! The way Nick and Mia’s story flowed, via flashbacks and current scenes, was deftly done and while random blast from the past scenes can get annoying, these were done so well and were so necessary to the story that I just can’t imagine the book without them.
I love discovering new to me authors. Claudia Connor has managed to put herself on my auto buy list with the promise of more Walker Brothers books. Did I mention Nick has three brothers? Brooding, hawt firefighter, undercover DEA and army ranger type brothers? The rest of this series can’t get here fast enough.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
February 7, 2017
NOW LIVE
AMAZON
4 Overprotective Stars
Review @ Vanilla & Spice Books
This story took me completely by surprise. Claudia Connor is a new-to-me author and I was intrigued by the many amazing reviews I saw about the McKinney Brothers. When Worth The Wait popped up on Netgalley I couldn't resist. I took a chance and the rest is history.
Nick has to leave his teen years fast behind when his parents die in a car accident. Yesterday he was a carefree young adult, the next day he has to take care of his three brothers and his baby sister Hannah, who is all of two years old. At no point he even considers passing her on to a relative. He loves his family so much and wants them all to stay together.
When Mia meets Nick and his little sister on campus she realizes that this boy is one of a kind. They fall in love and fast and over the course of a couple of years they live a happy, albeit stressful life.
“I love you. I love you, Mia. You’re everything. Everything.” He didn’t hold back now, as if being inside her broke down any barriers he might have had, and the words flowed. He whispered them as he moved. She was all. His life. His heart.
One day their love is put to the test and it doesn't survive. Or does it?
When they meet again ten years later there are so many obstacles between them that you wonder how they will ever overcome them. Mia has had her share of tragedies and the way she carries herself even after them is nothing but admirable. She is a quiet person, nothing is flashy about her, there is no snark, only empathy and understanding. Mia is always there for the Walker siblings, no questions asked. Sometimes she comes across a little bit too understanding which might readers see as a bit of a pushover...but that isn't my perception of her. She just has this quiet strength she shows on the outside. On the inside she crumbles sometimes and the tragedies she has to deal with are really tough to swallow.
He'd tried his best to protect her from himself and broken both of their hearts in the process.
Nick is an amazing brother. The way he is with his baby sister is simply wonderful. He protects her, loves her and gives her everything Hannah needs. When he sees Mia again his mind is his prison and he is trapped in there so tightly that it's hard to imagine that he can free himself of the guilt he feels for everything that has happened. And his own feeling of guilt sometimes leads him to be cruel to the only person who has stood by him through everything. I struggled a bit to come to terms with him. He wasn't unlikable by no means, not at all. He was actually pretty amazing but his demons just were too strong at times and my heart ached for Mia because of the hurt he had caused her.
He was still looking for an answer, a reason, when there was no logical answer, no reason. There was nothing to do but move forward and help Hannah move forward. But he was still in the past, still looking for someone to blame and as long as he did there was no future for them.
This epic love story had emotions galore. I loved the characters, main and side, especially Hannah who actually stole the show from Mia and Nick in the beginning. She was so utterly adorable, I wanted to cuddle her silly. Nick's brothers all have their own struggles and I am looking forward to reading their stories. If this book is anything to go by we are in for lots of more emotional reads. The men don't seem to be alpha-holes but good and solid people. I'll definitely read this author's back list.
I love Claudia Connor's writing style, it's very fluid and pleasant to read. If you are a fan of emotional stories with a generous dash of angst like I am you will love this. It's about first love and love that is destined to be.
“I lost myself, and I’m sorry. I heard you, but I didn’t answer. I locked you out, and I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
February 7, 2017
~4.5 STARS~
Worth the Wait is the first book in the McKinney/Walker Series. This series is a spin-off of Claudia Connor's The McKinney Series. Although you can enjoy this delicious treat as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading the McKinney Series first so that you can fully understand the dynamics of these characters and the relationships they share.
Worth the Wait is another stunning addition to the McKinney family, and with the introduction of the Walker siblings, I am certain there will be more greatness to follow. I am certainly looking forward to more!!!!!
***McKinney/Walker Series***
*ARC graciously provided via NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review!
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
"I don't mind giving you time, but you need to know, I'm not stepping away."
Worth the Wait is the first book in the McKinney/Walker Series. This series is a spin-off of Claudia Connor's The McKinney Series. Although you can enjoy this delicious treat as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading the McKinney Series first so that you can fully understand the dynamics of these characters and the relationships they share.
"Maybe there's too much between us. Too much time and hurt."Nick McKinney lost his parents in a fatal accident during his college years. While his friends were partying it up in the frat house, he was caring for his younger siblings. Through the difficulties of single parenthood and creating a future for himself, he met a young pre-med student named Mia. Mia and Nick became college sweethearts and fell madly in love with each other. Mia secured a place for herself in the family, but then something horrible happened, and it rips them apart.
"That was the problem. Their past was muddy, dirty. Bloody."Years later, Mia and Nick are both still single. Nick is filling the void with all of the women he can, pouring himself into his siblings, and his career. Although Mia is thriving professionally, personally her life is empty. When Mia and Nick's paths cross once again, it seems natural for them to fall back in sync with one another. And yet, the pain that had once torn them apart still lingers. Can Nick prove his worth to Mia and soothe her broken heart?
"I've got you. I'm here."Told in dual POV, Worth the Wait is a tender second chance romance that will certainly make you swoon, cry, laugh, and love. There is a perfect balance of romance and steam. The characters are complex, and the relationships are thoroughly developed and endearing. The pacing is steady, and the circumstances were unique. Ms. Connor certainly knows how to write a strong hero and the driving theme of family is by far my favorite element of the series. With each installment, I fall more in love with these characters and catching glimpses of their future interactions only make me love them even more. With Nick and Mia, I felt slightly frustrated with the amount of time it took for them to finally get things right (Nick sure knows how to make a mess of things), but when they finally came together, it was indeed "worth the wait."
Worth the Wait is another stunning addition to the McKinney family, and with the introduction of the Walker siblings, I am certain there will be more greatness to follow. I am certainly looking forward to more!!!!!
***McKinney/Walker Series***
*ARC graciously provided via NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review!
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
Shelved as 'cheating'
January 17, 2017Never for me. The promising title is pointless if
Just for the record, just because I don't like this kind of story line doesn't mean others won't. I haven't even read this one so people who are searching for a second chance book, please don't take my "I'm never reading this reviews" seriously.
Just for the record, just because I don't like this kind of story line doesn't mean others won't. I haven't even read this one so people who are searching for a second chance book, please don't take my "I'm never reading this reviews" seriously.
February 4, 2017
***4,25 "Be happy... it's time!" stars***
This was a story that i was waiting like crazy since the second book of the McKinney brothers...
This was a heartbroken story about young love, second chances, about family and about how a brother became a single parent and got sucked by this role!!!
In here, i could understand Nick better and i learned more about Mia and her part in Walker's lives!!!
"You left me."
"And you let me go."
Nick and Mia met in college and they fell hard for each other... They stayed together for over a decade, but unfortunately, their love wasn't easy at all!!!
Nick wasn't just a carefree college student... He had lost his parents and he became a father figure about his four siblings and especially for two year old, Hannah!!!
Nick also was very responsible and protective and he was standing like a real father to Hannah...
And Mia, in a way, became a mother for Hannah too!!!!
But when the tragedy stroke, Nick and Mia lost each other and they fell apart...
"He was barely there, so lost in his dark cage of anger and guilt he'd built for himself. He'd locked himself in and locked her out."
Now, more than a decade after, Nick and Mia's paths are colliding for once again... but there are many obstacles that are standing between them...
Mia had a big loss lately in her life and she can't get over it...
Nick is still hunging by the guilt of the past...
The only untouched thing between them is the love that they are still feeling for each other, but is it enough to forgive and forget??? Can they give another one chance to them???
Will they be able to leave the past behind and to embrace the future together???
"What was between them didn't make sense- it just was.
And it was in the past. But it didn't feel like the past. It felt like right fucking now."
In Hannah's book, I wasn't very sure if i liked Nick...
He was very rough around the edges, very bossy and extremely possessive... But in here, i realized why he was like that and i loved him for that reason...
Hannah was his whole world and he was making a very good job raising her....
Everything else didn't matter as much as it mattered this little girl and i love him for that reason...
But unfortunately, he became a little bit unfair toward the love of his life, Mia and he didn't treat her right... But nobody can say that he didn't love Mia with his whole heart!!!
"I have no defenses against you, I never did."
"And you think I do? You think you aren't burned in my brain! In my heart! You're there. You've always been there."
Mia from the other hand was a lovely and quiet woman who didn't fight with all her heart for what she wanted.... I wanted her to fight more about Nick but she gave up easily on him...
But i loved that she gave him a chance even with all this heavy load upon his shoulders...
She loved very much Hannah too and i think that she stepped up in the role of mother for her... And i don't know if that was right for her!!!
