Reviewed by Cinnamon
TITLE: You Never Know
AUTHOR: Mary Calmes
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 200 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 21, 2017
BLURB:
Hagen Wylie has it all figured out. He’s going to live in his hometown, be everybody’s friend, explore new relationships, and rebuild his life after the horrors of war. No muss, no fuss is the plan. He’s well on his way—until he finds out his first love has come home too. Hagen says it’s no big deal, but a chance encounter with Mitch Thayer’s two cute sons puts him directly in the path of the only guy he’s never gotten out of his head.
Mitch returned for three reasons: to raise his sons where he grew up, to move his furniture business and encourage it to thrive, and to win Hagen back. Years away made it perfectly clear the young man he loved in high school is the only one for him. The problem? He left town and they have not talked since.
If Hagen’s going to trust him again, Mitch needs to show him how he’s grown up and isn’t going to let go. They could have a new chance at love… but Hagen is insistent he’s not reviving a relationship with Mitch. Then again, you never know.
REVIEW:
I am a huge Mart Calmes fan and I couldn’t wait to read her newest book. I have totally mixed feelings after finishing it though. I get the great, warm and fuzzy feels but they are also mixed with a decent amount of frustration.
I really liked the Hagen Mitch duo but Hagen with Ash just drove me up the wall in many scenes.
I like the basic plot idea, absolutely adored Mitch’s kids and loved every single scene they appeared in. However, the balance was off for me in this particular story. I normally love all the banter the writer creates but Ash and Hagen’s dialogues were just driving me crazy. I even skipped a few paragraphs at some point because they were just too much, too long for my liking and instead of entertained, I got irritated and annoyed.
Hagen has the writer’s signature personality. He is the perfect young man everyone adores. He is a great guy but he is carrying some serious baggage both from his heartbreak from his teenage years and also his past in the military. He has a lot to overcome but finding Mitch again will help him along the way. I feel that the main point of this whole story got a backseat in the book. This shift in the focal point didn’t work for me. I would have liked more interaction between Mitch and Hagen to really feel their connection. I enjoyed the glimpses we got from their past. These episodes were very cleverly woven into the present story and they gave the plotline some much needed spice as we got to know what had happened to Mitch and Hagen. The bits and pieces of their background story helped us form a clearer picture of our two MCs and their shared past.
I would have loved to read more kids scenes and a lot more interaction between our MCs, whose chemistry was superhot btw. However, their feelings didn’t really come through for me. I knew they belong together but didn’t really feel it.
Overall, his is a good story with the writer’s signature characters, good humor, lots of banter and the invincible power of first love. If you are looking for a light read, a love story of predestined soul mates this one is an entertaining choice.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: