Love's Bitter Harvest

by Jas T Ward

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The synopsis for Love’s Bitter Harvest hinted at a second chance romance and being a fan of this trope, I jumped at the chance to read this title. I expected the story to have some amount of angst, but what I was not prepared for was the myriad of emotions it would evoke.

Love’s Bitter Harvest tells the story of Matt and Katy high school sweethearts. They were the couple everyone either admired or envied. All this would change when Katy’s decision to walk away from the man she loved and pursue her dreams ripped their relationship to shreds. Four years later tragedy struck, and it forced Katy to return home and face the husband whom she had abandoned. She knew he wouldn’t welcome her with open arms, but what she never expected was the emotionally and physically broken man she came home to. Matt was a shell of his former self and was hell bent on self-destruction.

I enjoyed this story a lot, and one reason for this is the featuring of flawed characters who faced real-life issues. Despite not being able to relate to most of the stuff they were going through, having never experienced them for myself, I understood the reasoning behind the decisions made. Though most of the painful experiences could be avoided if they had communicated their feelings and did not allow stubbornness to dictate their decisions. My heart broke for them both, although sometimes I just wanted to shake them as none of them were blameless in the breakdown of their marriage.

I loved how the story moved between the past and the present. This helped the reader to understand how Matt and Katy’s love for each other developed, the depth of their feelings and how bitterness found its way into their relationship.

The story wrapped up superbly. It had the reader tearing up and smiling at the same time.

Love’s Bitter Harvest is a story that will break your heart and then slowly restore it to its former self. You will be angered by the actions of the characters, there will be some tearful moments but in the end the story will warm your heart and leave you smiling. It is a well-written story about second chances, hope, restoration, healing, forgiveness and love. It reminded me the reader that love had the power to overcome if we allow ourselves to embrace it, like Katy and Matt discovered. I recommend this book without reservations for fans of second chance romance.
This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading