Homegoing

by Janae Keyes

Bethany Cross was avoiding her hometown like the plague. It was all due to one person in the population, the one who broke her heart, her ex-boyfriend and high school sweetheart Liam. When Bethany’s dad dies, and she's left with the pieces of his life, including his popular downtown bar, Crossroads. She’s forced to return home to the scars of her childhood and her broken heart.

Liam is pissed. He’s angry that the girl who somehow still held his heart wasn’t there for her dad in his time of need. When she returns to take care of her father’s homegoing service and possibly close the bar he’s known his entire life. He realizes that Bethany is more broken than he could have ever known.

Can one homegoing bring home two hearts that have always belonged together?

Genres: Second Chance, Contemporary Romance

200 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2018

About the author

Born and raised in the California Bay Area, Janae Keyes is an American mom, wife, and hopeless romantic living in Europe. She loves to explore various cultures coming together through the magic of love. Residing in a suburb of Brussels, Belgium, with her husband and daughter, Janae loves to share her passion for romance with others.

Reviews

[Lu Bielefeld · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 ⭐- Ugh! Didn't like it or triggers or pet peeve!
========================================
same old same... 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄

That’s when I found him— my fiancé—in bed with another woman.

Liam was the number one reason I avoided Fort Shasta. The other reasons included the small minds of the inhabitants, and the girl Liam dumped me for.

Crying didn’t help the woman I later was who found herself heartbroken by the man she thought loved her. Crying surely didn’t stop the bleeding and pain as I miscarried my child. Crying was a goddamned waste of my time. “Thank you, Mr. Reed, for everything. I think I should get going.” I tried to sound as composed and put together as I could. I didn’t give the man a chance to respond before I hightailed it out of there.

Bethany and I were together for nine years before I’d decided to walk away.

“Seems the bimbos in LA are anxious for their next boob job,” Liam snorted.

“Seriously?” I questioned. “You don’t know the first thing about my job Liam. First off, I don’t do boob jobs.” “Ah, so you do noses.

“I’m not that type of plastic surgeon. I do fucking reconstructive surgery. I don’t do tummy tucks and boob jobs. I give people a new lease on life. I repair cleft palates for children born with them. I help those deformed by accidents,” I growled at him, my anger running over.

“Selfish. You’re one selfish bitch. Your dad suffered for a whole fucking year, but you couldn’t find one damn minute in your schedule of making money helping people to see your own fucking dad.”

“I didn’t know because he never fucking told me. He never said a word until two weeks ago. I only found out two weeks ago and I was moving surgeries around, so I could come see him next week. I was coming, and he died before I got here!”

How dare you use me like that after everything you’ve done to me.” I witnessed the anger that blazed in her eyes.

You left me for Kayleigh. You gave her the one thing I wanted. You had a child with her and you want to tell me now that you messed up?”

I started bleeding one night two weeks later. I went to the ER alone and I was completely alone when I learned I’d lost the baby. I never told Dad. I never told you. Olivia only learned a month after.”

I loved you, I still love you, but I had to look out for myself first. You did exactly the same thing.”

“You didn’t have to fucking sneak out like some whore in the night. You’re the love of my life, Bethany. Please, consider it. Consider staying around.”

[Ana Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Same old patetic excuses! BUNCH OF CRAP!

[Catarina · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARGH i hated this one .. And i didn't like that the hero slept with the heroine's enemy and had a daughter with her ...

[Veronica WordsAreMyDrinkOfChoice]

So far massively not impressed, only 6% in and its sloppy and full of cliches! So her dad told her later on he had cancer. So in fairness she was unaware, but even when he told her, it still took her over two week to get her work sorted and get her ass home? She did not return until he died? So she couldn’t miss any surgeries originally, but could leave straight away when she found out he passed? Make it make sense to me. Also, he was the most important person in her life but she had not seen him in three years? Come on! Gene if she did not want to see her ex, this does not wash, she couldn’t fly him out to her? Seeing as she performs surgery, even if it is for petiole with scarring etc, I’m sure she is not poor. Also, what the heck? She is her father still so close to her ex, when he had a kid with someone else? My dad would have hospitalised him not employed him! And the nice bombshell the hero thought he also loved someone else apart from the heroine? Rally, so he has hardly been suffering! Did I miss the free prescription of acid you are meant to get with this book to make it somewhat readable?
Also Liam I’m pretty sure if the mother of your child is a neglectful meth addict, then you have grounds for full custody. The whole custody hearing coming up does not really make sense, if you phone social services on an active drug addict they sure as hell are not likely to leave the file in her care.

