Book Review: Marie Force's Five Years Gone

 

Ava thought she had it all with her hot romance with Jon until her lover goes out on a mission and disappears. Picking u p the pieces was hard but she does it until her past comes back to throw her life into a spin.

My Rating for Five Years Gone: 5 Stars and a Recommended Read

My Review of Five Years Gone:

When Ava met John in San Diego, she found a man who consumed her, fell in love with and was just happy as can be in the two years they were together. Then John was called to duty in the military and that is where her life she lived with John went to hell in a handbasket because he went away and never returned. Five years has passed, and Ava decides to leave San Diego and move back to New York City, to her family and try to put her life, her heart, back together again. But not knowing where John is, what happened to him or even if he is still a live or dead, has colored everything even as she tries to move past the past and embrace a possible new romance with a new man but John lingers in her mind and heart. Can Ava finally put to rest the past in order to have the present and future she longs for? Can she ever find peace with someone new while the man who left her behind haunts her every moment of every day?

FIVE YEARS GONE is a story that will leave you emotionally gutted. It’s a story that literally ripped me asunder and I was left shaking with emotions that I just could not process. Ms. Force delivers a powerful story that will leave you breathless as you follow Ava’s journey from the moment she met John to the present where she tries to figure out how to live with no answers to so many questions and a heart that is shattered beyond belief. With each page you flip, the reader is drawn more and more into Ava’s story and we get to see how she copes, her relationships with family, new friends and more as she tries to live once again. What go to me the most was how real the characters were. Ava, John, Eric and all the rest as they helped move the story along even as I was eager to see what Ava’s would find out in the end. The author does an amazing job in capturing each character’s vibrant and at times annoying personality quirks. Though yes, I have to say sometimes I really wanted to shake Ava at times and say to her to get help or to talk about what happened.  Several twists had me on the edge of my seat and I swear I was just about ready to bawl when the last few chapters came about and I really don’t want to give away to many things because, man, this book just guts you to a level I haven’t experienced in a long time while reading a book.

FIVE YEARS GONE is a story about moving on even when you can’t think of doing so, of forgiveness, of love, duty and so much more. Ms. Force delivers a stunning story that will keep you on the edge of your seat and flipping the pages till the very end of the book is closed. With characters like Ava, Eric and more to keep the pace moving we get to see how one woman chose to move on with her life even though the answers she seeks may never materialize. FIVE YEARS GONE is a departure over this author’s past books and yes, she is still one of my favorite authors that I will auto-buy when ever she has a release coming up. FIVE YEARS GONE is a different kind of story than what her readers may be used to. The only draw back I got was the constant character back and forth chapter wise. One minute we are in Ava’s head, next chapter maybe Eric’s or a friend or back to Ava. It got confusing at first and yes, a bit annoying, until the story started to smooth out and we got to see how Ava was and the path she was trying to forge by herself. I recommend not coming into this book expecting a classic Marie Force story. What we get with FIVE YEARS GONE is something different, emotional and downright perfect in this world we live in today. Yes, its intense and keeps you running the gauntlet of emotions but the ending though not one I might of thought would happen in the beginning but where Ava finally ends in the final chapter is the perfect ending for her in my opinion. But get the tissues and keep them handy because you WILL cry with this story. You will go and hug your partner/lover/husband/family/pets tight for a few minutes and just feel because I can say with all honesty, Ms. Force, you deliver a story that left me gutted emotion wise and I can’t wait to see where the sequel will go next.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

Find out more in One Year Home, Sequel to Five Years Gone

Book Review: State of the Union by Marie Force

 

STATE OF THE UNION by Marie Force

First Family Book 3

Contemporary Roamnce, Action, Romantic Suspense

Buy Links HERE

As Nick gets ready for his first State of the Union address and Sam deals with a confounding case that has left no clues on how to solve it, these two will find their world watching as their first test of their administration begins.

My rating for STATE OF THE UNION: 4 Stars

My review for State of the Union:

The biggest night of President Cappuano’s life is here, and he has no idea if his wife, Lt. Samantha Holland will show up for his first State of the Union Address. For Sam, trying to balance being a working mom and first lady is like juggling chainsaws while they are on. With a puzzling case and trying to support her husband Nick as he deals with one thing after another as President, Sam is on edge over everything. But as times get tough, Nick and Sam find themselves drawing on their shared strength as a couple while dealing with issues between family, friends and work. For with these two, when push comes to shove, Nick and Sam turn to one another to fight for their family, their lives and more.

