If you are not already reading Tessa Bailey's Meet the Clarksons series, you are missing not only an incredible family road trip saga, but three very incredibly sexy romances.

From its amazing prologue to the very last page, Too Hard to Forget is a book that will completely steal your heart and it is all because of Peggy Clarkson. As the youngest of this fierce quartet, she is by the the most underestimated, but make no mistake, she is a force of nature! Peggy is the heroine that you don't see coming, But when you do she shines so bright that you can help but be mesmerized by her. She is smart as a whip and being in her head is every bit of a joyride

Coach Elliott Brooks wants you to loathe him, the man who can't see past the X's and O's of the playbook, more or less shutting out those that want to love him. He is deep of faith and committed heart and soul to his job, both of which shroud him from engaging his heart much at all. I did want to loathe Elliott, but Tessa cracks this man open so that we can feel his pain and experience the conflicts of his soul. He is a proud man who can read an opposing team's defense and solve for it immediately. But put a drop the woman he loves or his teenage daughter into the equation and the man is nothing short of a fool. Love is his kryptonite and we get to see the true measure of him as he learns how much he needs it.

Every moment with Peggy and Elliott was a fever dream. These two were drawn to one another like roots to water. But, stubborn. Their every interaction was fraught with emotion, but fueled by sexual chemistry that would blow the roof off. WHOA.

Get your hands on this book as soon as you can and just savor every single word. So. Good.

Those Clarksons are a powder keg of personality. It's hard to resist falling for these lost and lonely souls, but sometimes it's hard to decide whether to be tempted by their antics, feel sorry for their pain or lean toward giving them a stern talking to. Either way, Ms. Bailey sets the bookshelves on fire with ever Clarkson novel and Too Hard to Forget is no exception. Elliot and Peggy electrify the senses with their dramatic past. He broke her heart. What better payback than to blow his mind? Too Hard to Forget makes sure a good time will be had by all. Never has a reunion been so much fun and revenge so sexy.

4.5 Forbidden Stars!

Talk about an intense book! There were a few times I felt like I shouldn't be reading this book in public. The attraction between Peggy and Elliot was so hot you could feel it burn through the pages. This book had a forbidden feel to it. When they first got together, Peggy was a senior at the college Elliot coaches football at.

As much of a connection these two had, the timing was all wrong. Elliot had recently lost his wife. It was a cold marriage and when his connection to Peggy burned bright, he felt such guilt over feeling more for this forbidden fruit than his dead wife. Because of this, he ultimately treated Peggy like the sin he thought she was and then banished her from his life. Three years later and Peggy is still struggling with her life without Elliot. She tried to move on but she felt stuck to the point that she came back for Alumni week at the college to try to get closure.

The first half of this book was not an easy read. While Peggy was more or less chasing Elliot to get him out of her system, all you could really see was the pain he had caused her and continued to cause her with his constant need to fight his attraction to her. Just as she starts to get that closure, Elliot wakes up and realizes what he has done to her. The tables have turned and the second half of the book is Elliot fighting for Peggy. Now he just has to prove to her that he truly sees her.

Elliot is a devout Catholic. It explains a lot as to why he felt she was forbidden fruit and the guilt he felt over a dead wife he just existed with. This is very strong in the first half of the book but if you hang in there, the second half is what makes it all worth while. Sometimes you need to see alot of bad to truly appreciate all the good when it comes.

ARC provided by Netgalley.

I started reading Too Hard to Forget without reading the previous novels in the series. It didn’t give too much away but enough to know who the characters were and for me to want to read Rita and Aaron Clarkson’s story.

Too Hard to Forget is Peggy’s story. On a cross-country trip, what’s left of the Clarkson siblings, decide to make a stop at Cincinnati, for Peggy’s Alumni week. Here we get the backstory of her and Elliott’s past and what could or won’t be in their future.

The one thing I thought it lacked was more of a description of Elliott. I kept waiting to read how old he was, I don’t know why I needed it, and more of a description of Elliott’s looks.

The chemistry between Peggy and Elliott was off the charts. Tessa did an amazing job of writing their interactions when they got hot and heavy. She also did a great job of creating likable side characters. My favorite has to be Kyler Tate, who played a role in getting Elliott to wake up and realize what Peggy meant to him.

It was a little slower paced than what I’m used to reading but it was still an enjoyable read. I’ve enjoyed other novels by Tessa Bailey and will continue to read her work.