[Danielle S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bethany & Liam were high school sweethearts with completely different dreams. Although they loved each other, he was content on living his life in their small town and she was more than eager to hit the road for college in pursuit of a bigger life.

Off she went to med school. Even though Liam swore he loved her, he had to let her go. He couldn't hold her back so he broke her heart instead.

Now a big city surgeon, she's faced with the most heartbreaking task of all, returning to the place she's spent years trying to avoid to bury her only family, her daddy.

After not receiving the warmest welcome home, she’s intent on getting this over with as quickly as possible so she can get on with her life, that is until old feelings resurface.

The love between them still sparks, but there's too much past, too much hurt to get past, but Liam is determined all the while Bethany fights it.

Mix in some small town drama and a hitman and you must may get that happy ending after all!

*This was my first Janae Keyes read. I enjoyed to plot, second chance romances are kinda my thing. With that being said, I didn't love this one, I did enjoy it though. What turned me off were just a few things...I felt like every other sentence was her saying how much she hated the town and had to get out. Also, she caved way too soon as far as letting Liam back in. Lastly, Liam wasn't remorseful enough, he needed to grovel more for me to really beleive he was sorry for dumping her the way he did. :|

[shms]

I'm not rating this even though I was bored with the romance. I hadn't heard of the author previously nor read any of her books. I was reading a random book I'd picked up becuase some of the reviews had mentioned a cheating H. No cheating H, he may have broken up with her but I wouldn't call it cheating if he went out with an old friend of the h's after breaking up. In the present her fiance cheated on her so maybe that's where the mixup comes from.

So naturally it wasn't the book I expected, hence no rating.

[Nikki Costello ***Crazy Cajun Book Addicts Blog*** · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I'm a big fan of second chance romance , this book ticked all the boxes when reading the blurb and although I enjoyed the story line I didn't love it. For me it seemed a little rushed in places and although there was a great spark between the main characters I feel they lacked that passion. Lots had happened between them in the past and I just wanted that passion to shine through as they fought for the Love they both still held for each other.

Bethany and Liam were childhood sweethearts but the older they got they they discovered their lives were going in different directions. Liam was happy staying in his home town and working the family business but Bethany had big dreams of becoming a surgeon and moving away. When Liam breaks her heart Bethany walks away and it's been years since she last made a visit home. That is until the death of her father and she has no other option than to confront her past.

An enjoyable read and this is my first time reading Janae Keyes I will be looking out for more from her in the future.

[Lisa B. Lovely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh so many feels, parallels to my own life abound (my father passing suddenly, planning things without him around). I cried more than once for Bethany and her pain. Liam's pain was different but just as profound. Absolutely fantastic characters with real foibles and hang-ups. A wonderful story-line/plot that drew me in from the first page. The writing is great as well (there were a few tiny editing issues that I noted, but that didn't pull me out of the story). Fabulous story Janae Keyes!

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/23/2019)! 🎁

[Jac K]

DNF @ 65%
**Before I get started, I want to clarify one point, because… there’s some confusion. The cheating in the book is between Bethany and her fiancé Kevin. (NOT the H Liam) The text says that she walked in on her fiancé screwing another woman in their bed while she’s talking on the phone to Kevin.

Your dick was in the vagina of another girl and I walked in on it.

Liam and Bethany (H & h) had been HS sweethearts (never engaged) that wanted different things. She HATED their town, and he loved it. (she wanted out/he wanted to stay) When she went away to college (at 17) he stayed home to take over his dad’s mechanic shop. After some time of the long-distance thing, he broke up with her, and started dating a girl from town. (who did end up preggers) I can see how this might be confusing, because Bethany is constantly talking about him shattering her heart, breaking her soul, broke every part of me, and wanting an apology for his sins. (which IMO was such an OTT reaction since she was the one that left- not to mention, when the same situation is reversed she breaks things off for the same reason) BUT, if we want to get technical his only real sin was breaking up with her over the phone. (which was cowardly, but they didn’t live in the same town) I couldn’t find one instance where either of them said he cheated, or that the women overlapped. The betrayal is always referred to as him dumping her.** Some spoilers**

So, with that in mind… I wasn’t upset with Liam, and had no issues with a potential second-chance. My problem was that I found this boring AF. Liam was flat, and not alpha at all following Bethany around begging for scraps. Bethany was kind of stuck up/self centered, and for a classy L.A. surgeon, she sure did scream a lot.

“How dare you! How fucking dare you!

