A New Forever by Kimberley Hatch – a Review

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Description:
Twenty-seven year old Benjamin McKee has always believed in hard work, and that if he did the work and put in the hours, he could achieve his dreams. His only problem: no matter how hard he works, life seems to have it out for him. When Sadie first met Ben in Forever Changed, he was strong, handsome and had everything going for him. He owned a wildly successful restaurant and had a fiercely loyal group of friends, but that wasn’t always the case. Time and again, Ben’s life has been turned upside down and inside out. How many times will he find the strength and determination to keep moving forward before he throws in the towel?

Does Ben have it in him to fight for what he wants just one more time?

Featuring all the characters you loved from Forever Changed and more, find out the life events that made Ben the man Sadie fell in love with. And then follow them into their New Forever.

Review:

A New Forever by Kimberley Hatch is the 2nd book in her Forever series.  I hadn’t read the first book in the series, but soon found it and caught up with the story. These can be read as stand alones, but I found the first book a big help (and the wonderful review that …… Jules Did )

This book is Ben’s story, and it tells us about Ben’s life before meeting Sadie. We read how a cruel twists of fate, shaped him into the man Sadie fell in love with. Ben loses his beloved parents at 17, with the whole world at his feet, he wanted to become a chef, and he had just been accepted into the the place of his choice. But before he enrolls his parents are killed in a freak accident at home.

Devastated, Ben wonders if he will ever recover, but with the help of his next door neighbours (close friends of the family) Ben slowly gains his feet. He feels blessed that he was given a second family. He loses many of his college friends as he slowly emerges from his grief, but he also makes a few good friends along the way in his new life. He gets a job in a restaurant as a busboy, and finds peace running in a gym.

Graduating from college he makes is way up from busboy to assistant chef, all the while keeping his dream of opening a restaurant alive in his heart. Another tragedy befalls Ben, and we wonder if he will pick himself up.

Ben finally moves into his own home and starts to live again, and here he meets his future. He sees a young woman being carried into her home by a man; even from the distance, he can see a thin, and lonely creature, someone wrapped up in so much pain, you can see it.

Ben wonders about the girl, but doesn’t really get a chance or moment to talk to her. But when he sees a chance a little while later, he seizes the moment to introduce himself. And from that moment Sadie and Ben become friends and eventually became the best of friends, they click and Ben sees her in his future. As this is from Ben’s point of view, we watch as his friendship turns into love, then heartbreak.

Does Ben get his happy ending? Is his happy ending with Sadie?

All the characters were a great read, and Leland (Sadie’s brother-in-law) was an absolute riot, I would love his story to be written. There were a lot of strong role models for Ben to follow and emulate. He had a strong sense of wrong and right, and a huge heart, that took a battering time and again. I enjoyed reading this book, and hope that you do too.

Reviewed by Julie B.

Copy provided by Author