Blog Tour and Guest Review: J.C. Smith reviews The Best is Yet to Come by Renee Peterson

 (Author): Rafe Chauvin left his home in the blink of an eye twelve years ago, running from a secret he kept buried deep inside. The day after his high school graduation, he joined the Army to escape the pain the secret brought. When Serena Adams told Rafe Chauvin the lie of a lifetime twelve years ago, she thought he would be relieved. She never imagined what consequences that one reckless night would lead to. After years of trying to escape her lies, she returns to her hometown in South Louisiana. Hannah Matthews is a war widow. Her husband, Tom, left her behind with two very young daughters and made his best friend Rafe promise that if anything were to happen to him that he would look after his girls. Bound by honor, Rafe keeps his promise, stepping up and forming a close friendship with Hannah. When Serena is hired to plan the weddings of both Rafe’s brothers, they are brought together for the first time in over a decade. Lies are finally uncovered, leaving a trail of anger and bitterness in their wake. As the paths of these three individuals converge, and they reach a crossroads in their lives, will they move forward and discover that the best is yet to come?

About the Author: Renee Peterson


Renee Peterson is the author of the Brothers of the Bayou series and several short stories. She has multiple works in progress to be released in the upcoming months. She spends most of her time raising two young kids and the remaining part of her time creating stories of love in the places she has been the places she wants to go. She grew up in the country side of Maryland, but has traveled around the country living in California's Mojave Desert, along the Crystal Coast of North Carolina and now resides in the Cajun country of Southern Louisiana where she has fallen in love with the culture and food.

Renee loves hearing from her fans and welcomes their feedback.
You can e-mail her at authorreneepeterson@gmail.com
Follow her on twitter or friend her on Facebook

Guest Review by J.C. Smith:


About J.C. Smith: When I am not spending time with family and friends, I'm usually reading a book. I am a LOVE junkie and enjoy books with a little angst, suspense, passion and a happy ending.

You can find her at her book site or her personal blog site 



Review:

This book is about the eldest Chauvin brother, Rafe. He carries a deep seeded pain from his past that he has never let go. Now, he is faced with more pain with the death of best friend. He steps up and does the honorable thing, as only a Chauvin would seem to do, and helps to take care of best friend’s wife, Hannah, and her young daughters.

The burden of pain and anger that Rafe carried for 12 years from the young age of 17 seems unbelievable. I say “unbelievable” because at 17, he would lack the maturity to conceive the magnitude of the situation. I do see him being sad and upset about the situation, but for 12 years seems a little melodramatic.

The evolution of Hannah and Rafe’s relationship was predictable but warranted. It would be all wrong any other way. Rafe’s love and devotion to Hannah and her daughters has built a strong connection between them. Rafe and Hannah were bonded by loss, but built love through friendship and adoration for one another.  

I thought the characters in the book displayed a maturity far more advanced then their young age. Sometimes I felt their emotions were too overwhelmingly mature that at times did not feel real.

Overall, I thought this was a sweet love story. It exuded various types of love between parent and child, siblings, friends and most importantly Rafe and Hannah. I have not read the other books in the series, but I don’t think you need to do so to feel connected to these characters. It does have me interested in reading the first two books in the series to find out about the brothers stories. This book shows with the power of love and forgiveness, healing and happiness are found.