Series: Midnight in Dallas #3
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Release Date: October 4th, 2022
Add to Goodreads | Amazon.in (Available on KU)
CW: domestic abuse, substance abuse (alcohol), mental health struggles, secondary character with cirrhosis
Derek Knights is longing to be free—from everyone’s expectations and from a past he can’t seem to escape. During a night out to clear his head, he meets a beautiful woman who makes him feel seen for the first time. When she disappears without leaving so much as a glass slipper behind, he’s sure he’ll never see her again—until he shows up to dinner at his friend’s house and she’s standing in the kitchen.
When Jo and Derek reconnect, they give each other the courage to be their true selves, and their lives start to change for the better. But when Derek makes a life-altering decision and is ready to go all-in with Jo, will she be ready to take the leap into an uncertain future, or will she fall back on old habits and the life she once thought she wanted? Long Way Home, the third installment of the Midnight in Dallas series, is a story about the detours we take when becoming the people we’re meant to be and the pieces of ourselves that we leave behind along the way.
It was so great to go back to Nashville and hang out with everyone’s favourite rock band. And seeing Liv/Jax and Ella/Cash again made me so happy. I missed Ella so much and I forgot just how fantastic she is, but Melissa did a good job of making me remember and feel the love for this incredible character. I also love how much more of the band we got to see and know. I liked seeing these different sides of Dallas and Luca and cannot wait for their books, because something tells me they’re going to be absolutely incredible!
In Long Way Home, you’ll find:
✨ strangers to lovers
✨ rockstars in love
✨ mental health rep
✨ some instant attraction
✨ a love story that goes through the seasons
✨ a soft cinnamon roll bassist
✨ a hardworking news reporter
✨ great friends
✨ a sweet and steamy romance
✨ a happy older dog
Things are not going the way Jo Kingsley expected—she didn’t get the job she worked most of her life for, she lost the man she thought she might marry and lost her home all in one fell swoop. And she realises that the only way she can find herself again and land on steady feet is to go home to Nashville. Being back in her hometown, with her best friend is a good way to pick herself back up. Except, she meets a leather wearing biker at a bar on Halloween night and her life is turned upside down. Derek Knights might be the bassist for one of the biggest bands right now, but he’s struggling to enjoy the music and life. With lots of drama from his family and the mental disconnect with the music and band, Derek needs a break. And he meets Jo on a night when he’s low and suddenly, everything makes sense.
“Because the world inside a snow globe is perfect. It captures all the magic of a single moment. But to truly see the beauty of it, you have to shake it up first. You’ve come along and kind of shaken up my world, but this moment…It’s perfect.”
I loved these characters so much. Jo’s drive and passion, her heart and her mind. She’s just so wonderful and caring. I loved seeing how deeply invested she gets in other people’s lives and how she tries to help as much as possible. Derek is amazing too, despite the struggles of his past and the stuff he’s going through in the present, he’s so interesting. Let’s not forget the way he and Izzy (a Jack Russell and Rat Terrier mix) bond once he adopts her. And when Jo and Derek are put together, it almost feels like that’s how it was always meant to be.
While this story is about the romance between Jo and Derek, it’s also a story about healing. All of Melissa’s books, so far, have talked about the power of healing and overcoming the dark days one step at a time. I love that she doesn’t shy away from the hard topics and the complicated subjects, tackling them the best way possible. Both Jo and Derek are constantly trying to live their best lives, while living upto the potential of who they could be. I truly loved seeing them lean on each other and grow from that, because it added so much more to their relationship.
Dallas and Luca also go through so much in this book and guys, I am so excited and nervous and anxious to know what comes of their stories. I’ve always loved the idea of Katie and Dallas, so if that’s what the next book is about, I’m ready for them right now!
Thanks to Melissa Grace for generously providing me with an advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
anna reads here 