Wednesday, September 2, 2015

From the Start

GIVEAWAY

TAGG, MELISSA
FROM THE START

Kate Walker used to believe in true love and happily ever after. While her own love life may have left her brokenhearted, it hasn't kept her from churning out made-for-TV romance movie screenplays...until a major career slump and a longing to do something meaningful send her running back to her hometown of Maple Valley.

Permanently sidelined by an injury, former NFL quarterback Colton Greene is temporarily hiding out in a friend's hometown to avoid the media and the reminders of all he's lost. Maple Valley seems like the perfect place to learn how to adjust to normal life. The only trouble is he's never really done normal before.

While Kate plays things safe and Colton is all about big risks and grand gestures, they both get what it's like to desperately need direction in life. An unexpected project gives them both a chance to jumpstart their new lives, but old wounds and new dreams are hard to ignore. Starting over wasn't part of the plan, but could it be the best thing that's ever happened to them?
  

My Review:

How can this be the first book I've read by Melissa Tagg? My once stellar book spidey senses must be slipping! There can be no other explanation. All I can say is: check for more of this author on Retro Saturdays in the near future!

What a captivating read! And I'm so excited that this is the first novel in the Walker Family series and even more excited because there are a goodly number of siblings crying out for their stories to be told. From the Start puts me in mind of Denise Hunter's McKinley series and Susan May Warren's Christiansen family so if you are  a fan of those authors you're going to love Melissa Tagg as well.

This is the kind of read you can all too easily lose yourself in. By the end I felt like an honorary Maple Valley citizen and member of the Walker family. Have to admit it was kind of a shock to 'wake up' to my solitary life in a big city. I'm feeling rather homesick right now and that's because Tagg has created a community with such vivid detail that it feels...well, real! And I'm pretty sure the Walker clan is too.

I adore this large and opinionated family. Love the sibling rivalry -- all the friendly digs, relentless teasing and the way they rally around each other at the least sign of trouble. Everyone should grow up in a family like that.

But Colton didn't. Sometimes he feels like he's on the outside looking in -- even when the Walkers pull him into their midst. A past cluttered with grief and sorrow has caused him to retreat behind a protective wall. He only lets people so close...until the Walkers, and Kate in particular, smash those bricks to smithereens.

Tagg tells his story with compassion and humour. She has a unique style -- part sarcastic wit/part exquisite prose. She really has an incredible way with words. They paint images that add depth to the story. Like this: He started up the porch steps, trying to ignore the awkward tension that'd dropped like precipitation, despite a cloudless sky. (p.142)

I especially appreciated the solid inspirational thread that takes root in so many ways. There's a wonderful football analogy about waiting for God's direction that even this football flunky could not only comprehend but apply in my own life.

And by the end, I felt like I'd lived Colton and Kate's story, rather than merely reading about them. Now that it's over, I'm in mourning -- always the sign of a truly great book. And this one definitely is.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of From the Start please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday September 6 2015. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

43 comments:

  1. Great review, Kav, and I am hooked! I would love to start the Walker series with this one! Thank you!

    mauback55 at gmail dot com

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    1. Thanks, Melanie. I'm so excited about this series. Good luck.

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  2. I agree with Melanie. I also want to start the Walker Series. This will be a great series.
    pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

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    1. Yeppers -- going to be astonishingly great. Next one comes out in March 2016. Good luck, rubynreba.

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  3. Looks like a fun read and series to boot. kamundsen44(at)yahoo(dot)com.

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  4. I haven't read this author but it looks like s fun series to start with.
    Deanne
    Cnnamongirl at aol dot com

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    1. It's always great to get in on the first book of a series. Good luck, Deanne.

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  5. Ooh! I'd love to be entered, Kav! I've yet to try this author!
    pocoauthorATgmailDOTcom

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    1. Consider yourself entered, Nicole. Good luck.

