A Chance At Forever Melissa Jagears Latest Teaville Success

....Publisher's Notes.....

"Determined to protect the children of Teaville, Kansas, from the bullying she experienced as a child, Mercy McClain finds fulfillment working at the local orphanage and serving on the school board. When Aaron Firebrook, the worst of her childhood bullies, petitions the board for a teaching position, she's dead set against his getting the job.

Aaron knows he deserves every bit of Mercy's mistrust, but he's returned to his hometown a changed man and is seeking the forgiveness of those he wronged. He doesn't expect Mercy to like him, but surely he can prove he now has the children's best interests at heart.

Will resentment and old wounds hold them back, or can Mercy and Aaron overcome the past in time to battle the threats against the future of the town's orphans?"

...My Thoughts....

I really looked forward to reading A Chance at Forever because for several years I have been a fan of Melissa Jagears writing.  So it was no surprise as I eagerly opened the book but she had me hooked right on the first page, at "...the thick scent of lemon cleaner overpowered the powdery smell of the chalk dust they disturbed as they walked through sunbeams."  I was immersed immediately into the story.

A Chance At Forever is such a powerful story of one man's quest to be truly forgiven for the hurt he inflicted on others as the class bully at school.  A reputation that made others cringe when they came to realize that Aaron Firebrook was actually George Firebrook.  Such treatment of others is sinful but who ever thinks that their bully would come back later not to taunt them but to ask forgiveness.  That is just what Aaron Firebrook set out to do and what Melissa Jagears masterfully writes about in this book.  Time after time the pain he caused in his youth reflects back to remind  him of just how much he hurt others.  His hopes of becoming a teacher to help right his wrongs may not come to fruition if the lone woman school board member has any influence on the matter.

It is much more than just a story of forgiveness though; it is a love story of the  highest order.  Where loving the unlovable seems far fetched.  A romance between a skeptic who never allowed herself to even dream of love because by accident of her birth she was given just one hand.  A beautiful woman in all regards with no shortage of love for the children in her care at the orphanage.  Mercy McClain would always remember George, however and now that he was back in Teaville seeking a job as a teacher, she wasn't able to escape when her employer hired him as gardener for the orphanage while he waited for answers on the teaching position.  A job she wanted the school board to give to anyone but him.

I was impressed by the whole story not just to see how Mercy and Aaron learn to work together under their trying circumstances, but also the children at the orphanage. Most especially Jimmy, whose bad behavior leaves one to doubt if he could ever be adopted, and timid little Owen, who hardly leaves Mercy's side.

There is a whole community tied together through this orphanage, founded by Nicholas and Lydia Lowe. Some of these characters, such as the Lowes continue throughout the series, although each book can stand alone.  The characters will touch your heart and the story is one that shows forgiveness can truly happen if we open our hearts to see and listen to each other.  I heartily recommend A Chance At Forever by Melissa Jagears.