Synopsis:~

A tragic fallout drove them apart. When a family crisis calls him back to his small hometown where she still lives, will forgiveness lead them to a second chance?

Brenna Blaum had been sure of three things in her life—her brother, her running, and her dad’s star receiver. But in a matter of a year’s time, everything she’d counted on fell apart, leaving her devastated. Seven years later, she’s stable again. She has a supportive boyfriend, fulfilling career, and close friends. She keeps her past heartache where it belongs—in her rearview mirror. Until the man who broke her heart finds his way back to Big Prairie.

Craig Erikson had it all—popularity, success, and the love of his high school coach’s daughter. But after a year of mistakes that ended in a tragic accident, he’d left Big Prairie—the place he’d thought to always call home—hoping that without his antagonizing presence, Brenna would be able to heal. Now his mother desperately needs him, as do two young boys in her care. Craig has little choice but to return for good.

Unsure that she can forgive him, Brenna does her best to avoid him. Irritated that she ignores him as if they’d never meant anything to each other, Craig becomes determined not to allow it.

Life in a small town forces their interaction, making them confront their unresolved issues and igniting emotions that have smoldered for seven years. As Craig and Brenna are pushed together, can they endure the hard places still littering their lives? If so, is it possible to find their way back to love and home again?

My take:~

As I’ve said before, I love Jennifer Rodewald’s writing. She doesn’t shy away from the hard issues in relationships, delving deep and peeling back layers in her characters and in the reader and When I Come Home Again is no different. Craig and Brenna have significant pain in their past and both have made efforts to overcome their history with varying degrees of success. When Craig returns to Big Prairie it is clear neither have moved on as much as they had hoped.

It’s against this backdrop that Rodewald pulls back the curtain on how bitterness and unforgiveness can destroy a person from the inside out, and the journey to forgiveness and healing is often a long and painful one. There is an authenticity in this story that I loved, but the heavy angst, particularly on Brenna’s part, did make the story drag just a little for me and I was keen to for the more romantic elements to unfold, which they did and beautifully so. I’m more than eager to read When I’m With You, the next Big Prairie Romance as Jennifer Rodewald will always remain as one of my ‘must read’ authors.

With thanks to the author for my review copy. All opinions remain my own.

Jennifer Rodewald/J. Rodes lives on the wide plains somewhere near the middle of Nowhere. A coffee addict, pickleball enthusiast, and storyteller, she also wears the hats of mom, teacher, and friend. Mostly, she loves Jesus and wants to see others fall in love with Him too.

She would love to hear from you! Please visit her at authorjenrodewald.com or at www.facebook.com/authorjenrodewald

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