With This Ring by Amy Clipston: Book Review

 **I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

Dakota Jamison spends her days making brides’ dreams come true. But when will the time finally come for her own storybook ending?

Dakota thought she had left her dreams of happily-ever-after behind, along with the pain of a broken engagement to her high school sweetheart, Hudson. Now, as the proud owner of Fairytale Bridal Shop in the picturesque town of Flowering Grove, she's built a life and a business on helping brides find their perfect dress for their own fairytale weddings. But running a small business is not for the faint of heart, and when her ex-fiancé unexpectedly returns to town with a mission—to put a stop to his sister's wedding—Dakota’s problems go from bad to worse.

Hudson Garrity should be living his dream. After selling his software company, he’s single, handsome, and rich, but an unexpected call from his baby sister has him flying down to his hometown, determined to protect Layla from yet another big mistake. Though he’s single-minded in his effort to derail the nuptials, he instead finds himself thrown into family chaos and roped into helping his sister with her plans . . . bringing him once more into contact with Dakota Jamison, the one who got away.

For Hudson, coming home means revisiting his painful childhood, repairing a strained relationship with his sister, and coming face-to-face with the woman he never stopped loving. For Dakota, it means confronting the tender memories she buried deep within her heart. As Layla’s wedding date draws close, the two reunited lovers begin to question if what went wrong between them really happened the way they remembered it at all. Will they continue believing the lies they’ve told themselves, or will they remain forever entangled in the threads of what could have been?

With This Ring by bestselling novelist Amy Clipston is a touching tale of rekindled romance, rediscovery, and the transformative power of forgiveness.

The Author

Amy Clipston has been writing for as long as she can remember. Her fiction writing "career" began in elementary school when she and a close friend wrote and shared silly stories. She has a degree in communications from Virginia Wesleyan College and is a member of the Authors Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Romance Writers of America. She is the author of the bestselling Kauffman Amish Bakery series with Zondervan, which is part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. An advocate for organ and blood donation, Amy donated a kidney in 2011 at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Through her donation, her husband received a second kidney transplant. Amy and her husband matched another couple and swapped kidneys with them. Amy's memoir, A Gift of Love, will be available in early 2014. She hopes her story inspires others to become organ and blood donors. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, mother, and four spoiled rotten cats. You can find her on the web at www.AmyClipston.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmyClipstonBooks.

Book Review

This was such a sweet second chance romance. Hudson and Dakota were high school sweethearts who had been engaged, but who had ended things when he went off to the big city to chase his dreams. The two find themselves unexpectedly neighbors when he returns to town to help plan his sister's wedding (or talk her out of it, as the case may be). I have to admit, I'm not sure if I've ever seen a couple of characters who were more stubborn than these two! Dakota has made it his mission to use his success to financially care for his loved ones--- even when they absolutely don't want that kind of help. To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of his character in the beginning, because- as other characters were sure to point out- it really did just seem like it was all about money. As the story goes on, we get to see a bit more about WHY he is this way and that definitely helped me soften up towards him by the end. Dakota's life seemed to be falling apart in many ways and her fierce independence kept her from asking for help when she needed it. Like I said... both were stubborn in their ways. We did get to see them work out their issues and find their way back to each other when they did, but it was definitely a slow lesson learned. I loved the pining in the wait and the wonderful side characters we got to meet throughout the story as well. If you enjoy a good second chance romance with two imperfect characters, this is certainly one to check out. 

You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/46TeEAj