The only sure thing is that Mia didn't deserve all this heartbreaking...
"She’d gone from a girl feeling her first love to a woman who’d melded every part of herself to a man.
And then he was gone."
I liked very much how Nick and Mia have found their way back to each other, even though i felt a little bit sad for the lost time... They didn't deserve to be apart from each other for such a long time!!! Such a wasted time for no reason!!!!
They allowed the bad things to overshadow the best things of their relationship and it was such a pity!!!
"I lost you, lost us. Now it feels like I have a chance again. Like we have a chance."
And now, i can't wait for the rest of the Walker brothers to tell their stories...
I'm pretty sure that their books will be very interesting!!!!
***ARC generously provided via NetGalley for the exchange of an honest review!!!
Thank you!!!***
This was a story that i was waiting like crazy since the second book of the McKinney brothers...
This was a heartbroken story about young love, second chances, about family and about how a brother became a single parent and got sucked by this role!!!
In here, i could understand Nick better and i learned more about Mia and her part in Walker's lives!!!
"You left me."
"And you let me go."
Nick and Mia met in college and they fell hard for each other... They stayed together for over a decade, but unfortunately, their love wasn't easy at all!!!
Nick wasn't just a carefree college student... He had lost his parents and he became a father figure about his four siblings and especially for two year old, Hannah!!!
Nick also was very responsible and protective and he was standing like a real father to Hannah...
And Mia, in a way, became a mother for Hannah too!!!!
But when the tragedy stroke, Nick and Mia lost each other and they fell apart...
"He was barely there, so lost in his dark cage of anger and guilt he'd built for himself. He'd locked himself in and locked her out."
Now, more than a decade after, Nick and Mia's paths are colliding for once again... but there are many obstacles that are standing between them...
Mia had a big loss lately in her life and she can't get over it...
Nick is still hunging by the guilt of the past...
The only untouched thing between them is the love that they are still feeling for each other, but is it enough to forgive and forget??? Can they give another one chance to them???
Will they be able to leave the past behind and to embrace the future together???
"What was between them didn't make sense- it just was.
And it was in the past. But it didn't feel like the past. It felt like right fucking now."
In Hannah's book, I wasn't very sure if i liked Nick...
He was very rough around the edges, very bossy and extremely possessive... But in here, i realized why he was like that and i loved him for that reason...
Hannah was his whole world and he was making a very good job raising her....
Everything else didn't matter as much as it mattered this little girl and i love him for that reason...
But unfortunately, he became a little bit unfair toward the love of his life, Mia and he didn't treat her right... But nobody can say that he didn't love Mia with his whole heart!!!
"I have no defenses against you, I never did."
"And you think I do? You think you aren't burned in my brain! In my heart! You're there. You've always been there."
Mia from the other hand was a lovely and quiet woman who didn't fight with all her heart for what she wanted.... I wanted her to fight more about Nick but she gave up easily on him...
But i loved that she gave him a chance even with all this heavy load upon his shoulders...
She loved very much Hannah too and i think that she stepped up in the role of mother for her... And i don't know if that was right for her!!!
The only sure thing is that Mia didn't deserve all this heartbreaking...
"She’d gone from a girl feeling her first love to a woman who’d melded every part of herself to a man.
And then he was gone."
I liked very much how Nick and Mia have found their way back to each other, even though i felt a little bit sad for the lost time... They didn't deserve to be apart from each other for such a long time!!! Such a wasted time for no reason!!!!
They allowed the bad things to overshadow the best things of their relationship and it was such a pity!!!
"I lost you, lost us. Now it feels like I have a chance again. Like we have a chance."
And now, i can't wait for the rest of the Walker brothers to tell their stories...
I'm pretty sure that their books will be very interesting!!!!
***ARC generously provided via NetGalley for the exchange of an honest review!!!
Thank you!!!***
February 10, 2017
5 - "Be happy... It's time." Stars!
Worth The Wait was just that, absolutely and totally worth the wait. Claudia Connor took me back to a group of people that I have already fallen in love with, in the McKinney clan, and gave her readers a totally new perspective by introducing the Walker family in full as well.
This is a book that takes you back to a time when the Walker family suffered its most devastating loss, and follows through the aftermath and changes to all of their lives from it. Nick Walker as the eldest brother feels the most pressure when it comes to taking responsibility, especially when it comes to the care of his much younger sister Hannah.
"I don’t know what I’m doing… I hate that… you were always the one that made me feel like I was doing okay."
This is where the author excelled for me, because Hannah is a character we know as an adult, her book Worth The Risk was my favorite of The McKinney Brothers series. So to get her story told from her older brother’s perspective, while his life unfolds around it as well was particularly poignant for me. Some of the also book runs along concurrently with Worth The Risk, and it just gave extra background to that story for me as well as added emotional impact to everything that Nick and Mia were going through as well.
"My heart is yours… You stole it, remember?"
This is one of those books where you ask yourself if there was ever an unluckier couple, through the past you see the strong bond that built between Nick and Mia in their late teens and twenties as Nick struggles to raise Hannah and keep his brothers on the straight and narrow while trying to become an FBI Agent himself, Mia is training to be a Doctor at the same time, so their lives and and the love they feel towards each other is not always shared in the same state, but they make it work because of that love and the depth of feelings they have for each other. Hannah’s abduction and the months and years following on from that then show how a love that strong, sometimes is still not enough to hold a couple together.
"You don’t have the right to know everything anymore."
Nick a man with an inherent controlling personality (but with the best interests) is more than a little shocked to learn that Hannah has turned to Mia for help with counseling ten years on from his and Mia’s split. The surprise at seeing her again coupled with the fact he had no knowledge of her helping Hannah doesn���t make for a great reconnection initially, but as he calms down, and they both talk more about themselves and how their lives have been shaped in the past decade, he realizes that Mia (just like himself), has not really moved on with her life since their separation, and the reasons for that as they are revealed to him and the emotional turmoil she is currently struggling with for other reasons, made their coming back to each other even more heart-felt.
"Yours is the only heart I’m interested in."
You can tell that Claudia really put her heart and soul into giving this couple the story they deserved, in that it wasn’t rushed in its development and it had so much emotional depth to it.
"We’ve struggled. Let’s have our peace."
This was such a great book, the author pulled me in from the first few chapters, and filled my heart with all the pain, sorrow and happiness that this couple went through on their journey to happiness, the rest of the Walker brothers are also set up nicely in this book to hopefully have their own stories told at some point in the future too, and I loved that we got to catch up a little with the McKinney family as well along the way. Worth the Wait is Claudia Connor writing at her best, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
"It was a good memory."
ARC generously provided via Netgalley, and it was my absolute pleasure to provide the above honest review in exchange.
Worth The Wait was just that, absolutely and totally worth the wait. Claudia Connor took me back to a group of people that I have already fallen in love with, in the McKinney clan, and gave her readers a totally new perspective by introducing the Walker family in full as well.
This is a book that takes you back to a time when the Walker family suffered its most devastating loss, and follows through the aftermath and changes to all of their lives from it. Nick Walker as the eldest brother feels the most pressure when it comes to taking responsibility, especially when it comes to the care of his much younger sister Hannah.
"I don’t know what I’m doing… I hate that… you were always the one that made me feel like I was doing okay."
This is where the author excelled for me, because Hannah is a character we know as an adult, her book Worth The Risk was my favorite of The McKinney Brothers series. So to get her story told from her older brother’s perspective, while his life unfolds around it as well was particularly poignant for me. Some of the also book runs along concurrently with Worth The Risk, and it just gave extra background to that story for me as well as added emotional impact to everything that Nick and Mia were going through as well.
"My heart is yours… You stole it, remember?"
This is one of those books where you ask yourself if there was ever an unluckier couple, through the past you see the strong bond that built between Nick and Mia in their late teens and twenties as Nick struggles to raise Hannah and keep his brothers on the straight and narrow while trying to become an FBI Agent himself, Mia is training to be a Doctor at the same time, so their lives and and the love they feel towards each other is not always shared in the same state, but they make it work because of that love and the depth of feelings they have for each other. Hannah’s abduction and the months and years following on from that then show how a love that strong, sometimes is still not enough to hold a couple together.
"You don’t have the right to know everything anymore."
Nick a man with an inherent controlling personality (but with the best interests) is more than a little shocked to learn that Hannah has turned to Mia for help with counseling ten years on from his and Mia’s split. The surprise at seeing her again coupled with the fact he had no knowledge of her helping Hannah doesn���t make for a great reconnection initially, but as he calms down, and they both talk more about themselves and how their lives have been shaped in the past decade, he realizes that Mia (just like himself), has not really moved on with her life since their separation, and the reasons for that as they are revealed to him and the emotional turmoil she is currently struggling with for other reasons, made their coming back to each other even more heart-felt.
"Yours is the only heart I’m interested in."
You can tell that Claudia really put her heart and soul into giving this couple the story they deserved, in that it wasn’t rushed in its development and it had so much emotional depth to it.
