She’s the only one who ever loved him—and the only one he can never have.

Jude lost everything one spring day when he crashed his car into an apple tree on the side of the road. A man is dead, and there’s no way he can ever right that wrong. He’d steer clear of Colebury, Vermont forever if he could. But an ex-con in recovery for his drug addiction can’t find a job just anywhere.

For Sophie Haines, coming face to face with the man who broke her heart is gut-wrenching. Suddenly, he’s everywhere she turns. It’s hard not to stare at how much he’s changed. The bad boy who used to love her didn’t have big biceps and sun-kissed hair. And he’d never turn up volunteer in the church kitchen.

She knows it’s foolish to yearn for the man who returned all the heartsick letters she wrote him in prison. But the looks he sends her now speak volumes.

No one wants to see Sophie and Jude back together, least of all Sophie’s police chief father. But it’s a small town. And forbidden love is a law unto itself.

Amazon  ***   iTunes   ***   Barnes & Noble   ***   GooglePlay

Sarina Bowen is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. She lives in Vermont’s Green Mountains with her family, six chickens and too much ski gear and hockey equipment.

Steadfast by Sarina Bowen is one of my favorite reads of 2016!  I adored everything about the second book in Bowen’s True North series…everything!  We met Jude in book 1, Bittersweet.  Jude is an ex-con recovering addict that lost the girl.  When he leaves the Shipley farm, I was anxious in wanting to know what was going to happen next for him.

Steadfast is the book I’ve been wanting to read.  Jude is back in Colebury where there is no escaping his past or Sophie, the girl he lost.  He’s rebuilding his life and facing the struggles of recovery.  From the moment Jude and Sophie meet again, the chemistry is tangible and undeniable.

While reading Steadfast, I couldn’t help but feel heartache, hope, and love.  Bowen’s portrayal in Jude of a recovering addict had me feeling everything…lows, highs, and all that falls between.  Bowen continues to excel with characters you won’t want to leave behind, or rather, characters that refuse to be forgotten.