Then...

They were young and in love, but she suddenly broke it off, and he was left wondering why.

Now...

Her daughter was in trouble, and Maya was left with no one to turn to, but the man she had left behind, so many years ago.

Always...

Maya and Sam's lives will forever be linked via their daughter, Samantha, but could their relationship move beyond co-parenting to something more like what they had once shared?

It no big secret that I love contemporary romances, but this one managed to evoke a much stronger emotional response from me, than I had anticipated. Shroff combined so many of my favorite romance elements in a way, that produced a bona fide hit for me.

Forbidden love, secret baby, meddling, secrets, lies, and second chance romance is nothing new, but I was still utterly invested in and captivated by Sam and Maya's story.

I instantly fell in love with the idea of these two being reunited after 16 years apart. Both had been leading separate lives, but when push came to shove, Maya went to Sam for help, and it was because, in her heart, she knew he was a very honorable man, and that he would do anything he could for their daughter. Their first meeting was strained, but I could sense the crackle of those sparks underneath it all. That was enough for me to want these two to rekindle their romance.

But, I also really enjoyed seeing how they got where they were. Via flashbacks, Shroff showed how they met and fell in love, as well as how it all fell apart. These looks into the past were woven into the current timeline, and were placed in a way, that the whole truth was slowly revealed. Was it shocking? No, but it was emotional, and I had such an attachment to the characters, that seeing their journey to the end was all that mattered to me.

This was simply a beautiful second chance romance. There were secrets and lies, but there was also forgiveness and love. It touched my heart, and that epilogue was the kind of perfect, that had me doing the crying-smiling-laughing thing. I was so delighted by it, and hope to ride this giddy high for the rest of the weekend.

The cover of this debut novel caught my eye. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into between it being a Harlequin novel and a debut, but I was so drawn to the cover I gave it a chance.

I loved the second chance romance side of this story. Normally that isn't my favorite trope, but it worked well for this storyline and wasn't an unrealistic plot at all. I loved how at no point was the romance easy for Sam or Maya. That would have been so annoying. Instead they each had a lot to overcome, learn, and beg forgiveness and give forgiveness for.

I also enjoyed the glimpses into Indian culture. I liked how they addressed each other's parents with respect. I also liked the conservative nature of their families when it came to intimacy.

It was a little challenging to keep up with 2 points of view in 2 different times. I often was 2 pages I to a time change before I realized it. But overall the dual time and dual POV worked.

I did feel like even with the epilogue that the book just ended abruptly. I would have like a few more chapters.

Overall this was a good book, but I wouldn't re-read it.

Warnings: does contain some cursing, pre-marital sex (mostly off screen), and underage drugs and alcohol. But overall pretty clean for a Harlequin.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I loved this book! I guess this book made me realize that I kinda like the secret baby trope? But I guess that's because I love the second chance romance trope which goes hand in hand with the secret baby trope.

I loved how in this book, I got to learn a lot about the Indian culture since I like learning about cultures in general. This book is also told in two timelines, the past and the present. Usually, this would bother me but I saw how it was necessary for this book. The timelines often ended in cliffhangers so you were often annoyed when a chapter would end but then you would forget you were annoyed because you learn more things about the "before".

The main characters were great and Samantha is such an outgoing teenager. Sure, she has those teenage tantrums but who doesn't? It was fun seeing her interact with her father's side of the family as if she has always been a part of it. Can I also say that Sam's dad is just a sweetheart? He's basically grandpa and father-in-law goals. You just got to meet his character. Maya grew a lot from when she was younger and it was fun seeing her interact with her daughter. Then there's Sam. I just want to hug that man. He's just so kind and he deserves everything.

But anyway, I loved the story, the writing, and the way it was told. I'm looking forward for this author's upcoming books.

O.k., I'll admit to it right from the start; I loved this book! Here are the reasons why.

I love learning something new when I read, and Mona Shroff delivers! Then, Now, Always gives us a wonderful glimpse into Indian culture.

Some books that jump from the past to the present can be disjointed. Shrof handles the transition with ease, always making the move when the reader needs to better understand the situation.

We get to follow the characters over a long period of time which gives the reader a chance to really get to know them.

Bonus points for including recipes!

Still not sure this book is your cup of (chai) tea? Flip a coin! Heads, you'll read it and love it! Tails,....

#HeadsOrTails #NetGalley

Cute novel. I don't know if it would work in real life, but it is fiction.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

So this book is pretty hard to rate because on one side I hated it and by the end of the story I loved it and wanted more.

First it is a debut book, the first book published by this author. Second it is very unique in that it is an Indian romance. It also features three time periods, 1996, 2012-13 and then 12 years later 2024-25. It was kinda cool in that we see the past, the current period and then the future.

The first 70% of the book was pretty bad. Not written badly or characters related but in that it tells the past story in 1996, and in the current period 2012, the male lead in this story is in love and engaged to be married and he is engaged and living with his fiancee until 70% of the story, so there is no romance there.

This is a the story about single mom Maya who has a 15 year old daughter in private school when some drugs are found in her locker. She has no money for a lawyer so she asks this guy she knew many years before to help her, Sam. He refuses to until she confesses that it is for his daughter Samantha.

Sam is happily engaged to Paige and is very involved in politics. The Sam we meet at this part of the story I HATED. He is cowardly in that he never tells Paige the truth and he is in love, living with her, sleeping besides her every night. But he is also happy to be a dad.

Maya and Samantha are pretty awesome in this story. Even though Maya kept her secret I understood where she was coming from. And Samantha is this really awesome kid who is smart and very athletic. You can say whatever you want about Maya but she did an awesome job brining up her daughter all alone.

Why Maya never told Sam she was pregnant I am not spoiling. But at about 70% all the secrets come out and it causes Paige and Sam to breaak up and thats when you start to see the real Sam and Maya starts to move on. This is the very best of the story and from then on I was addicted to this story and loved every second of it.

I will say Sam never cheats on Paige and Maya and Paige are never really a part of a love triangle either. Had I known Sam was engaged and would be for 70% of this story I would not have read it. But had I quit I would have really missed out because when all the pieces of this story come together it gets pretty awesome.

So I went into this one with an open mind. I love single parent stories, but she kept her baby a secret from the father which I didn’t like.
Maya seems like a great mom and Sam has no idea he had a 15 year old daughter till she looked him up needing help.
Then this book just got blah for me.
So I skipped around hoping I could get back into it.
I didn’t.
I didn’t even see how it ended.
Not the book for me.

1 star
This book was awful. Within the first chapter with the daughter getting in trouble and some backhanded comments, it was hard for me to go on. I DNF most of it. I skimmed to the ending to see where they ended up.

The secret baby plot line and the repetitive lying/deception by all characters (<i>everyone</i>, and well into the second half of the book even after the main secret is revealed) is not working for me. I’ll try the author again, but this particular premise and the characters’ actions were irking me. Your mileage may vary. DNF.