 

STATE OF THE UNION continues the First Family spin-off of the Fatal Series with an explosive addition as Sam finds herself tugged in so many directions at work and at home, she has figure out her footing before it gets so bad, she is swept away from it all. Nick is dealing with one crisis after another as well as the bubble he has put himself and his family in as the First Family of the United States. With each book in this series, Marie Force delivers an explosive storyline that will keep you glued to the pages till the very end. I couldn’t put this book down and that ending has me on tenterhooks waiting for State of Shock in December to get here. With each book I read from this author, I fall more in love with her world building, her entertaining and complex characters, and the storylines she crafts has me in awe over her talent to create such masterpieces.

 

STATE OF THE UNION picks up a few months after State of Grace (book 2) and we get to see how Sam, Nick and their family is dealing with being thrust into the world’s spotlight as well as dealing with the fishbowl they are dealt with. Concessions by Sam in regard to her job as Metro PD’s Homicide Lieutenant is trying to do her job as a police officer as well as being the First Lady as well. I love, love, love how this author captures Sam’s issues head on as she balances two jobs, being a working mom, her family and her marriage to Nick. For me, this keeps it real instead of everything being all great and fairytales. The challenges Sam faces are relatable (though not sure about the whole First lady aspect but as a working mom), I love how the author gets how conflicted Sam can be as she deals with another baffling case, the demands on her as First Lady and more. STATE OF THE UNION delivers so much in terms in character development and the fact that it is relatable as working parents with demanding career trying to juggle everything. I got to admit a few times I was as annoyed as Sam as the case she is dealing with delivers no leads time and again. The last half of the book is when all those twists and turns delivers the climatic ending that left me in shock. I won’t spoil it in case you haven’t read this one yet but suffice to say December can not get here fast enough for me to see what happens next.

Marie Force is one of my favorite authors and an auto-buy or me whenever she has a new release and STATE OF THE UNION is a crown jewel in my mind. I love how she keeps the tension woven through the story as well as some light heartedness as well to break it up a little, get the reader to smile and laugh as it turns back to serious issues. Ms. Force has a gift of storytelling on par with Nora Roberts and Patricia Briggs in that they completely capture the readers attention and delivers stories that you can not put down.

STATE OF THE UNION delivers more than two main characters fighting to solve the case and live another day. It’s about balance, love in all its forms, family, and friends and more. In this, Marie Force gives us, the readers, a series that is full of those heartbreaking moments as well as those healing moments that will steal your heart. I can not recommend this author the most because she delivers in STATE OF THE UNION in more ways than one and this time, I am eager to see just what else she has in store for Sam and Nick as they embark on this adventure as First Family.

 

This is an Objective review and not an endorsement

A Few Books I am Eager for in 2022

 Here are a few upcoming books releaseing in 2022 that I am itching to dive into. Some are new to me authors, others are my autobuys but all are in a range of genres and tropes. So if one looks inviting to you, check it out as I included amazon links to them as well.

Someone Like You

A Wild Widows Series, Book 1

Spin-off of Fatal Series

Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Women's Fiction

Available February 15th, 2022 

Check it out at Amazon, Author Website

My thoughts: We met Roni in the Fatal series and I am thrilled we see how she navigates being a new widow at such a young age. This is her story of afterwards and according to the author, Marie Force, the Wild Widows are a hoot. So get ready for this wonderful, emotional ride.

Roni
After I suddenly lose my husband, Patrick, in a senseless shooting, I’m lost in a sea of well-meaning people trying to make the unimaginable seem possible. How am I supposed to go on without the man who's been at the center of my life for nearly a decade? My friends and family do what they can for me, but I quickly realize that surviving this loss is going to be on me. One day to the next, I have to make the decision to go on, but life isn’t done throwing me ringers, and just when I think I’ve got this young widow game figured out, I find out how wrong I am. When a friend of my sister’s connects me to the Wild Widows, I find a group of fellow travelers who understand my new reality in a way no one else in my life ever could. The Wild Widows have one requirement for membership to their group—I must be open to the possibility of a Chapter 2, which is what they call a second chance at love. While I’m not in any way looking for or ready for a Chapter 2, if I’ve learned anything it’s that I’m not in control of where this journey will take me.

