Sunday, November 15, 2015

Review - From the Start by Melissa Tagg


From The Start 
by Melissa Tagg
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: April 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0764213076
Pages: 352 pages
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

With only a month and a half left of 2015, I thought it was about time that I finally clear off the books that have been piled on my desk for months. These titles had been read, but I hadn't gotten around to reviewing them, so I'm planning on writing at least one review a day for the rest of November, though I might only publish one per day.

From the Start is a contemporary romance by author Melissa Tag that was released back in April by Bethany House. I have a bad habit of picking out books directly by their covers, but that wasn't the case with this book as I actually read the synopsis first. After being intrigued by the plot, I thought I would give it a try.

The novel centers on screenplay writer Kate Walker, a young woman that writes made-for-TV romances, but her own love life is completely empty. Unfortunately, she has a series of bad luck starting with the lack of movie projects to work on. With no other choice, she packs her bags and returns home to Maple Valley, Iowa in the hope that she will find a new meaning (or career) for her life.

This is a romantic tale, so of course there is a love interest for Kate, whom happens to be a NFL quarterback, Colton Green. Due to a recent injury that has sidelined him from playing football, Colton has been hiding out in his friend's (Logan) hometown, which as you have probably guessed, it's in Maple Valley. And guess who Logan's sister is?

It's Kate! (How predictable!)

After learning that Kate is writer, Logan gets her to help him write his autobiography. This means the two of them get to spend a lot of time together, so naturally some sparks fly and they learn that there is more to life than just football and writing sappy screenplays.

The main character, Kate, in this book writes made-for-TV romantic movies, the one genre that I don't like watching as I find them corny and unbelievable. Ironically, I do like reading romance novels for some weird and unexplainable reason. Sadly, From the Start's plot feels more like a made-for-TV movie. (Yes, I've seen a few, well, a few scenes while flipping channel surfing.)

The good news is that Melissa Tagg is a talented author and she works her magic to make the plot believable. Since I do dabble occasionally with my own writings, I instantly connected with Kate. I didn’t care much for Logan. It probably has to do with the fact that I'm not the biggest football fan. (I'm a baseball fan!), so I couldn't connect with him. However, the two characters do have chemistry, which made the romantic parts more real. Overall, while From the Start isn't exactly a touchdown, it's not a fumble either. (Get it? I do know my football language.) I found the book to be a fun read.


*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.



About the Author:

Melissa Tagg, author of Made to Last and Here to Stay, is a former reporter and total Iowa girl. In addition to her homeless ministry day job, she's also the marketing/events coordinator for My Book Therapy, a craft and coaching community for writers. When she's not writing, she can be found hanging out with the coolest family ever (not that she's biased), watching old movies, and daydreaming about her next story. She's passionate about humor, grace, and happy endings. Melissa blogs regularly and loves connecting with readers at www.melissatagg.com.

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