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Always the One

Tara Randel (Goodreads Author)

4.19 · Rating details · 16 ratings · 18 reviews

She's the love of his life...

...but is he still hers?

FBI agent Derrick Matthews has finally found his childhood sweetheart and the love of his life--but she isn't exactly happy about it! Years ago, Hannah Rawlings disappeared overnight when her family went on the run, and she blames Derrick. She tells him she's moved on and he should, too, but Derrick fears Hannah's still ...more

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Paperback, 384 pages

Published February 4th 2020 by Harlequin

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· 16 ratings · 18 reviews

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Feb 10, 2020 Jypsy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Thank you Prism and the author for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Always The One
By: Tara Randel

*REVIEW*
I've become a fan of the Harlequin Heartwarming books. They are clean, charming, light and easy to read in a short period of time. Always The One fits the bill as another lovely Heartwarming story. Years ago, Derrick and Hannah were in love. One night, her entire family just disappeared. Not having any idea where she is, Derrick ...more

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Feb 18, 2020 Carrie Schmidt (Reading is My SuperPower) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-releases-contemporary, blog-reviewed, contemporary, family-ties, mystery-suspense, romantic-fiction, small-towns

4.5 stars

“Sometimes we get a raw deal. It’s how we handle the tough circumstances that makes all the difference.”

I have so enjoyed the Meet Me at the Altar series by Tara Randel, and I’ve been eagerly looking forward to Derrick’s story. Always the One did not disappoint!

The second chance at first love trope has grown on me over the last couple of years because of the intense emotions that unfinished business and lingering love add to the story. Derrick and Hannah’s first kiss after all these ...more

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Feb 02, 2020 Marie rated it really liked it

Thank you in advance to the author, Tara Randel, as well as Prism Book Tours for providing a complimentary copy to review. A positive review was NOT required, and all words are my own.

As of last year, I have begun “warming up” to Harlequin’s “Heartwarming” line. My first two introductions were as a private review at an author’s request, and one was from a review group. I was hooked!

But, I’m no stranger to Harlequin books as I began reading them about 20 years ago. It was last year I was ...more

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Feb 12, 2020 Lori rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I enjoy blogging because I get to read so many awesome book this one included. I love helping to support authors to get their books promoted and I feel that this was the Lord's calling.
I enjoyed the story line and the wonderful characters that I got to make friends with.
Randal has pulled me into the story from the beginning to the end and I loved the suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to find out who done it.
I love a book that can keep me entertained all the way through. I enjoy blogging because I get to read so many awesome book this one included. I love helping to support authors to get their books promoted and I feel that this was the Lord's calling.
I enjoyed the story line and the wonderful characters that I got to make friends with.
Randal has pulled me into the story from the beginning to the end and I loved the suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to find out who done it.
I love a book that can keep me entertained all the way through. There wasn't one thing that I didn't like about this book. It's a wonderful and clean read all the way through.
Hannah is trying to come to grips with everything that has happened past, present, and future.
She's an amazing lady who has had a lot to overcome and somewhere along the way, she's gotten the idea that she had to do everything and control whatever situation that she's in.
I love how the author put Hannah through life. While I didn't enjoy watching her struggle, I was rooting for her along the way.
I like to thing that when God closes one door He opens another. He might have closed that first door for a reason.
I really wanted to shake and tell her that she didn't have to do that that there was One died on the cross just for that purpose. He died to save us from our sins and tells us time and time again to lay our burdens at His feet. ( Admittedly I have that trouble as well. But we're all human. That's where forgiveness comes in).
I admit it's easier said than done especially when you feel like you're the one who's trying to do it all. I feel like that sometimes. Especially somewhere along the line that my husband thinks all he has to do is work and then come home go to bed, play on his phone.
Derrick is my kind of guy but someone doesn't see that yet. She's too busy holding onto the past.
He's kind, caring and compassionate. I wish the cover would have showed his face lol. That way I can drool lol! I love that he's interested in everything including life and how he digs his heels in so to speak.
And at last we're to the mystery that is unfolding in the novel. I love that! It makes for an interesting plot.
Now last but least we get to Johnathan. I don't trust him at all. He comes off as a shady and suspicious person of interest. Especially since he disappears all the time.
This is a book I highly recommend if you want an excellent read. It is chalk full of mystery, romance not too heavily overdone and second chances. I promise that it will keep you glued to wherever you are at until the book is finished. I sighed happily after it was finished.
Randel certainly can write a story that's for sure!
My thanks to Prism Tours for a wonderful read. I was NOT required to write a positive review and all opinions are entirely my own. ...more