"We’ve struggled. Let’s have our peace."
This was such a great book, the author pulled me in from the first few chapters, and filled my heart with all the pain, sorrow and happiness that this couple went through on their journey to happiness, the rest of the Walker brothers are also set up nicely in this book to hopefully have their own stories told at some point in the future too, and I loved that we got to catch up a little with the McKinney family as well along the way. Worth the Wait is Claudia Connor writing at her best, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
"It was a good memory."
ARC generously provided via Netgalley, and it was my absolute pleasure to provide the above honest review in exchange.
January 11, 2017
3.25 'Second Chance' Stars
Everybody who follows my reading/reviewer journey knows how much I adore ( or better yet, worship) Claudia Connor and her unmeasurable writing gift and this book was no exception, because WORTH THE WAIT gave me ALL the feels!!!
I laughed, I cried – a LOT – , got mad and smiled with Nick and Mia’s story, and was so very happy to revisit some of my favorite characters from the previous books of the The McKinney Brothers series and for all these reasons Claudia Connor is still one of my all time favorite authors.
I adore Claudia Connor’s writing and her incredible talent portraying feelings and emotions that touch us deeply in a way that very few author’s are able to, and if you haven’t yet read any of her books, you HAVE to!!! That being said, even though I enjoyed this book, in all the ways I’ve already mentioned, there were some elements that being my personal pet peeves (mainly on Nick’s part) discredited their relationship for me, and stole from my enjoyment of the story. Yes, this is a second chance story – and an amazing one at that – , and their relationship is a complex and hurt-filled one, but his reactions and specially the fact that he really seated badly with me, and from that point on, couple with his attitude and disregard of her feelings, I really didn’t feel his love for Mia, like he professed so many times.
Like I said the storyline and character development is beyond realistic, sadly his feelings for her weren’t really proven by his actions in my view, therefore detracting from the veracity of their relationship, which was the main focus of the book, hence the unusually and slightly lower rating for Nick and Mia’s story when I normally rate Claudia Connor’s books much higher (because hello, she’s brilliant!)!
So please consider that this is my very subjective take on the story, and don’t let that stop you in any way of reading this book, because the emotional journey and creative storyline are more than worth it on its own!!! I can’t wait to for the next McKinney/Walker sibling’s story!!!!
ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
For full review with Release Blitz and Giveaway, check out my Blog Post,
http://gisspotreviews.com/index.php/2...
Everybody who follows my reading/reviewer journey knows how much I adore ( or better yet, worship) Claudia Connor and her unmeasurable writing gift and this book was no exception, because WORTH THE WAIT gave me ALL the feels!!!
I laughed, I cried – a LOT – , got mad and smiled with Nick and Mia’s story, and was so very happy to revisit some of my favorite characters from the previous books of the The McKinney Brothers series and for all these reasons Claudia Connor is still one of my all time favorite authors.
I adore Claudia Connor’s writing and her incredible talent portraying feelings and emotions that touch us deeply in a way that very few author’s are able to, and if you haven’t yet read any of her books, you HAVE to!!! That being said, even though I enjoyed this book, in all the ways I’ve already mentioned, there were some elements that being my personal pet peeves (mainly on Nick’s part) discredited their relationship for me, and stole from my enjoyment of the story. Yes, this is a second chance story – and an amazing one at that – , and their relationship is a complex and hurt-filled one, but his reactions and specially the fact that he really seated badly with me, and from that point on, couple with his attitude and disregard of her feelings, I really didn’t feel his love for Mia, like he professed so many times.
Like I said the storyline and character development is beyond realistic, sadly his feelings for her weren’t really proven by his actions in my view, therefore detracting from the veracity of their relationship, which was the main focus of the book, hence the unusually and slightly lower rating for Nick and Mia’s story when I normally rate Claudia Connor’s books much higher (because hello, she’s brilliant!)!
So please consider that this is my very subjective take on the story, and don’t let that stop you in any way of reading this book, because the emotional journey and creative storyline are more than worth it on its own!!! I can’t wait to for the next McKinney/Walker sibling’s story!!!!
ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
For full review with Release Blitz and Giveaway, check out my Blog Post,
http://gisspotreviews.com/index.php/2...
February 9, 2017
Back in 2015, after reading Worth the Risk--the second in Claudia Connor's McKinney Brothers series and my favourite--I said I hoped that the introduction of Hannah Walker's brothers was leading towards something more.
Worth the Wait is the more, and it lives up to its title.
Nick and Mia have a love that has spanned decades and we're taken right back to where it all began following the death of Nick's parents when he was 19 and shouldering the responsibility of becoming guardian to his three teenage brothers and toddler sister. What this couple experience is everything from heartwarming to utterly heart wrenching, and Claudia Connor gives them the story they so deserve.
This was an absolute joy to read and with a couple who I loved. From Nick's sigh inducing moments as the protective older brother to a sweet little girl, to his inner torment and understandably over-protecting nature, to Mia's unwavering love and support despite the mistakes made and years they've spent apart, they are unforgettable. I applaud Claudia for how well this story worked hopping between the past and the present, and how she has linked Worth the Wait with Worth the Risk, giving existing readers a continuation of Hannah's story with certain little holes filled in, yet for new readers it can be read as standalone. I can't wait for more from the Walker's and the McKinney's.
Copy received courtesy of the author via NetGalley for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Worth the Wait is the more, and it lives up to its title.
Nick and Mia have a love that has spanned decades and we're taken right back to where it all began following the death of Nick's parents when he was 19 and shouldering the responsibility of becoming guardian to his three teenage brothers and toddler sister. What this couple experience is everything from heartwarming to utterly heart wrenching, and Claudia Connor gives them the story they so deserve.
This was an absolute joy to read and with a couple who I loved. From Nick's sigh inducing moments as the protective older brother to a sweet little girl, to his inner torment and understandably over-protecting nature, to Mia's unwavering love and support despite the mistakes made and years they've spent apart, they are unforgettable. I applaud Claudia for how well this story worked hopping between the past and the present, and how she has linked Worth the Wait with Worth the Risk, giving existing readers a continuation of Hannah's story with certain little holes filled in, yet for new readers it can be read as standalone. I can't wait for more from the Walker's and the McKinney's.
Copy received courtesy of the author via NetGalley for an honest and unbiased opinion.
November 13, 2016
It's * LIVE * LIVE * LIVE for PREORDER!!
WORTH THE WAIT ~ Nick Walker's story, if you remember him, from Worth The Risk, Hannah's oldest and broodiest brother. Whoop!! I could not be more excited for this book. Plenty of angst and plenty of swoon and you KNOW Matt, Abby, and the kids are in there too!
Kindle ~ http://amzn.to/2dqU5Uf
iBooks ~ http://apple.co/2eBBlxh
Nook ~ http://bit.ly/2ejOixK
WORTH THE WAIT ~ Nick Walker's story, if you remember him, from Worth The Risk, Hannah's oldest and broodiest brother. Whoop!! I could not be more excited for this book. Plenty of angst and plenty of swoon and you KNOW Matt, Abby, and the kids are in there too!
Kindle ~ http://amzn.to/2dqU5Uf
iBooks ~ http://apple.co/2eBBlxh
Nook ~ http://bit.ly/2ejOixK
February 7, 2017
BE STILL MY HEART, NICK!
I devoured every word of this book and loved the roller coaster ride!
After reading and loving the "Worth" series featuring the swoony McKinney Brothers, I could hardly wait for Nick's story! He a is hot-tempered, possessive and, pure to the core, delicious male, with the perfect amount of Alpha-"ness" factor going on ;)
Here are four things you need to know about Nick Walker:
*He is a brooding, stubborn and gorgeous FBI agent.
*He is, and always was, an over protective big brother.
*He is still in love with the woman he lost ten years ago.
*He wants her back! She has and always will be his!
The day Nick met Mia, while holding his baby sister, Hannah, in his arms, was the day that changed both their lives forever!
Nick met Mia twenty-four years ago when they were in college, and he found himself as care giver of his two year old sister, Hannah, and three teenage brothers. They tragically lost both their parents six months before and Nick is quite over-whelmed with the responsibility of it all. He is totally smitten with Mia as soon as they meet. After six weeks of friendly lunches on campus and her willingness to help him navigate taking care of four young siblings, he knows they all need her in their life, especially him. Wanting to take their friendship to the next level, he makes his move and kisses her. She totally knocks him for a loop and ties him up in knots, yet his heart feels lighter just being near her. As their relationship progresses, she begins to own his heart and he is never the same again!
When Nick kisses Mia for the first time, she is struck dumb by the physical attraction. He is Tall! Dark! Hot! Athletically God like! "He is gorgeous like a dark pirate with the mouth of an angel." She adores how well he takes care of his sister and brothers, and how protective he is. It doesn't take long for Mia to fall completely for Nick. Even at the young age of eighteen, she understands the depth of their relationship ..... Nick and Mia, always!
