Forever Starts Now by Stefanie London – a Review
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Description:
What happens when two people who’ve given up on forever find it in each other…?
Single men are as scarce in Forever Falls as a vegetarian at a barbecue. That is, until Ethan Hammersmith moves in. After his fiancée gave him an ultimatum, he left Australia and never looked back. He isn’t in America to find a new girlfriend, though. He’s searching for the father he never knew. But now it’s like he has a flashing sign above his head that says “available.” Thankfully, the manager of the local diner is willing to give him cover—if only she weren’t so distractingly adorable.
Monroe Roberts, town misanthrope and divorcée, knocked “forever” permanently off her wish list ever since the love of her life skipped town with the cliché yoga instructor. And good riddance. She’s got this struggling diner to keep her busy, trying anything to boost sales…until a hot Australian strolls in and changes everything. Monroe’s restaurant is packed full of women who aren’t there to order food, unless Ethan is on the menu. This could sink her business faster than ever. So—light bulb—what if they pretend to be together?
It sounded like the perfect plan. It hilariously was not…
Review:
Forever Starts Now begins with Monroe Roberts at work at the Sunshine Diner, handling yet another problem. It does not help when Frank, the cook and her long-time friend, starts in on her about doing something more with her life. Something more than managing the diner and in line with what she had aspired to do before her life took an unexpected and heartbreaking turn. To add to an already frustrating day, Mr. Sullivan, who owns the diner, pops in. Monroe has known him since she was a kid, but that did not help when she heard what he had to say. It seems that the lack of business and rising costs was forcing his hand to either sell or close the diner. Monroe did get him to give her a month to see if she could turn things around. One month…….
Ethan Hammersmith had been in America for a while now searching for someone he only found out about as his mother lay dying almost a year ago…..his biological father. With nothing more than a name and age, Ethan has made it his mission in life to track down this elusive man to see if he can make sense of his life. Once Ethan found out that the man who raised him was not his birth father, everything he thought he knew and wanted came crashing down. Now, here he was in another town searching. Little did he know how much his life was about to change when he stepped into the Sunshine Diner. Add to that the fact that he is a dead ringer for Chris Hemsworth and his life will, once again, never be the same.
Forever Starts Now is a wonderfully written story. The characters are engaging and relatable. Monroe is a devoted daughter, sister and friend. The betrayal she suffered at the hands of her now ex-husband had a profound effect on her and sent her reeling. Ethan had always thought something was off between him and his “father”. Once he found out what that reason was, his life changed in an instant. The interaction between Monroe and Ethan was well written too. There were sparks, but even more than that, there was a mutual respect that shone through. I also really enjoyed the secondary characters as well. Forever Starts Now is ultimately a story about moving beyond hurt and betrayal and learning to trust yourself and your feelings once again so that you can embrace your future. If you are a fan of the genre, you’ll certainly enjoy this one. Well done, Stefanie London!
Reviewed by Vickie
Copy provided by Publisher