“How dare you come here!” I shouted

“Let me go!” I yelled at Liam before shouting, “Whore!” in Tammi’s direction.

“Fuck you! Trailer trash bitch!” I howled.

I didn’t find her likeable at all. (selfish) She looked down on everyone, walked off from him when he proposed without saying a word, and pretty much told him that they couldn’t be together unless he made all the changes. All while, she was the victim in every situation. Hell, while he’s laying half dead in the hospital, she’s crying to him about everything she's lost.

“I know it isn’t that ideal spot, but you come in here acting like the town you grew up in is fully infested with the scum of the earth and you are so upper class that you can’t tolerate it.”

I didn’t feel the chemistry. His pet name was Girlie. (cringe) The ex was OTT ridiculous. The kid was a plot device randomly thrown in. The plot jumped off the tracks with the caricature drug dealers, town drunks, and small-minded towns folk.

Bottom Line- There was a scene in the book where it says like a scene from Jerry Springer, and I think that describes this book perfectly. It’s like the Jerry Springer version of a second-chance romance. Everyone is screaming, and acting crazy. It was a crazy hot-messes.

[Jennifer Pierson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bethany Cross got her heart broken by the love her life & high school sweetheart Liam, and she's avoided coming home ever since unless she absolutely has to. So she's missed out on spending time with her dad, and that's hit her hard when he died suddenly, especially since she didn't even know he was sick. Now she's back, and everyone in town hates her because they thought she wasn't there to help her dad out, even the man who broke her heart. Little does he know that she's more broken than he ever could imagine, and he has a bigger part in it, including that fact that he could have picked up a phone to tell her about her father as well. Will these two people ever be able to forgive each other? This story was so emotional for me that I swear my eyes leaked a time or two, and I don't even really cry in real life, as that's how powerful the brilliant Janae Keyes writes her stories. She brings her characters to life, and I'm transported into her world like I'm on the sidelines instead of just merely reading a story. I was honestly say that Liam pissed me off so badly, that I still haven't fully forgiven him even after finishing the story, as everything is his fault in my opinion. ALL HIS FAULT! Yeah he's drool worthy, and yeah he finally knew he messed up, but that doesn't change the fact that he broke my girl Bethany, and it's ALL HIS FAULT for everything that followed afterwards. I'm #TEAMBETHANY ALL THE WAY! And yeah she's a better woman than I am with a bigger heart because she still talked to him, as there's no way I would have. (Disclaimer: there's no cheating in this story for all of you that won't pick a book up with anything resembling that.) Okay so there's f-bomb worthy twists that I didn't see coming, angst for days, super hot sexy times, entertaining cast of secondaries, and just a fantastically addictive story that will keep you reading cover to cover in one sitting! HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

[lovestoread · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Bethany Cross hated the town she grew up in. So much so, she hadn't been back in years. The death of her dad brought her back.

Liam loves Shasta Falls and can't fathom leaving. His family is there, his work is there and his daughter is growing up where he did.

When Beth and Liam meet again it is like they were never apart, but the pain of their break up still haunts them both. Beth doesn't want to trust Liam with her heart again and Liam is working hard to remind Beth why she should come home for good.

I loved that Homegoing was ultimately about sending Beth's Dad home - burying him and letting go. It's a wonderful way to think of death and gives you a different way to deal with the inevitable pain and grief when saying goodbye to parents.

Great read with lots of interesting people throughout!

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bethany is forced back home after her father's sudden passing from cancer. What Bethan wasn't expecting was to run into Liam, her ex-boyfriend, and her father's right-hand man who helped run his bar.

Bethany and Liam grew up with different dreams..She wanted to be a doctor, and made her dream come true. But now, thrown back into her past life, Bethany's feelings suddenly make her question everything. Will her past love become her one and only future love again? Or will the ghost of her father hold her back from finding the true happiness she deserves?

This was my first book from this author, and I thoroughly enjoyed the rollercoaster of emotions felt in reading Bethany and Liam's love story.

[Zara Lorimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bethany left Fort Shasta to become a surgeon I L.A not wanting to go home again. But she learns her father has passed and devested she drops everything to go back to her hometown. Walking into her father's bar she receives a frosty reception as everyone knew about her father's illness but her and she's even more supprised to find her ex Laim working the bar.
It's obvious Laim and Bethany still have feelings for each other, Laim can't help thinking of how Bethany is selfish and a bad daughter for not dropping everything to help her dad when he was the one there for him through his illness. The truth finally comes out but is Laim enough for Bethany to make her stay in the town she hates!