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Feb 10, 2020 Carole Jarvis rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance

Reviewed at The Power of Words: https://bit.ly/2voaC5m

Always the One by Tara Randel is a heartwarming story of second chances and new beginnings. The series features the Matthews family, four brothers all involved in some type of law enforcement or investigation, as well as their mother. Randel has done a great job at loosely connecting the stories in this series, while allowing each to stand alone. I’ve loved getting to know the family and seeing them progress with each story.

Always the One is Reviewed at The Power of Words: https://bit.ly/2voaC5m

Always the One by Tara Randel is a heartwarming story of second chances and new beginnings. The series features the Matthews family, four brothers all involved in some type of law enforcement or investigation, as well as their mother. Randel has done a great job at loosely connecting the stories in this series, while allowing each to stand alone. I’ve loved getting to know the family and seeing them progress with each story.

Always the One is Derrick and Hannah’s story, a perfect blend of appealing characters, romance, and light suspense. A gemstone gives Derrick all the motivation he needs to seek Hannah, now living in Nevada and teaching school after 17 years of silence – and recently engaged to an art gallery owner named Jonathan. The chemistry between Derrick and Hannah feels real and I enjoyed their relational journey as past misunderstandings are gradually revealed. I didn’t dislike Jonathan, but it was obvious he wasn’t a good fit for Hannah, in spite of the love for art that they shared. Jonathan needs to connect with someone who means more to him than the gallery.

Derrick is an appealing hero with a strong desire to protect Hannah. The story’s WITSEC theme (Witness Protection Program) was moving and shed light on what its participants deal with in exchange for protection from those who would do them harm – the suddenness of the break from all they’ve known, the inability to form real friendships, always having to look over one’s shoulder.

It was touching to see two secondary characters also find happiness in their own marital relationships – Hannah’s mom and Derrick’s mother. Questions about the man Derrick’s mom wanted to marry have worked their way through the series and it was great to see them marry in a church – a place for renewal to her way of thinking. Another of my favorite themes was how Derrick interacted and connected with children in Hannah’s class, especially Tommy.

“Sometimes we get a raw deal. It’s how we handle the tough circumstances that makes all the difference.”

Difficulties of life are something that we can all relate to, and those words of Derrick beautifully express the essence of this story. I enjoyed Always the One very much and look forward to many more stories from the pen of Tara Randel. Recommended.

I received a copy of this book through Prism Book Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. ...more

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Feb 11, 2020 Kathryn Cooper rated it really liked it

Kathryn Cooper Writes Review

Always the One was another great book by Tara Randel. I mostly listen to audio books these days so when I actually read a book it has to be able to keep my attention. This book kept me happily wanting to read more.

Derrick and Hannah were the main characters and both told the story. They had fallen in love when they were growing up and were separated just before they eloped as teenagers. The main story took place 17 years after Hannah had been taken with her parents ...more

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Feb 14, 2020 Ibjoy1953 Hannabass rated it it was amazing

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK

Always the One is from Harlequin’s Heartwarming line of books. I enjoy these books a lot because they are a fun, clean romance read. I’ve been looking forward to another book about the Matthew brothers, and I very much enjoyed Derrick’s story. My heart went out to him because he was still in love with Hannah, though she had left without saying goodbye and he hadn’t been able to find her. His brothers didn’t understand his feelings for her and kept after him to move on. ...more

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Feb 07, 2020 Suzie Waltner rated it it was amazing

Always the One may be my favorite second chance with your first love book I’ve read yet. The fact that Derrick has searched for Hannah and held onto her in his heart for so many years reminds me of why I love Jane Austen’s Persuasion. There’s something about falling so hard and deep in love at a young age, a love that stands the test of time and separation, that gives me all the feels.

Tara Randel ups the ante with a good bit of suspense, a reluctant Hannah, and the competition of her fiancé. ...more

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Feb 10, 2020 Janice Sisemore rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020

Always the one

Always the one is a romance with a little mystery. I enjoyed how Derrick and Hannah find each other again. They were childhood sweethearts that got separated. He finally finds her again but that is the mystery part. I never did guess who contacted Derrick to bring him back to Hannah.