Oh my God. This book was magic. I'm consistently blown away by Tessa Bailey's talent and her amazing stories. This book was EVERYTHING. I wasn't sure how to feel about Peggy in the 2 prior books. She seemed flighty, and superfluous a lot of the time, but with all the Clarksons, there's always more beneath the surface. And when I teared up while reading the prologue, I knew I was in for it!

Peggy Clarkson is on a cross-country road trip with her siblings to complete their mother's last wish of jumping into the ocean in NYC on New Year's Eve. They lost her older sister, Rita, in New Mexico to the amazing man she met while their car was broken down, Jasper. They lost her older brother Aaron in Iowa to the gorgeous, unique, daughter of the senator he was trying to work for, Grace. So, now it's just Peggy, who is the baby of the family, and her oldest brother Belmont. Sage, Peggy's best friend, is also traveling with them. Peggy's headed for a pit stop in Cincinnati, Ohio to her Alma Mater, for alumni weekend. But she's actually going to finally try to close the page on the one that got away, the head football coach at her University, Elliott Brooks.

Elliott is a hot mess. He's got a 12 year old daughter he barely seems to have a relationship with, though they live in the same house. He's got his deceased wife, who he knows he didn't do right by, and it kills him with guilt every day of his life. And, to try to assuage the guilt, he clings to his Catholic faith. Once upon a time, he also had Peggy. She saw the real him when no one else did, but he felt he couldn't be the right man for her, and at the end of her senior year, after a year of sneaking around together, he broke it off, broke her heart, and forced her to leave and not come back. All he felt after being with her was guilt, because he didn't deserve to have someone like her in his life. But, after she left, he pretty much numbed out to his life and didn't even realize it had happened.

Sparks flew immediately the moment Peggy stepped foot back on campus. Though her plan was to make his life hell by seeing exactly what he was missing, nothing ever goes according to plan. They really did a number on each other in the past, and it took being back together again for them to realize just how bad it was. Peggy figured out some not so great things about her self, and her self-image, that needed to change. Elliott realized how much his behavior was hurting everyone, Peggy especially, but his daughter Alice, and himself as well. They both had big hurdles to overcome. And a lot of the time it was painful to watch. You wanted so much for them to figure it out together.

There was a side plot that brought them together, that I loved. It involved one of Elliott's players, Kyler Tate (great name!) and his family in Indiana. There's going to be a novella about Kyler, and his high school sweetheart he's never gotten over. I can't wait to read that this summer!

I felt so many emotions reading this book. I cried, and I laughed, and I felt brokenhearted, and I cringed, and I smiled, and I felt relief. And LOVE. I felt love for the Clarkson family, as they've always felt so real. I was so gobsmacked by everything I felt for this book, I was afraid I wouldn't have the right words to express how much it affected me. Tessa's books are amazing because because even though they are fun, incredibly sexy stories (she's the dirty talking QUEEN!), that to the outside world (of non-romance readers) could seem frivolous, they're full of real things. Characters you can relate to, and emotions you can't hide from. I've always been a reader; a person who loves to read, and spread the love of books to everyone I know. I'm so thrilled to recommend this one.

I'm greatly looking forward to learning more about Belmont and Sage and their strong connection, and falling even deeper in love with Bel in the final book. I'm also sad it'll be the final book. I've been loving Belmont since book 1, and I just KNOW his book is going to be well worth the wait. I'm excited to see them all together again in NYC. I seriously cannot recommend this book highly enough. 5+ Stars!!

This one was a DNF for me. That is not to say that it is a bad book, it is just that it was not a right fit for me.

I read book 1, I did not read book 2, but I could easily read book 3. It's about the romance they find along the way after all. One sister stayed in her town in book 1, the rest of the siblings continued their road trip to honor their mum. A brother stayed behind in book 2 (even if I did not get to read his romance). And now only two siblings are left. Before I start with Peggy I so have to say that Belmont's and Sage's story looks to be great. What is his deal? I can not remember from book 1. They have something so raw and should just give in.

But this was Peggy's book. She has 4 failed engagements behind her and can not forget the football coach she loved back in College. A lot of time may not have passed but she has grown bitter and flighty. And hey I can see why when she goes to confront Elliott and make him ache for her. We get flashbacks from their romance and it was passionate and angry.

Elliott could not forget her either. And damn that man had issues, and religious guilt too. Move on man, you have nothing to be guilty over. He was so closed off and needed to be shaken.

Peggy just wants to move on but hey you are in still in love with him, you can not move on. But it is he who needs to change.

