Leaving Hannah was the biggest mistake of Marco’s life, something he has deeply regretted for years. So when fate reunites them, he refuses to let her go without a fight. Determined to make her his, Marco pursues Hannah, reminding her of all the reasons they’re meant to be together.…
But just when Marco thinks they’re committed to a future together, Hannah makes a discovery that unearths the secret pain she’s been hiding from him, a secret that could tear them apart before they have a real chance to start over again.
Comment: This is the fourth full length story in the Dublin Street series by author Samantha Young. So far, all the books in this series have intrigued me and I was actually positively surprised by how much I liked them, considering some opinions. I guess what works for some really does not for others in some cases. I very pleased these books work for me.
This is the story of Hannah, she's Braden's sister, sort of, and she has always been a cheeky teenager, confident and happy. As the other books moved along we got to know she had a crush on a boy and they seemed to become something serious but then the guy, Marcus, went away and Hannah was down for a while but now she is a happy adult with the possibility of her teaching job becoming permanent and her family is healthy and happy.
But Marcus suddenly comes back into her life and although she attempts to stay away from him, the connection they had gets stronger and they try to be together again. But both have secrets about what what happened in the past and would that affect their new found love?
I think the biggest lesson in this story is how we should just live the moment and try to grab all the happiness we can because life is short and we shouldn't let it go to waste.
The morale is, indeed, appreciated. However, this story - despite still being amazing and one I loved spending time with - also felt slightly less polished than the others.
I think the fact the protagonists, Hannah and Marco, had had the beginning of a relationship helped in now making their reconnection faster. Still, I do dislike this trope in general and enjoying this story didn't distract me enough from the fact this is a lovers reunited plot.
I do have to appreciate this author did a good job in making me care about the characters and writing a compelling family that I did like this story, even if not as much as the others.
Hannah is a good protagonist, she's a warm, friendly girl even with some quirky traits that make her endearing as well. I liked how she felt about her family and how she gave importance to so many things like appreciation for her parents or the need to trust her close family. I thought she would be a bit more shy and we get to know how she got past that. In a way, I understand how this shaped her character but I kind of wanted her to still be shy like she was as a teenager. I feel shy female protagonists aren't enough and when they exist they overcome that as a handicap or don't act like shy people. Anyway...something I wished were different.
Hannah went through some serious issues and I understand how this made her think some things concerning her future with Marco but thankfully in romacelandia everything usually works out well.
Marco is an intriguing character. I'd have liked to know more about him but since this is told from Hannah's POV, we only know things by their conversations. He is funny now but as a younger self he seemed darker and more intense maybe this is an obvious way to compare how much he has grown up and changed. His actions from the past have an explanation but I felt their romance overall was weaker than the others. I just felt a certain separation from what their story is because they were away from each other for a long time and the motives for it were made as not worthy of the separation itself. Meaning, I think the author used many tools to explain what could have been done in a simpler, clearer way.
Still, I enjoyed the story. It has some elements which surely were meant to be angsty or emotional but I think some elements were a bit too much. I had the feeling the author struggled a lot more with this plot and the others were more effortless. It's just an impression. I also think the trope didn't help even if appropriate to this couple's story. (Perhaps it's my prejudice against "lovers reunited" speaking...)
In the end, I liked this enough to keep the faith and I ended up glad about the fact they got their HEA. But what I liked the most were all the family scenes with the characters we've known from other books and how they are now that some years have passed from the 3rd story to this one. How good to see HEAs still active and important to the family ties the author has been using. Really great!
Grade: 7/10
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