This is part of a series but I have not read the other books. I want to read the other books sometime. I really enjoyed this book which can be read as a stand alone.

I loved how Derrick was so ...more

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Feb 06, 2020 Angel Hatfield rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Derrick Matters talked to his three brothers. Their mother was going to marry a man with a sketchy past and if they valued their relationship with her there wasn’t a thing they could do about it. He couldn’t deny she looked happy. Happier than they’d seen her since their dad died.They Cyprue Point crowd had gathered for the special occasion. Neighbors, town folks, kids and teens swarmed the beach located not far from City Park. Everyone brought a dish to share. Dylan was engaged to marry Kady Derrick Matters talked to his three brothers. Their mother was going to marry a man with a sketchy past and if they valued their relationship with her there wasn’t a thing they could do about it. He couldn’t deny she looked happy. Happier than they’d seen her since their dad died.They Cyprue Point crowd had gathered for the special occasion. Neighbors, town folks, kids and teens swarmed the beach located not far from City Park. Everyone brought a dish to share. Dylan was engaged to marry Kady this summer, the first of the four brothers to make it to the altar. Derrick and his brothers had all followed their father into law enforcement or they had been anyway. Dylan had met Kady during a DEA investigation since then Jasmine Matters had moved to Cyprus Point to be near one of her sons since they had scattered. Dylan had met Kady during an undercover stint in this town. Former forensics D'etre had gone to the Ger Mountains to get a line on the man in their mother had fallen for and had fallen in love with Grace. He now worked as a guide for her family’s adventure vacation business. Dante the youngest had left his profession as a detective at the local PD. His girlfriend Eloise had made Sergeant but Dante had decided to open a specialty mechanics shop to work on classic cars, located on the other coast of Florida. Derrick was to be Dylan's best man, even though he’d like to miss it. He didn’t need a reminder of the love je once had and lost but he couldn’t tell Dylan no. They were close, all the brothers were. Derrick was still hung up on Hannah. Derrick was the first brother to fall in love. The first to talk about getting married. Now look at him. He works too much, doesn't ever commit, as his brother endlessly reminded him, and has to put a smile on his face to make their mother happy. Hannah had been Derrick's first love, his only love. The one who got away. Recently Derrick had been rethinking his goals. Wondered what they’d look like without Hannahat the forefront. There was more to life and he was missing out searching for a woman who didn’t want to be found. Derrick thought about Hannah how they’d exchanged class rings their junior year of HS and how she’d been excited to wear the necklace that had his ring around her neck. Every year they celebrated their birthdays the same day. They starting hanging out when they were eight or nine, became an item at thirteen and planned to run off and get married the day after their eighteenth birthdays. Except when he ‘s showed up that special morning to whisk her away , she was gone. Her entire family vanished into thin air. Derrick thought how the pace in DC was heptic. He was a special agent for the FBI . derrick received a bulky three by five package at the office he worked out of his name d was sprawled on the front in a flowery script. No paper just a small red gem that tumbled out that was the size of a woman’s ring and a memory hit him. Could this be a signal from Hannah . Someone was watching Hananh or Anna Rawley as she was now called. She had been on the run long enough to know that the little hairs in her neck were warning her. Hanah/Anna was a teacher for ten year old children. Then she heard “Hannah” when she made it to her car. She hadn't been called that name in over fifteen years. Then she turned and sprayed him with pepper spray and he slipped. “ Derrick “ she whispered. She asked how he had found her and he said “ the package you sent me.” Hannah then told him that she never sent him anything. They both wondered who? Then Derrick found out Anna had a boyfriend named Derrick and it hurt she had someone else.
This was both a heartwarming and heartbreaking romance with some mystery added in. I like that hannah/Anna held on to the anger at Derrick for what she thought he had done to her and her family even though once she had loved him so deeply. I didn’t like Jonathan at all there was just something off about him that rubbed me wrong. I really enjoyed the mystery in this book. I was actually happy that Hannah had been forced to leave Derrick all those years ago because of the Witness Protection Program. It broke my heart that Hannah/Anna had to deal with her mom's cancer alone. I did chuckle at times while reading this and choked up at others while reading this. I did love that Derrick had never stopped loving Hannah and had looked for her for years. It was awesome just as Derrick was about to give up and then the gem came to him at his place of work. I really enjoyed the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I recommend it. ...more

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Feb 10, 2020 Lenoire rated it liked it

Years ago, FBI agent Derrick Matthews's childhood sweetheart and the love of his life disappeared in the middle of the night. He receives a mysterious envelope with a clue leading to her. However, Hannah Rawlings isn't happy they cross paths again and wants the past to stay buried between them.

