Whole Again was a suspenseful, yet sweet second chance romance about two characters, John and Vicki. While growing up, John always had a crush on Vicki but she was dating a bad guy named David. At the end of high school, the night before he left to join the Marines, they shared a kiss that neither ever forgot. Years later, Vicki is divorced from David and starting her life over in her new apartment and going to work for her grandmother’s landscaping company Growing Strong. John has been medically discharged from the Marines after losing a leg, has been working on his MBA, and goes to Growing Song in hopes of obtaining an internship. As soon as Vicki and John see each other again, it doesn’t take long for them to wonder about that kiss so long ago.

I have to start by saying that my favorite character in this novel was Vicki’s grandmother Joonie. She was such a strong and unique character, not to mention absolutely hilarious! I admired Vicki and her perseverance after finding her husband with another woman and then leaving him behind. I absolutely loved everything about John. He was handsome, caring, smart, romantic – just the perfect man wrapped up in a perfect package. I was absolutely rooting for them from the beginning and loved them together.

Early in the novel, you learn that Vicki’s ex-husband isn’t the sweetest guy around, and when strange things start happening to make Vicki feel threatened, it’s easy to suspect David. However, there are several important secondary characters in the novel making it difficult to determine exactly who the “bad guy” is. Nothing is black and white regarding motive or the guilty party, adding a fantastic element to this novel. It’s not simply a romance novel, but touches on the good and bad with family, strained and rekindled friendships, as well as, rebuilding one’s life after negative events.

Unfortunately, I did have issues with the ending of the novel. I felt that the resolution didn’t really come together properly. Several questions remained unanswered and a fairly important event was not mentioned after it happened, leaving me completely puzzled. I believe this is going to be a Hometown Heroes series, but it’s unclear if the second novel will continue with these characters to provide some finality, or if it will focus on new characters.

Overall I loved Whole Again and I am so happy to have read it. Despite my concerns about the ending, I found the story line unique and the characters engaging. Multiple elements were present in this novel making it appealing to fans of a variety of genres, and I look forward to reading book 2 in this series.

*THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR PROVIDING THIS NOVEL IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

An easy to read romance story about second chances with a bit of drama thrown in. An enjoyable read. This is a romance book with a proper story to it so definitely worth reading.

John Lawrence has returned from the war missing a foot. He has his friends and he is looking at finishing his MBA applying for an internship at a local business when he runs into Vicki Masterson who he went to high school with. They both have struggles to overcome. Him his foot and her a divorce from not a very nice guy. He wants to go out with and when he catches her in a fib and she realizes that the women she saw at his place was actually someone they went to school with she decides to go out with him. They have more than an attraction to one another and the one kiss they shared in high school is nothing what they share in his apartment. She has no problem with his injuries form the war she is just happy that they have met up again. Now the problem is someone begins to terrorize her and when her car explodes they know now that all of the signs before were not a joke, but who is it? Why are they doing it to her? These are all good questions and will be answered when you read this book. I also liked the supporting characters in this book especially Vicki’s grandmother she was a hoot. Overall a very good book.

John Lawrence loved Vicki Masterson his entire life, she was the rich kid with the heart of gold who dated the football players.

Years later, John is disabled in Iraq and loses the lower part of one leg. He returns home and is looking for a job. Vicki is now divorced and also looking for a job, they both interview for Vicki's grandmother's multimillion dollar gardening business "Growing Strong". Vicki's family are trying to get her to date, after the divorce she lost all their mutual fake friends and before the divorce she lost touch with her real friends. John's friends and family are also trying to get him to date. But when they start to date things go wrong immediately, they run into Vicki's ex-husband and someone is playing pranks on her and making threatening phone calls.

I don't know whether I got a duff ARC but my book appeared to go straight from the baddie making a move to what appeared to be the epilogue with no gotcha moment. Also this seemed confused about whether it was a small tow, homecoming hero romance or a romantic suspense and it didn't quite nail either genre. The grandmother was supposed to be kooky and funny but she seemed inappropriate and odd.