Come along as Roni and the other Wild Widows navigate their new realities with grace, humor and compassion. They will make you laugh and cry and root for each and every one of them in this exciting, heartfelt new series from New York Times bestselling author Marie Force.

**~~**

Kingdom of Bones

A Sigma Force Novel, Book 16

Thriller/Mystery, Contemporary Fiction

Available April 19th, 2022

Check it out at Amazon

My Thoughts: James Rollins delivers a pulse pounding ride from start to finish as he combines historical aspects, science and contemporary genres all in a series that has always kept me transfixed and eager for more since the very first book, Subterrarn. 

From #1 New York Times bestselling author James Rollins, the latest riveting, deeply imaginative thriller in the Sigma Force series, told with his trademark blend of cutting-edge science, historical mystery, and pulse-pounding action.

It begins in Africa . . .

A United Nations relief team in a small village in the Congo makes an alarming discovery. An unknown force is leveling the evolutionary playing field. Men, women, and children have been reduced to a dull, catatonic state. The environment surrounding them—plants and animals—has grown more cunning and predatory, evolving at an exponential pace. The insidious phenomenon is spreading from a cursed site in the jungle — known to locals as the Kingdom of Bones —and sweeping across Africa, threatening the rest of the world.

What has made the biosphere run amok? Is it a natural event? Or more terrifyingly, did someone engineer it?

Commander Gray Pierce and Sigma Force are prepared for the extraordinary and have kept the world safe, vigilance for which they have paid a tragic personal price. Yet, even these brilliant and seasoned scientific warriors do not understand what is behind this frightening development—or know how to stop it. As they race to find answers, the members of Sigma quickly realize they have become the prey.

To head off global catastrophe, Sigma Force must risk their lives to uncover the shattering secret at the heart of the African continent—a truth that will illuminate who we are as a species and where we may be headed . . . sooner than we know.

Mother Nature—red in tooth and claw—is turning against humankind, propelling the entire world into the Kingdom of Bones.

**~~**

The Poisoned Forest

A Wild Hunt Adventure/Hedge Dragon Series, Book 1

Paranormal/Fantasy Romance

Available on February 22nd, 2022

Check it out at the Author's Website and at Amazon

My thoughts: I love Yasmine Galenorn's awesome world building and stories and was thrilled to see she is spinning off her wildly popular Wild Hunt Series with a few new characters that sound fascinating. This is one of the spin-offs on track for readers to devour and enjoy.

To the Rakshasa who enslaved my sister: you just made the worst mistake you'll ever make in your life.

Yes, I'm a Hedge Dragon. An abomination, or so they call my kind. I'm a loner, but I'm also loyal to my sister. Turns out, the rest of the family couldn't care less. I'm the only one willing to go after her when she vanishes.

She’s being held in the Poisoned Forest, one of the darkest, deadliest places in Wildemoone. But the Lord of the Hunt and his Lady take pity on me and offer me help.

Now, together with a small band of rogues who I swear are more trouble than they’re worth, I'm out to save my sister before she’s lost forever, and before the forest does all of us in.

This is a spinoff of the Wild Hunt Series. You do not need to read the Wild Hunt Series to read the Hedge Dragon Series.

**~~**

Crowbones

The World of the Others Book 3

Paranromal, Fantasy Fiction, Action/Adventure, Mystery

Available on March 8th, 2022

Check it out at Amazon

My Thoughts: I love the Others series and was thrilled to see the author expand past those borders and we got to meet some more interesting characters and events that take place around the same time the books of the Others series is going on.

In this engrossing and gripping fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, an inn owner and her friends must find a killer—before it’s too late.…

Crowbones will gitcha if you don’t watch out!

Deep in the territory controlled by the Others—shape-shifters, vampires, and even deadlier paranormal beings—Vicki DeVine has made a new life for herself running The Jumble, a rustic resort. When she decides to host a gathering of friends and guests for Trickster Night, at first everything is going well between the humans and the Others.

