Loving Kalvin (The Kennedy Boys #4)
by Siobhan Davis
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Blurb:
A friends-to-lovers second-chance romance from USA Today bestseller Siobhan Davis. Standalone with HEA and no cliffhanger.Lana
I knew it would end in disaster, but I didn’t listen to reason. I didn’t care. Because I loved him so much.
Kalvin Kennedy ruled my heart.
Until he destroyed it.
Shattered it so completely that I became someone else. Someone I loathed. Someone who repeatedly lied to her loved ones.
So, I ran.
From him. From myself. Desperate to hide my new reality.
But I could only run so far.
When he reappears in my life, I’m terrified. Unbelievably scared of facing the consequences of my actions.
Never mind that I still love him and want him so badly—there’s too much at stake now.
How can I trust him with the biggest secret of all when he’s likely to rip my world apart again?Kalvin
Lana was always far too good for me. Everyone knew it but her.
I tried to stay away, but I was weak.
And I hurt her.
Crushed her until she barely resembled herself. Forced her to follow a path she would never have willingly chosen.
And then she was gone.
And my world has never felt as empty, as lonely.
She begged me to stay away. Not to find her. To forget she ever existed.
But that’s like asking me to slice my heart in two and toss half aside.
I’ve never believed in fate, but when I rock up to the University of Florida, I’m ready to eat my words.
Because she’s here. Like I hoped she would be. And I’m determined to prove I deserve a second chance.
My Review:
I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it
Wow this book was really good! It has a sweet and beautiful love story, but also deals with some tough topics. We met Lana and Kalvin in the first three books in this series and I always have been curious about their story. They just seemed so good together, but then things happened and I wasn’t sure how they would get back from that. I loved that they get their second chance in this book and I am pretty sure it’s my favorite book in this series so far.
Lana and Kalvin have hurt each other a lot in the past. And at times I wasn’t sure how they ever would get over it and even if they did they would always have that stuff in their past. But at the same time I am a huge believer in second chances and that one mistake shouldn’t be able to completely ruin your life. And that’s exactly what this book is about. It shows how much they have hurt each other and how much these mistakes costs them. They still feel the consequences from their mistakes and it follows them around. But it’s also a very uplifting and beautiful story about forgiveness and finding happiness. It’s about the damage secrets can do, but also how love can overcome all.
This book was very sad at times, it’s hard to see some of the stuff they have to go through. Random people who judge them and get angry for what happened. People who believe their own version of the truth. And also Lana who feels so guilty over what she has done, and I could understand why, because she did do something very bad, but I also hoped she would one dat be able to move past it. And on the other hand we have Kalvin who forgives her for what she has done and knows he made his fair share of mistakes too and how far he’s going to prove her that he has changed and she is the one for him. Gah it just made for a great story. Next to the sad parts, there are some very sweet and beautiful parts and these two characters just belong together. And I loved reading about their journey.
While this book is part of a series and I think it’s best to read the series in order if you can/ want to, it also can be read well as a standalone I think. I liked having read the first three books first as you have seen part of their past and the things they do to each other from Faye and Kyler’s perspective. This book takes place later and does refer back to those events, but you don’t get to read them when they happen.You do get a better understanding now why Lana did what she did and how what happened influenced her life and Kalvin’s. I also felt like I could truly appreciate how much they both have changed as I know how they acted in the previous books.
I also have to say that this book did have a slightly different feel than the first three books. While the first three books were filed with drama and scandal, this book toned that down a bit. It’s more character focused and while there are still issues to deal with, it’s more things the characters have gone through and done and how they deal with it. And while I like both, I think the different feel fit this story.
It can be difficult to see past what they have done to each other, as they really hurt each other badly, but it was great to see how they dealt with everything and see what great people they are even while they made mistakes. I thought these characters wee very well written and their actions felt realistic for the most part. When Kalvin finds out something later on in the book I thought his reaction was very believable and it made sense he struggled with it. And also at first where he so easily forgives Lana for what she did, I thought it all made sense. It also made me think of how often we are judge ourselves the hardest as that’s definitely true for this book. Lana really struggled with what she had done, while Kalvin was able to find forgiveness easier.
