Tuesday, June 18, 2013

RELEASE DAY: The Journey to Forever (Journey Series #3) by Lisa Bilbrey

 
Summary—

Finally back in the warm embrace of his family, Travis McCoy relishes every moment he gets to spend with his wife and son. After almost losing them due to his own selfishness, he makes the decision to never let go of his family again. With his plan set in motion, Travis, Penelope, and Max start a new journey, one that leads them to forever.

Excerpt—
Travis McCoy stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom, straightening his tie and trying in vain to get his hair to lay flat. His dark, curly locks didn’t want to cooperate, so he gave up. No point in fighting a losing battle, after all. 

“I don’t understand why I can’t go with you.” At the sound of his son’s voice, Travis shifted his eyes up and looked at Max. The boy was sitting on the edge of the bed, balancing his football in his lap and glaring at the floor.

“I told you,” Travis said. “Mom and I are going on a date. You’ll have fun with Gramps. He’ll probably let you do whatever you want, like run with scissors and play with matches.”

“Yeah, I know.” Max shrugged his shoulders. “Are you nervous?”

Travis took a deep breath before he turned to face his son. “Yeah, I am.”

“You shouldn’t be.” Hopping off the bed, Max smiled. “She’ll say yes.”

“How can you be sure?” he asked. “It’s only been a few months.”

“But she’s loved you for, like, ever,” Max scoffed, rolling his mocha-brown eyes. “Dad, trust me on this one. I know women.”

“How do you know women?” It was Travis’s turn to scoff. “You’re not old enough to even like girls yet.”

“That doesn’t mean they don’t like me. And that’s not the point,” Max stated. “Women like Mom don’t fall in and out of love. They’re in it till the end. Just woo her; make her feel pretty.”

Travis stood there, staring at him. “Who are you, and what have you done with my son?” 

Max rolled his eyes and walked out of the room. “Yeah, real funny, Dad.”

Travis laughed before sitting on the side of the bed and opening the drawer of his nightstand. Lifting the small, black velvet box out, he placed it in the palm of his trembling hand. Tonight, he planned to propose to the woman who had owned his heart since he was Max’s age: Penelope Stone.

Authors Bio—
Lisa Bilbrey is a mom of three and has been married to her high school sweetheart since 1996.
Finding a love in the written word, she started writing as a way to express herself. From the first word she wrote, she'd found her heart and soul. Always willing to learn, she's spends much of her time trying to improve as a storyteller.
In late 2011, Lisa opened Renaissance Romance Publishing with Michele Richard and Laura Braley.

Links—


Sarah's Review:
I have been following this series since Ms. Bilbrey released it and I want to thank her for the ARC copy.  Book 1 info can be found here and Book 2 info can be found here.  I truly enjoy the story that she is giving us with Travis.   There will be one more story in this series that should wrap it all up!

In this story, witness Travis, Penelope, and Max become a family.  While we started to see this in the first two books, we see them more in depth. We see how Travis adjusts to not playing professional football and being a full time father.  I love that Travis wasn't afraid to show his weaknesses and his emotions, which I think make Travis even sexier.  When it comes to the time that he lost with Max and Penelope because of his decision at 18 years old, I love the Penelope takes part of the blame because of her own decisions.   

I love seeing Max again because he reminds me of my own child.  Max loves his mom and his dad, but Max still is worried that Travis will leave.  I love all of the Max scenes because Max is too smart with his own good!  Max has some great one liners that made me laugh out loud.  We also get to see Max begin that stage from thinking girls have cooties to seeing them as something else.

Penelope is such a sweetheart but she pulls no punches when it comes to Travis and Max.  When Travis shows his emotions, she is able to help him see through those to the big picture.  She is also a mom that doesn't want to see Max growing up as fast as he is.  (Don't all moms though?)  

It was so funny to see Russ and Nadine again and how their relationship is progressing.  I hope we see more of these two! 

4 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thank you! I truly enjoy reading your stories!

      Delete
  2. Great review. You make this book sound even better than I thought it was. I can't wait to sink into these books and enjoy their story. Of course, I'd read anything Lisa Bilbrey writes but these sound so up my alley! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks itlnbrt! I really enjoy this series! I can't wait for the final one, even though I will be sad that it is done!

      Delete