Unfortunately for them, always didn't last forever. Circumstances that tear Nick and Mia apart are devastating and tragic. Ten years later, those same circumstances lead them back together again in an emotionally charged fashion that is gripping, heartbreaking and beautiful to read.
"I need you to be mine again, Mia, and even more, I need to be yours"
"Worth the Wait" was definitely worth the wait to finally read ;)
*I received this book, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review*
I devoured every word of this book and loved the roller coaster ride!
After reading and loving the "Worth" series featuring the swoony McKinney Brothers, I could hardly wait for Nick's story! He a is hot-tempered, possessive and, pure to the core, delicious male, with the perfect amount of Alpha-"ness" factor going on ;)
Here are four things you need to know about Nick Walker:
*He is a brooding, stubborn and gorgeous FBI agent.
*He is, and always was, an over protective big brother.
*He is still in love with the woman he lost ten years ago.
*He wants her back! She has and always will be his!
The day Nick met Mia, while holding his baby sister, Hannah, in his arms, was the day that changed both their lives forever!
Nick met Mia twenty-four years ago when they were in college, and he found himself as care giver of his two year old sister, Hannah, and three teenage brothers. They tragically lost both their parents six months before and Nick is quite over-whelmed with the responsibility of it all. He is totally smitten with Mia as soon as they meet. After six weeks of friendly lunches on campus and her willingness to help him navigate taking care of four young siblings, he knows they all need her in their life, especially him. Wanting to take their friendship to the next level, he makes his move and kisses her. She totally knocks him for a loop and ties him up in knots, yet his heart feels lighter just being near her. As their relationship progresses, she begins to own his heart and he is never the same again!
When Nick kisses Mia for the first time, she is struck dumb by the physical attraction. He is Tall! Dark! Hot! Athletically God like! "He is gorgeous like a dark pirate with the mouth of an angel." She adores how well he takes care of his sister and brothers, and how protective he is. It doesn't take long for Mia to fall completely for Nick. Even at the young age of eighteen, she understands the depth of their relationship ..... Nick and Mia, always!
Unfortunately for them, always didn't last forever. Circumstances that tear Nick and Mia apart are devastating and tragic. Ten years later, those same circumstances lead them back together again in an emotionally charged fashion that is gripping, heartbreaking and beautiful to read.
"I need you to be mine again, Mia, and even more, I need to be yours"
"Worth the Wait" was definitely worth the wait to finally read ;)
*I received this book, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review*
February 7, 2017
Title: Worth the Wait
Series: McKinney/Walker #1
Author: Claudia Connor
Release date: January 10, 2017
Cliffhanger: No
HEA
“I loved you yesterday. I’ll love you tomorrow. Every day.”
This was my first book by Claudia Connor and I'm so glad I decided to try it out. Worth the Wait is a spinoff of the McKinney Brothers series. But if like me, you hadn't read any of them, you'll be able to jump right in here just fine. This book is about Nick Walker, he was introduced in Worth the Risk, as the heroine Hannah's brother. In fact, I loved Hannah so much in this story, that I immediately bought her book and read it right afterwards. I really loved this author's skill in bringing a wide range of emotion and angst. Even though this wasn't an enthusiastic five stars, I can tell you with all certainty that I will be reading the others in the series.
This was a second chance story about two people who met at the most inconvenient time for love. Nick had just lost his parents at the age of nineteen. He was stressed, grieving, and now the parental figure for his three siblings. The youngest Hannah only two at the time and not able to make sense of the tragic loss of her mother and father. He was in way over his head trying to deal with this on top of his studies at college. Mia was just starting her ambitious studies in her goal to be a doctor and she didn't intend for anything to get in her way of succeeding. They were two people who seemed to be on separate paths from the start, but that didn't stop them from growing to care about one another and yearning for more.
As time goes by, the two of them realize they've found something rare and special in one another. And no matter what the odds, they're willing to take their shot at love. They hold strong through school and forced distance for years afterwards. But the fork in the road occurred with Hannah's abduction and torture as a teen. From this point on, nothing will ever be the same. Naturally, there is an incredible amount of emotional trauma from her horror-filled time in captivity and Nick in unequipped for handling it. He's the protector of the family, the one who is supposed to shield them from harm, and he feels as if he failed in the worst way imaginable. As much as I loved Nick up until this point, this is where my frustrations started to grow.
As the catalyst for their separation, it's understandable and it drew my empathy for both. I was hurting with them and hoping for a reconciliation that would ease their suffering. However, ten long years pass, and neither is any happier in their personal life. Mia especially has known loss and heartache that consumes her, and she has no one that she can lean on. When she takes on Hannah's case as her therapist, eventually it brings her face to face with the one man who got away that she can't forget.
Between Nick's stubborn pride, and his massive guilt that he wouldn't face and conquer, I felt as if these two were running around in circles in regards to working out their issues. After a point, things started to lean more towards depressing rather than any other emotion as we see them flounder time and again trying to reconnect. I would have liked to have seen them spend more time together working towards forgiving one another rather than such an excessive amount of time in flashbacks of how they came to be separated. But...even though I didn't fully love this one, I enjoyed the close family dynamic and the lovely way with words this author has. I'm really looking forward to catching up on her backlist in the near future.
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February 8, 2017
I absolutely loved it!!!
Full review now posted 1/9/17
4.5 ”Volim te” stars
Worth the Wait is a spinoff series from the McKinney Brothers and revolves around the Walker family. In Worth the Risk , (book 2 of the McKinney Brothers series) Hannah Walker becomes involved with Stephen McKinney. This book is about Nick Walker, Hannah’s brother, and can be read as a standalone since the author did a really good job explaining details from the previous series.
The Walker clan has suffered a heartbreaking loss, and Nick is struggling to keep his 3 brothers and Hannah together while also attending college where he meets the beautiful Mia James. When a sweet friendship turns into something more, Nick finally starts to settle and is able to see his dream is within reach. When tragedy strikes again, it shakes Nick to his core. Mia and Nick’s perfect life is shattered.
When their paths cross years later, Nick is confused about how he feels about Mia. Hurt? Anger? Does he still love her? Mia has secrets of her own. Her heart was already once destroyed by Nick, can she survive another heartbreak?
This book is an emotional journey. There were times I had tears in my eyes, and there were times I wanted to smack both Nick and Mia upside there head. I adored both characters, and I understood why they did what they did.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to the next Walker Bros story. I hope it is about the mysterious Luke.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Full review now posted 1/9/17
4.5 ”Volim te” stars
Worth the Wait is a spinoff series from the McKinney Brothers and revolves around the Walker family. In Worth the Risk , (book 2 of the McKinney Brothers series) Hannah Walker becomes involved with Stephen McKinney. This book is about Nick Walker, Hannah’s brother, and can be read as a standalone since the author did a really good job explaining details from the previous series.
The Walker clan has suffered a heartbreaking loss, and Nick is struggling to keep his 3 brothers and Hannah together while also attending college where he meets the beautiful Mia James. When a sweet friendship turns into something more, Nick finally starts to settle and is able to see his dream is within reach. When tragedy strikes again, it shakes Nick to his core. Mia and Nick’s perfect life is shattered.
”Funny how he could find the words to destroy her, but none to put her back together”
When their paths cross years later, Nick is confused about how he feels about Mia. Hurt? Anger? Does he still love her? Mia has secrets of her own. Her heart was already once destroyed by Nick, can she survive another heartbreak?
This book is an emotional journey. There were times I had tears in my eyes, and there were times I wanted to smack both Nick and Mia upside there head. I adored both characters, and I understood why they did what they did.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to the next Walker Bros story. I hope it is about the mysterious Luke.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
April 19, 2017
Warning: spoilers abound.
I thought long and hard about whether or not to review this one. But ultimately, I realized I had quite a bit to say about it.
The second-chance romance trope may not be a favorite of mine, but I don’t shy away from them. Especially if one happens to be written by an author I typically enjoy. However, I tend to enjoy them more when the person needing a second chance comes back a changed person—for the better. I expect that person to be willing to do whatever it takes, to fight for the love they want.
“It's been ten years since Nick watched the only woman he ever loved walk out of his life. Now this FBI Special Agent will do anything to win her back.”
I was really surprised how the premise promised one thing, but failed to deliver. However, despite other issues at play, for me, personally, the ruination of this book can be summed up in one word: Hannah.
She—was—everywhere! And because I already had the pleasure of reading her story, this book felt repetitive in parts.
I tried to have patience with the narration switching from past to present, but this felt more like a prequel of sorts—or a continuation—to Hannah’s story. There was far too much page time focused on her. She was the catalyst to Nick and Mia’s first meeting, the catalyst to their subsequent breakup, and the catalyst to their chance meeting twenty-four years later. The entire book seemed to revolve around her, more or less.
For those not familiar with the McKinney Brothers series, Hannah is the love interest of Stephen McKinney. Their story was told in Worth the Risk—a book I actually enjoyed, if that tells you anything.
