BLOG TOUR STOP: Ready for You by J.L. Berg: Review, Excerpt, and Giveaway

Ready for you to…

come home

let go of the anger

leave the past behind

heal

forgive

It’s been eight years since Mia Emerson left Garrett Finnegan with nothing more than a note goodbye. Eight years where Garrett has done nothing but survive, throwing himself into his work and his family. Eight years without answers to why Mia left. And then one day, Mia returns, and Garrett’s need to breathe her in again and reclaim her consumes him, but can he get past the pain, the anger, and the secrets and truly forgive, or will it be too much to overcome and leave them both wishing they could change the past?

Second chance love stories are some of my favorite to read, so I knew I would enjoy Ready for You. The flashbacks provided clearly establish Garrett and Mia’s love for one another and what they were willing to do to be together, so readers are just as stumped as Garrett about why everything in one night so drastically changed. J.L. captures the pain felt by both characters early on in the story, and as Mia’s secrets and the reasons why she left and stayed away are revealed, readers can’t help but feel heartbroken for both of them. The conflicted feelings Garrett has for reuniting with Mia are realistically portrayed, and even though I wanted to strangle him with the mixed signals he was sending her, I didn’t blame him for closing himself off at times. Mia isn’t the strongest heroine, but I think that’s what draws me to her. She’s a fragile woman stuck in the past because she’s never truly released the anguish and heartache inside of her. Everything has been just as hard for her as it has been for Garrett, but she doesn’t see herself as the victim that she truly is; she sees herself as the horrible person who broke the heart of the only man she’s ever loved, and she doesn’t think she’s worthy of a second chance with him. Getting Garrett and Mia’s story through both of their perspectives truly illustrates what they go through as they try to stop looking in the past and start looking at what the future might hold if they set themselves free from the pain and bitterness of what happened all those years ago.

J.L Berg’s Ready Series is romance at its finest. Each story draws readers in from the very beginning because the characters are well developed, and the story builds throughout the entire text. J.L. does a great job of allowing readers to feel and understand the emotions of her characters, and I love the fact that we are able to catch up with the main characters from the earlier texts – to be able to continue with their stories and see where their lives have gone makes this series that much better. Bring on Liv’s story!

A complimentary copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 poison apples

With our bags loaded, we started to make our way back to the car, weaving through the crowd and enjoying the sounds of people talking and soft music playing. I smiled when I heard a child laughing.  I turned to see a child being thrown over his father’s shoulder.

“Garrett! Stop it! I’m too old to be carried!” The child laughed.

“You’re never too old to be tackled, Connor! We’ve got to get you ready for football!”

That voice—even after eight years, I would recognize it anywhere. My stomach fell to the concrete, and my feet cemented to the ground. I was frozen, completely frozen. Everything slowed. The street noise melted away, and each and every shopper disappeared until I saw him. He had the boy slung over his shoulder. They were both laughing and breathless from their horseplay. He looked older, but it was still him. He still had the same jet-black hair, emerald eyes, and dazzling smile. A beautiful blonde woman was smiling at the two of them as they joked around.

My heart finally caught up to my brain, and it felt like a jackhammer was beating hard and fast in my chest. My hands shook, and my knees suddenly felt weak and wobbly. I had no idea how much time had passed since I saw him.

I didn’t know, but it couldn’t have been long since Liv was just now noticing my crazy behavior.

“Amelia, are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost,” she said.

When I didn’t respond, she must have glanced up because I heard her gasp. She’d seen him, too.

“I-I need to get out of here—now,” I gritted through my teeth.

“Are you sure?”

I just nodded and started to turn. I couldn’t face him. He probably hated me.

He had a kid. That hurt. My hand went to my chest, trying to rub out the pain settling there. He had a child. That meant the blonde standing next to him was probably his wife. Garrett was married. It had been eight years. Of course he would be married. I didn’t know why I was surprised, but he wasn’t supposed to be here.

He had moved away. He was supposed to stay away. I couldn’t be here if he was still here. I couldn’t breathe if he was still here. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s get to the car,” Liv said gently, grabbing my arm and guiding me toward the car.

I just gave a brief nod as I let her lead me.

We hadn’t made it three steps before I heard the words that made my heart come to a screeching halt.“Mia? Mia, is that you?”