Lots of smexy times and dirty talk in this one, for all of you who like that ;)

Conclusion:
Raw lust and anger. Romance and two people finding each other again and letting themselves fall in love.

***4 ‘Your Inner Masochist’ Stars***

The dysfunctional functionality of the Clarkson family is what makes these books difficult to put down and boy do Peggy and Elliott (who thought a non family member could rival the Clarkson siblings?) put me through the ringer. Talk about bringing out all the FEELS, the good, the bad and the ugly in this emotional rollercoaster, but it was all worth it as things get heated, both in the heart, head and bed, only to end in the way it was always meant to.

Peggy and Elliott truly took me on a hell of a ride. Peggy is an enigma. She can be whomever someone needs her to be, as long as it isn’t herself because if she allowed that to happen all of her vulnerabilities would be exposed. But pieces of her trueself find their way out of the kevlar armour she’s constructed around herself and those pieces show a genuinely vibrant and compassionate soul. I had my ups and downs with Peggy. I loved her fearlessness, but the games she played had me wanting to Gibbs smack her even though I understood why she felt the need to play them.

Elliott has only ever had one love, football. He lives and breathes the game to the detriment of everything and everyone else around him and uses it as a way to keep people away so he can drown in his own guilt. I honestly did not like Elliott for much of the book. I understood why he believed what he did and in part empathized with him because of it, but it took a while for me to start to like the man. Thankfully he had a ‘come to Jesus’ moment that finally had him opening up and showing that while a part of him was broken, he was a strong man with a good heart.

As I’m sure you can probably guess, Peggy and Elliott’s second chance journey drove just a tinsy bit batshit crazy, okay...a lot. At one point I was so done with both of them and all the mind games and push/pull going on that I almost, almost, gave up on them, but at the same time I was fascinated by how their minds worked that I had to see it through and I’m very happy I did. They both got a handle on their issues, confronted them and found ways to show the other what they meant to each other and make it work because the chemistry and connection, both sexual, emotional and intellectual were all there, they just had to believe that it could be more.


It’s easy to get sucked into the crazy that is Clarkson family because despite the chaos that comes with them, there is something absolutely intriguing about them all as they sort through the muck that is their emotional baggage. While you can read this one as a standalone, to truly get a handle on the dysfunctionally functional Clarkson family I highly suggest you start at the beginning, especially because you’ll end up loving the little doses of Miriam that are sprinkled into the mix. Now to patiently (or not) wait for Belmont and Sage’s story!

She’s the rest of my life, and she’s sitting right there where tomorrow only smoke and a memory will exist.

Tessa Bailey better be paying for my inevitable Botox, is all I'm saying. After all, I just spent hours with my chin wobbling and my (formally smooth-ish) brow furrowed as I experienced the highs and lows of Too Hard to Forget.

The exhilarating highs and aching lows.

Fused with this overarching melancholy, much-needed levity and heat spattered throughout like paint on a canvas, the feels in this book are off the charts. Honestly, I'm struggling for the words to convey how unforgettable Too Hard to Forget was. Because, for me, it was stunning. I don't want to just give you a laundry list of things I loved—which is basically everything—but…

I do want to talk about Elliott. On one hand, a bastard, an asshole, a man I wanted to hate, and yet, on the other, just a man. A sexy-as-sin man, a Kingmaker, sure, but still… a very fallible man, struggling through guilt and grief and anger. He, he is why I'm going to need Botox.

But he's also why my panties melted and my thighs clenched and—most importantly—my heart pounded.

Though, that does a huge disservice to Peggy. Because she is the reason to read this book. Her insecurities and regret, her selflessness and tenderness, her pain, her inappropriate and ill-timed humor, her functionally dysfunctional family. All of it. Her weakness for Elliott became MY weakness for Elliott, and the tears that threatened to spill over? Were for her.

And maybe also for Belmont. Because those all-too-brief and teasing moments of the gentle giant had me on the edge of my seat, hoping that the time between now and the release of Too Beautiful to Break passes quickly. But maybe not TOO quickly, since I suspect Ms. Bailey will need time to save up for more Botox—or at least, a hefty supply of tissues.

“I need your hands and eyes. I missed them most of all.”

~ FIVE Sinful STARS ~

Peggy Clarkson has been living with the burden of the four men she promised to marry, but could never truly commit to. On a road trip with her family, fulfilling the last wish of her deceased Mother, she insists on a stop in Cincinnati, to face the one man who ever truly had her heart... and to make him regret ever letting her go.

