Publisher’s Overview:
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 Take:
What do you do when it looks like the only career you’ve known is coming to an end? That’s the question asked in the cute new novel by Melissa Tagg. Kate and Colton are each at a crossroads in their life. Kate’s screenplays are no longer being picked up, and Colton is no longer capable of planning football at the professional level. It might be the end of the world, if not for friends going through much worse. A young friend of Kate’s has a serious illness while Colton’s friend’s hometown has experienced a devastating tornado. Coincidentally, Colton’s friend is Kate’s brother.
I enjoy reading Melissa Tagg’s novels. The characters are likeable but not perfect. The storylines are light but not flippant, and are tempered by dramatic events and discussion of serious subjects. The Christian messages are subtle and not overwhelming. In this instance, the message is that man makes plans but God usually has something better in mind.
From the Start is the first in the new Walker Family series. You might recognize one character in it however: Ava Kingsley is the sister of Autumn Kingsley from Here to Stay. To discover how she came to be in Maple Valley, check out the e-novella Three Little Words. It’s available for free from most online bookstores.
Thank you to Bethany House for my complimentary copy of From the Start, which I received in exchange for my honest review.
Have you read From the Start? Do you plan to read it? Let me know your thoughts.
Publisher: Bethany House (a division of Baker Publishing)
Publication Date: 07 April 2015
Page Count: 352
Read more on: Melissa Tagg’s Website Bethany House’s Website
Purchase on: Amazon Barnes & Noble Books-a-million Christianbook.com
Proverbial Reads 
I adored this book! If I were a writer, I’d want to write the kinds of stories Melissa Tagg does. Everything just seems so well balanced, with faith, humor and romance.
I’ve already got her next book on my want to read list. Sadly, it’s not out until spring 2016 😦
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