It Was Always You
by Laura Beth
Self-Published
Book 1 in the Grace General Series
A decade of friendship. Three years of heartache. One man she could never forget.
Jenna Watkins has never quite found the place she belongs. Growing up as the only child of a military father, her life was constantly on the move. New city, new school, new faces. With a wild personality and a no-filter mouth, making friends wasn’t something she was good at.
That all changed the day she met Emmett Owens.
At 15 years old, Emmett became the best friend she’d ever had. He was her confidant, the peanut butter to her jelly, and the one person she grew to trust with everything she knew. Over their ten years of friendship, feelings blossomed, and so did the possibility of a true Happily Ever After…
Until he married someone else.
Three years later, Emmett is back, with his adorable daughter in tow, begging for a chance to prove himself. Jenna wants to believe he’d never hurt her, but she was foolish enough to think that once before. Yet, the more they rekindle their friendship, and the closer she grows to his daughter, those lines she so firmly planted start to blur.
Will she be able to let him in, or are some wounds too deep to heal?
It Was Always You is a friends-to-lovers, second chance romance that will have you swooning over a single dad determined to make a good life for his daughter and win back the only woman he has ever loved.
Genre:
Triggers:
Alcoholic mother, Unexpected Pregnancy (not MC)
Before I begin, I would like to thank Laura Beth for sending me an arc of her debit novel, It Was Always You.
I. Loved. This. Book.
I honestly can't get over it's her first novel.
It had everything I look for when I read a romance.
Great story. Well written. Enjoyable and relatable characters. A story that triggers different emotions throughout. It Was Always You encompasses all of those traits.
That actual story is amazing. I loved the back and forth from past to present in the first part of the book. It sets the tone, and foundation this story needs to get off the ground. The overall arc of it perfect. The story progressed at a decent pace, didn't feel rushed, and it was easy to fully immerse myself in the story.
The characters are just as great. I really loved Jenna's character. Emotionally strong, even when she doesn't think she is, intelligent, funny, sweet and loyal. What's not to love?
I really like that she is a nurse.
How many romances have you read that the MC is a doctor?
Nurses don't get enough love, in my opinion.
The fact that she is in the medical field, made the parts of the story when she was at work seem that much more entertaining to read.
Got to say I love that physically, she has insanely curly, frizzy hair. So rare to have beautiful, sleek curls. It's hard work, and I loved how realistic it was to have character with wild, frizzy hair.
I also really loved Emmett. Hates bullying. Amazing friend. Loyal. Sweet. Also intelligent. A single dad, and a great one. And listen. Dad. Bod.
Let's take a moment to appreciate an author writing a male character that isn't the standard meathead in the genre. A husky man. Healthy and strong because of his job, but not the 6-8 pack of abs that is heavily featured in romance.
Speaking of romance ...
Emotional. Sweet. Hot. I loved these two together. A perfect balance.
As for the other characters, they were great. Laura Beth did a wonderful job incorporating the side characters into the story. They added a lot to the story, without taking it over. It was an introduction to characters to come in this planned series, and from what I've learned of these characters in this book, I'm invested and want their stories.
For a debut novel, It Was Always You blew me away. Laura Beth has an obvious talent, and I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next. It Was Always You is out today!
Coming soon after release!