Sarina Bowen

She’s the only one who ever loved him—and the only one he can never have. Jude lost everything one spring day when he crashed his car into an apple tree on the side of the road. A man is dead, and there's no way he can ever right that wrong. He’d steer clear of Colebury, Vermont forever if he could. But an ex-con in recovery for his drug addiction can’t find a job just anywhere. Sophie Haines is stunned by his reappearance. After a three year absence, the man who killed her brother and broke her heart is suddenly everywhere she turns. It’s hard not to stare at how much he’s changed. The bad boy who used to love her didn’t have big biceps and sun-kissed hair. And he’d never volunteer in the church kitchen. No one wants to see Sophie and Jude back together, least of all Sophie's police chief father. But it's a small town. And forbidden love is a law unto itself. For fans of: Melanie Harlow, Corinne Michaels, Meghan March, Lauren Blakely, Julia Kent, Elle Kennedy, Tijan, CD Reiss, Kendall Ryan, Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward, Jana Aston, K Bromberg, Katy Evans, Jessica Hawkins, Kristen Proby, Penny Reid, Helena Hunting, Sally Thorne, Kristen Ashley, Helen Hoang, Kylie Scott, Christina Lauren, Jana Aston, Sawyer Bennett, Lexi Ryan, Karina Halle, Skye Warren, Kennedy Ryan, Jodi Ellen Mapas, Kristan Higgins, Jill Shalvis, Elle Kennedy. Keywords: Small town romance, Vermont romance, New England, alpha male, addiction, second chance at love, forbidden romance, family saga, rural setting, farmers, orchard, cider, romantic suspense, sexy romance, Sarina Bowen, drug addiction, Vermont, True North series, forbidden romance, contemporary romance, coming of age, wrongful imprisonment, opioid crisis.

True North #2

Steadfast

It was a true second chance romance but not for the usual reasons. I loved that Jude and Sophie’s relationship was complicated and they had a lot of history and hurt to get past first. But I liked it was a bit angsty with Jude’s journey through recovery and handling his drug addiction. It was an excellent second book in the series. 

I can tell I’ll fly through this series so I’m going to take a quick break from it so I still have books to look forward to. 

Becky

What can I say about this book?

It was a true second chance romance but not for the usual reasons. I loved that Jude and Sophie’s relationship was complicated and they had a lot of history and hurt to get past first. But I liked it was a bit angsty with Jude’s journey through recovery and handling his drug addiction. It was an excellent second book in the series. 

I can tell I’ll fly through this series so I’m going to take a quick break from it so I still have books to look forward to. 

She's the only one who ever loved him-and the only one he can never have. Jude lost everything one spring day when he crashed his car into an apple tree on the side of the road. A man is dead, and there's no way he can ever right that wrong. He'd steer clear of Colebury, Vermont forever if he could. But an ex-con in recovery for his drug addiction can't find a job just anywhere. Sophie Haines is stunned by his reappearance. After a three year absence, the man who killed her brother and broke her heart is suddenly everywhere she turns. It's hard not to stare at how much he's changed. The bad boy who used to love her didn't have big biceps and sun-kissed hair. And he'd never volunteer in the church kitchen. No one wants to see Sophie and Jude back together, least of all Sophie's police chief father. But it's a small town. And forbidden love is a law unto itself.

Sade A

i thought i was going to either chuck this book at a point or skip to the end, i'm glad i kept on going. It was a really sweet book. i loved , loved loved the character Jude in this book. He was honest with his struggles and every single thing he had done and i was just rooting for him to win. Now Sophie i wasn't really enamoured with at first. her ex basically had his life in the toilet and she kept moaning about, i'm so angry with you, you abandoned me, why didn't you write to me, i had nobody to talk to. i mean ugh!! get a diary. Her character did get less annoying and get her act together though but sheez!!
Bonus part: The sex partssss in the book were yum... :)

This was straight up Christian Fiction and I wasn't expecting that because her other books don't mention Church at all.... Yikes.

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


I've been struggling for days to figure out what exactly I can say about this book to do it the justice it deserves. I come up short every time. Steadfast was about redemption and second chances. It made me swoon and gave me feels for days. It was completely different than Bittersweet, the first book in the series, but I loved it every bit as much.

I was intrigued by Jude in Bittersweet. I wasn't sure how soon we would get his story, so I was excited to learn his was the second in the series. Knowing what I did of his history – that he was an addict who had served time for vehicular manslaughter – I suspected his book wouldn't be the easiest read (and, at times, I was right) but I couldn't wait for it. What I got was so much more than a romance. Yes, that was a huge and important part of it, but the book was far deeper than that. I love how his story progressed and I appreciate how Sarina tackled the topic of addiction. It was real, raw and honest. It wasn't always pretty, but neither is addiction. Not only is he navigating the hold of his addiction, he's doing it in the place where it all started – surrounded by the people and memories that led him down that path initially – which makes it that much harder to do. I ended up really loving Jude in this book. His journey wasn't easy, but he fought it with everything he had and I liked how he grew personally. He was a really good guy that got sucked into a shit situation. When you got a glimpse into his past, it was really easy to see that and fall for him.

It can probably go without saying, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention Sophie. I adored her. Y'all know I'm a sucker for a good second chance romance, so I couldn't wait to see what would happen when Jude and Sophie were back in each other's lives in any way. They had some HUGE obstacles to overcome. I wasn't sure they would be able to, honestly. It's tough to fight family and history all at one time. But, Sophie was a strong woman and I was glad she was by Jude's side. Their feelings for each other were obvious from the start. No matter what happened to tear them apart, their chemistry and love didn't just go away. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it. I was definitely surprised at some of the twists in the story, too, which was a great surprise. I also loved how the Shipleys still played a part in Jude's life, even if he was no longer living with and working for them. They're a huge part of his recovery and I was so happy to know they were still there for him in a lot of really important ways. Plus, because I'm greedy, I really enjoyed getting to see more of them. I love that family so much. I can't wait for the next book in the series, where I suspect I'll see even more of the family, since the book is Zach's.

I hope you're reading this series. If not, you're really missing out and you need to do something about this soon. Seriously.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

  Whatever you call it, there was an ache inside me that I longed to soothe. And I moved through each day a little lost, trying to fill an empty spot in my soul. But it never went away. 

When I was seventeen, I thought Jude was sent to me from heaven. When I was eighteen, I let him take me there. When I was nineteen, he broke both my heart and my family. 

But even a glimpse of him had given me palpitations. As if my subconscious had recognized a piece of my soul before my brain got a chance to speak up. 

Kissing her wasn't a decision I made. It was just inevitable, the way a clap of thunder follows lightning. 

"You feel like mine."

All we can do is listen harder, hug harder and hope for the best.

Lacey

I'm loving Sarina Bowen more and more! Steadfast is phenomenally written (though Bittersweet is still my favorite). It's a lot more serious and intense than I expected, but Sarina handles Jude's addiction very well. Review to come!

Thanks to the author for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Steadfast True North #2