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  6. This one is on my TBR list. I love Melissa's sense of humor from her blog. If that carries over to her books, I will definitely love them. Thanks for the review and giveaway Kav.
    momrain(AT)aol(DOT)com

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    1. Oh -- I'll have to check out her blog but I'm guessing the humour is the same. So many good lines -- great scenes -- the first time the hero and heroine meet is quite hysterical. Good luck, Loraine.

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  7. oh boy, another book on my list! I've never read any of her books, but I will now. Thank you for the thorough book reviews!

    Lea
    ladepooh AT hotmail dot com

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  8. I enjoy reading your reviews. This book is definitely on my TBR list.
    reneerachoyolsenATgmailDOTcom

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  9. Oh, I would absolutely love to win a copy of this book! Melissa is such a gifted writer & I have really enjoyed her books! :)
    Thanks for the giveaway! :)

    sleepy_bookworm_aery [at] yahoo [dot] com

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    1. I've just found that out and am thrilled to be able to read her previous ones too. Good luck, aerykah.

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  10. I have read the "Where Love Begins" series from Melissa Tagg and they are great romances. And Melissa Tagg is pretty awesome herself!

    tlhcoupon (at) hotmail (dot) com

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  11. I can't believe this is your first of Melissa's! They are all amazing-including the prequel novella to this book! Wonderful review, I totally am with you on getting homesick for Maple Valley!
    gatorade635(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. I know, what dark dungeon have I bin living in? LOL Good luck, Abbi.

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  12. I haven't read any of her books either, but they sound really good. :)

    samanthabis23 at gmail dot com

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    1. If they are all like this one, they sure are. Good luck, Samantha.

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  13. I'm new to Melissa's books also, but I remember seeing them around and loving the covers!

    pattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  14. I've read one of Melissa's books and liked it. Another one I didn't like so much, so I want to try again :-)

    jnelson at skyhighway dot com

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    1. Oh, I think you won't be able to resist this one, Margaret. Good luck.

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  15. I just finished reading the prequel, and it has me hungry for more from this author.
    josieringer(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. I need to read the prequel. I usually don't read ebooks but it sounds like it's too good to resist. Good luck, Martha.

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  16. I have this wonderful book sitting on my shelf waiting to be read! Since I love your reviews, I had to pop in to see what you think of this one! It's the only Tagg book I have, but from what you say here, I guess I'd better be adding others by her too! I love family series & all the dynamics that go with it....my most recent being Dani Pettrey's McKenna family. At the end of that series, you felt like you were part of the clan but saddened to realize they weren't real people. That's how I love authors to be, make your characters so real that you can feel a part of their lives! Thanks for the heads up on this one, I'm in for a nice read :-)

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    1. Oh, Trixi, yes -- the McKenna family!!!!! I wept over that last book because I didn't want to say goodbye. I kept hoping some long lost cousins would materialize to keep the series going. LOL

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    2. Oh my, Kav, I'm right there with you on that one! I hated to see the series end & was saddened as well. Maybe we could write her and tell her that she needs a long lost cousin or two to appear....lol!! :-)

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  17. I've been reading Melissa's blog for awhile but haven't yet read her books. This looks like a great one with which to begin. Thanks for the review and the chance to win From the Start.
    pmkellogg56[at]gmail[dot]com

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    1. I need to check out her blog. Good luck, Pam.

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  18. Oh my, this sounds like a real good one. Love books with a possiblitity of an ongoing storyline too. rrwalter34ATgmailDOTcom

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    1. I especially love family ones -- there's so much anticipation and each book you get to know all the siblings just a little bit more. So satisfying. Good luck, Becky.

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  19. I haven't read any books by this author yet, but from your review it sounds like this one is a must read. I know a friend of mine liked this one as well. I'll have to add it to my reading list!

    ~Alisha L.

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    1. Oops! I forgot to add my email!

      lishy2193 (at) aol [dot] com

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    2. It's a great one to start with because it's the first in her new series. Good luck, Alisha.

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  20. Love her books! Can't wait to start this series. Thanks!

    mo1202007ATyahooDOTcom

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  21. I haven't read any of her books yet, but I have heard they great.
    amylsmith AT bledsoe DOT net

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