Let Love Shine Synopsis:
What comes after “they lived happily ever after?”
Maddy and Reid have seen their fair share of trials and tribulations, of love and loss. Facing down the biggest challenges of their young lives, they managed to survive and endure. With the future stretching out before them, they must learn to navigate new and unfamiliar paths.
Being new parents, starting new jobs, and continuing college is enough to overwhelm any couple. New challenges come up daily, as do small victories. Watch Maddy and Reid grow stronger together in this “one year later” tale of the everyday stuff that happens in real life.
With a solid foundation of love under their inexperienced feet – and with the help of their family and friends – Maddy and Reid learn how to let love shine, lighting the way for a beautiful future to come.
Let Love Stay Synopsis:
If you’re lucky, you’ll fall in love – truly, madly and deeply in love. But what happens when that honest and pure love isn’t enough to erase your fears? What happens when your past rears its ugly head and threatens your future?
Maddy and Reid had that kind of love – the all-encompassing, Earth shattering, once in a lifetime kind of love. Then life happened. Old wounds that were thought to be long healed and scabbed over are ripped opened and they are forced to face the possibility that, maybe, they are not strong enough to fight their demons and embrace the light.
Together, they found out what love is, but now they will each need to heal on their own before they can ever be together again. They must face their fears and beat down their pasts in order to find their way through this crazy uphill battle called love.
They’ve let love in, but now, they need to find out how to Let Love Stay.
Excerpt from Let Love Stay:
I get out of the truck and walk over towards the two of them. Maddy’s back is to me as I approach her and her date, so she doesn’t see me right away. But once the guy sees me, she spins around to look at what has caught his eye.
Her face is shocked and when our eyes lock, my heart skips a beat. There’s a pull between us. As much as I hate to admit it, she owns me. Her eyes are magical. They dance with light and passion and when she looks at me, they are filled with love.
The love and passion that are sparkling in her emerald green eyes evaporate when she realizes the scene that I’ve just stumbled upon. I can only imagine what’s going through her mind, but I’m sure the images of me kicking Logan’s ass are flashing vividly through her mind.
I’m no more than a few feet from them when the guy pushes Maddy behind him to protect her from what he perceives as a threat. He’s not very far from the truth, but she’s not the one who needs protecting.
Menacingly close now, he pipes up. “Who the fuck are you? What do you want?” Okay, I’ll give the prick a little bit of credit for trying to stand up to me, but he has no clue what he’s competing against here.
The caveman in me wants to deck this guy and drag Maddy into a bed – any bed – and claim her, repeatedly, until she understands that she’s mine and no one else’s. I’m going to do that anyway, but hopefully I can refrain from knocking this guy on his ass. I’d like to have the use of my hands tonight.
My eyes never leave Maddy’s, but my words are directed at him. “Me? I’m the boyfriend, asshole.” Maddy’s eyes widen slightly as I say “boyfriend.” Did she really think we ever broke up?
I avert my gaze from Maddy for a minute to stare this douchebag down. “And who the fuck do you think you are?” He falters, not enough that most people would notice, but I’m in predator mode. I see his throat work hard to swallow past the newly formed fear. His pupils dilate slightly and the pulse beating in his neck picks up as adrenaline surges through him. If he thinks he’s going to win this battle, he is wrong – so fucking wrong.
He puffs out his chest as he says, “I’m Maddy’s date for tonight.” He snickers lightly as he says, “You know? She never mentioned a boyfriend when I asked her out. Must not be much of a boyfriend if she doesn’t even mention you.” He swells with pride at his snarky little quip. In the split second he looks away from me to gauge Maddy’s approval, I lay him flat on the ground as I drop my shoulder into his gut and take his legs out from underneath him with one of my own. I freaking love my takedown skills. I didn’t even have to bust up my hands. I’m definitely going to need them in a little bit.
I straddle over him and pull him up by the collar. “Whether she mentioned me or not, she’s mine, so lay the fuck off. Got it?”
Maddy still hasn’t said a word and I haven’t actually spoken directly to her. I’m pretty sure she understands my actions though. Wordlessly, I reach my hand out to her. This is her chance. If she still wants me, then she’ll come with me. This is who I am, who I’ve always been. If she can’t understand that I love her, that I want her more than anything, then it’s not because I haven’t tried as hard as I possibly could to prove it to her.
Hand still outstretched, I look her directly in the eyes, as I try to convey everything that I’m thinking, that I’m feeling. In what feels like an act of God, she understands me and laces her hand in mine.
Let Love In Synopsis:
What would happen if you lost everything? If the people who were supposed to love you unconditionally were no longer there for you, how would your world change?
That’s exactly what happened to Madeleine Becker when her parents died when she was ten years old. Ripped from her home and everything that she has ever loved, she is forced to start all over again. The only way for her to move on is to build walls around her heart and keep everyone at a safe distance. Her logic: she can’t get hurt if she doesn’t fall in love.
That theory is blown to pieces when she meets Reid Connely during her freshman year at college. He is gorgeous and darkly mysterious. He understands Maddy’s pain all too well, but sharing his pain would mean breaking down the walls he put up around his own heart. Conflicted between loving Maddy and hiding his dark past, Reid starts to reevaluate his world. Maddy’s inner strength, snarky personality and breath taking beauty help Reid to make peace with his past.
Together they find out what happens when they let love in.