I wasn’t dismayed that Hannah was featured so heavily in flashback chapters, which was a given, considering Nick had become her legal guardian when she was just two-years-old. But even in the present, she dominated the story.
Worth the Wait was told in both past and present, and from alternating points of view. Twenty-four years in the past, a nineteen-year-old Nick met an eighteen-year-old Mia at college. He was immediately smitten. Nick, who, on top of being a full-time college student, had just become the sole legal guardian of his four younger siblings, including two-year-old Hannah. As one could imagine, he didn’t have time to date. Fortunately, he and Mia fell into a routine, and, before long, they were an official couple.
Their relationship wasn’t without its fair share of difficulties, but I respected them more for working just as hard to fulfill their own aspirations. After Mia got her undergraduate degree, she moved to Boston to continue pursuing her dream of becoming a surgeon. Nick chased his own dreams closer to home and got accepted into the FBI academy. For six years, they made the long-distance work with phone calls and visits every few months. But Mia cut her time short in Boston and moved back to Virginia to finish her residency, where she and Nick picked up as if no time had passed.
On the day that Nick bought Mia’s engagement ring, fourteen-year-old Hannah was kidnapped. And that was the beginning of the end. Their relationship couldn’t hold up under Nick’s guilt and anger and his inability to forgive Mia for being two minutes late when picking Hannah up that fateful day. He never outright admitted it, but Mia knew that he blamed her every much as she blamed herself. Hannah was eventually rescued, but the damage was done. In the aftermath, they constantly argued about what was best for Hannah, with Nick lashing out or leaving the house altogether. For two years, their relationship was on the brink of collapse—before it did just that.
Ten years later, a forty-two year old Mia was back and living in Virginia. Only she was no longer a surgeon.
“I’m going to be a surgeon. That’s been my dream as long as I can remember. I like the idea of putting people back together, you know? The challenge of it. Every case is different.”
However, after Hannah was found, Mia took a leave of absence from the hospital and never went back.
“The blood, the scalpel…she just couldn’t do it anymore. Didn’t know if she’d ever be able to and it didn’t even matter. Hannah needed her. Nick needed her, even if he didn’t know he did or didn’t want to.”
I might have been a little slow on the uptake, but why Hannah’s ordeal discouraged Mia from being a surgeon was beyond my comprehension.
Anyway, not only was Mia back, but she was now a therapist. And not just any therapist, but Hannah’s therapist. Hannah, who was now a twenty-six-year-old woman. Hannah, who had a panic attack and was rushed to the hospital. Hannah, whose overprotective brother barged into her hospital room, demanding answers, only to discover Mia sitting at her bedside.
Nick immediately started throwing questions and accusations at her, once again lecturing her on what was best for Hannah.
Later that same day, Nick tracked Mia down at her office to, once again, talk about Hannah.
Why did she come to you?
How is she doing?
Why didn’t you know she was going to have a panic attack?
Tell her not to see Stephen anymore.
Why are you seeing her?
If she needed to see someone, I would have called. I would have found a doctor. I would have taken her.
Finally, after Mia continued refusing to divulge info on her patient, he got around to asking about her. Took him long enough.
“Why didn’t I know about you? You’ve been here how long?”
Nick was an agent with the FBI. If he had been curious and wanted to know how Mia had fared throughout the years, he was in a position to find out. What this scene conveyed to me was that if Nick hadn’t seen Mia at the hospital that day, he wouldn’t have sought her out. As in—ever. He would have gone on with his life, content without her in it. Those are not the actions of a man who would do anything to win her back, which made their so-called reunion all the more disappointing.
The disappointments didn't end there. I was disappointed to learn that Mia had spent the last ten years utterly alone. She was an only child and had lost both of her parents. She was only thirty-two when she left Nick, still young, but he remained her one and only lover. She didn’t pursue romantic relationships, didn’t have any close friends. Work was all she seemed to have, making her life sound incredibly small and empty.
When she turned forty, or thereabouts, she adopted a baby. Not because she couldn’t get pregnant, but because if she couldn’t do with it Nick, then she wanted to do it by herself—and she couldn’t even have that. The adoption fell through. She went home every night to an empty house, with a nursery full of memories, one that had been lovingly prepared for the daughter who had been taken away from her.
It was as if her life had no meaning without Nick, and therefore she was deemed not worthy of a full life without him. Intentional or not, at least to me, that was how it came across.
Nick may not have had a serious relationship after Mia, but his life wasn’t empty. He had his siblings, a job that he loved, and, based on a stilted conversation he had with Mia, it was implied that he at least engaged in casual sex during their separation.
Is it too much to ask that a heroine, for once, not to be expected to remain celibate during a long separation? To make an effort to move on? To stop living a half-life, as if everything hinges on the long awaited return of her lost love?
After their encounter at the hospital, out of loneliness, Mia found herself knocking on Nick’s door one night. One thing led to another, and they ended up in bed together. The next morning, the topic of discussion, once again, was about Hannah. It was heartbreaking to watch Mia assuage Nick’s guilt, only for him to leave her an emotional wreck, twisting in the wind. Again, those are not the actions of a man who would do anything to win her back.
I had a hard time connecting with the characters, likely because the story jumped around from past to present. I also never got a real sense for who Mia was without Nick and found little enjoyment in the relationship between them. I needed more moments with them as a couple in the present time, without all the push and pull. Honestly, I would’ve enjoyed the story more if they had worked through their issues before rushing into a sexual relationship again.
I needed less urgency toward the end. I felt a little short-changed with the way the last few chapters were a mad rush to the finish line. Not even the epilogue, which took place a year later, was enough to convince me of the depth of their love. They eloped and—surprise!—Mia, now forty-three, was pregnant with not one, not two, but three babies. Because why the hell not? So what if their elopement was only worthy of a simple mention, after the fact. I mean, what does it matter that an entire scene was focused on Hannah’s wedding day? Granted, that happened earlier in the story, but still. Less Hannah and more relationship development would’ve been nice.
I thought long and hard about whether or not to review this one. But ultimately, I realized I had quite a bit to say about it.
The second-chance romance trope may not be a favorite of mine, but I don’t shy away from them. Especially if one happens to be written by an author I typically enjoy. However, I tend to enjoy them more when the person needing a second chance comes back a changed person—for the better. I expect that person to be willing to do whatever it takes, to fight for the love they want.
“It's been ten years since Nick watched the only woman he ever loved walk out of his life. Now this FBI Special Agent will do anything to win her back.”
I was really surprised how the premise promised one thing, but failed to deliver. However, despite other issues at play, for me, personally, the ruination of this book can be summed up in one word: Hannah.
She—was—everywhere! And because I already had the pleasure of reading her story, this book felt repetitive in parts.
I tried to have patience with the narration switching from past to present, but this felt more like a prequel of sorts—or a continuation—to Hannah’s story. There was far too much page time focused on her. She was the catalyst to Nick and Mia’s first meeting, the catalyst to their subsequent breakup, and the catalyst to their chance meeting twenty-four years later. The entire book seemed to revolve around her, more or less.
For those not familiar with the McKinney Brothers series, Hannah is the love interest of Stephen McKinney. Their story was told in Worth the Risk—a book I actually enjoyed, if that tells you anything.
I wasn’t dismayed that Hannah was featured so heavily in flashback chapters, which was a given, considering Nick had become her legal guardian when she was just two-years-old. But even in the present, she dominated the story.
Worth the Wait was told in both past and present, and from alternating points of view. Twenty-four years in the past, a nineteen-year-old Nick met an eighteen-year-old Mia at college. He was immediately smitten. Nick, who, on top of being a full-time college student, had just become the sole legal guardian of his four younger siblings, including two-year-old Hannah. As one could imagine, he didn’t have time to date. Fortunately, he and Mia fell into a routine, and, before long, they were an official couple.
Their relationship wasn’t without its fair share of difficulties, but I respected them more for working just as hard to fulfill their own aspirations. After Mia got her undergraduate degree, she moved to Boston to continue pursuing her dream of becoming a surgeon. Nick chased his own dreams closer to home and got accepted into the FBI academy. For six years, they made the long-distance work with phone calls and visits every few months. But Mia cut her time short in Boston and moved back to Virginia to finish her residency, where she and Nick picked up as if no time had passed.
On the day that Nick bought Mia’s engagement ring, fourteen-year-old Hannah was kidnapped. And that was the beginning of the end. Their relationship couldn’t hold up under Nick’s guilt and anger and his inability to forgive Mia for being two minutes late when picking Hannah up that fateful day. He never outright admitted it, but Mia knew that he blamed her every much as she blamed herself. Hannah was eventually rescued, but the damage was done. In the aftermath, they constantly argued about what was best for Hannah, with Nick lashing out or leaving the house altogether. For two years, their relationship was on the brink of collapse—before it did just that.
Ten years later, a forty-two year old Mia was back and living in Virginia. Only she was no longer a surgeon.
