"But I also knew now that life was more than words. It was laughter and love, faith and joy. And mostly, it was the deep peace that came from living fiercely and without regret."
Mia has given her readers another heartfelt story that weaves life lessons throughout, ones that every person needs to be reminded of every now and then, no matter how good they have it. And she does this in a unique way - through the discovery of ancient documents penned by a young woman living in the 1400's.
Words can have a lasting impact on a person, as is the case with the Hero, Callen Hayes, who had ugly words hurled at him as a young boy. Those words have stayed with him into adulthood where the only things that seem to drown them out in his head is lots of booze and women. When he was a child, his friend Jessie was the balm that quieted his mind and soothed his soul. But he was suddenly taken away from her without warning.
Fast forward 10 years and the heroine, Jessie, is working as a waitress in a lounge in Paris. Not her dream job, but her dream location, a place she had told Callen about when they were kids "Someday I'm going to go on the grandest adventure of all - I'm going to live in Paris, have a French boyfriend who writes me the most beautiful love letters ever, and I'm going to eat French chocolate all day long."
When fate brings them together in France, it dredges up so many memories for both of them. Good memories of the times they spent together, but also the bad memories they both have of events that happened when they were kids. And it also shows them the two vastly different paths they each took in the past ten years.
I loved getting the point of view of both Jessie and Callen. Particularly Callen, who appeared to be this successful, award winning composer but in fact was hiding a slew of painful secrets from everyone. The vices he indulged in to numb the constant voices in his head made me very sad.
I admired and loved Jessie. She was a strong young woman who had a good head on her shoulders. She knew what she wanted and was doing everything she could to accomplish the goals she set for herself. As strong as she was, she had a weakness when it came to Callen. She's never forgotten about him, even though he disappeared without a trace when they were kids. He was her Prince and she's held onto that dream for the past 10 years.
Mia masterfully weaves the letters from the young woman in 1400's France that Jessie is translating into the present day. The fears and insecurities the young woman felt, not so different than what Jessie and Callen are feeling now. It is obvious these two are very much in love, but how can they ever forge a path forward when Callen doesn't feel worthy of someone as precious as Jessie is to him?
This story was an emotional roller coaster. I felt all the highs and all the lows these characters felt. I wanted to shake Callen (most of the time) for the things he was doing. I cheered Jessie on when she would put him is his place. I wasn't sure they were going to be able to overcome the obstacles in their path, mainly Callen's fears, the secrets he was hiding, and the way his debauched lifestyle kept rearing its ugly head. But fate has a way of intervening when two people are supposed to be together.
Mia never ceases to amaze me with her storytelling, and this book particularly held so much insight with the way she wove the historical element through present day. I personally love anything history related, and regardless that this is a work of fiction, I absolutely loved reading those translated passages from the past. I waited with baited breath for each one to come so I could find out what was happening with that young woman from so long ago. Would she find her happily ever after? Were Jessie and Callen going to find theirs as well?
Bravo, Mia on this beautiful story of second chance love, forgiveness and redemption. I loved it!
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Popular Highlights in this book
We had one chance, one life, and then it was gone. Live fiercely and without regret.Highlighted by 215 Kindle readers- Is this the true definition of bravery: being afraid but acting anyway? Following the dictates of your faith and your heart straight into the battle for which you’ve been called? It seems to me to be so. For how is there bravery if there is no fear?Highlighted by 173 Kindle readers
- “No one makes me feel like you, Princess Jessie. No one ever will.”Highlighted by 76 Kindle readers
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Reviews with images
This novel is More Than Words!
I don’t know how Mia Sheridan manages to do it, but her words slay me Every. Single. Time. From Archer’s Voice, to Leo, to Most of All You, and now to More Than Words, she hits her mark over and over again. I love second chance romances and More Than Words definitely delivers in that category. Almost 12 year old Jessie escapes her sad reality of an uncomfortable home life by living out fantasies in her head. She meets Callen, the broken boy with a bruised up face, fortuitously one night when she wanders a little too far from home and ends up in an abandoned boxcar. Over the next couple of years, they form a close adolescent friendship as Callen discovers his love for music and Jessie, her love for French history. However, after they both share their first kiss in that abandoned boxcar, Callen never returns and Jessie is left to wonder what happened to her boy hero. Fast forward 10 years later, renowned composer Callen Hayes finds himself in Paris, staring into a pair of innocent & familiar hazel eyes. How can it be, after all these years, that Jessie...his Jessie...ends up halfway across the world with him. It is as if fate has intervened to bring these two back together again. Or is it too late? I loved the story line; especially when it paralleled the story of Joan of Arc and her close companions. This is definitely a must read! For more reviews, follow my Instagram account @aloha.sharie.reads
Top reviews from other countries
Pooja
This was so romantic, exactly what I was looking for.
Reviewed in Canada on August 13, 2020