First Comes Love by Emily Giffin is a wonderful story of family ties and especially the bond between siblings.
The son of the family, Daniel, is killed in a car crash just days before Christmas. As devastating as that is each member of the family internalizes their grief and in some ways guilt in different ways. There are the “what if” thoughts that, I believe, often accompany such tragic events, such as what if I had hugged him longer, talked to him before he left, or just had one more minute to ask about his life. As life continues to go on without Daniel many things change for each character. Can this family survive as a group without him or will all family gatherings be overshadowed by the one who is not there?
The story is told from the perspective of the sisters, Josie and Meredith, who are very different in personality and often at odds with each other. The book’s chapters are all labeled either Meredith or Josie and go back and forth throughout the book. I enjoyed this style of writing as each character revealed her feelings and how she feels about family events and other members of the family. Josie seems very immature and selfish in the beginning and that is how her sister perceives her; she does mature by the end of the book. Meredith deals with some decisions she has made based on what she thought others would want her to do. She is definitely a people pleaser, but learns to start thinking more for herself eventually. There are other notable characters in the book; Josie shares an apartment with her best friend Gabe and Meredith is married to Daniel’s best friend, Nolan. The parents are often mentioned throughout the book but have a lesser role along with Meredith’s 4 year old Harper. All of the characters are described in ways that render them realistic and someone you might know or get to know. The author does an excellent job of describing how losing a brother is different from losing a son or a best friend; each deal with the grief from a different perspective that may not be understood by the others. I don’t want to make you think this is a sad book though. It is about the way life went on after Daniel’s death but it is about hope and love and forgiveness and forever. There are passages that are very touching and some that are funny.
This book is a solid 5 out of 5 stars for a well written, down to earth story of life and how seconds can change life forever. The author took a difficult subject matter and dealt with it in a very positive way.
I received a free advance copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

Vickie McDonough has given us another great book in the Land Rush Dreams series. This third book of the series, centers on two of the characters from book 2, Sarah Worley and Luke McNeil. Sarah had run away with Jo from the life she was living in a bordello that Sarah’s father ran. In the previous book, Joline’s Redemption, they ended up living with Jo’s sister, Lara Coulter and her family. Eight years have now passed and Sarah has a deep desire to be “on her own” with a home of her own. Luke, a ranch hand on the Coulter’s ranch, has fallen in love with Sarah and proposes., however she rejects his proposal. She loves him as a “friend”, but isn’t sure if she loves him as a “wife” should. Will Luke be able to win her heart and get her to surrender all her plans to become his wife? Her main goal is to “win” a homestead so she can have her own home. Will she be able to accomplish her plans? Will she and Luke end up together? Several surprising twists and turns take place in this book. I did not want to put the book down until I had finished it.

I enjoyed this book so much and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading a good, clean western romance.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

This book was amazing, hands down. Prepare to be swept up in Sarah's world as you try to figure out whether she'll find independence or give Luke a chance. Or can she find both? A beautiful tale of love and the search for a place to call home.