“I’m going to be a surgeon. That’s been my dream as long as I can remember. I like the idea of putting people back together, you know? The challenge of it. Every case is different.”
However, after Hannah was found, Mia took a leave of absence from the hospital and never went back.
“The blood, the scalpel…she just couldn’t do it anymore. Didn’t know if she’d ever be able to and it didn’t even matter. Hannah needed her. Nick needed her, even if he didn’t know he did or didn’t want to.”
I might have been a little slow on the uptake, but why Hannah’s ordeal discouraged Mia from being a surgeon was beyond my comprehension.
Anyway, not only was Mia back, but she was now a therapist. And not just any therapist, but Hannah’s therapist. Hannah, who was now a twenty-six-year-old woman. Hannah, who had a panic attack and was rushed to the hospital. Hannah, whose overprotective brother barged into her hospital room, demanding answers, only to discover Mia sitting at her bedside.
Nick immediately started throwing questions and accusations at her, once again lecturing her on what was best for Hannah.
Later that same day, Nick tracked Mia down at her office to, once again, talk about Hannah.
Why did she come to you?
How is she doing?
Why didn’t you know she was going to have a panic attack?
Tell her not to see Stephen anymore.
Why are you seeing her?
If she needed to see someone, I would have called. I would have found a doctor. I would have taken her.
Finally, after Mia continued refusing to divulge info on her patient, he got around to asking about her. Took him long enough.
“Why didn’t I know about you? You’ve been here how long?”
Nick was an agent with the FBI. If he had been curious and wanted to know how Mia had fared throughout the years, he was in a position to find out. What this scene conveyed to me was that if Nick hadn’t seen Mia at the hospital that day, he wouldn’t have sought her out. As in—ever. He would have gone on with his life, content without her in it. Those are not the actions of a man who would do anything to win her back, which made their so-called reunion all the more disappointing.
The disappointments didn't end there. I was disappointed to learn that Mia had spent the last ten years utterly alone. She was an only child and had lost both of her parents. She was only thirty-two when she left Nick, still young, but he remained her one and only lover. She didn’t pursue romantic relationships, didn’t have any close friends. Work was all she seemed to have, making her life sound incredibly small and empty.
When she turned forty, or thereabouts, she adopted a baby. Not because she couldn’t get pregnant, but because if she couldn’t do with it Nick, then she wanted to do it by herself—and she couldn’t even have that. The adoption fell through. She went home every night to an empty house, with a nursery full of memories, one that had been lovingly prepared for the daughter who had been taken away from her.
It was as if her life had no meaning without Nick, and therefore she was deemed not worthy of a full life without him. Intentional or not, at least to me, that was how it came across.
Nick may not have had a serious relationship after Mia, but his life wasn’t empty. He had his siblings, a job that he loved, and, based on a stilted conversation he had with Mia, it was implied that he at least engaged in casual sex during their separation.
Is it too much to ask that a heroine, for once, not to be expected to remain celibate during a long separation? To make an effort to move on? To stop living a half-life, as if everything hinges on the long awaited return of her lost love?
After their encounter at the hospital, out of loneliness, Mia found herself knocking on Nick’s door one night. One thing led to another, and they ended up in bed together. The next morning, the topic of discussion, once again, was about Hannah. It was heartbreaking to watch Mia assuage Nick’s guilt, only for him to leave her an emotional wreck, twisting in the wind. Again, those are not the actions of a man who would do anything to win her back.
I had a hard time connecting with the characters, likely because the story jumped around from past to present. I also never got a real sense for who Mia was without Nick and found little enjoyment in the relationship between them. I needed more moments with them as a couple in the present time, without all the push and pull. Honestly, I would’ve enjoyed the story more if they had worked through their issues before rushing into a sexual relationship again.
I needed less urgency toward the end. I felt a little short-changed with the way the last few chapters were a mad rush to the finish line. Not even the epilogue, which took place a year later, was enough to convince me of the depth of their love. They eloped and—surprise!—Mia, now forty-three, was pregnant with not one, not two, but three babies. Because why the hell not? So what if their elopement was only worthy of a simple mention, after the fact. I mean, what does it matter that an entire scene was focused on Hannah’s wedding day? Granted, that happened earlier in the story, but still. Less Hannah and more relationship development would’ve been nice.
February 5, 2017
4 to 4,5 “second chance” stars
An ARC has been kindly given by the author via NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve read Worth The Fall one year ago and fell in love with the utter cuteness of this story. With Worth The Wait Claudia Connor has once more written a story filled with wonderful characters but with a sadder undertone.
Nick has lost his parents at eighteen and has decided to raise his younger siblings: three teenage boys and a two-year-old little sister Hannah. He could have chosen to ask his aunt to take them but he could not fathom parting with them.
To say I completely melted when this barely adult Nick protected Hannah with all his might, letting her stay on his knees while he attended classes because she asked him ”I stay you” with “giant tears hanging from golden lashes” would be the understatement of the year! I love when Claudia Connor launches me in the cuteness stratosphere. She is crafty like that and writes heart melting dialogs with little kids. I’m a goner….
Nick is “The Protector”. He would die for his siblings but he carries a massive burden on his shoulders. With no warning, unprepared he had to learn how to run a house, manage teenagers and care for a little girl. This big solemn softie had to learn to make pigtails, put the right shoe on the right foot, go quick to the bathroom to avoid accidents… All this while building his future.
It was so much and sometimes too much. He made mistakes, especially with his seventeen year old brother Luke.
When he met Mia she was like a breath of fresh air. She was doll-like, gorgeous, steady, dedicated to her studies. They fell in love. Together they acted like parents for Hannah and his brothers. But when a horrible drama hit Hannah Nick thought he failed her and failed everyone. Everyhting exploded. He had nothing left to give to Mia. They could not weather the storm.
Now many years later Mia is back in town while their emotions and feelings are still running high.
I loved this second chance story. Nick is one of these very serious guys, the one needing to be in charge, to have some control. Without this control, he is lost. He was fantastic with his little sister and I had so many cute as pie moments I could not stop sighing. But his strength is also his weakness because he never let go and it cost him his relationship. I had conflicting feelings with him. I adored Nick with Hannah but I was so angry with the pain he inflicted on Mia.
If someone was perfect in this story it was Mia. Mia is an incredible and very endearing character. I imagined her like these girls not overtly shining, not the focal point but discreet, caring, steady and very understanding. She was the tranquil strength Nick needed. She had so much love to give, so much hope and dreams juts to see them crushed dramatically. Nick has been awful with her more than once shattering her heart. I know he was hurt and did not know how to get better but it made me despise him.
I think their story was too much too soon to succeed the first time. They had so much on their plate and could not be just young and free.
But that’s life. Bad timing happens. Near misses. Mistakes. We hurt those we love most. The journey is as important as the destination.
If you love:
-family story filled with love, loss, mess and hope;
-big hot protective guys and beautiful inside out female character;
-utter cuteness thanks to big brother protecting his little sister (see quote below);
-second chance stories with some angst but not unbearably so;
-a sneak peek into Abby and Matt happy ever after (I loved it!!!)
Don’t look further this is your next read.
Now just for my and your own pleasure, here comes some tender and fiercely protective brotherly love: this scene is when Nick is sitting in the auditorium soon after their parent’s death
“The high-pitched wail wasn’t his two-year-old sister’s hurt cry. It was her scared cry, with a touch of pissed off.(…) He was up, out of his seat, and halfway down the auditorium stairs before his professor laid his pen down. Nick’s eyes narrowed on the young blonde in an oversized sweatshirt with silk Greek letters sewn on the front. She held a sobbing Hannah dressed in the sunny yellow sundress he’d picked out that morning. She hadn’t been crying when he’d left her. Now her eyes were red, and snot mixed with tears dripped into her mouth. She lunged for him and he caught her against his chest. His heart squeezed like it always did when she held on to him, but especially when she cried. “I stay you”, Hannah said, each word tumbling out of her with a jerk of her tiny shoulders.”
An ARC has been kindly given by the author via NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve read Worth The Fall one year ago and fell in love with the utter cuteness of this story. With Worth The Wait Claudia Connor has once more written a story filled with wonderful characters but with a sadder undertone.
Nick has lost his parents at eighteen and has decided to raise his younger siblings: three teenage boys and a two-year-old little sister Hannah. He could have chosen to ask his aunt to take them but he could not fathom parting with them.
To say I completely melted when this barely adult Nick protected Hannah with all his might, letting her stay on his knees while he attended classes because she asked him ”I stay you” with “giant tears hanging from golden lashes” would be the understatement of the year! I love when Claudia Connor launches me in the cuteness stratosphere. She is crafty like that and writes heart melting dialogs with little kids. I’m a goner….
Nick is “The Protector”. He would die for his siblings but he carries a massive burden on his shoulders. With no warning, unprepared he had to learn how to run a house, manage teenagers and care for a little girl. This big solemn softie had to learn to make pigtails, put the right shoe on the right foot, go quick to the bathroom to avoid accidents… All this while building his future.
