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Cade and Melanie-- high school prom king and queen-- the golden couple Twenty years on, the reunion's looming, and Melanie Matthews must let the world know that the dream is no longer true... ." Somewhere along their journey Cade lost sight of what really mattered. He let work take first place in his life and lost the one person who lit up his world. Now he's determined to show Melanie that he can be the man she's always wanted, the husband she always needed... and win back her heart.

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 2007

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76 people want to read

About the author

Shirley Jump

446 books742 followers
Shirley Jump is a writing instructor and an award-winning, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and USA Today bestselling author who has published more than 80 books in 24 countries. She has spoken all over the world about the power of narrative and how to create compelling books. A former reporter and communications director for a marketing agency, she uses her diverse background to help clients create impactful books that readers can’t down.

She knows the path to publication isn’t all rainbows and unicorns, so to help writers write their best possible book, she offers monthly Manuscript Masterminds through her website, www.WritingCompellingFiction.com.

On her channel, https://YouTube.com/@WritingCompellin..., she unlocks the secrets behind compelling novels and delves into the psychological aspect of overcoming creativity-stoppers like doubt and perfectionism. Follow her channel for more writing exercises, classes, and behind-the-scenes writing lessons or join her Manuscript Mastermind to build your tribe of like-minded writers and receive crucial feedback on your pages.

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5 stars
5 (13%)
4 stars
7 (18%)
3 stars
16 (42%)
2 stars
5 (13%)
1 star
5 (13%)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Profile Image for StMargarets.
3,241 reviews637 followers
July 28, 2019
Wow – this story seemed dated and it was published in 2007.

*The H/h’s reasons for their unhappiness – she sacrificed her college education for his education.
They married after she fell pregnant on prom night.
She resents the time she wasted in her role as wife and mother and wants to start her own business.

*The pre-crash economy
Hero’s twin brother wants to revive a toy factory.
Heroine’s dream is a fancy coffee shop – no - a nationwide chain of coffee shops.
Hero quits his job and turns down another one, thinking he’ll just hang with the heroine for awhile.
H/h take out a loan against their house and using the hero’s credit score so heroine can expand her business. Remember – hero quit his job.

*The dialogue.
The central event is the H/h’s high school reunion in Indiana, but they talk like Valley Girls. How many “likes” can you stuff in a conversation? Like totally.

*The heroine is 37 and doesn’t think she can wear a sexy dress anymore. Since when is 37 considered old?

More strike against this story: the cutesy small town atmosphere, the heroine’s pity party, the endless details about running a coffee shop, making “exotic” coffee drinks, grinding beans, etc. . .

So why 3 stars? When the H/h finally drilled down and discussed their issues they were actually compelling and understandable. They had a lot of anger and resentment at becoming parents as teenagers. The hero had his own issues working for his cold father. The heroine had guilt over miscarrying their second child after a car accident and feeling relieved. (How often do you see that in a romance?)

I wish the author had expanded these issues and dialed back the cutesy class reunion nonsense – like totally.
Profile Image for Saadia.
483 reviews
November 5, 2008
Sweet story: of course, we already knew they were going to get back together, the story just explores the why they separated in the first place and the how they get back to a new and more balanced relationship.
Profile Image for Blue.
338 reviews1 follower
January 26, 2023
I can't remember the whole story. I'll edit my review when I reread it.
344 reviews3 followers
September 29, 2020
3.5 stars.
Sweet story, man grows ears? I'm not buying it!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews

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