 

But then someone arrives dressed as Crowbones, the Crowgard bogeyman. When the impostor is killed along with a shape-shifting Crow, and the deaths are clearly connected, everyone fears that the real Crowbones may have come to The Jumble—and that could mean serious trouble.

 

To “encourage” humans to help them find some answers, the Elders and Elementals close all the roads, locking in suspects and victims alike. Now Vicki, human police chief Grimshaw, vampire lawyer Ilya Sanguinati, and the rest of their friends have to figure out who is manipulating events designed to pit humans against Others—and who may have put Vicki DeVine in the crosshairs of a powerful hunter.

**~~**

Soul Taken

A Mercy Thompson Series, Book 13

Paranormal/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense, Action-Adventure

Available June 21st, 2022

Available at Amazon

My Thoughts: This series is one of my Autobuys as I adore Mercy Thompson and the cast of characters that invade the books are diverse, interesting and the sort of series I can not put down.

Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, must face her greatest fears in this chilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

The vampire Wulfe is missing. Since he’s deadly, possibly insane, and his current idea of “fun” is stalking Mercy, some may see it as no great loss. But when he disappears, the Tri-Cities pack is blamed. The mistress of the vampire seethe informs Mercy that the pack must produce Wulfe to prove their innocence, or the loose alliance between the local vampires and werewolves is over.

 

So Mercy goes out to find her stalker—and discovers more than just Wulfe have disappeared. Someone is taking people from locked rooms, from the aisles of stores, and even from crowded parties. And these are not just ordinary people but supernatural beings. Until Wulfe vanished, all of them were powerless loners, many of whom quietly moved to the Tri-Cities in the hope that the safety promised by Mercy and Adam’s pack would extend to them as well.

 

Who is taking them? As Mercy investigates, she learns of the legend of the Harvester, who travels by less-trodden paths and reaps the souls that are ripe with a great black scythe. . .

**~~**

Abandoned In Death

An In Death Novel, Book 54

Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Mystery

Available on February 8th, 2022

Available at Amazon

My Thoughts: JD Robb/Nora Roberts is one of go to authors I reread repeatedly. Her books are so good, thrilling and full of characters that let me imagine being there with them. She is one of the few autobuys I have that no matter what is coming from the author, once I see it is up for preorder, I am there. 

Homicide detective Eve Dallas must untangle a twisted family history while a hostage’s life hangs in the balance—in Abandoned in Death by New York Times bestselling author J. D. Robb.

The woman’s body was found in the early morning, on a bench in a New York City playground. She was clean, her hair neatly arranged, her makeup carefully applied. But other things were very wrong—like the tattoo and piercings, clearly new. The clothes, decades out of date. The fatal wound hidden beneath a ribbon around her neck. And the note: Bad Mommy, written in crayon as if by a child.

Eve Dallas turns to the department’s top profiler, who confirms what seems obvious to Eve: They’re dealing with a killer whose childhood involved some sort of trauma—a situation Eve is all too familiar with herself. Yet the clues suggest a perpetrator who’d be roughly sixty years old, and there are no records of old crimes with a similar MO. What was the trigger that apparently reopened such an old wound and sent someone over the edge?

When Eve discovers that other young women—who physically resemble the first victim—have vanished, the clock starts ticking louder. But to solve this case she will need to find her way into a hidden place of dim light and concrete, into the distant past, and into the cold depths of a shattered mind.

Release Blitz Week: State of Affairs by Marie Force

 So excited to finally-FINALLY-have the next installment in Marie Force's Fatal Series with the new book that goes in a new direction, hence forth the books are now known as 'First Family' series. Same explosive action and romance that this couple is known for but in a new direction they didn't see coming. Marie Force is one of my auto-buy authors, where anything she has out I pre-order and I adore Sam, Nick and the gang in Fatal Series so I am eager to see where the author takes them in this new direction. So get ready for STATE OF AFFAIRS and the first book in the First Family Series.

The phone call that changed their lives forever…

Minutes after Vice President Nick Cappuano and Lt. Sam Holland get the call that President Nelson has been found dead in the residence on Thanksgiving, they’re still processing that Nick has been asked to come to the White House to take the oath of office.

