Worth the Wait
Claudia Connor     
December 2021 Releases

Contemporary
Historical
Mystery

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Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: A McKinney/Walker Novel
Book: 1
Heat Level: Hot

He doesn't know how he's lived without her, but he knows he doesn't want to anymore.

Nick Walker found his one and only when he was just nineteen.

Found her.
Loved her.
Lost her.

Now this FBI Special Agent will do anything to win her back.

Nick Walker thought nothing could destroy what he had with Mia. He certainly never thought he would be the one to destroy it. But when his sister was taken, even getting her back couldn't save him. She was his responsibility. He was supposed to protect her. And he'd failed.

Now ten years later, Mia James is in Special Agent Nick Walker’s path once again and this time he’s determined to shed the weight of guilt and finally claim the future that was always meant to be theirs.

But it won’t be easy. Mia’s heart was shattered by Nick and now, just when she’d pieced it back together, it’s been broken again, bringing their past to the surface, including her own secret about that day everything went wrong.

I have never read a book by Claudia Connor before but after reading Worth The Wait, I’m going back to dive into the McKinney stories. I especially look forward to reading Hannah’s story. Though Hannah plays a big role in the book, I was able to keep up with the story and didn’t feel lost at all. There is just enough information to keep first time readers like myself engaged and knowledgeable about what happened.

The story is told through varying perspective in the past and present tense. Nick meets Mia at school when he is nineteen years old. His parents just died and he is left caring for his younger siblings. Man, let me tell you that the first few scenes with Nick, Mia and baby Hannah just about did me in. Nick is trying his very best to make some sort of normal life for his family and Mia slowly finds her way in the fold.

Years goes by with Mia, Nick and the kids making their own little family. A tragic event occurs with Hannah that shakes up the entire family. Nick and Mia can’t make it work through all of the pain and suffering. Mia makes a decision to walk out of Nick’s life and Nick tries to move forward.

In present day, Mia is back in town and she begins a relationship with Hannah. I have to say that this is a little bit off beat given why they have reconnected. You have to read the story to understand what I’m saying here. There is so much going on in this story that I don’t want to give it all away. Nick discovers that Mia is back and the old wounds they barely covered resurface. 

Mia and Nick went through some serious issues while they were separated. Mia broke my heart when she revealed a secret to Nick. He feels more guilt and they struggle to move forward even in the present day. There are so many layers and years of pain through them that it takes a lot for them to finally forgive themselves and allow the healing to begin.

After all that Nick has been through, I can see why he is the overbearing big protective brother/father figure to Hannah. I saw him as more than a brooding man. He is kind and worries about everyone’s well being. He deserved to get his happy ending with Mia.

Ms. Connor delivers an emotional tale of second chances and letting go of the past. Some characters from past books make appearances so I can’t wait to go back to those books. I’m eagerly waiting for the next book in this series. I wonder which one of the Walker brothers will get their story next!

~ Samantha