Paperback, 384 Pages

Adult-Contemporary 

Review Copy/TLC Booktours

Warnings: Langauge, alcholsim, mild sexuality

4/5 Stars

From the author of Things Remembered and The Year Everything Changed comes a moving novel about love that lasts forever. What’s in the past is over and done with . . . or is it?

Sixteen years ago Carly Hargrove made a decision that would irrevocably alter her life. With little comprehension of the life-long consequences of her actions, she trades her own future happiness to protect the man she’s loved since kindergarten, David Montgomery.
With an ocean separating them, Carly builds a life for herself without David. She’s the mother of three, lives in a beautiful house, and is married to a man who comes home every night—even if most of those nights he drinks too much. What more could she want? Her answer arrives on a cold fall day when David shows up at her door. In town for his father’s funeral, he has come to see Carly one last time, hoping to rid himself of the anger that still consumes him. Instead, he is drawn into a web of secrets that rekindles the fierce need he once felt to protect Carly. He becomes caught up in her life in a way he never could have imagined—a way that will bind him to her forever.

Thoughts

I knew going into Carly's Gift I was going to get chick-lit, what I didn't expect was a very well done dramatic piece. I found Bockoven's character development bring great originality to her story. I loved the use of suspense and how the story kept the reader guessing till almost the end and I really liked the strong family drama that was interwoven through each page. With each twist and turn I found myself being sucked in deeper and deeper into Carly's story, even when I thought I had figured out who and what happened before Carly's reveal, I was thrown for a couple loops along the way and while I figured things right it still surprised and wowed me in the end. The time I spent devouring this novel and getting to the reveal was so worth it.

I really enjoyed the characters and found the story engaging and shine through some its predictable scenarios. I think this book would make an amazing movie, and I would highly recommend it to readers who enjoy family sagas, dramatic love story's and contemporary romance pieces.

Georgia Bockoven is an award-winning author who began writing fiction after a successful career as a freelance journalist and photographer. Her books have sold more than three million copies worldwide. The mother of two, she resides in Northern California with her husband, John.

Find out more about Georgia at her website and connect with her on Facebook.