As they go through the motions to ensure a peaceful transition of power, Sam has a million and one concerns about her husband, her family, the Nelson family, the country and the enormity of what Nick is about to take on. In the back of her mind is another major concern: What does this mean for my job? No other first lady in history has held a job outside the White House, but she’s determined to be the first, to blaze new trails for those who will follow her. However, in order to do that, she quickly realizes that compromises will have to be made to continue working as a Homicide detective. 

Their lives become an immediate firestorm of meetings, requests for interviews, difficult questions from their children and a host of potential landmines to navigate as they make the transition from second family to first family. An unexpected issue with a diplomatic trip to Iran quickly thrusts Nick into the thick of his new responsibilities while Sam confronts a murder investigation that may have ties to a cold case from fifteen years ago.

As everything around them spins out of control, Sam and Nick take refuge with each other, relying on their unbreakable bond to see them through the storm.

Buy links can be found HERE

Excerpt Teaser:

First Family Series, Book 1

By: Marie Force

Chapter 1

A full minute after ending the bombshell call from the White House chief of staff, Nick Cappuano stared into the eyes of his wife, Samantha, looking to her for calm in the midst of calamity. However, he wasn’t finding calm in her lovely blue eyes. Instead he saw the same panic he felt.

President David Nelson had been found dead in the White House residence.

Nick was going to be president of the United States of America.

The Secret Service was waiting to transport him and Sam to the White House so he could take the oath of office.

Five minutes ago, they’d been in bed, commiserating after eating too much at Thanksgiving dinner. And now… Now, he needed to breathe, to remain calm, to do what needed to be done for his family and his country. “Say something.”

Sam licked her lips and looked up at him with eyes gone wild. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

“It’s going to be okay. You and me… We’ve got this. There’s nothing we can’t handle.”

She laughed, but it had a maniacal edge to it. “If you say so, Mr. President.”

Mr. President.

She was the first to ever call him that, as it should be. She was the most important person in his life.

He held her precious face in his hands and gazed into her light-blue eyes. “Before we leave this room and step onto the biggest stage in the world, I want you to hear me when I tell you this won’t change anything that matters. This—you and me and our family—will not change. I swear to you, Samantha.”

She nodded and reached for him.

He took her into his arms and held on tight to the love of his life, determined to do whatever it took to reassure her even as he tried not to freak out himself. No one needed a president who was freaking out.

President.

This could not be happening. But it was. David Nelson was dead. Nick couldn’t wrap his head around the last five minutes.

Still holding Sam, he said, “We need to get up, get dressed and make ourselves presentable for pictures that’ll be in history books for the rest of time. But no pressure or anything.”

Again, Sam’s laughter had a hysterical edge. “I… We should tell people. Like Graham, Terry, Celia, my sisters… Your dad.”

He shook his head. “They’ll find out in the morning. For right now, we need to focus only on getting to the White House.”

“We have to bring Scotty. He’d never forgive us if we didn’t.”

“Agreed. I’ll go get him up and tell Elijah what’s going on so he knows he’s in charge of the Littles.” Aubrey and Alden, the twins Sam and Nick had recently taken in after their parents were murdered, would be six on Saturday. Leaving them with their older brother, who was home from Princeton for the Thanksgiving holiday, was the right thing to do.

“Will we be allowed to come back for them?” Sam asked.

“Of course, or we’ll have the Secret Service bring them to us. Try not to worry. We’ll figure it out one step at a time.”

Sam looked around at the bedroom that was their private sanctuary, their calm in the storm of their crazy lives. “We’re going to have to move. This won’t be our home anymore.”

“This will always be our home. We can come back here anytime we want to.” He pulled back to kiss her forehead and then her lips. “We have to go, Sam. Are you going to be able to do this?”

He watched as she took a deep breath and summoned the fortitude to take this formidable next step on their journey. “I’m about to prove to you that I meant it all the times I said there was nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

Smiling, he said, “I love you more than anything. Don’t ever forget that.”

“Same.”

