Until I Met You – Tari Faris – Restoring Heritage #2 – Revell – Published 8 September 2020

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Synopsis

When she hears that the small town of Heritage, Michigan, is looking for a new librarian, Libby Kingsley jumps at the opportunity. Little did she know the library is barely more than a storage closet stuffed with dusty, outdated books. What the community really needs is a new building. But the only funds available are those being channeled into the new town square, and the landscape architect in charge of the project wants nothing to do with her plans.

All Austin Williams wants to do is get the town square project finished so he can do right by the family business and then extricate himself from the town that reveres the brother who cost him so much. But the local media and the town’s new librarian seem to be conspiring against him at every turn. Will the determined bookworm find her way into his blueprints–and possibly even his heart?

My thoughts

Small towns, romance and a construction project with no budget and a strict deadline – what could possibly go wrong? Throw in a nosy journalist, bad publicity and some miscommunication and everything that could go wrong does. Until I Met You is a sweet and charming story about finding the right person at the wrong time, moving on from the past and learning to make the most of every day and every situation.

Libby Kingsley is a librarian (yay librarians in fiction). She’s feeling pretty down about life and is happy to take a position as the new librarian in Heritage, Michigan. The only problem is the library is more of a desolate basement that should be condemned. She finds the perfect solution – she just has to convince the town and construction company that moving an old building into the new town centre is a good idea. Austin Williams is trying to save his family’s construction company, redesign the town square with no help and little budget and now he has to contend with the ideas of Libby Kingsley. He just needs to make it through the next few months unscathed, but it seems like everything and everyone – including his brother – is against him.

I really liked that Libby and Austin don’t like each other much at the start. Or at all. They really fight and argue. Everything they do is a disaster, from their dogs meeting to the construction project. Actually, their fighting continues for much of the novel as they miscommunicate and jump to conclusions, Austin in particular. He is quick to judge but not to forgive. It is something he is working on. It made their relationship and their characters very realistic.

A large percentage of the book is focused on Austin’s relationship with his brother, Nate. Readers of the series will recognise Nate from book one. He is the young, tattooed paster, firefighter and all round good samaritan, but all Austin sees is someone who never shows for family commitments and who caused so much damage to their lives. Austin has a lot to work through and forgive in his relationship with Nate, but every time he needs Nate it seems like he is being let down again. His frustrations bleed into his growing relationship with Libby and spiral downward again.

This is the second book in the series. There is setting and character crossover, so readers will be eager to continue the story of Hannah and Luke from book one and to get their hands on book three which is set to feature Nate and Olivia.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

More information

Category: Adult fiction

Genre: Christian Contemporary.

Themes: Romance, libraries, construction, faith, pastors, brothers, family, relationships.

Representation: White characters. Heterosexual relationships. Christian faith.

Published: 8 September 2020 by Revell.

Format: Hardcover, paperback, ebook. 336 pages.

ISBN: 9780800736484

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