After I closed Like Never Before for the last time of the first read-through (yes, I anticipate reading this book more than once), I squealed and clapped my hands together like a little girl. Shortly thereafter, I was asked, “So, that means you're going to give it a good review?”
Yes.
After that, “You’ll encourage other people to read the book, then?”
Double yes.
I don’t know exactly what I was expecting of this book. But whatever notion I had in my head, Like Never Before surpassed that. Throughout the novel, character point of view (who is telling the story) swaps between the two lead characters: Amelia Bentley and Logan Walker. The fun thing about using that technique, is that the reader (you + me) get to see things from both sets of eyes. When writing a love story, it also lets readers feel the different emotions that each character has in the relationship.
And that doesn’t fail us in Like Never Before. Melissa Tagg, author extraordinaire, beautifully (and expertly) portrays the unique love story of two very unsuspecting people. Logan, a single father in his mid-thirties, lives in L.A. and works as a political speech writer. His world is changed (for the better) by the spunky, divorced, and heart-broken thirty-year-old Amelia Bentley who is the proud editor of small-town Maple Valley’s newspaper.
Through a series of events, the two (eventually) fall in love...three hundred and thirty-eight pages later.
And, you can’t ignore the mystery that Melissa Tagg so expertly ties into the story - her daydream of what might’ve happened to Charles Lindbergh’s helmet after his historic flight across the Atlantic. And how, for the story purposes of Like Never Before, the helmet is supposed to be buried with the old “cranky” man of Maple Valley. But Amelia sets out to solve the mystery and prove that Kendall Wilkins wasn’t the mean old man that Maple Valley thought he was.
As Logan is for Amelia (and vice versa), I am one hundred percent in love with this book. Throughout its nineteen chapters Like Never Before hurtles you through a whirlwind of laughter, sarcasm, basically all the feels, but (most importantly), it has a pretty swoon-worthy cover couple.
Like Never Before deserves a place in every rom-com adoring heart. This is a modern romance at it’s finest. Read it, love it, and treasure it close to your heart -- because that’s the only place that this book deserves to be; on the bookshelf of your heart.
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About the Book:
Author: Melissa Tagg
Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: 2016
Genre: Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Inspirational
This book is available for purchase on Amazon (www.amazon.com), LifeWay (www.lifeway.com), Barnes & Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com), and Christian Books (www.christianbook.com).
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Melissa Tagg is a former reporter, current nonprofit grant-writer and total Iowa girl. She’s also a multi-published novelist. Her latest book, Like Never Before, was named by Publisher’s Weekly to their spring 2016 “Religion and Spirituality” Top 10 list. Melissa has taught at multiple national writing conferences, as well as retreats and workshops. When she’s not writing, she can be found hanging out with the coolest family ever–not that she’s biased–watching old movies, and daydreaming about her next book. Melissa loves connecting with readers at www.melissatagg.com and on Facebook and Instagram.
Synopsis: Maple Valley became Amelia Bentley's haven after her heart and her dreams of a family were shattered. But her new life as a newspaper editor is shaken when the small-town paper is in danger of closing. Her one hope: A lead on an intriguing story that just might impress the new publisher...if only she knew who he was.
After his biggest campaign success yet, widowed speechwriter Logan Walker now has the chance of a lifetime--a spot on a presidential campaign. But his plans are interrupted when he finds out he's inherited his hometown newspaper. He travels home intent on selling the paper and spending some much-needed time with his young daughter before making the leap into national politics.
But instead of a quick sale and peaceful break from his hectic career, Logan finds himself helping Amelia chase her story. She's scrappy, but wounded. He's dependable, but lost. They may butt heads more than expected, but a series of leads on Maple Valley's quirky unsolved mystery is just the start of the sparks that fly in the office and in their hearts. - Goodreads
Sincere thanks to Melissa and the publisher for providing a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing purposes.
Yes.
After that, “You’ll encourage other people to read the book, then?”
Double yes.
I don’t know exactly what I was expecting of this book. But whatever notion I had in my head, Like Never Before surpassed that. Throughout the novel, character point of view (who is telling the story) swaps between the two lead characters: Amelia Bentley and Logan Walker. The fun thing about using that technique, is that the reader (you + me) get to see things from both sets of eyes. When writing a love story, it also lets readers feel the different emotions that each character has in the relationship.
And that doesn’t fail us in Like Never Before. Melissa Tagg, author extraordinaire, beautifully (and expertly) portrays the unique love story of two very unsuspecting people. Logan, a single father in his mid-thirties, lives in L.A. and works as a political speech writer. His world is changed (for the better) by the spunky, divorced, and heart-broken thirty-year-old Amelia Bentley who is the proud editor of small-town Maple Valley’s newspaper.
Through a series of events, the two (eventually) fall in love...three hundred and thirty-eight pages later.
And, you can’t ignore the mystery that Melissa Tagg so expertly ties into the story - her daydream of what might’ve happened to Charles Lindbergh’s helmet after his historic flight across the Atlantic. And how, for the story purposes of Like Never Before, the helmet is supposed to be buried with the old “cranky” man of Maple Valley. But Amelia sets out to solve the mystery and prove that Kendall Wilkins wasn’t the mean old man that Maple Valley thought he was.
As Logan is for Amelia (and vice versa), I am one hundred percent in love with this book. Throughout its nineteen chapters Like Never Before hurtles you through a whirlwind of laughter, sarcasm, basically all the feels, but (most importantly), it has a pretty swoon-worthy cover couple.
Like Never Before deserves a place in every rom-com adoring heart. This is a modern romance at it’s finest. Read it, love it, and treasure it close to your heart -- because that’s the only place that this book deserves to be; on the bookshelf of your heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the Book:
Author: Melissa Tagg
Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: 2016
Genre: Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Inspirational
This book is available for purchase on Amazon (www.amazon.com), LifeWay (www.lifeway.com), Barnes & Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com), and Christian Books (www.christianbook.com).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Melissa Tagg is a former reporter, current nonprofit grant-writer and total Iowa girl. She’s also a multi-published novelist. Her latest book, Like Never Before, was named by Publisher’s Weekly to their spring 2016 “Religion and Spirituality” Top 10 list. Melissa has taught at multiple national writing conferences, as well as retreats and workshops. When she’s not writing, she can be found hanging out with the coolest family ever–not that she’s biased–watching old movies, and daydreaming about her next book. Melissa loves connecting with readers at www.melissatagg.com and on Facebook and Instagram.
Synopsis: Maple Valley became Amelia Bentley's haven after her heart and her dreams of a family were shattered. But her new life as a newspaper editor is shaken when the small-town paper is in danger of closing. Her one hope: A lead on an intriguing story that just might impress the new publisher...if only she knew who he was.
After his biggest campaign success yet, widowed speechwriter Logan Walker now has the chance of a lifetime--a spot on a presidential campaign. But his plans are interrupted when he finds out he's inherited his hometown newspaper. He travels home intent on selling the paper and spending some much-needed time with his young daughter before making the leap into national politics.
But instead of a quick sale and peaceful break from his hectic career, Logan finds himself helping Amelia chase her story. She's scrappy, but wounded. He's dependable, but lost. They may butt heads more than expected, but a series of leads on Maple Valley's quirky unsolved mystery is just the start of the sparks that fly in the office and in their hearts. - Goodreads
Sincere thanks to Melissa and the publisher for providing a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing purposes.