Hannah and her family disappeared overnight and went on the run during the middle of the night. She blames Derrick for not keeping a secret between them. Hannah is intent on moving on and thinks he should ...more

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Feb 14, 2020 Amy rated it really liked it

What happens when you can't forget your first love? Seventeen years later FBI agent Derrick Matthews still can't move on in his love life without thinking about his high school sweetheart, Hannah Rawlings. They had made such grand plans together but something happened and Derrick has only an inkling of what it may have been.

Hannah and her family have to disappear one night and enter the witness protection program and she isn't able to let Derrick know. But in a way, she blames Derrick for her ...more

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Jan 28, 2020 Margie rated it liked it

Once Upon A Time Hannah Rawlings and Derrick Matthews were much in love and planned to get married. But something happened on their way to a Happily Ever After. A big something! Hannah and her parents just up and disappeared one day. Derrick never forgot Hannah though. He kept looking for her, even using his FBI skills, but with no success until the envelope with a supposedly missing gem arrives. This also reveals Hannah's present location. With six weeks of vacation available Derrick flies to ...more

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Feb 14, 2020 Hallie Szott marked it as reviewed

Shelves: acquired-2020, books-for-review, owned-books

What a way to end the Meet Me at the Altar series! Tara Randel gives the final Matthews brother a second chance at love, and it is well-worth the wait (but unfortunately, Hannah Rawlings might not agree!).

Since her family disappeared without a word, Derrick Matthews wanted to find Hannah. Now, he knows where she is, and he has the perfect opportunity for a second chance with his first love—only she’s engaged to someone else and wants him to just move on. Obviously, as a Matthews brother, he ...more

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Feb 12, 2020 Lynn Brooks rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A sweet romance full of mystery, memories and love everlasting! ALWAYS THE ONE is book four in Tara Randel’s Meet Me at the Altar series and brings us the story of FBI agent Derrick Matthews and the one that got away. The story line caught my attention quickly and I enjoyed watching them reconnect.

Derrick is easy to like and sympathize with as he reminisces about his first and only love. When he receives something in the mail that makes him think of her and wonder if it could be a clue of where ...more

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Feb 08, 2020 Cover Lover Book Review rated it really liked it

I can’t remember ever reading a story that involved someone in the witness protection program, and I’m kind of surprised by that—considering how much I read! It’s an interesting aspect and one I learned from.

Starting a story from a male perspective gains points from me. I enjoy looking at things from that perspective and getting inside a guy’s head.

The characters are nicely developed and not always predictable. (yay!) I connected with Derrick and loved his patience most of all. Anna (Hannah) ...more

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Feb 09, 2020 Kate Vale rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemp-women-s-fiction, contemp-romance, romantic-suspense

Derrick Matthews, FBI Agent, has never given up trying to locate his high school sweetheart, Hannah Rawlings. When he receives a gem and an address, he knows he has to follow up and find her, but when he does, is he too late? She's already engaged. But will that last and what's with the presence of yet another gem? Does this mean he will learn why Hannah's family had to go into witness protection? And who might be stalking her now?

So many questions even as Derrick does his best to win Hannah ...more

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Feb 01, 2020 Harlequin Books added it

Shelves: 2020, february, harlequin_heartwarming, largeprint

Categories
Small Town & Rural Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Wholesome Romance
Miniseries
Meet Me at the Altar

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About Tara Randel

Tara Randel

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Tara Randel is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author. Family values, a bit of mystery and, of course, love and romance, are her favorite themes, because she believes love is the greatest gift of all. Visit Tara at www.tararandel.com. Like her on Facebook at Tara Randel Books. Sign up for her newsletter at www.tararandel.com/subscribe.