It was so much and sometimes too much. He made mistakes, especially with his seventeen year old brother Luke.
When he met Mia she was like a breath of fresh air. She was doll-like, gorgeous, steady, dedicated to her studies. They fell in love. Together they acted like parents for Hannah and his brothers. But when a horrible drama hit Hannah Nick thought he failed her and failed everyone. Everyhting exploded. He had nothing left to give to Mia. They could not weather the storm.
Now many years later Mia is back in town while their emotions and feelings are still running high.
I loved this second chance story. Nick is one of these very serious guys, the one needing to be in charge, to have some control. Without this control, he is lost. He was fantastic with his little sister and I had so many cute as pie moments I could not stop sighing. But his strength is also his weakness because he never let go and it cost him his relationship. I had conflicting feelings with him. I adored Nick with Hannah but I was so angry with the pain he inflicted on Mia.
If someone was perfect in this story it was Mia. Mia is an incredible and very endearing character. I imagined her like these girls not overtly shining, not the focal point but discreet, caring, steady and very understanding. She was the tranquil strength Nick needed. She had so much love to give, so much hope and dreams juts to see them crushed dramatically. Nick has been awful with her more than once shattering her heart. I know he was hurt and did not know how to get better but it made me despise him.
I think their story was too much too soon to succeed the first time. They had so much on their plate and could not be just young and free.
But that’s life. Bad timing happens. Near misses. Mistakes. We hurt those we love most. The journey is as important as the destination.
If you love:
-family story filled with love, loss, mess and hope;
-big hot protective guys and beautiful inside out female character;
-utter cuteness thanks to big brother protecting his little sister (see quote below);
-second chance stories with some angst but not unbearably so;
-a sneak peek into Abby and Matt happy ever after (I loved it!!!)
Don’t look further this is your next read.
Now just for my and your own pleasure, here comes some tender and fiercely protective brotherly love: this scene is when Nick is sitting in the auditorium soon after their parent’s death
“The high-pitched wail wasn’t his two-year-old sister’s hurt cry. It was her scared cry, with a touch of pissed off.(…) He was up, out of his seat, and halfway down the auditorium stairs before his professor laid his pen down. Nick’s eyes narrowed on the young blonde in an oversized sweatshirt with silk Greek letters sewn on the front. She held a sobbing Hannah dressed in the sunny yellow sundress he’d picked out that morning. She hadn’t been crying when he’d left her. Now her eyes were red, and snot mixed with tears dripped into her mouth. She lunged for him and he caught her against his chest. His heart squeezed like it always did when she held on to him, but especially when she cried. “I stay you”, Hannah said, each word tumbling out of her with a jerk of her tiny shoulders.”
December 18, 2018
It wasn’t worth the wait.
Unfortunately.
Unfortunately.
February 23, 2017
Nick Walker had to grow up fast following the death of his parents. He took on raising his three teenaged brothers and his two-year old sister while he was enrolled in college. In the middle of this chaos, he meets and falls in love with Mia James. Theirs is an epic romance...until tragedy strikes some years later and he lets her walk away. It's been ten years and suddenly they find themselves face to face for the first time.
This is not your typical second-chance romance with easy issues to overcome the next time around. You'll fall hard for Nick and then want to strangle him. Mia is sort of a mystery until her story unfolds and then you struggle to not lose it. The story transitions at will from past to present, depending on the aspect of the story being told at the time. It may seem confusing but I had no issues keeping up and it made for more compelling storytelling.
I've wanted Nick and Mia's story since they first showed up in Worth the Risk. I knew it would be intriguing and this story delivered and punched my emotions unmercifully. I highly enjoyed it, though I needed just a smidgen more groveling from Nick:) I'm excited about the books to come in this series as the Walker brothers are queued nicely in this story.
(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
This is not your typical second-chance romance with easy issues to overcome the next time around. You'll fall hard for Nick and then want to strangle him. Mia is sort of a mystery until her story unfolds and then you struggle to not lose it. The story transitions at will from past to present, depending on the aspect of the story being told at the time. It may seem confusing but I had no issues keeping up and it made for more compelling storytelling.
I've wanted Nick and Mia's story since they first showed up in Worth the Risk. I knew it would be intriguing and this story delivered and punched my emotions unmercifully. I highly enjoyed it, though I needed just a smidgen more groveling from Nick:) I'm excited about the books to come in this series as the Walker brothers are queued nicely in this story.
(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
January 9, 2017
4.5 Stars
Nick and Mia met and fell in love in college right after Nick’s parents died and he became guardian over his younger brothers and two-year old sister, Hannah. Both Nick and Mia knew their love was the forever kind, and I loved going back and watching them fall for each other; loved seeing Mia become an integral part of Hannah’s life. But tragedy strikes, and the aftermath shatters them. Guilt, anger and blame deals the final blow to their relationship and Mia leaves, no longer able to bear Nick shutting her out.
They haven’t spoken in the ten years since Mia left, but neither has really moved on, so when they run into each other it brings all the hurt and pain back, but also the undeniable, intense love they had. Like Mia, I wondered whether Nick could ever let the past go to have a future with Mia. And I wondered if Mia would ever be able to forgive Nick for pushing her away.
Even though I felt for Nick and everything he went through, my heart went out to Mia more. I hurt so much for her! With their breakup Mia not only lost the love of her life, she lost Hannah who was basically like their daughter, and Nick’s little brothers, too. But Nick felt so guilty, angry, and helpless over what happened he had no room in his heart for anything else. He didn’t feel like he deserved any happiness because of what happened on his watch, and so he let Mia go. I was glad that this time Nick wasn’t going to make the same mistake.
Back when I read Hannah’s story in Worth the Risk, I begged for a Nick and Mia story, because it seemed like it would be an amazing second chance romance, and it was! I’m so happy Ms. Connor granted my wish! Worth the Wait was a very emotional read, I cried several times while reading. I was so invested in Nick and Mia’s story I couldn’t put it down and ended up reading it in one sitting. It was heart-wrenching at times to see what Nick and Mia went through, but that just made their journey back to happiness all the more satisfying. My heart soared and I cried happy tears in the end!
A copy was kindly provided by the author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This review is also posted at The Readers Den.
Nick and Mia met and fell in love in college right after Nick’s parents died and he became guardian over his younger brothers and two-year old sister, Hannah. Both Nick and Mia knew their love was the forever kind, and I loved going back and watching them fall for each other; loved seeing Mia become an integral part of Hannah’s life. But tragedy strikes, and the aftermath shatters them. Guilt, anger and blame deals the final blow to their relationship and Mia leaves, no longer able to bear Nick shutting her out.
They haven’t spoken in the ten years since Mia left, but neither has really moved on, so when they run into each other it brings all the hurt and pain back, but also the undeniable, intense love they had. Like Mia, I wondered whether Nick could ever let the past go to have a future with Mia. And I wondered if Mia would ever be able to forgive Nick for pushing her away.
Even though I felt for Nick and everything he went through, my heart went out to Mia more. I hurt so much for her! With their breakup Mia not only lost the love of her life, she lost Hannah who was basically like their daughter, and Nick’s little brothers, too. But Nick felt so guilty, angry, and helpless over what happened he had no room in his heart for anything else. He didn’t feel like he deserved any happiness because of what happened on his watch, and so he let Mia go. I was glad that this time Nick wasn’t going to make the same mistake.
Back when I read Hannah’s story in Worth the Risk, I begged for a Nick and Mia story, because it seemed like it would be an amazing second chance romance, and it was! I’m so happy Ms. Connor granted my wish! Worth the Wait was a very emotional read, I cried several times while reading. I was so invested in Nick and Mia’s story I couldn’t put it down and ended up reading it in one sitting. It was heart-wrenching at times to see what Nick and Mia went through, but that just made their journey back to happiness all the more satisfying. My heart soared and I cried happy tears in the end!
A copy was kindly provided by the author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This review is also posted at The Readers Den.
January 20, 2017
I have been looking forward to reading Worth the Wait since I found out about it as I loved the McKinney brothers series and I was curious about Nick and Mia.
I am sad to say I was disappointed with the story don't get me wrong I enjoyed getting to know Nick Walker better and discovering what happened between him and Mia, how much they both suffered on their own and how they were both scared to move on.
My problems with the story was jumping from present to past (I am not a huge fan of this in books) it gave me whiplash and then all the inner thoughts they both had like I'm scared, feeling guilty, what could have been and on and on this drove me crazy and took away the enjoyment in the story so this book dragged for me it took me over a week to read it.
This was a rough romance not what I was expecting at ALL it did not have the cute / sweetness factor that the McKinney brothers had.
The high points was catching up with Hannah and Stephen and the rest of the McKinney's especially Matt sigh and the epilogue was cute.
I will continue with this series as I am curious about the other Walker brothers.