Football Coach Elliott Brooks is a man of faith, a father and a widower. Peggy was never someone he felt he could ever deserve, so he did what he thought was best and pushed her away. But when she shows back up in his life, after three long years, will he be able to see their attraction and connection as something more than just a temptation...

I loved this book. As the third in the series, I was not so patiently waiting for Peggy's story, who seemed so sweet and yet so tortured by how she feels she has failed the men in her past. So, when we meet Elliott, and his perceived failures which are holding him back, but with feelings and an attraction that are so strong that he can't help but want Peggy... this story became so very different and interesting.

This book not only focuses on Peggy and Elliott's relationship, but also the supporting characters and the depth that everyone shows in helping those they love, and how they reach out to make a difference in the life of a hardworking family in need.

With excellent writing, fantastic characters and a engrossing storyline, this book is a must read in an already excellent series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.

Peggy has always wanted Elliot the head coach and so what if he was older than her. He noticed her when she was cheerleading and she noticed him right back the only problem was he was older a widower with a daughter. Well he couldn't help himself and they carried on for a few years and when college was over he sent her on her way telling her there was no future for them.

When Peggy decides to come back and make him realize what he missed out on, he can't believe she is back because he hasn't been while since her. Peggy is just stopping in town to get her revenge and go to New York to help her brother.

You can't help but love how quirky Peggy is even though she is gorgeous do you don't expect her to have a brain. Elliot is so stiff and regimented with coaching he fails to see his daughter needs him but Peggy will get him to see that just before she leaves.

Let’s get this out of the way first, because I know this kind of story won’t work for all. Peggy and Elliott first met 3 years before the start of this book. She was a senior in college (22) and a cheerleader. Elliott’s older (not sure an age is ever given) – and the head coach of the football team. So we’ve got the older hero, younger heroine, but we’ve also got that fact that he was technically in a position of power at the college, though not over her in any way, and she was in school, though obviously well above the legal age. Like I said, I know that just those facts alone will lead to some not picking this one up – and that’s fine! We all have our limits, no need to explain yourself. I’m not usually seeking out these kind of stories, either, but Bailey made it work and work well for me here.



So we’ve got a few different romancelandia catnips going on here: second chance romance, and an older hero who is a widower and single dad. I’m pretty sure I just heard some serious one-clicking going on there! :) As I said, Bailey did this story very well, and I truly cared for these two and their journey to a HEA. There’s some real emotions packed in – Elliott’s guilt over his wife’s death, his guilt over not being there for his daughter, as well as his mixed up feelings about wanting Peggy, both back then and still. For what it’s worth, Peggy was the one who initiated things between them 3 years ago; he was NOT one of those coaches/teachers that pursue the younger woman, which IRL and in romance is always creepy. That’s not a concern here, and I promise you, despite her younger age, Peggy always had as much, if not more, control over their relationship, she had her own agency.


They saw each other for most of that one year, though always in secret. When graduation came, and Peggy realized that Elliott’s guilt (he’s a very devout Catholic, and it’s shown throughout the book) over their relationship wasn’t going to go away, that there wasn’t going to be anything more between them, she left him and never looked back. But she couldn’t forget him or move past him, not really, and the next 3 years saw her breaking off 4 engagements because the men weren’t Elliott. Now, as she and her siblings are on this cross-country road trip to honor their mother, she makes plans to stop back at the university during Alumni Week – but she’s really only there for one reason: to get Elliott out of her system once and for all before truly moving on with her life.



Of course, it’s never that simple, is it? Because even though Elliott still has his guilt and his demons that he’s fighting, he’s been missing her, too, and he can’t seem to just walk away, not again. He’ll have to work through his baggage and embrace what they have together if things are going to end differently this time around.



Their relationship is so good, and I admit, I was a bit unsure at first because the age difference and his guilt about it all could have made it all go sour, fast. It did not, and that’s because Bailey is a great writer and made it all work. She’s an auto-buy for me and I trust her; I’m glad that my trust was not misguided here.


Peggy and Elliott’s relationship dynamic was so great. It’s sexy, of course, but also sweet and romantic and gave me feels. As much as I loved seeing them try to work things out the second time around, I also really loved seeing the glimpses into their time together 3 years ago. These flashback scenes were sprinkled throughout and definitely added to the story and the characters’ development.



And Elliott’s grand gesture at the end? *swoons forever* I absolutely loved that part.



We also see bits of two future couples in this book. One new, one that readers have known from book 1.



