Every Step After: A Sweet Romance with Mystery

by Kate Goodwin

Grappling with life as a widow and now empty-nester, Meg Franklin is left reeling by an unexpected windfall. Could a chance encounter with her first love solve the financial mystery and help her find her way in this new life? Or will the answers Meg uncovers further shatter her already broken heart? After the premature passing of her husband, Meg is left to pick up the pieces of her life and figure out how to move forward. Complications multiply when a massive surprise—to the tune of over a million dollars—drops into her lap. With her son gone for the summer, Meg decides to spread her wings and clear her head on the other side of the world where a chance meeting with her high school flame presents an opportunity to dig into the money mystery. But the more she digs, the more doubts and confusion she unearths. Was everything she knew a lie?This sweet, clean romance will have you laughing, sighing, crying and swooning. Join Meg on her journey as she finds her way, solves a mystery and gets a second chance at her first love.

236 pages, Paperback

Published January 25, 2024

Reviews

[Terry Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woman who loves to say her own dragons

I really enjoyed this story. I loved how Joanna was able to get Meg to break out of her shell when she went overseas. I too, enjoyed the Sound of Music, and getting to see it through, Meg's(Kate's)eyes ways fantastic. Meeting up with and old Love was a great touch. And Chris to Kate, I didn't see the mystery being solved that way until it was. Great work. Be sure and get a copy of this book by this new writer, you will be very glad you did.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book in a day! I couldn’t put it down. I was invested in Meg and Sebastian journey to see how it would unfold. The author magically transports you to Meg’s life experiencing her grief with the loss of her husband and how women tend to lose themselves in their roles as wives and mothers. I enjoyed the witty banter throughout the book and the overseas solo trip, and the book club besties. And I wouldn’t mind Sebastian being by next book boyfriend! 2024 has been full of reading debut novels and they have all been so good! 😊You won’t be disappointed, read this book!

[carlybanarly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Something about this story just felt off to me. I couldn’t connect with it. Pretty much every character made decisions that annoyed me at some point. It felt like a Hallmark movie (yay!) but without any swoon worthy attraction or chemistry. And the typical 75% mark “dilemma” made me so annoyed at the main character that I nearly stopped reading. Honestly, refusing to talk through an issue that you don’t understand, and just yelling hurtful accusations instead is a horrible and frustrating reading experience.

[stephen daniel lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so good! read this book!!

This was an incredibly enjoyable read! I loved the character development; I felt like I knew them in real life. The travel scenes were so descriptive, it made me want to visit these places in real life. The emotion felt raw, and pulled me into the main Meg’s situation. Indefinitely recommend this book 100%!!

[Parkland Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
Read: September 2024

Format: Kindle E-Book
Challenge Prompt: EOW’s, “Independently published” - read anytime on 2024 option

Book #99 of 2024: 🥰🤩
I had preordered a different book by this author after a recommendation. In doing so, I saw this novel, her debut. I checked out the sample and I had to know the rest. So I bought it for my Kindle!

I started this novel in an afternoon and finished it that evening. I totally enjoyed it and highly recommend it as a clean fiction, indie book.

The main character is a woman finding her way to her new normal. She is figuring out who she is after a couple of life-alternating experiences:
- losing a spouse early in life
- becoming an empty-nester alone

There are so many aspects to this book: great loss, a wonderful trip to Austria, a chance encounter with a first love, family situations, great friends, romance, a special non-profit, and so much more.

It kept my attention throughout my oft-interrupted reading time! Highly recommend!

[Theresa Ellison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Every Step After, Kate Goodwin's debut novel. The characters came alive with engaging conversations and distinguishable personality traits. The plot was unique and unpredictable, and pulled me in from the start.

Oftentimes, I find the "clean romance" genre to be a little cheesy and too sickly sweet for my taste. But in "Every Step After", Kate Goodwin did a nice job of providing a bit of "spark" and mystery without being sappy or unrealistic. I look forward to reading more from this author, and can't wait to see how her writing develops in the coming years.