My one beef with From This Day Forward was it wasn’t longer. And you know I knew it was a novella going in, but I still wanted more.

Okay, now that I got that out of the way, I can get on to all the things I really enjoyed about this book. First is the author. Lauren Layne is an insta-buy author for me.  Whether it’s her new adult, contemporary adults or those with a bit more suspense in them, I’m there eager and ready to devour them in one sitting.

In From This Day Forward you get one of my favorite tropes, lovers with a shared romantic past—and a nasty break up. That would be Leah McHale and Jason Rhodes, both professional photographers. They haven’t seen each other in a year, and due to unseen circumstances, will be working together on the same wedding. Them working together isn’t a coincidence though. Jason kind of helps to orchestrate that. He’s looking for a second chance. Leah? Not so much.

But there’s no denying the sparks that still exist between the two. And as hard as Leah fights it, there is no fighting it. That doesn’t mean she trusts Jason. She stopped trusting him last year when she broke it off with him and refused to accept his calls for a month. And really, this is what their relationship comes down to, trust.

The banter between them is both biting and sexually charged. I liked the way those two facets came together to heighten the tension between them.

“Again, dinner. I’m not sleeping with you.”

Jason picked up his whiskey and threw it back in one swallow before standing and grabbing his bag. Before Leah had a chance to react, he’d moved toward her, shamelessly invading her personal space as he bent down and placed his lips near her hear.

“Sweetheart, by the time I’m done with you, sleep will be the last thing on your mind. Guarantee it.”

I particularly liked Jason. He was the pursuer. You were in his head and you knew how he felt about Leah from the get-go. No playing around. But a man has his pride and Leah could be very difficult. If anyone was going to give, I thought it should be her.

Some might call the cause of their breakup a misunderstanding. I don’t see it that way. It went deeper than that, touching on deep, emotional issues they both needed to confront and resolve. Which they eventually did quite satisfactorily.

Again, I would have loved a longer book, but From This Day Forward is just the very beginning of Layne’s Wedding Belles series. I hope to revisit Leah and Jason in upcoming books.

~ Beverley