One of Elliott’s football players, Kyler, has to drop off the team in order to return back to his family; they’re losing their farm, and while his plans had been to go pro and save it, he’s out of time and has to go back and figure out some way to help them out right now. When Peggy hears about this, she comes up with a plan to help turn a fundraiser the cheerleaders were already doing into a fundraiser for Kyler and his family. During all this, Peggy also realizes that she’s good at this sort of thing, and now has an idea of what she wants to do with her life. Anyway, Kyler is getting a novella in June, as he tries to get back his high school sweetheart, and I cannot wait!



As to the other couple, all I can say is BEL IS NEXT AND MY BODY IS READY. BEYOND READY. SO DAMN READY. I NEEEEEEED HIS BOOK. *pets the intense, tortured man with a heart of gold for Sage*


If you’ve been reading this series, you’ve no doubt fallen for Bel already, and I am sure that his book is truly going to kill me. But oh, what a way to go . . . His book, which wraps up the series, will be out in September. Anyone have a time machine I can borrow? For reasons....



You could read this one as a standalone (or any of them, really), but if you want to get a better look at the four siblings, their stories, and especially see the glimpses of Belmont leading up to his HEA, I would suggest reading in order. You won’t be lost by jumping around, but reading in order will just add to the overall story enjoyment.



Now, yes, I loved every bit of this book (obviously – it’s getting a rare 5 star rating from me!), but I can still see the few minor issues, too. For example, I didn’t feel like there was much time spent really going over Elliott’s acceptance that their relationship was not something to be ashamed of (because of his religious upbringing). I did feel like he went from constantly beating himself up about that for all these years to pushing it aside and not thinking of it again, with nothing shown in between. So my point is, yes, I can see where there are things that are not “perfect”, but I did not care one bit because the overall story was perfection for me. “I loved this book” does not always equal “This book was technically flawless”, after all.


Too Hard to Forget is now my favorite of this series so far. But I think – hope! – that Bel’s story might well and truly kill me with feels and everything. Is it September yet?



5 STARS!

From book 1 in the Romancing the Clarksons series, I have been DYING to get my hands on Peggy's book, not just because her string of failed engagements undoubtedly held a fascinating story, but because the man she couldn't get out of her head was none other than a coach at her former university. A cheerleader/coach romance? Color me intrigued! Knowing Tessa Bailey, I had a sneaking suspicion this would be off-the-charts steamy…which it is. In fact, Too Hard to Forget is so unbelievably erotic, it should come with the warning “may cause spontaneous combustion”. Part forbidden romance and part second chance romance, Too Hard to Forget is a blazing hot, gut-wrenchingly angsty love story about forgiveness and moving forward. This book destroyed me but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Ho-ly hotness. I lost track of the number of times this phrase flit through my mind while reading Too Hard to Forget. Protagonists, Peggy Clarkson and Elliott Brooks, wreaked havoc on my emotions from start to finish as their tumultuous relationship is recounted and then rekindled. These two KILLED me. From the moment they reunite (and even before then), you just get the sense that there’s so much history between them, so many unresolved issues, and so many lingering feelings that it’s only a matter of time before one or both of them implodes. Flashbacks are interspersed with the present, combining the inextinguishable lust, unabashed need, and illicitness of their former affair with the regret, bitterness, and yearning they experience upon meeting again. These are two characters whose flaws are laid bare within the book's pages, which makes them all the more compelling to read about.

The combination of the vivacious, man-eating former cheerleader and the devoutly Catholic, rule-abiding football coach is absolutely genius because it’s unexpected, but so so so good. They have a raw, primal, almost animalistic connection that's indescribably intense, all-consuming, and undeniably riveting. Every time they come into contact with each other, there’s a frenetic energy that crackles with pent-up need and sexual tension – an intoxicating combination that I couldn't get enough of. These characters made my jaw drop and my eyes glaze over. They frustrated me. They moved me. They held me under their spell. They kept me on my toes so that I had no idea what would happen next but I knew I needed to keep reading. Peggy and Elliott got under my skin and ensured I wouldn't be satisfied until I learned all of their secrets, of which there were many.
Too Hard to Forget is not only my favorite book in the Romancing the Clarksons series, but it’s quite possibly my new favorite book of Tessa Bailey's, and definitely a book that'll be added to my top favorite reads of 2017. While a good portion of the reason for this is the intensity of the connection between Peggy and Elliott, it was another couple that story every scene and further piqued my interest. Those interactions between Belmont and Sage? I died. I swooned. I held my breath and devoured every glance, word, or touch they shared. I need their book like yesterday but I *think* their journey just might obliterate my soul. I. Can't. Wait!

