It’s not over yet…

Synopsis

What happens to the future when past and present collide?

JESS: Six years ago Jess’s relationship with Talún Hansen was torn apart by one night of deception. He disappeared from Lynbrook village and she headed for university vowing never to let anyone break her heart again. Currently teaching in Oxford, Jess returns from holiday to an unexpected phone call and life changing news which eventually sees her returning home.

TALÚN: Six years on Talún Hawkeswood, as he is now known, is heir to his grandfather’s Norfolk farming empire. When he hears of trouble in the village due to Lynbrook Hall being put up for sale, going back is the last thing on his mind. But staying away is not an option either, not when someone he owes so much to is about to lose their home and their livelihood. 

LILY: Splitting with her husband after her son Josh’s birth, Lily now works as part of an estate agency sales team.  She has always held onto her dream of finding a wealthy husband and a life of self-indulgence. When the sale of an important property brings her face to face with Talún, she realises despite the risks involved, the night they spent together six years ago could be the key to making those dreams come true.
As Jess, Talún and Lily return to Lynbrook and the truth about what happened that summer is gradually revealed, Talún finds himself in an impossible situation. Still in love with Jess he is tied into a trade off with Lily: his name and the lifestyle she craves in exchange for his son. And when a child is involved there is only one choice he can make… 

My review

Six years ago Jess lost her heart to Talún, only having it broken by one night of the worst betrayal. After Talún just disappeared, Jess slowly had to get her life back on tracks and forget all about him. She is now a teacher in Oxford but after an unexpected phone call, she returns home in Lynbrook to help out however she can. 

Talún found this grandfather after leaving Lynbrook six years ago and is now part of a real farming empire. Yet when he hears that Lynbrook needs his help, he is in doubt of what to do. He does not want to return to a place that caused him heartbreak, but he also cannot just let the people who cared so much about him, lose everything. 

So when Jess and Talún meet again after so many years, it’s the perfect opportunity to come clean about what happened that summer. And some feelings that were long buried are resurfacing. But Talún did not come alone to Lynbrook, and the presence of Lily may cause even more heart – break than it did six years ago, because now there is also a small child involved… 

JUST OH MY GOD!!!
if I found the first part already heart – breaking, this just crushed my heart, threw in a blender and just crunched it even in smaller parts! 

Jess and Talún have been through so much in these six years, and yet it’s Talún’s story that made me the saddest…
This shows that wealth is not always the recipe of having it all. 

In this second part, we see that our beloved characters have matured. For Jess and Talún, in a good way, as they are now responsible adults, with their heads on their shoulders.
Yet the presence of Lily was not something I was looking forward. I was hoping that after her “adventures” in the first part, she also grew up and that her deceits would be something of the past. But my hopes were soon crushed and I was left just flabbergasted at how far she would go… 

Jo Lambert managed again to write a book that took all my time, as I just couldn’t put away. I found myself on a rollercoaster of emotions, that just kept going.
There is the past that made me sad, the hope when Jess and Talún are together, the repulsing while reading the behaviour of a few people.

I can honestly say that whenever I took a small break, I was just not someone to talk to. Whatever was happening in the story, I was carrying it along, so I just had to keep reading otherwise I would not be able to go on with my daily life. 

Again a story that shows the lengths people would go for their own advantage. And yet that hope and love are the last things to die.