Didn't really get going and then ended abruptly. Motives unclear and baddie apparently still at large.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Honestly, this was a "DNF" on my bookshelf. I tried to get into it, but it was dragging and I have been in a book slump for several weeks now. I just don't have the energy to try to get through a book I'm just not feeling. If a book takes more than a few chapters to get my attention, odds are my review won't be all that positive anyway. You gotta hook me from the get-go. Also, according to other reviews on Amazon (I read those to try to motivate myself to keep going), there is an awkwardly placed cliffhanger. In general, I hate cliffhangers. Unless the book is clearly defined as a series, with the same two characters being the main ones throughout, I am not interested in reading books where I then have to wait forever to find out what happens next. It's irritating. Great for making more money selling books, but as a reader, it doesn't appeal to me.

The great thing about NetGalley is free books! The bad thing about NetGalley is you don't get a preview of a book before you get them. I love to read, but the bad thing about me is that I am incapable of not finishing a book once I've downloaded it - even if it's free!

Whole Again has one of my favorite story tropes - the wounded war hero - which is what drew my interest to the book. But it didn’t take long for things to start falling apart for me, and there were a number of issues I had with the book.

For starters, I’m not buying the characterizations - the hero says he has trouble talking to girls, but was smooth and witty the first time he ran into the heroine and her grandmother. He’s confident and cocky one minute, and plagued with insecurities the next. Sometimes the “I like you, but I’m not good for you so I’m pushing you away” back-and-forth thing works, but I wasn’t feeling it this time.

And the heroine...she doesn't recognize the girl who was a good friend during high school? Also, I'm not categorically opposed to "slut shaming" if a character acts like one, but to go there just because you see a woman talking to the man you're interested doesn't sit well with me.

The book moved at such a slow pace...30% and they are just going on their first date. At this point, I'm more interested in the secret baby story going with John's best friend.

But I forge on…

Then I get to the verbal sparring between the heroine’s mother and the heroine’s former mother-in-law. They call each other “inbred little twerps” and “old bat” and I'm thinking “I don't know how much more of this I can read…” The dialogue is stiff and corny, and I realize I don't care about either of these characters.

Continuing on...we get to some action in the story! Vicki leaves her mother's house to four slashed tires, and there's nothing more about it? She walks out of the house, sees the flat tires, and the next sentence is a new chapter with a new day. No call to the police, no tow truck? We learn she did a couple chapters later, but it seems odd not to mention it then.

Finally, we get some backstory about our hero’s time in the military. When John wakes up in the hospital, he discovers his foot has been amputated and decides he's going to try to walk on it. That's when I decided I'm done. I can buy a lot of unrealistic things, but the dude would be on too many painkillers and would hardly be able to move, but I'm supposed to believe he was actually able to get up and tries to put weight on his raw stump? Nope. I'm done.

This is officially my first "Did Not Finish." I've got too many other things I want to read to waste my time on this ridiculousness. I'm tapping out at 51 percent. I'll probably give the second book in the Hometown Heroes series a try (if it's about Sara and Brae), but if that book isn't a whole lot better, this author is going on my "Do Not Read This Author" list.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I loved this book i was hooked from the very first page. This is the first book that i have read by Colleen. I will be reading more of her work in the future because i loved this book so much. I loved the connection between John and Vickie and I loved the chemistry between them. This was a sweet second chance romance

I just loved this book i am a sucker for a good second chance romance and this one was great iy had super characters that you can't help rooting for it was well written and i ended up reading it in one sitting just did not want to put it down would recommend to all a great read.

There’s a lot of romantic suspense in this one that I didn’t know would be here and I was pleasantly surprised by in this book!

Both John and Vicki have had crushes on each other their entire lives! They shared one kiss before John went off to war. When he returns, he has lost a foot and hates anyone pitying him. Vicki lives in the same apartment complex as him. So there isn’t much that can get past the other. Their relationship starts off shaky and once he gets past his foot, things seem to skyrocket between the two.

They are getting to know each other and John kind of has word vomit and starts with cheesy pick up lines that he and his war buddies would always say! They are hilarious! Here are a few:

Do you know karate? Because your body is really kicking.

