Official Review: Still the One

[Kelebogile Mbangi]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Still the One" by Susan May Warren and Rachel D. Russell.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Still the One is a romance novel by Susan May Warren and Rachel D. Russell. Susan May Warren, who has a series of books that are set in the little community of Deep Haven, thought it would be lovely to invite other writers who share a similar writing style to write a story set in Deep Haven. Rachel D. Russell graciously accepted the invitation – and so the birth of Still the One, a charming romance novel set in a world originally created by Susan May Warren.

Cole Barrett, former Army Ranger, plans to move in and out of town as fast as possible. He has big plans waiting for him in Washington, D.C. The hope of a fresh start lingering before him. He just has to evict the tenant in his grandfather’s garage apartment, get the house listed for sale, and sell it. Then he can put memories of Deep Haven far behind him, memories which carry unspoken pain. When he arrives in Deep Haven, his hopes for a quick operation are soon derailed as he realizes the tenant he must get rid of is none other than Megan Carter, his childhood crush, and her son. Megan Carter is shattered when she learns that the man out to evict her is Cole Barrett, her childhood knight-in-shining-armour who left and forgot all about her. Megan is a wedding planner and has dreams of purchasing the Black Spruce B&B and turning it into a beautiful wedding venue. She is so close to her goal. The last thing she needs is an eviction that could derail her plans. In an unexpected twist of events, the two are forced to help each other to turn both their plans into reality.

It is rare to find a romance novel that is clean in its content while managing to keep the reader engaged. This is one such novel. It is easy to get lost in the pages of Still the One. It has been written simply yet with lots of charm, imagination, and humour. This is the kind of book you should opt for if you are looking for an escape from a lacklustre reality. Deep Haven is a community where people rally together to lend a helping hand, where dreams come true, and where things fall into place beautifully. If, however, you are into books with a more true-to-life feel, you might want to give it a skip as it might be too fluffy for your liking.

Although Still the One has an unmistakable fictional feel to it, which some readers might enjoy and others not so much, the characters still carry a lot of depth to them. Megan and Cole both carry heavy burdens from their pasts. It seems to Megan that the concept of “happily ever after” is meant for everyone else but her. For years, she longed to be valued, and to be seen by her parents. Perhaps, she is simply not worth being loved; her son’s father left her so easily, so remorselessly. Cole, who has lived through a painful betrayal and divorce, has his walls built sky-high. Both these characters were very relatable and well-developed.

One of the themes present in the book was about having faith and trusting God. And so, this book may be better suited to a Christian audience. Overall, it was enjoyable to read. It is very well edited. I cannot think of anything that merits robbing this beautifully written novel of a perfect rating. And so, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to female romance fans.

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Still the One
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[AnnOgochukwu]

Books like this although cliche, are sometimes needed. They create a charming world that one could easily get lost in, which in turn serves as a needed escape from our rather harsh reality.
I enjoyed reading your review, it was lovely.

[Vogan]

I really enjoyed this review. Thank you for mentioning that this book is clean, because all though I love romance novels, I don't like the steamy part all that much. I enjoy reading their relationship develop and that only works if they don't jump each others bones every chapter or so.

[Lovelife2020]

I am a lover of romance books and when you get a creative mind like this one to express details and truth it keeps you drawn into the next page and the next. Thank you and look forward to more novels.

[Devika Rajesh]

I love romance novel and I liked the review also. But every romance novel is a cliche. A prince in a shining armour comes to save a damsel in distress. But I feel like this is a bit different. Mainly because each of them are helping each other