[Tasha Talks Books Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Liam!!! Okay got that out of the way. Liam and Bethany are high school sweethearts who thought they would grow old together. Bethany's want to leave the town made Liam run scared in my opinion and make his own decisions on how to deal with that, since he envisioned growing old in their hometown. Well you skip years ahead and Liam has a fantab lil girl by a scumbag woman that used to be Bethany's friend. They have so much going on but Bethany has to come home because her father passed away. This book had me so damn addicted and hanging on every single word. Totally a must read!!!!

[Sharlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bethany leaves Fort Shasta to make a better life for herself and becomes a well known doctor. She is forced to return to the town she grew up in to put her father's affairs in order because of his death from cancer. Liam is her ex-boyfriend who stayed in Fort Shasta to raise his daughter even though the town is getting run down. "Home Going" is a story that pulls at your heart strings of loss, forgiveness, character strengths, and second chances for love. Loved the latest book by Janae Keyes❤

[Ruby Ap. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time reading a story written by this author and I've got to say, I don't regret doing so. I happen to love second chance romance stories and this was definitely that plus the drama, suspense and angst was there as well as the longing, hurt and hidden love that Liam and Bethany still had for each other... go ahead and read this to find out with these two broken souls who were always destined to be together but circumstances, being young, miscommunications and other obstacles got in their way and now after years have passed by, must decide if it's worth it or not... ;)

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love survives everything. This story is proof of that. For the second, third or maybe fourth time, Liam and Bethany leave something as rare as true love without getting it to work. Liam wants to stay in the town were they grew up but Bethany has her professional life back at LA.
A lit of things happens and maybe there is another chance for them.
It was a rollercoaster with emotions and I loved everything about it.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bethany left her hometown and became a surgeon. She came back after her father died to deal with his bar and other business. Liam can't imagine leaving his hometown and is raising his daughter there. The two were sweethearts in high school but broke up when Bethany left town. Will they be able to pull together and take care of business? Will old hurts and emotions be healed? A good second chance read.

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bethany and Liam were childhood sweethearts, and separated when they both wanted different paths in life. Now Bethany is back in town after the sudden passing of her Dad. This is a beautifully written story, which is filled with drama, humour, emotion, and is a steamy second chance romance. I was totally captivated throughout this page turner, and I cannot wait to read more of this talented authors’ work.

[Suzette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first time I have read anything from this author and I am very impressed. I ran the gauntlet of emotions while reading which is a high accomplishment on her part. Her characters and situations were very easy to visualize and become emotionally invested in. I look forward to exploring more of her work.

[Brandy Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Homegoing was a good second chance romance I really liked what the couple had even though at times it did frustrate me to were I didn't know what to think of them but I know I wanted them to find the happy ending . This is the third book I have read by the author and what to see whats to come next from Janae Keyes .

[Wendy Ballard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bethany has tried her best not to go to her home town with the only guy she ever loved that broke her heart. She gets a call saying her dad pasted and she went back to take care of him and everything that she needed to. Her best friends Grandmother instead of a funeral it is a homegoing that her dad is going home to be with the lord

[Kimhe Rockchicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

This is a first time read for me for this author. I'm so glad I clicked buy it now. A wonderful, moving, heartfelt, a little sad too but a second chance for Bethany and Liam to get right. But of course only time will tell if their love is enough to overcome so many obstacles.
You will love it.

[Kemberlee Snelling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good second second romance. There were so many emotions. They get their HEA in the end.

[Kerry Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good story with strong lead characters. My only issue with it were the amount of grammatical errors and mistakes, there is no excuse, not even for self published authors.

[Rebecca Farrar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Read

The people in the story are described perfectly. The characters draw you into storyline and it is hard to stop reading.

[Tiff91 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this book. It's so badly written that it makes me sad. I'm sorry to the author but this is a DNF.

[Cindy]

Dnf

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Homegoing was a good read but I didn't love it, which was a shame because, from the blurb, I thought I would!! This was my first read by Janae Keyes but I'd definitely check out her other works.

Liam and Bethany were high school sweethearts who wanted different things that eventually tore them apart. To be honest, I couldn't see me forgiving him if I had been in her shoes - too much was said and done and, for me, the timescales from the past suggested Liam didn't love Beth as much as he'd claimed he did!!

Add in a crazy ex, a sad loss, misunderstandings, lack of communication (my pet hate!) and some great characters and you have all the makings of a great read - that for some reason, as I've said, didn't quite hit the mark for me! That said, give it a try, there's every chance that you'll love it!

3*. I did love where the title of the book came from!!

*
*
I received a copy of the book for an honest review