Do you have a bandage? ‘Cause I just scraped my knee falling for you.

“Which way to the bedroom?” Aw look at that. Men do ask for directions sometimes.

But someone is out to get Vicki! And when John is included in the threats, things go really downhill and for me it’s all suspense and action. I loved it! While it seems there is only one suspect, her ex, I knew it couldn’t be that simple! I kept saying yeah he is the one but maybe not, yes, no, ugh! I couldn't be for sure until the end who did it! But trying to figure out who is out to kill Vicki is hard work.

I loved all the characters. They were all different in their own light! I loved the crazy grandmother of Vicki’s. She just cracks me up! I want to be like her when I grow up! Hahaha! Then there are all the rich people and the hard to figure out ex-husband!

I am a sucker for wounded soldiers!

The end? Whoa! I need to get the next story to see what will happen next with Brae! And Flick, I hope he gets his story too! And there is really one creepy chapter in the end! It gave me the heeby jeebies!

I really liked the idea behind the story that this book offered. I liked the idea of reconnecting, and I have a soft spot for romance books with characters who are/used to be soldiers. Plus, this book has a disabled character! Yay!
But it’s not perfect: while the characters were okay-written, they weren’t exceptionally enjoyable. The snippets of the characters’ traits, along with the mystery that fails to be acknowledged properly has me feeling as if it’s not finished, and the author wanted to do more with the story.
I understand that it’s part of a series, but the way it’s organized, and the way not a lot is explained at the end has me doubting that it will be in the next book too. Guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

an ok read

I really liked this romantic comedy about high school crushes reconnecting a few years later and read it with pleasure. There’s more foreplay and sensuality/eroticism (lips are so suggestive) than sex and I really enjoyed it.
The main characters – John Lawrence and Vicki Masterson -are realistic and the author, Colleen S. Meyers, manages to dodge stereotypes, a difficult task in romance about youngish couples. Their approach to love and sex is cautious, sometimes timid, and sweet, but very hot. I liked how their youth is really a part of them and infuses their behavior and actions.
The young wounded former Marine issues are convincingly portrayed and the same happens with the sometimes determined, sometimes insecure way he handles them.
Vicki doesn’t take herself too seriously. There were too many things happening to her and she was involved in a series of violent episodes but she took it all in her stride. Her apparent invincibility was a bit over the top.
There are a lot of secondary characters, some of them quirky (Vicki’s grandmother, Bentley), that create an interesting net of affections and possible romances.
I also liked how other types of emotions and feelings, like friendship and familial relationships, are important to the plot.
The dialogue is very good with some funny moments (I’ve learned some pickup lines popular among Marines). There’s some humor in the general tone of the book, sometimes self-reflexive – “His lips were so soft. Softer than they should be. Pillowy. What a stupid word. Velvety? Maybe.” (position 1655, 71%) – that is engaging.

Tom Selleck is still hot.

Her grandma sounds fun.

Damn, she got married at nineteen? Too young.

And that's a ringing endorsement for unpacking right away.

Foot, meet mouth. "Flitting", Vicki? He wasn't on a European tour!

Should she be kicking her grandmother?

His friend's mom scolds him in front of his mother? Haha!

Pillow fight!

Bleachers are a safety risk? Pfft.

I want to kiss that manager.

David, what are you planning?

Eww. Did she burn that costume? I would.

God, now I want kielbasa.

Get it, Grams!

I like how the author incorporates flashbacks into the story so they make sense.

Big Al, not Big John?

Omigod, these two are funny drunks! I'm dying!

I'll pray for you at this job, John.

Hey, where's her kitten?

I guess Joonie wasn't Mom of the Year. Money isn't everything.

To come home from war and still be in danger at home.

He's a romantic.

Ruh-roh. Did not see that coming. Guess appearances can be deceiving.

Only Joonie would be happy that her middle-aged daughter swore.

Oh boy.

No one's worried about David? Delilah?

Please accept my sincere apologies I requested this book in error. I have not and will not download it as I do not want to read the book, So if you could remove the title from my shelf list that would be great. Apoligies