Book Review: After All by Deborah Raney
This page contains affiliate links. If you click a link and buy something, I receive a commission for the sale. This does not cost you anything. But if you do use my links, I appreciate your support.
Synopsis from the back of the book:
Eighteen months after the tragic Grove Street Fire took the life of her husband, David, and four other heroic firefighters, Susan Marlowe thinks she’s finally beginning to heal.
But then she discovers that David carried a secret to his grave. A secret that changes everything she thought their marriage had been. For the sake of their sons, can Susan forgive the unforgivable?
Andrea Morley lost her closest friend in the fire. But she has no right to mourn him. Instead, she must forever grieve in silence – because her dearest friend was someone else’s husband.
Peter Brennan carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. As Hanover Falls’ fire chief, he was responsible for the brave firefighters who lost their lives that awful November night.
Can he ever shake the feeling that he should have somehow prevented the tragedy?
As he tries to rebuild the team at Clemens County’s Station 2, it seems he might find comfort in the arms of the woman he least expected.
My review:
The first thing that I have to say about this book is this: I did not see that coming! This was a really good story about three people who have been deeply affected by the death of some heroic firefighters. They must move on from their grief and struggle with how to do that in the midst of changing perspectives about the deceased.
Susan Marlowe was an admirable lady throughout this series and I liked that she didn’t change from that when the story was focused on her. She struggles with learning a secret about her husband and the knowledge that, with his death, it cannot be changed.
Andrea Morley, who was also in the previous books, was someone that I tried to like, but found that I couldn’t. She just had too many issues for me. Plus she dimmed in comparison to Susan, who I liked.
I also had some difficulty with Peter for much of the book. I wanted to like him, but there many times when I just wanted to shake him and tell him to wake up to the good thing he had right in front of him. However, by the end, he redeemed himself and I was glad to have a good ending to the series.
What I enjoyed most about this book:
That the author surprised me. I can’t say more than that without spoilers, but I did not see it coming. I loved that!
What I didn’t like about this book:
Peter being wishy-washy at the beginning. I also didn’t care for Andrea, but disliking characters can also make a book a good read, which this book was.
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Would I recommend this book to others?
Oh yes. As with the other books in this series, the characters were real and flawed. I also liked the detail given to their faith and the growth of that faith. This is the third and final book in the Hanover Falls series. It is a stand alone, but I would recommend reading them in order for a fuller development of the characters and so you don’t have spoilers if you read them out of order.
Where can I learn more about this author and their books?
Tweet ThisShare this with others so we can support these wonderful authors.
-Loraine Nunley
