It's an emotional tale of second chances for two people who never forgot one another. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Back Up Offer by Liz Crowe, along with my impressions of this ninth installment in the Stewart Realty series, then add it to your bookshelf!
When Blair ended things for good with her long-time boyfriend, she knew she’d have to get away--and stay away--from him. Which meant leaving family, friends, and the only life she knew in Michigan in her rear view mirror and opening a farm-to-table restaurant in a new city. Being owner/head chef keeps her plenty busy, especially since “Blair’s Kitchen” has become the talk of the restaurant scene thanks to its fresh approach to food, drinks, and paying her staff a living wage. She’s managed to avoid traveling home for almost a decade, but when her best friend needs her help, she drops everything and heads back, figuring she’s had enough time away to resist Brandis’ pull.
After years spent fighting addiction and the fall-out from personal tragedy, including losing Blair thanks to his own bad behavior, Brandis has spent the last ten putting his life in order. As the third generation president of his family’s successful construction company, he’s added several new services, including a program that hires at-risk teens and pays them to learn trade skills. He’s also reconstructed his relationships with his family, and is his older sister’s go-to kid wrangler. He’s even adopted a dog, thanks to some donated renovation time spent at the local animal shelter. He’s got everything he needs—except a girlfriend.
When the contractor she’d already paid to build her restaurant’s expansion takes her check and vanishes, leaving her with a giant mess and little money, Blair only hesitates a moment before calling Brandis. She’d managed fine when she’d seen him in Michigan, after all. What could go wrong? Famous last words, she figures, when she realizes that the weekend he comes to evaluate her crisis is so busy there isn’t a hotel room to be found in a ten mile radius. So they settle in to a routine—her, her one-time boyfriend, and his giant, slobbering dog in her small house. It doesn’t take long for the temptation of close proximity to give way, and while Blair is determined to make it nothing more than physical, Brandis has other ideas.
The end of the Stewart Realty series saga brings the second generation full-circle in ways many never expected, but no one regrets.
When the contractor she’d already paid to build her restaurant’s expansion takes her check and vanishes, leaving her with a giant mess and little money, Blair only hesitates a moment before calling Brandis. She’d managed fine when she’d seen him in Michigan, after all. What could go wrong? Famous last words, she figures, when she realizes that the weekend he comes to evaluate her crisis is so busy there isn’t a hotel room to be found in a ten mile radius. So they settle in to a routine—her, her one-time boyfriend, and his giant, slobbering dog in her small house. It doesn’t take long for the temptation of close proximity to give way, and while Blair is determined to make it nothing more than physical, Brandis has other ideas.
The end of the Stewart Realty series saga brings the second generation full-circle in ways many never expected, but no one regrets.
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
It all comes down to this...the ninth and (supposedly) final book in the Stewart Realty series! In this story of second chances it's been a rocky journey for a couple clearly meant to be together who find themselves in close quarters after ten long years apart. For Brandis Gordon and Blair Freitag it's been an emotionally intense story that took Brandis to the lowest of lows while showing Blair dealing with all the fallout from his decisions. Their years apart allowed them to grow into the people they were meant to be, steady and sure, but it's clear that something's missing....they look like they've moved on, but have they really?
Picking up where the book Good Faith (a book that is a must read as it tells this couple's love story from the very beginning) ends, readers get to see what this couple is up to along with the numerous family members whose stories have been told throughout this series. I enjoyed seeing this pair interact with all the various generations inhabiting Ms. Crowe's literary world. It brought out a caring side to this couple, displayed two loving individuals in interactions that warmed my heart, but also saddened me for all that these two missed out on after all the highs and lows weighing on them before they separated. I longed for all that might have been between them but I love the place they're at now and the unspeakable connection between them that had me cheering for them.
This isn't your typical romance as the main couple is apart for around half the book. I longed to see a bit more of them as people but despite that I still enjoyed their journey to HEA, one of love, loyalty, and acceptance. By the turn of the final page not only was this a beautifully wrapped-up romance, it was an immensely satisfying series-ender, one full of heart and soul.
My rating for this is a B+
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville living in Central Illinois. She's spent her time as a three-continent expat trailing spouse, mom of three, real estate agent, brewery owner and bar manager, and is currently a social media consultant and humane society development director, in addition to being an award-winning author. With stories set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, inside fictional television stations and successful real estate offices, and even in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are compelling and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight, at times frustrate, and always linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.
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