*complimentary copy provided by publisher for an honest review

3.5 stars

I've heard a lot of good things about Tessa Bailey and I was intrigued, so I requested this on a whim. Even though it sounded a bit angstier than I would normally read.

I liked Peggy. She's smart and friendly and just a lovely person. Elliott is gruff and standoffish and sort of an ass. So of course their chemistry is off the charts.

Plot wise, there was a bit of drama. Honestly, it wasn't too bad, but there was a lot a lot a lot of push and pull. And the religion aspect of the story really threw me. Once Elliott figured things out and stopped acting like a robot, there were some sweet words.

Overall, I did enjoy the story, but it sort of felt like there was something missing for me. I'm intrigued at the other books in the series and will be looking into the previous books.

**Huge thanks for Forever and NetGalley for providing the arc free of charge**

Tessa Bailey has the magic of pulling in such emotion with her characters that the story just flows. When Peggy blows into town for Alumni weekend, she is out to show Coach Elliot Brooks exactly what he gave up three years ago. It's a story of revenge and new love that Bailey is a master of writing. One downfall of this series, however, is it wraps so much in the emotion, the story line can be lost. You truly feel for these characters but sometimes the direction is lost and you don't know what is coming next. Can't wait for the next one!

Captivating. Tessa captures the hunanity in these characters so well!

This is the first book I've read by Ms. Bailey, and it was a book I really struggled to get into at the beginning. Yet, I'm so glad I persevered through, because in the end I really enjoyed it. At the start, I thought the heroine was a bit too straight-forward, believing she could have whatever she went after, because of her looks. Indeed, I agreed with what the hero's daughter calls her at one point, which might make me seem judgmental, but it did feel like the truth at the time. Really, the heroine frustrated me until she told Elliott the truth of why she's returned to Cincinnati and then began to do something good that showed her how selfless she can be.

The dialogue was intense due to the history between these two. When they were together in the past, their relationship was forbidden and Elliott should have known better than to get involved with Peggy. However, in saying that, Peggy didn't make things easy for the hero to resist her and she still does so in the present. Will he give in? Will he let her go? Will he finally realize that she's the woman he wants in his life forever? Although, I didn't like Elliott in the past, because he seemed selfish to me with him being more concerned about his career than his family life. Yet, I really liked Elliott in the present once he realized that it's not too late to have the kind of relationship he wants to have with his daughter. No way can he continue to ignore her the way he does without their becoming a permanent rift between them further down the track.

In the end, I'm really glad I didn't give up on this book at the quarter way mark like I had planned, because it was a really good second chance romance, where the sex scenes were fan-your-face hot and illustrated that the only man that could give Peggy what she liked in the bedroom was Elliott. The way this story ended kept me turning the pages, as I wanted to know whether the hero had the courage to deliver on the promise he made to the heroine about a certain speech she wants him to make. Can he do it? However, what I really liked about the ending is the words Elliott says to the heroine, because it's palpable no one will love her as much as he does. I would recommend Too Hard to Forget by Tessa Bailey, if you enjoy scorching hot reads that encompass the second chance romance trope.

Another great read from author Tessa Bailey. Unmissable reading - a series not to be missed!
Review copy received from Forever (Grand Central)

This is book 3 in this series about siblings whose mother dies and they take a trip in a car together. This is about Peggy, and only her brother Belmont and bestie Sage are left. She heads back to her college and her older, coach lover from 3 years before, Elliot.

Elliot was previously married and his wife died and left him a daughter. He met Peggy after the wife died and she was very young but hot and he could not resist her. He did eventually dump her, hoping she would meet someone else. And she did, 4 someones, one of which he thought she married. But instead Peggy is a runner and dumped them all. So when she turns up, he thinks she is married and even then it is hard to resist her.

The one thing you need to know before you read this book which made it a very different book as a whole and one written by this author is that Elliot is religious. VERY religious. Even as he has sex with a very young Peggy the first time he quotes scriptures. He goes to church and he thinks very religiously. This part of the story was a surprise and was not one I liked. It came off a little creepy to me. That he kind of sees Peggy like the devil that tempts him to sin.

While I really liked Peggy. I did not like Elliot. He was not a fun character and he seemed to drag the book down with his negative character. he really feels like he felt more for Peggy than his wife so it depresses him and so he sorta made the book less fun and more serious. I also do not go for religious stories and so a warning in the description would have been appreciated.

Tessa Bailey's newest addition to the Romancing the Clarksons series is amazing! I can hardly wait to see how the series ends!