Review ~ From the Start by Melissa Tagg

Bethany House 2015

 Kate Walker used to believe in true love and happily ever after. While her own love life may have left her brokenhearted, it hasn't kept her from churning out made-for-TV romance movie screenplays...until a major career slump and a longing to do something meaningful send her running back to her hometown of Maple Valley.

Permanently sidelined by an injury, former NFL quarterback Colton Greene is temporarily hiding out in a friend's hometown to avoid the media and the reminders of all he's lost. Maple Valley seems like the perfect place to learn how to adjust to normal life. The only trouble is he's never really done normal before.

While Kate plays things safe and Colton is all about big risks and grand gestures, they both get what it's like to desperately need direction in life. An unexpected project gives them both a chance to jumpstart their new lives, but old wounds and new dreams are hard to ignore. Starting over wasn't part of the plan, but could it be the best thing that's ever happened to them?

 My Thoughts

Where to start? I read this book in two days. I couldn’t put it down. It’s more than just about two people. There’s a myriad of fascinating characters, so this means there are more books coming. Yay!

Kate and Colton are a great pair. They’re team players. It was easy to watch from the sidelines as they played offense and defense in their verbal play. The chemistry between them is palpable From the Start. See how I got that in there? ;-)  

Seriously, there is usually some glaring flaw that a character has and can often make me not like them until I’m further into the story. Not so with this one. I found the problems they are dealing with to be down to earth and how they handle them seems pretty normal to me.

Melissa’s writing style reminds me of Susan May Warren.  The details are balanced. It’s not overly descriptive, making me sigh in disinterest. It’s written with sparkling dialogue and well-crafted prose. There are fascinating references to football, but then I am a huge professional football fan. Okay, maybe not huge like folks in MN, but I am a staunch Carolina Panther fan. So if you haven’t read Melissa’s books, but do like SMW, then I think you will be satisfied with From the Start and be a new MT fan.

I was provided a copy of this book from the author and publisher for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review, just my opinion of the book. No compensation has been received. 

 Read Excerpt Here

Melissa Tagg, author of Made to Last and Here to Stay, is a former newspaper reporter, current nonprofit grant writer, and total Iowa girl. When she's not writing, she can be found hanging out with the coolest family ever. She's passionate about humor, grace, and happy endings. Melissa blogs regularly at www.melissatagg.com.