Judith’s review of Once and Again (Petal, Georgia #1) by Lauren Dane

Seven years ago, Lily Travis was only too glad to see her hometown of Petal, Georgia, in her rearview mirror. Thanks to her father running off with a twenty-year-old, though, here she is, trying to pick up the pieces. First order of business: meet with her brother’s teacher in a quest to pull his grades out of a downward spiral.

Nathan Murphy is pretty much resigned to his bachelor status—until he looks up from his desk to see an all-grown-up Lily walking into his classroom. Of all the women who turned out to be totally wrong for him, she’s the only one who felt right. At least until his foolish, immature mistake drove her away.

Lily has to admit that time has been more than kind to gorgeous, sexy Nathan. Except there’s no room on her full plate for another complication. Especially with a man who broke her heart once before.

With a little help from his friends, Nathan has a plan to rekindle the flame. It isn’t long before they’re burning up the sheets. Winning her heart? That’s another matter.

It has been some time since I finished Lauren Dane’s Chase Brothers series and I was sorry to see the end of those stories. When I realized that Ms Dane had begun a new series that once again brought in some of the characters from Petal, GA, I was delighted. Those folks had become a part of my friendship circle and getting another dose of that warm and caring community was like getting a literary bonus from an author whose work has come to be a favorite of mine.

Readers of the Chase Brothers series will remember Tate Murphy, the insecure but incredibly caring oldest sister to a group of siblings who had been abused and who would have had a sad history if it were not for her determination to build all of them into a healthy family unit. Tate met and married Matt Chase and now they have two children. Tate’s oldest brother, Nathan, made significant appearances in the book about Tate and Matt, and now Nathan is dealing with some of his own past.

As in so many novels where old lovers once again encounter one another, this is a story that is built on the premise that what happens in our past often comes back to revisit, and those visits can have either positive or negative results. Lily is a woman who has spent significant time hoping that she has moved beyond her fractured heart. Nathan has molded his life around the joy of teaching. What both of them have is the cloud that hangs over their personal history, a cloud that is really the burden of old hurts and filled with unanswered questions and wrapped up in a sense of betrayal. Now Lily’s brother is in Nathan’s class and he is flunking, largely due to the upset in his life caused by his father’s abandonment emotional and physically as well as his mother’s emotional breakdown and substance abuse. Lily’s oldest sister is manipulative and self-centered; so Lily has left her home in Atlanta and come home to take guardianship of her brother. This novel deals honestly with the damage that selfishness and emotional abuse can cause; it deals openly with the selfish nature of substance abuse and the long term effects on those it victimizes.

Readers are once again involved in the Chase family, the Murphy family gatherings, and the dynamics of a small Georgia community with both its positives and negatives. Seeing Lily again after seven years reminds Nathan of how his pride has caused him the relationship most important to him. Seeing Nathan has caused Lily to realize that her life is dead and flat emotionally. Both have insulated their hearts and their encounters begin the process of bringing some honesty into their inner discussions with themselves as well as a growing honesty in their discussion with each other.

As always, Lauren Dane writes stories that are intense and edgy, funny and intrinsically human, that expose the reader to strong women and dominant men, all of whom are working hard to live in healthy and productive relationships. Lily makes some important discoveries about her family and has to deal realistically with her mom’s addiction. Her dealings with her selfish dad and her snipey sister are a model for how we must often take a stand to protect the people who are most vulnerable, even if that make us the “bad guys.”

This is a great book for those who really are Lauren Dane fans and for those who fell in love with the Chase family. It is also a fun read and a warm and winsome romance in its own right. Lots of good people and some hot loving, it is a balanced story that will please and satisfy those who appreciate good writing and gracious caring.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5 rating

You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.

This book is available from Samhain Publishing. You can buy it here or here in e-format.