Excerpt from Let Love In ~ Snippet of Maddy and Reid’s first encounter:
There was a group playing quarters on the island and another group lining up shots on the breakfast bar – so not my scene. I just shrugged my shoulders, opened the door, pulled out a bottle of water and, when I turned around to walk back outside, I face-planted into a wall of solid muscle.
“Hand me one?” His voice was smooth and… gruff at the same time. Red-faced, I turned back around and got him his water, glad for the cool respite that the opened refrigerator door offered.
“Here you go.” I could not peel my eyes away from his mouth as he moved the bottle to his lips. They were perfect – beautiful and full in a completely masculine way. I watched, completely fascinated, as his throat moved, downing the water in three or four large gulps. He wiped his mouth with his forearm and I couldn’t help but let my eyes travel up the rest of his arm to his biceps and shoulders – those were the same as his lips – perfect. Amazingly, gorgeously, utterly, divinely perfect. Muscled and tanned, his arms were mouthwatering.
My knees wobbled. My heart thudded. Thousands of butterflies spread their wings in my belly.
“Thanks…” he stared blankly at my face for a minute and I couldn’t help but wondering if he liked what he saw. He cleared his throat and roused me from my little daydream where the gorgeous boy is mesmerized by the maybe-a-little-above-average looking girl. That’s when I realized he was asking for my name.
“Maddy. Sorry, my name’s Maddy.” I nearly choked on my tongue to get my freaking name out.
BUY LINKS FOR THE BOX SET:
Review:
***Arc was provided by author in exchange for an honest review***
The Love Series Box Set contains Maddy and Reid’s complete story. It chronicles the defining moments of their lives: their first interaction at the party, the beginning of their relationship and the ups and downs of those first few months, their time spent apart, struggling to not reach out to each other, Maddy’s pregnancy, their marriage, and finally, their new life together as a family.
In the first book, Let Love In, Maddy is starting her first year at college after experiencing more loss than a young woman should have to at her age. As she transitions to this new life, she makes a few promises to herself in the hopes of wiping the slate clean:
1. Choose Happy
2. Appreciate Beauty
3. Let Love In
Soon, Maddy finds her happiness with Reid, a man who is just as broken as she is. Their relationship is not easy. At first, Reid doesn’t want to give in to his feelings for Maddy because he doesn’t do relationships. But, he finds himself unable to resist her and for once, he wants to be with only one woman.
I loved the pace of Maddy and Reid’s relationship in Let Love In. It is a realistic look into how two people who have never really been in a relationship learn to open up and let themselves be loved by someone else. Their connection is strong but messy. They experience many bumps along the way, and readers are left wondering at the end of the book what happens next.
As the second book, Let Love Stay, begins, Maddy and Reid are reeling from life changing news, and Maddy gives Reid an ultimatum in order for them to move forward. She wants him to deal with his broken past and finally move past it; she feels it is the only way that they can be together. Reid is not ready, so he walks away from Maddy, and she is left trying to figure out what she is going to do next – with or without Reid by her side. As both Maddy and Reid deal with their individual issues, they both feel like the other has given up on their relationship and perhaps, they will never be together again. Soon though, Reid realizes that the one thing he needs to deal with his past and move forward is Maddy, so he seeks her out to get back what they lost when he walked away. From then on, any issue they face, they face together as a united front. Despite the pain and suffering that Reid goes through in LLS due to his past and his mother’s illness, his love for Maddy grows and solidifies. He doesn’t let his mistakes detract him from having a happy future.
Let Love Stay is a testament to what happens when a couple stands strong together, being a shoulder to cry on or a hand to hold. Both Reid and Maddy understand what the other needs, and as they work through all of the difficulties they face, it only strengthens their bond. At the end of the text, Reid and Maddy get their HEA and become the family they have always wanted.
Whenever I finish a series and I reach the end of the last book where the hero and heroine get the HEA….I always wonder what happens next…where does life take them and how are they doing with everything now that they have decided to be together for the long haul. Melissa Collins gives me that insight into Maddy and Reid’s new life together in Let Love Shine, and boy does their love light up their lives. In book 3.5, readers get to see them be husband and wife and mother and father. Their interaction with their little boy, Braden, is super sweet! The bond they have with each other only intensifies with the love they feel for their child. I love that we get to be a part of their lives for just a little bit longer. What I love most about Let Love Shine is we get to see Reid’s work with kids in need. His compassion for those students who need someone to reach out to them and help them truly shows how much Reid has grown through his relationship with Maddy and his acceptance of his past. Maddy graduating from college and the expansion of their family are the little added bonuses that make this novella such a heartwarming read.
The Love Series, to me, proves what can happen when two people love each other enough. It is not always perfect – it’s messy and there is pain. It might feel like it will never get better, but as long as they hold on to their love for each other and willingly open their hearts, in the end, it will all be worth it.
Thank you, Melissa Collins, for a series about how love ultimately wins out in the end despite everything that life can throw at people.
4 poison apples!
Author Bio:
I’ve always been an avid reader. Majoring in English Literature was a no brainer. Becoming a teacher and instilling my love for reading into my students was also a no brainer. I’ve spent the last ten years teaching and I’ve loved (mostly) every minute of it. When I was home on maternity leave for my third son, I discovered a new genre that sparked my creativity. My passion for writing sprang from my love of reading and once I knew I had a story to tell, I couldn’t wait to get it out there. I only hope that my readers enjoy reading my story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Links:
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/MelissaCollins.Author
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17902155-let-love-stay
Twitter – @mcollinsauthor
Web – www.melissacollinsauthor.com
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