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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Steadfast is the latest release from Sarina Bowen. It's book two in her True North series but reads perfectly as a standalone.
She tasted like the best thing that had ever happened to me.
Jude finds himself starting over in his hometown after finishing his seasonal farming job at Shipley Farm. As an ex-convict and recovering addict, he doesn't have many options. When his first love happens to still be in town, his sights start looking up even if Sophie isn't the best thing for him.
I was willing to do anything for Jude. And none of it mattered if he wouldn't let me.
After Sophie's life is forever altered due to a tragedy at the hands of Jude, she's finishing school but living a mundane existence. She never wanted to see Jude again, but their chemistry is undeniable.
Here's what we've got:
Second chance romance
Addiction
Angst
One great twist
The only thing I have ever been afraid of is losing you.
I've read books with recovering addicts but Sarina takes us on Jude's journey where we are feeling his cravings and thoughts. It's like nothing I've read before. It's thoughtful and hopeful, sad and witty and steamy as hell. Steadfast is unputdownable and one of my favorite reads of the year.
She tasted like the best thing that had ever happened to me.
Jude finds himself starting over in his hometown after finishing his seasonal farming job at Shipley Farm. As an ex-convict and recovering addict, he doesn't have many options. When his first love happens to still be in town, his sights start looking up even if Sophie isn't the best thing for him.
I was willing to do anything for Jude. And none of it mattered if he wouldn't let me.
After Sophie's life is forever altered due to a tragedy at the hands of Jude, she's finishing school but living a mundane existence. She never wanted to see Jude again, but their chemistry is undeniable.
Here's what we've got:
Second chance romance
Addiction
Angst
One great twist
The only thing I have ever been afraid of is losing you.
I've read books with recovering addicts but Sarina takes us on Jude's journey where we are feeling his cravings and thoughts. It's like nothing I've read before. It's thoughtful and hopeful, sad and witty and steamy as hell. Steadfast is unputdownable and one of my favorite reads of the year.
Steadfast is an emotionally heart-wrenching tale of love, addiction, and redemption. All wrapped in Sarina Bowen exquisite authorial voice. I was floored by how emotionally on point this book was. From the very second that Jude was introduced in Bittersweet, I knew that I needed his book. There's just something about the broken and tortured heroes, and it doesn't get more tortured than the man who let his addiction take away not only his freedom but the love of his life.
Jude was a wonderful hero and I loved his portrayal. Sarina Bowen did a fantastic job with his character and I guarantee his story will break your heart as the story unfolds. His struggle with his addiction and also his struggle to accept he played such a big role in so many people lives were done in a very realistic way. His strength to stay clean was so admirable. His character will simply make you feel. I felt everything he felt as the story progressed, his fear, his despair, his shame and last, but not least his love for Sophie. The way he still loved Sophie was really heartbreaking at times, but also heartwarming. Likewise, Sophie was an amazing heroine. She's been through so much herself and her family life leaves something to be desired, but you truly understand what draws her to Jude and why she never really blamed him for what happened three years ago. I absolutely loved the two of them together. The story is highly emotional, angsty and with a touch of forbidden. It broke my heart and melted it. It shattered me but then slowly put me back together.
The love between Sophie and Jude was truly a palpable thing. I couldn't get enough of them. It was beautiful in a tragic way. My heart was aching reading their road to a second chance together. I've been a huge fan of all things Sarina Bowen for years now, but Steadfast put her on a whole different level to me. It was easily one of my favorite second chance romances I've ever read and certainly one of the the most memorable. It was beautiful and emotional. It was everything I had hoped it would be and so much more.
