Book Review (and a Giveaway!): Always the One by Tara Randel

Posted February 13, 2020 by meezcarrie in contemporary, giveaway, romance, Tara Randel / 9 Comments

Always the One, On Tour with Prism Book Tours

ALWAYS THE ONE
SERIES: Meet Me at the Altar #4
GENRE: Contemporary ‘clean read’ Romance
PUBLISHER: Harlequin Heartwarming
RELEASE DATE: February 4, 2020
PAGES: 384

From USA TODAY bestselling author Tara Randel
She’s the love of his life… but is he still hers?
FBI agent Derrick Matthews has finally found his childhood sweetheart and the love of his life—but she isn’t exactly happy about it! Years ago, Hannah Rawlings disappeared overnight when her family went on the run, and she blames Derrick. She tells him she’s moved on and he should, too, but Derrick fears Hannah’s still in danger. He vows to protect her—even if that means betraying her trust…again.

Other Books In This Series

“Sometimes we get a raw deal. It’s how we handle the tough circumstances that makes all the difference.”

I have so enjoyed the Meet Me at the Altar series by Tara Randel, and I’ve been eagerly looking forward to Derrick’s story. Always the One did not disappoint!

The second chance at first love trope has grown on me over the last couple of years because of the intense emotions that unfinished business and lingering love add to the story. Derrick and Hannah’s first kiss after all these years have passed reminded me exactly why I now love this trope! The familiarity of past kisses combined with the newness of maturity and 15 years of separate years experiences made a swoony kiss even swoonier – and all kinds of layered. (It was a great kiss haha!)

And oh how I loved Derrick’s interactions with the kids in Hannah’s class – especially with Tommy. As a former elementary school teacher myself, I appreciated these scenes and could relate to Hannah’s job quite well.

Bottom Line: Randel’s smooth and engaging writing style, combined with layered characters & a dose of suspense make Always The One my favorite installment of this series! Derrick and Hannah are easy to love – and so are Hannah’s mom and Hannah’s student Tommy. This second chance romance is not without its obstacles – namely Hannah’s longheld anger for the inadvertent part Derrick played in her life being turned upside down 15 years ago … and her current fiancé. All of this makes for a highly entertaining, charming, and sweet read you’ll enjoy from start to finish!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received via Prism Book Tours. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4.5 stars / Love it!

KissingBook Level: 3+ / Will forget to breathe on occasion

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iBooks | Harlequin

USA Today Bestselling Author Tara Randel has enjoyed a lifelong love of books, especially romance and mystery genres, so it didn’t come as a surprise when she began writing with the dream of becoming published. Family values, mystery and, of course, love and romance are her favorite themes, because she believes love is the greatest gift of all. Tara lives on the West Coast of Florida, where gorgeous sunsets inspire the creation of heartwarming stories, filled with love, laughter and the occasional mystery.