Almost Forever by Deborah Raney

Synopsis from the back of the book:
Bryn Hennesey, a volunteer at the Grove Street Homeless Shelter, was there the night the shelter burned to the ground and five heroic firefighters died at the scene.  Among them was her husband, Adam.  Like the rest of the surviving spouses, Bryn must find a way to begin again. But Bryn must do so living with a horrible secret...

Garrett Edmonds's wife, Molly, was the only female firefighter to perish in the blaze.  As her husband, it was his job to protect the woman he loved.... How can he go on in the face of such unbearable loss and guilt?

And what started the fire that destroyed the dreams and futures of so many?  Investigators are stumped.  But someone knows the answer....

About Deborah Raney:
From her website: http://deborahraney.com/

DEBORAH RANEY is at work on her nineteenth novel. Her books have won the RITA Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award, Silver Angel, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. Her first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the highly acclaimed World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Her newest books, the Clayburn Novels, are from Howard/Simon & Schuster. She and her husband, Ken Raney, have four children and enjoy small- town life in Kansas.

My Thoughts:

Almost Forever starts out strong and keeps on going.  I was engaged in the story from the very first page.  I didn't feel like there was a lot of build up in the beginning.  You are thrown into the story and get the background on the characters as the story moves along.  I really enjoyed this approach and would love to read the follow up novels in the Hanover Falls series.  I learned from Deborah's website that there are two follow up novels in the series.  The next installment, Forever After is currently in editing and only the title (After All) of the third installment was mentioned.  There was no mention of release dates.

My one criticism of the story is that the title indicates to me that the story is about Bryn and her husband Adam.  After Adam perishes in the fire the story is definitely about Bryn, but there is a focus on her budding relationship with Garrett rather than on her life.  I would like to have learned more about how Bryn handled life alone, or some additional background on her married life.

Despite the unexpected turn that the story takes, it is an enjoyable read.  If you like a pleasant romance with a little bit of intrigue mixed in, then you should check this one out.  

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book from Glass Road Public Relations to participate in their blog tour in exchange for my honest review of the book.