Review Tour::: When You Make it Home by Claire Ashby

by Lora - 7:16 PM

When You Make It Home

by Claire Ashby

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: July 12, 2014

Meg Michaels, a bookstore owner, has already walked away from two cheating exes. She’s learned her lesson and has her mind set on success—until she gets knocked up. Embarrassed and unwilling to discuss her situation with friends and family, she wears layers to hide the pregnancy.

When Meg gets sick at a party, she’s mortified. Even worse, Theo Taylor, the guest of honor, discovers her secret. Theo, an Army medic wounded in the war, agrees not to reveal her condition, and the two forge a bond of friendship that blossoms into love.

Theo is soon filling all of Meg’s late-night cravings—and not just the pregnancy-induced ones. But can their love overcome all the obstacles that stand between them and creating a happy family?

4½ out of 5 stars!!!

This book captivated me from the first page. I was rooting for Meg from the beginning. It seemed she had a rough life (especially with men) and I wanted her to find her happiness. As with every book I enjoy, I was so sad when this one ended.

Meg meets Theo at his welcome home party after being seriously injured in Afghanistan. Theo tries to be tough and not let Meg in, but you can just feel that they will make a special bond. Theo also figures out that Meg is hiding a pregnancy that only 2 other people know about -- and one of them isn’t even her twin brother.

As I would assume most injured soldiers are, Theo seems to be more philosophical and mature than his age group is usually. One of my favorite pieces of advice that he ever gave Meg when she was still hiding her pregnancy and he felt she should be celebrating it rather than hiding it.

“You’re absurd,” he said, making his words seem a compliment. “Don’t miss this while you’re waiting for a moment more perfect than right now.\” His voice was gentle, but uncompromising. “Miserable couples reproduce all over the world, and you are better than that. You can offer your baby better than that. Don’t idealize a fantasy.”

But as smart as Theo is, he is also dumb. He holds back from really getting intimate with Meg because he doesn’t want to be her burden. He doesn’t want to need her, but what he doesn’t realize is that she’s his hope.

As obvious as Theo’s demons are, Meg has her fair share as well. They are both battling each other and themselves for a relationship that niether thinks they deserve. In fact, Meg doesn’t even want to wish for love.

Love was something I couldn’t afford to wish for. That option was never put on the table. I engaged in a game of Russian roulette with my emotions, but the way Theo look at me, I never felt safer. And I never felt more visible in all my life. When he reached for me, I went to him.

But even as I read that passage I knew that love was something you didn’t always have a choice about. Sometimes love just comes to you and you have to learn to accept it.

Though the book was told entirely from Meg’s POV, I felt like I was right there in the story. I felt like everything Theo looked at her with love and admiration, I was feeling the same things. Ms. Ashby did a wonderful job of creating characters that were ones I would love to see over and over. I could feel the motions from Steve (Meg’s twin) and Ellie (her BFF) almost as much as I could Meg and Theo.

Through the course of the novel, Theo made my heart soar with hope and love and then he made it sore with poor decisions. He gives speeches that would make me feel weepy and then he’ll do something that makes me want to punch him.

This book is absolutely wonderful and I highly recommend you take a look at it!!!

Claire Ashby was born and raised in the heart of Atlanta. At a young age, she began keeping journals and over time embellished the details of her quiet days. Eventually, she let go of writing reality altogether and delved completely into the world of fiction.

When she's not reading or writing, she spends her time watching extreme survival shows and taking long walks after nightfall. She has an unnatural love of high places, but still regrets the time she skydived solo. She believes some things are better left to the imagination. She resides in Austin with her family and a pack of wild dogs.