It’s a great story. I was able to predicts a few small twists that happened, but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the book. There was a part later in the book where I did think Kalvin changed his stance a bit too fast on something and I would rather have a bit more to the scene to understand his change of heart a bit better or have him explain it more to Lana. I also personally didn’t really care about the Shelby and Chase side plot lines, it just felt a bit forced and then rushed into for one last attempt at drama towards the end.
I already got to know Lana and Kalvin a bit in the first three books and I liked being able to get to know them better here. I really liked them both. Kalvin was so sweet to Lana, we already got hints of his nice personality in the previous books, but it really shone through here. He really wants to show Lana how much she means to him and that he’s not going to repeat the mistakes of his past. And I also liked Lana, I really admired how she handled everything she went through. She had to deal with so much and still dealt with it greatly, even though it also was obvious how she struggled with things.
It also was nice to see a little bit of the other Kennedy Boys as well in this book, but mostly this is Lana and Kalvin their story. We see a bit of Faye, Kyler and Brad throughout the story and then at the end a bit of the rest of the family. Which was nice to see them all again. The ending was so sweet and perfect and it made me happy to see how it ended. I just wish the scene from Brad wasn’t behind it as it diminished my happy end of the book feeling a bit.
To summarize: This book was so good! It has this sweet and beautiful romance story and two characters who are perfect for each other. And at the same time it deals with some tough topics and mistakes they made in the past. They hurt each other a lot and at times I wasn’t sure how they would get beyond that, but it was amazing to see the story progress and how they dealt with everything. Kalvin is so sweet and I really admired Lana and how she handled everything. I also believe that even though she made a mistake she deserves this second chance, they both did. I liked the few glimpses of their past and how their relationship started. These two are great for each other and the ending was perfect!
You can also read my review on Goodreads and Amazon.
This sounds like a great series. I love second chance romance stories. The last one I read though? Wow.. I think it was ‘Answers For Julie’ by Cate Beauman. Loved that book.
Great review Lola!
Maureen Bakker recently posted…Four Feasts Till Darkness Series by Christian A. Brown
I really like this series so far, it’s so good! I also love second chance romances and this one was so well done. It’s just so uplifting to read about a couple who gets their second chance and overcomes their previous problems.
That sounds really good.
Mary Kirkland recently posted…Review: Bittersweet Darkness by Nina Croft
It was a really good read 🙂
Lola recently posted…Sunday Post #241
oh I just love second chance romance, and this book sounds simply wonderful!!! I definitely will need to pick this one up.
It really was a great second chance romance, it was so well done!
I love a good second chance, friends to lovers romance 🙂 I need to add this to my TBR!
Sarah @ A Weebish Book Blog recently posted…Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
It really is a wonderful second chance and friends to lover romance. I can’t recommend it enough if you like those tropes :).
This sounds like a really enjoyable series – I can’t recall the last second chance romance I read – I’m halfway through Crash Land on Kurai and am really, really enjoying it…
sjhigbee recently posted…While the Morning Stars Sing
It’s a great series so far and the author really writes this genre well :).
And I am so happy you’re enjoying Crash Land on Kurai!
Sounds like a tumultuous relationship that earned its HEA for sure. It’s all about the resolution and I can see the author delivered and made it believable. It’s a let down when you have this complex build-up and it’s resolved in such a mediocre or convenient way.
Braine recently posted…Gush & Gripe: That Time When I Went AWOL Again
The author really made it believable and it was great to see their road to their HEA. It really was a great read 🙂
Is it too bad that I was already sold just by reading Lana’s part of the blurb? I’m glad that it can be read as a standalone, am I to assume each of the previous instalments are about a different couple?
Happy you enjoyed it! *goes to add this to her new TBR pile*
Fran @ Mind Reader 2.0 recently posted…Anime Review: Another
It really is a great blurb I think :).
The first 3 books are all about one couple namely Faye and Kyler (all future books will focus on a different couple) and part of this couple’s past takes place there. But most of the important details are rehashed in this book, so I think it would work as standalone well. You do see Faye and Kyler in a few scenes, but the focus really is on Lana and Kalvin here.
Let me know what you think of this book if you get around to reading it!
Thanks so much for that fantastic review, Lola, and I’m really glad you enjoyed it!
You’re welcome! It’s an awesome book :). I am already looking forward to the next one!