Title: Finding Hope for Tomorrow Author: Kathryn McNeill Crane
Series: Tomorrows #2
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: April 26, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance
More Info: Goodreads
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Every person’s life tells a story.
Some are uncomplicated, straightforward, and easy. Things fall into place with a simplicity that boggles the mind.
Others twist and turn, and every day is centered on fighting and scraping, yet never finding victory.
And then there are those who gain an inch only to be knocked back a foot. They love. They fight. They stumble. They fall. But through it all, they stagger to their feet, step back on life’s path, and push through until they win. For these people, happiness is not an illusion. It’s a truth, a promise, worth any effort, any scars, but just out of arm’s reach. It stands at the end of the path, taunting and teasing, tempting them to take one more blow.
And in the end, the battles make victory sweeter. More valued. More precious than ever imagined. More than any one person could hope.
This is Liam’s story.
Loyal, protective, shoulders stronger than Atlas'.
Broken, worn, battered.
Win or lose, he’s ready to fight for what tomorrow brings.
Life. Love. Healing. Hope.
Title: Finding Hope for Tomorrow
Series: Tomorrows #2
Author: Kathryn McNeill Crane
Release Date: April 26, 2016
Cover Design: Ashley Baumann Photo & Design
Excerpt
He sat back while the server put their food on the table. Elizabeth eyed his shrimp scampi, so he offered her the first bite.
“Mmm, I love shrimp.” She closed her eyes as she chewed. “Delicious.”
“Y-yes, it is.” Liam cleared the gravel from his throat, mesmerized by the sight before him.
“Liam, you haven’t even tasted it yet.” Her light laughter drew him back to the conversation, her bright eyes shining with merriment.
“Right.” He blinked several times and shook his head to clear the haze. “Golf. That’s what we were talking about. Thaw should start soon, please, God. Maybe we can hit Wade Hampton after it warms up.” His focus was so completely on Elizabeth that he didn’t even taste the lemony pasta on his fork.
The pull she had on him was magnetic, and he was unable to resist.
“Yeah, that would be nice. But really, I’m down with anything outdoors. I’ve tried to find a few waterfalls and some of the hiking trails in DuPont, but to be honest, I’ve gotten turned around and lost every time.” She laughed at herself and paused to sample her chicken parmigiana. “What can I say? I’m just not that good with directions.”
A drop of sauce on the corner of her mouth convinced Liam to close the remaining gap between them. “You have a little bit right,” his thumb collected the sauce, “here.”
Her gasp, when he brought his thumb to his mouth, left him feeling a little pleased with himself. Maybe he could do this flirting thing, after all.
His fork scraped against his empty plate before Elizabeth was half finished with her huge portion. He accepted her offer to share and relaxed against the back of the booth as she fed him a bite. While definitely a rare experience, he couldn’t help but think how nice it felt for someone to pay that much attention to him. The sparkle in her eyes and the smile on her lips told him she enjoyed the task.
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My Review
You know how they say good things come to those who wait? Well, let me tell you; Kathryn Crane is the epitome of one such author that personifies that statement. She may not release books as often as some others do, but you can be sure that once you have her beauty in your hands, you are about to embark on a journey that will touch your soul. She embodies everything that makes contemporary romance so magical and pure to the heart. She develops characters that you become instantly invested in and feel as if you’ve known your entire life. You find yourself becoming so enthralled with where the story will take them next that you can’t help but furiously flip the pages, all the while wanting to go slower just so the story won’t end. Funnily enough, there’s no mention of sex in her books, much less the action of it, and while I didn’t notice that until the end, I found I didn’t even miss it. Which if you truly know my reading habits, you know I tend to go for the dirtier the better. In fact, I usually make the prerequisite that a certain word be used religiously in a book for me to really enjoy it. But again, no dirty words were used and I was completely okay with it. Every once in a while it’s good for this dirty bird to have a palate cleanser and dial back her filthy mind, and Finding Hope for Tomorrow was exactly what I needed.
While some of these characters were new to use, others were first introduced in her first novel, Searching for Tomorrow. I fell in love with that book almost three years ago, and not many days have gone by since that I haven’t thought, even if just vaguely, about it. Her words and characters touched my soul in ways that not many have since and I longed to read Liam’s story and see him get his HEA. As I said before, he was definitely worth the wait! Was the story perfect? Absolutely not. Were there some things I would have like to have embellished upon more? For sure. But at the heart of the story, it was 100% true to its characters and for me, that was more than enough. And even with the few things I would have liked to know more about, I don’t feel as if I missed out on anything. I have no clue if this series is done, but I do know that I’ll read anything she releases without question.
While there wasn’t anything high octane about this story, I loved that it was thoroughly thought out. Between the well developed characters, the descriptions of the landscapes and surroundings, and the insertion of new characters, there was a cohesion that you don’t always find in books. I really appreciated the time and forethought she put into making this story what it was. It allowed you to not focus on flaws and just enjoy the characters for once. That being said, had I not read Wrynn’s story first and known what she was going through, I’ll be honest with you; I did not care for her in this story. She came across as whiny, needy, and self absorbed, and she and Liam seemed more than a little co-dependent of each other. That being said, I DID in fact read SFT first, so I not only do I know the backstory, but I know the thought process going through her mind. Because of that, I was able to look past the surface, even though I was still annoyed that Liam let it get as far as he did. But that might also be more of me knowing she already had her HEA and I wanted Liam to get his and not have anything stand in the way.
There were way more surprises in this story that I expected, but as I reflect on it now, it really all makes sense. Were it a snake, it would have bitten me. While this was ultimately a love story, there was a lot of healing going on here as well. The two went hand in hand and I loved being a part of their journey. I loved Elizabeth’s carefree attitude towards life and even though it annoyed me at times, I loved Liam’s loyalty towards those he loved. These two characters were so perfectly matched, it will make you believe in soul mates all over again. I cannot wait to see what KC comes out with next!
Giveaway
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Searching for Tomorrow
(Tomorrows #1)
Amazon US
My Review
Some people are blessed to find that one certain person who completes them.
Wrynn’s yesterdays were what others only dream of having. She and Tripp were the best of friends before they even thought about love. They had the fairy tale life where ‘like’ turns into ‘love’, and ‘love’ becomes ‘happily ever after’.
What happens when life conspires against you, and snatches your soul mate from your arms?
…only her forever love ended much too soon.
Broken beyond her own ability to repair, Wrynn boxes up her grief and attempts to raise her three girls the best she can on her own. As time slowly passes, Wrynn relives her life with Tripp while struggling most days to get out of bed. She is reminded of him at every turn.
How do you set your grief and anguish aside? How do you pick up the shattered pieces, put those pieces back together again, and try to move on?
Wrynn tries to find the joy in life every single day through her daughters, family, and friends. Her twin brother Liam has dedicated himself to helping Wrynn put her life back together after losing his own love. On the other hand, her mother-in-law lives to torment her at every turn. Wrynn can’t even find a chance to breathe, much less a desire to somehow search for her tomorrow.
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