I am sad to say I was disappointed with the story don't get me wrong I enjoyed getting to know Nick Walker better and discovering what happened between him and Mia, how much they both suffered on their own and how they were both scared to move on.
My problems with the story was jumping from present to past (I am not a huge fan of this in books) it gave me whiplash and then all the inner thoughts they both had like I'm scared, feeling guilty, what could have been and on and on this drove me crazy and took away the enjoyment in the story so this book dragged for me it took me over a week to read it.
This was a rough romance not what I was expecting at ALL it did not have the cute / sweetness factor that the McKinney brothers had.
The high points was catching up with Hannah and Stephen and the rest of the McKinney's especially Matt sigh and the epilogue was cute.
I will continue with this series as I am curious about the other Walker brothers.
January 9, 2021
Spoilers ahead
Reread
This author wrote one of the books I rec quite often so I decided to finish this series and reread this one.....ummmm no.....
Strikes against this book
The H
Second chance
10 year separation
The H
Celibate h
H who LOVED the h so much he fucked eleventy billion women just to make it through the years
Arrogant asshole H
Flashing between past and present
The H
Constant back and forth
Pushing away from H who definitely should've grovelled
The H
Positives
My ability to say fuck this shit in this review
There's no doubt in my mind as to this author's talent but this ABSOLUTELY in NO WAY said ROMANCE or TRUE LOVE to ME.
#dedicatedHeroesfor2021.
#nomoremanwhores
#womenhaveneedstoo
Reread
This author wrote one of the books I rec quite often so I decided to finish this series and reread this one.....ummmm no.....
Strikes against this book
The H
Second chance
10 year separation
The H
Celibate h
H who LOVED the h so much he fucked eleventy billion women just to make it through the years
Arrogant asshole H
Flashing between past and present
The H
Constant back and forth
Pushing away from H who definitely should've grovelled
The H
Positives
My ability to say fuck this shit in this review
There's no doubt in my mind as to this author's talent but this ABSOLUTELY in NO WAY said ROMANCE or TRUE LOVE to ME.
#dedicatedHeroesfor2021.
#nomoremanwhores
#womenhaveneedstoo
November 23, 2016
ARC received for review
4.5 stars
Second chance romance. Nick and Mia were college sweethearts, and then tragedy stuck his sister. Nick pushes Mia away, and they go their separate ways. It's years later, and they meet again. Their story is told during Hannah and Stephens (Worth the Risk) along with nicely done flashbacks to get their whole story. Great story plus there are three more yummy brothers.
4.5 stars
Second chance romance. Nick and Mia were college sweethearts, and then tragedy stuck his sister. Nick pushes Mia away, and they go their separate ways. It's years later, and they meet again. Their story is told during Hannah and Stephens (Worth the Risk) along with nicely done flashbacks to get their whole story. Great story plus there are three more yummy brothers.
November 20, 2016
One of the most emotionally consuming books Connor has written to date....
One of the main reasons that I love a Claudia Connor book so much is that she writes beautifully emotional stories with caring men. No matter what the issue is, her guys stand up, stand strong, keep the honesty and the keep emotions real. It’s a refreshing take on romance. Especially since she isn’t afraid to take on the trope of single moms and people who come with so much baggage they come with a trolley. LOL! You get my meaning. She always branches out with a caring hand.
Worth the Wait is a little different. It’s our strong leading man who is carrying the bulk of the issues this go-round. It’s a second chance romance that teeters back and forth from past to present. A story wrapped in love, loss, forced maturity, and disillusions of the real world. If you have read Worth the Risk, you’ll have some much-needed background and a sense of what really happened to a young Hannah Walker. In all honesty, reading the McKinney Brothers trilogy is a must in my opinion. It really sets the stage for Nick Walker and Mia James’s story.
Worth The Wait is a second chance romance with a love that never died. A longing for healing and the ability to forgive will be the goal in the end. There is just so much I want to share and divulge, but in doing so I fear that I’ll spoil it for you. I literally cried within the first twenty pages of the book. It’s a gut-wrenching beautiful tale of love, sacrifice, and forgiveness; not only of others, but of oneself.
ARC via NetGalley
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Book Babblers
One of the main reasons that I love a Claudia Connor book so much is that she writes beautifully emotional stories with caring men. No matter what the issue is, her guys stand up, stand strong, keep the honesty and the keep emotions real. It’s a refreshing take on romance. Especially since she isn’t afraid to take on the trope of single moms and people who come with so much baggage they come with a trolley. LOL! You get my meaning. She always branches out with a caring hand.
Worth the Wait is a little different. It’s our strong leading man who is carrying the bulk of the issues this go-round. It’s a second chance romance that teeters back and forth from past to present. A story wrapped in love, loss, forced maturity, and disillusions of the real world. If you have read Worth the Risk, you’ll have some much-needed background and a sense of what really happened to a young Hannah Walker. In all honesty, reading the McKinney Brothers trilogy is a must in my opinion. It really sets the stage for Nick Walker and Mia James’s story.
Worth The Wait is a second chance romance with a love that never died. A longing for healing and the ability to forgive will be the goal in the end. There is just so much I want to share and divulge, but in doing so I fear that I’ll spoil it for you. I literally cried within the first twenty pages of the book. It’s a gut-wrenching beautiful tale of love, sacrifice, and forgiveness; not only of others, but of oneself.
ARC via NetGalley
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December 3, 2016
4 Worth it Stars
Worth The Wait is a standalone and is part of the McKinney / Walker series. This is also a spin-off from The McKinney Brothers series. This is Nick’s story. He is the older brother of Hannah from Worth the Risk.
I love spin-off books because they are a little different, but still a part of a series I love.
Worth the Wait is a little more dramatic than the other reads. It’s emotional and as a mom, it really hits me to the heart.
Nick has a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders. Hi parents died and now he has to take care of his siblings, including his two year old sister Hannah. I really liked the way this one was written. I usually don’t like flashbacks in books, but I felt like the flashbacks added a little tension and angst to the read.
We know something happened to Nick and Mia and throughout the beginning of the book it’s slowly revealed on their struggles. I completely felt for the characters in this book.
The flashbacks focuses on the past, meaning good and bad times. I enjoyed reading both. I liked reading how Mia and Nick got together and I liked reading how it fell completely apart. And then as they slowly put the pieces back together.
Worth the Wait is a bit different, but it worked for me. It will cut to your heart and give you the feels when you finish.
AN ARC was provided
AMAZON
Worth The Wait is a standalone and is part of the McKinney / Walker series. This is also a spin-off from The McKinney Brothers series. This is Nick’s story. He is the older brother of Hannah from Worth the Risk.
I love spin-off books because they are a little different, but still a part of a series I love.
Worth the Wait is a little more dramatic than the other reads. It’s emotional and as a mom, it really hits me to the heart.
Nick has a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders. Hi parents died and now he has to take care of his siblings, including his two year old sister Hannah. I really liked the way this one was written. I usually don’t like flashbacks in books, but I felt like the flashbacks added a little tension and angst to the read.
We know something happened to Nick and Mia and throughout the beginning of the book it’s slowly revealed on their struggles. I completely felt for the characters in this book.
The flashbacks focuses on the past, meaning good and bad times. I enjoyed reading both. I liked reading how Mia and Nick got together and I liked reading how it fell completely apart. And then as they slowly put the pieces back together.
Worth the Wait is a bit different, but it worked for me. It will cut to your heart and give you the feels when you finish.
AN ARC was provided
AMAZON
January 8, 2017
The story of Nick and Mia was beautifully written, but sadly tragic. I imagine this was a more realistic version of how a couple will survive such trauma. I will admit, I prefer more of the fairytale. I understand the beauty of having the one person you don't have to hide from, but Nick took too many chunks out of Mia. I ached for her in this book. So much pain over so many years. It makes you question if it really is better to have loved. Because of that, I had a hard time wanting these two back together. Even after being apart 10 years, Nick tried to take them back. He hadn't moved on. Such guilt he carried for what happened to his sister. In the end, it took all of them to heal.
I think my enjoyment of the book was hindered because the majority of the book focused mostly on the past. If the main focus was on their reunion and healing, I would have personally enjoyed this book more, but I can't deny how beautifully written this story was. Claudia Connor is an amazing writer and I look forward to the next book in the series. Hopefully with a little less angst. ARC provided by NetGalley.
I think my enjoyment of the book was hindered because the majority of the book focused mostly on the past. If the main focus was on their reunion and healing, I would have personally enjoyed this book more, but I can't deny how beautifully written this story was. Claudia Connor is an amazing writer and I look forward to the next book in the series. Hopefully with a little less angst. ARC provided by NetGalley.
Shelved as 'dnf'
January 7, 2017as much as I love Claudia Connor's previous work, I'm struggling with this. Right now I'm needing low angst and this is so angst filled that I'm having a tough time enjoying it. Instead of hanging on and not giving it a fair shake, I'm taking a break. I will come back to it. --I'm not saying the book is bad, it just not fitting ME right now!
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