Yours, Mine, & Forever (Taking Chances, #2)

by Joanne Markey

[phyllish]

A sweet series

My rating is 4.5 stars

This was a fun series from a new-to-me author.

I really liked the way the author spent plenty of time on each scene, developing it well and letting it come to its natural conclusion. There was plenty of time for real-life to take place.

Norah was caught completely off guard by the accusations she heard against Clay. Based on the source of the information and what she saw, she struggled with what to believe. And when it looked like her dream of adoption was going to die...

I liked the characters so much! Norah for her innocence and love for the children. And her fear of getting close to others as well. Clay was a rock and so focused on the Lord and trusting Him. He helped Norah see how to trust even if it appeared that the desires of her heart would not be granted to her.

Norah's brother Gaines is so great! His deep love and strong protective nature towards Norah was so very sweet. I loved watching him interact with her and with the people of the town.

Some great moments that added to the heartwarming feeling of the story. The huge snowball fight involving most of the town was such a pleasure to read! I loved the way Clayton opened up to Norah for this brief period. And Clay and Riley's tactics were so funny!

My favorite part was the ending. How Clay finally reached little Clayton's heart - truly allowed him to believe he was genuinely loved - was perfect!!

The story was told from many different points of view. While I am accustomed to seeing two or three, it seemed like an excessive number. It wasn't hard to track necessarily, it just seemed odd even though the author used these to explain other events that she would have had to work harder at telling if she hadn't allowed us to see what it was these other characters saw.

A few relationships seemed to appear out of nowhere. With one character, when she was introduced, I noted that she was new. And then all of a sudden, it was like she was a long-time friend. I wondered if I had just missed something; but no, later on there was a reference to the fact she was a new addition to their lives.

There was also a subplot involving Gaines that wasn't resolved. I'm not sure if there will be a future story about him (which I wouldn't object to!) or if it was an oversight that it wasn't addressed. Norah never did seem to have the "real" situation that we were told about explained. It seemed like this type of thing happened in several places.

If you haven't read Dreaming of More, you should go grab a copy and read it. Then be sure to get a copy of Yours, Mine & Forever. They are very much two parts of a longer story with very few flashbacks or explanations given about what has already happened or why Norah behaves as she does. If you enjoy Christian Romance, they are well worth reading.

Read my full review at Among the Reads


I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.