Jude was a wonderful hero and I loved his portrayal. Sarina Bowen did a fantastic job with his character and I guarantee his story will break your heart as the story unfolds. His struggle with his addiction and also his struggle to accept he played such a big role in so many people lives were done in a very realistic way. His strength to stay clean was so admirable. His character will simply make you feel. I felt everything he felt as the story progressed, his fear, his despair, his shame and last, but not least his love for Sophie. The way he still loved Sophie was really heartbreaking at times, but also heartwarming. Likewise, Sophie was an amazing heroine. She's been through so much herself and her family life leaves something to be desired, but you truly understand what draws her to Jude and why she never really blamed him for what happened three years ago. I absolutely loved the two of them together. The story is highly emotional, angsty and with a touch of forbidden. It broke my heart and melted it. It shattered me but then slowly put me back together.
The love between Sophie and Jude was truly a palpable thing. I couldn't get enough of them. It was beautiful in a tragic way. My heart was aching reading their road to a second chance together. I've been a huge fan of all things Sarina Bowen for years now, but Steadfast put her on a whole different level to me. It was easily one of my favorite second chance romances I've ever read and certainly one of the the most memorable. It was beautiful and emotional. It was everything I had hoped it would be and so much more.
This author definitely puts some thought and research into this book because I felt like I gain a new perspective into the struggles of a recovering addict. I really empathized with Oliver and how every day his thirst for a fix was rated.
Jude Nickel’s seasonal employment at the Shipley farm was over and he was forced to return home to Colebury, a town he had been avoiding since he was released from prison and his drug rehab program.
There were a lot of painful issues from his father to the loss of the only woman he has ever loved. I was on pins and needles since the relapse rate for recovering opiate addicts released from jail can be as high as 80%. But Jude was determined and with some luck along with the Shipley Clan, Jude was able to establish some routine in his life.
I appreciate the way the author wrote the reunion between Jude and Sophie Haines. It wasn’t all flowers and candy, but it wasn’t as brutal as I had expected. Sophie was a good heroine. She was strong, loyal and persistent. I wonder how she turned out that way because it wasn’t due to her parents. Her fortitude was the perfect counterbalance to the seemingly broken Jude. In her flashbacks, Jude was cocky, brash and sassy. Present day Jude was a man who was doing his best to navigate his land mine of a life. It was apparent that Jude took his sobriety very seriously and it was wonderful to see Mae Shipley and the others keep an eye on him.
Jude and Sophie had that abiding love and it was healing for the both of them. Sophie’s family dynamics was the only befuddling subplot in this book. There was no true explanation for the behavior and it made their actions baffling. It kept this story from being a 5-star read.
I still enjoyed every other character and felt emotionally engaged to their love story. I can’t wait for Zach’s book.
Another one, that'd classify as not REALLY steamy, but more of a romance almost "beach read"... definitely NOT my usual reads.
That being said, I did enjoy the 2nd in this series, visiting Jude, the recently released inmate and addict who worked on the apple farm in book 1. Looking ahead it looks like each book is another character from that original, so I'm sure I'll check them out in the future.
That being said, I did enjoy the 2nd in this series, visiting Jude, the recently released inmate and addict who worked on the apple farm in book 1. Looking ahead it looks like each book is another character from that original, so I'm sure I'll check them out in the future.
I honestly wasn’t expecting this to be a 5 star read for me but it truly was! The plot, the romance, the pace, the performance. I couldn’t put it down. Jude and Sophie had great chemistry and I’m a sucker for a second chance romance. The overall storyline was unique and very intriguing. Absolutely love it!
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jude, fresh off his stint in prison and working a season at the Shipley farm, heads to his hometown to start over. Sophie, who lost more than Jude when he went to prison, doesn’t expect to see him back in town, yet alone at the soup kitchen where she volunteers. If you’re a sucker for a second chance romance (it’s me…I’m talking about me), then you don’t want to miss this one! There’s even a little mystery to be solved in this one! And some of the Shipleys make an appearance too!
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Too many tropes i don't care for. Woman without a spine, second chance romance, abuse, weird authority figure meddling, characters without agency, etc. Just don't care for any of this and I don't feel like pushing through.