Steadfast by Sarina Bowen

Steadfast (True North, #2)

by Sarina Bowen

She’s the only one who ever loved him—and the only one he can never have.

Jude lost everything one spring day when he crashed his car into an apple tree on the side of the road. A man is dead, and there's no way he can ever right that wrong. He’d steer clear of Colebury, Vermont forever if he could. But an ex-con in recovery for his drug addiction can’t find a job just anywhere.

Sophie Haines is stunned by his reappearance. After a three year absence, the man who killed her brother and broke her heart is suddenly everywhere she turns. It’s hard not to stare at how much he’s changed. The bad boy who used to love her didn’t have big biceps and sun-kissed hair. And he’d never volunteer in the church kitchen.

No one wants to see Sophie and Jude back together, least of all Sophie's police chief father. But it's a small town. And forbidden love is a law unto itself.

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

5 of 5 stars

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I thought the first book in this series was amazing. Well, this one was even better. To me, this series is Bowen's best work.

Again, we have an unconventional hero - a addict, but Bowen did such a fantastic job crafting this complicated character with so many layers, I just could not help but feel everything for him. She also surprised me a lot in this book. After reading the first book, I was shocked that there could be anything left for Sophie and Jude, but there was, and the path there was so excruciating! It was such a rollercoaster. My heart would fill with hope, just to be deflated, and then it would happen again and again. There were so many times that I yelled and fought with this book. The pain! The anguish! But also the joy. The Shipley family continue on their path to awesome. The love and support they gave to Jude was inspiring and so beautiful. My love for them tripled as I read this book.

This book was told with alternating POVs. Sophie's POV started with her internal DJ song, which set the mood, and Jude's starting with his craving meter. I thought that was an inspired decision by Bowen, and thought it worked well with the story. This story is not your typical love story. It had an air of mystery due to the circumstances surrounding Jude's accident. First, there's this one twist that I didn't see coming, then there was another, and another. It was crazy and perfect!

Overall: a beautiful story of second chance love, forgiveness, and strength of character which left me with so many feels.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 20 January, 2017: Finished reading
  • 20 January, 2017: Reviewed