They got out of bed, and he pulled on a T-shirt and pajama pants and grabbed the child monitor they kept in their bedroom to alert them if the twins woke up. When Nick opened the bedroom door to go wake Scotty, he found his lead agent, John Brantley Jr., waiting to speak to him.

“We’re ready to transport you and Mrs. Cappuano to the White House, sir.”

“We need a few minutes to pull ourselves together. I’m going to wake Scotty. He’ll want to be there, and I need to tell Elijah what’s happening.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We’ll be quick.” Nick went into Scotty’s room and sat on the edge of the bed. “Scotty.” He gave his son’s shoulder a gentle shake. In the glow of the Capitals nightlight, he watched his son’s eyes open.

“What’s wrong?”

“President Nelson has died.”

Scotty’s eyes went wide as the implications hit him immediately. “Holy crap.”

“That’s putting it mildly. The Secret Service is waiting to take Mom and me to the White House. Mom said you’d never forgive us if we didn’t bring you with us.”

“Hell yes, I want to be there.”

“You have to hurry.”

“Work clothes, I presume?”

Nick smiled and nodded at their code for the clothes Scotty wore when he accompanied Nick to official events—khaki pants, navy blazer, dress shirt and tie. Nick got up and headed for the door.

“Dad?”

He turned back to his son.

“Are you wigging out?”

“Trying not to.”

“How about Mom?”

“Same.”

“Are we bringing the Littles?”

“They’re asleep, so we’re going to have them stay here with Elijah for now. I think it would be confusing and upsetting for them until we have time to explain what’s happening.”

“That’s a good call.”

Nick smiled at his adorable son. “Glad you agree. I’m going to tell Elijah. Hurry up and get ready, okay?”

“I’m hurrying, and in case I forget to tell you later, I’m super proud of you, even if it’s gonna be kinda weird at first.”

Nick grinned. “Thanks, bud. That means the world to me. We’ll get through it. Like I told Mom, nothing that really matters will change. As long as we’re all together, we can handle whatever comes our way.”

“I guess we’re gonna find out if that’s true. Thanks for getting me up. Mom was right—I never would’ve forgiven you if you hadn’t.”

“We had a feeling. You probably know this, but you can’t say anything to anyone about this until the White House releases the news.”

“I never would.”

“Thanks. Be back in a few.”

Nick went up to the third floor, where they’d made a bedroom for Elijah across the hall from the loft Nick had put together as a sanctuary for him and Sam to get away from it all. He knocked on Elijah’s closed door.

“Come in.”

Nick opened the door to find Elijah stretched out on the bed watching a movie on his laptop.

“What’s up?” Elijah asked.

“I have to tell you something that you can’t tell anyone. I need your word.”

“You have it.”

“President Nelson was found dead in the residence a short time ago. Sam, Scotty and I are headed to the White House so I can be sworn in.”

“Holy. Shit.” Elijah sat up on the bed. “I, um… Wow.”

Nick handed the child monitor to Elijah. “We’re going to leave the twins here with you for now. I think it would scare them if we woke them to take them with us.”

“Yes, that’s better. I’ll talk to them when they get up, and then we can figure out what’s next. But Jesus, Nick… I mean…”

“Believe me, I know. As I said to Sam and Scotty, nothing that matters will change. We’re still a family. You and the twins are still our family, and we’re going to stick together and get through this. I promise.”

The young man nodded, but Nick saw the same wariness, fear and uncertainty they were all feeling.

“Try to get some sleep. It’s going to be a crazy few days.”

“Ah, yeah, sure,” Elijah said, laughing. “Not seeing a lot of sleep in my future tonight.”

“I don’t want you to worry about anything.”

“I’ll try not to.”

“We’ll be in touch as soon as we can about what’s going on.”

“Okay.”

Nick wasn’t sure what else he could say to reassure him, so he left it at that and returned to his room, where Sam was emerging from the shower, wrapped in a towel.

“I’m hurrying.”

“Thanks, love.” Nick got in the shower and ran a razor over his face, being careful not to cut himself in his haste to get ready. His thoughts swirled a mile a minute, but he concentrated only on the task at hand. Shower, shave, get dressed, get in the car, go to the White House, take the oath. If he took this one minute and one step at a time, he could hold it together to do what needed to be done.

At least he hoped so.

