Still the One (2021)

About the Book

Book: Still the One

Series: Deep Haven Collection #1

Author: Rachel D. Russell

Release Date: January 12, 2021

Genre: Contemporary Romance

It’s never too late to finish a love story…

Cole Barrett, former Army Ranger, has a new mission objective. Sell his grandfather’s house and put Deep Haven, a place that holds too many hurts, in his rearview mirror as fast as possible. Recently divorced, single, and unattached, Cole just wants a new life as a US Marshal. One where he can forget the past and start new.

Unfortunately, there’s a tenant in the garage apartment who’s refusing to move. Even worse? It’s his childhood crush, Megan Carter, and her son.

Wedding planner and single mom Megan Carter loves Deep Haven. To her, it’s the place where she makes dreams come true—at least, everyone else’s. Her big dream is to purchase the Black Spruce Bed & Breakfast to turn it into a premier event venue and, if she can stay booked for enough weddings over winter, she’ll have the needed funds to buy the inn, move out of Grandpa Barrett’s garage apartment, and finally give her nine-year-old son, Josh, the life he deserves. She just needs four thousand dollars in the next thirty days.

Still, she’s oh, so close…until Cole Barrett returns to Deep Haven. Even if he’s not back to fulfill a silly childhood promise to marry her, but she never expected him to evict her! The last thing she needs is more expenses. Or for another man to walk into her heart…and break it.

When a blizzard strikes Deep Haven, and Megan is overrun with wedding catastrophes, it takes a former Ranger to step in and help. Besides, the more he comes to her rescue, the sooner she’ll be able to move out…and he can move on. And that’s what they both want, right?

Return to Deep Haven with this magical tale about the one who got away…and came back.

Click HERE to purchase your copy!

My Thoughts

I devoured Susan May Warren’s Christiansen Family series in nanoseconds many years ago and have often missed the characters and charming town of Deep Haven. When I heard about the Deep Haven Collection series and that the Christiansens were making cameo appearances I knew I had to get my hands on this new series. I’m so glad I read Still the One by Rachel D. Russell. It was so much fun revisiting Deep Haven and seeing so many familiar characters again. I love how wonderfully and seamlessly integrated these familiar characters are within the narrative of Still the One. To me, it made the story all the more fun and engaging.

Still the One is a great read for so many reasons. The plot is engaging and I turned pages well into the night. Thank goodness it was my spring break last week and I could stay up so late! I LOVED the characters. Megan is a wonderfully endearing heroine. My heart hurt a bit for her and I really related to her soul struggle. And, I love what a great mom she is to her young son. She is so sacrificial and present — a true testament to motherhood! Cole is a good hero. He did frustrate me a little with his knee-jerk reactions when it came to his relationships with others. He’s such an organized, focused, thoughtful man, and he does have a heart the size of Texas, but when it comes to emotions at the first supposed sign of potential heartache he’s gone and leaves those he’s with in the lurch. I do appreciate his character growth over the course of the story as he does address this run-away tendency. My favorite aspect of this lovely story is the discussion on forgiveness. Many Christian novels deal with the topic of forgiveness, but this novel feels unique in that it acknowledges the anger, the injustice, caused when the person who should do the apologizing can’t. How do we get to that point of true forgiveness when the party who hurt us can’t ever validate our hurts and feelings? It’s a great question that had me thinking on things for sure. I appreciate Darek’s comment that, “Forgiveness isn’t about justice. It’s about freedom.” Brilliant! Forgiveness isn’t about the bad guy getting his comeuppance. It’s about the hurt person letting go of the hurt and anger and the frustration, and accepting that God has it all under control. There is true freedom in releasing all that negative and giving it over to the One who can actually do something about it. This was a great reminder I didn’t even know I needed!

I had a blast reading Still the One and very much look forward to the next installment in this series. If you are in the mood for a delightful, well-written, highly engaging Contemporary Romance then I highly recommend Still the One by Rachel D. Russell. I loved every minute of this story and I think you will too!

I purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on January 11, 2021, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.