Ruby and Brent’s story began in After Tuesday when they were a young couple in high school, and their feelings for each other blossomed into something they thought they would always have. In Forgotten Yesterday, readers learn about their college years and the events that drove them apart for four years, and the fated circumstances that brought them back together, offering them a second chance to reconnect. Deciding Tomorrow, the conclusion to their love story, gives readers hope that they can still find their way back to their first love when that’s what their hearts truly want.
When book 3 begins, Brent is still in Chicago with Ruby, and they are trying to figure out what they want from their unexpected reunion. It’s clear that the love they felt for one another is still there, waiting to be rekindled. For the past four years, Ruby and Brent have only been existing, feeling like their lives are missing something, and by finding each other again, they quickly realize it’s each other. But there are several obstacles they are going to have to work through in order to have the life together they’ve wanted since they were young, and the fact that Ruby lives in Chicago and Brent lives in Los Angeles isn’t the most significant one. Scars are hard to heal, and the pains of the past need to be cut open and soothed with forgiveness and love before any decisions can be made about tomorrow.
Ruby is definitely a heroine that readers can relate to – her life hasn’t been easy, but she continues to battle through in order to have the future she wants and deserves. Going through the trauma of losing a child and Brent around the same time destroys Ruby both physically and mentally, and it takes her quite some time to come back from her devastation, and even when she attempts to, she’s still lost, trying to find where she truly belongs. But she should have done all along that the only place she feels at home is with Brent. Letting go of the pain from the past is something that Ruby hasn’t been able to do; it’s suffocated her for far too long, and with that pain, she has lost hope, but Brent gives her a reason for living and takes her away from her agony and offers her a new beginning. Ruby’s transformation from the scared, lonely girl overwhelmed with regret to the confident, real woman who no longer holds onto her agony is a great thing to witness, and Brent is largely responsible for her newfound attitude.
Brent is the perfect match for Ruby. He gives her what she truly needs to move forward by asking for forgiveness and giving it to Ruby in return. Brent sees his future with Ruby, and he fights like hell despite the distance and Ruby’s insecurities to make sure she knows that she’s his forever. Brent has turned into a confident and charming man who knows how to bring on the sweet and then turn on the sexy to give Ruby anything she desires. Brent’s made mistakes, and there’s still a couple of bumps in the road to get weather, but he’s not letting Ruby send him away this time; he’s here to stay, and he makes her understand that with every text, every touch, and every comforting word.
I’ve been waiting to find out how Ruby and Brent’s story ends since I read the last line of Forgotten Yesterday. They’re the kind of couple that readers root for to get their happily ever after because they have been a part of each other’s lives since they were young and have had to endure so much both together and apart. Renee Ericson gives readers the ending the couple deserves and the fitting send off is written beautifully. I would have liked a bit more from Brent’s perspective, but it makes sense that Ruby’s voice dominates because she actually has more to get through and adjust to than him. Ruby and Brent’s love story is one that romance readers don’t want to miss because it realistically shows the kind of situations couples face with a relationship that starts as young as theirs did. The complications as well as the sweet and steamy moments Ruby and Brent experience all lead them to their tomorrow, which is right where they belong.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 poison apples (The Fairest of All Book Reviews)
Favorite Quotes
"'Second chances only come around once, and I'm not wasting this one with you.'"
"'Finding you is easy.'" His lips graze the shell of my ear. "'Because that's where I find me.'"
"'Your pain is mine,'" he continues. "'No matter when or how it happens, I hurt for you. I hurt with you.'"
"Until this moment, I never realized I was holding on to the pain of the past like a comforting blanket, and only this man could remove it."
"'It has always been you. Every breath, every thought, every decision, every mistake, every sketch on my skin, and everything that I am - it all comes back to you."
"'You're the reason I live, Ruby - the reason my heart beats, my blood flows through my veins, and my lungs take in air. You're the only reason I wake up every day.'"
"These days are the ones worth fighting for."