About the Author

Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance, romantic suspense and erotic romance. Her indie-published series include Gansett Island, First Family, Treading Water, Butler Vermont, Quantum and Miami Nights. She’s also the author of the Green Mountain and Fatal Series. 

Her books have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller more than 30 times. She is also a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller, as well as a Spiegel bestseller in Germany. 

Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news. 

Website: https://marieforce.com/

Book 2 is coming in December 2021: State of Grace

The exciting new First Family Series continues with the Cappuano family’s first Christmas at the White House shadowed by a murder investigation that strikes a little too close to home. 

Preorder links HERE

Book Review- Till There Was You by Marie Force

Welcome back to Butler, Vermont and to the Abbott Family as Lucas Abbott finds that becoming an adult means more than personal responsibilities but also love.

My rating for Till There Was You: 4.5 Stars and a series Recommended Read

Lucas Abbott and his twin brother, Landon share everything, Looks, personalities and being the family jokesters. Until Lucas decides its time to grow up, shed that jokester persona and find a more adult relationship. Unfortunately, the woman he likes also is in his twin brother’s eye as well. Hoping to put behind him the fact Landon has the girl, Lucas heads to nearby Stowe to ski on the slops and clear his head but when he sees a car spin out on a snowy and icy road, he jumps into his firefighter/paramedic training and ends up meeting the woman who just might make a man out of him.

Daniell ‘Dani’ Rowson has had a tough year and is hoping this move to Vermont, where she had happy memories with her grandparents, will be the fresh start for her and her baby daughter, Savannah. What she doesn’t anticipate is meeting a man who will keep her safe and become her best friend or that finding that standing on your own two feet is more than independence, it’s also about love and family. Lucas and Dani are about to find that adulting is more than physical responsibilities, but that love can make all the difference in the world if you are open to it.

TILL THERE WAS YOU continues the Green Mountain/Butler, VT. Series with one of the Abbott twins finding his forever woman. As this was one of the very first Marie Force book series I read, I was thrilled to see Lucas find his own happy ever after now. This author does a marvelous job capturing Lucas’s personality, his fun-loving side as well as his serious side as the book unfolds. I love Dani and Lucas together and reacquainting myself with Butler, VT tribe has been a fun adventure. It felt like I never left after reading the latest book. With the right amount of laughter, tension and more, Ms. Force delivers a story that will blow you away.

What makes this series so much fun is the characters and believe me, the Abbott’s are one of a kind and their cousins just keep me glued to the pages till the very end. Also, can’t forget the town moose, Fred, who does what he pleases and more which is a hoot. There is a lot of laughter, love and more within the pages of these books that is just perfect for the holidays or even anytime. Ms. Force does an amazing job keeping the characters all in order and with so many different personalities, it’s a wonder you don’t get lost within the pages of who does what and when. These characters are so full of life, adventure and really who can not admit falling for a family where the grandfather and father meet to see if they can help their kids find love or help them along with the right woman or man.

TILL THERE WAS YOU delivers on all my love buttons with everything that makes this a keeper for me. Awesome characters. A fast-paced story that delivers updates on all the characters from past books that you need to know more of and a romance that starts as friendship and turns to so much more. I can’t think of a story more perfect for the holidays than this one and I am really hoping Ms. Force doesn’t wait a long time to deliver Landon’s (Lucas’ twin brother) story. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for him and several other secondary characters who need a little love as well.

If you want a small town romance series that will deliver lots of laughter, appealing and relatable characters and storylines that you can just fall into then grab this series and I highly recommend starting from book 1 in the Green Mountain series, All You Need is Love and meet the Abbott clan and the residents of Butler, Vermont.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

 The Green Mountain Series:

Book 1: All You Need is Love

Book 2: I Want to Hold Your Hand

Book 3: I Saw Her Standing There

Book 4: And I Love Her

Book 4.5: You'll Be Mine

Book 5: It's Only Love

Book 6: Ain't She Sweet

The Butler, Vermont Series (Formally Green Mountain series)

Book 1: Every Little  Thing You Do

Book 2: Can't Buy Me Love

Book 3: Here Comes the Sun

Book 4: Till There Was You

Discover the books at www.marieforce.com