Behind Enemy Bylines by Kathleen Fuller: Book Review

 **ARC received via Netgalley for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

Brimming with small-town charm, this latest clean rom-com from USA TODAY bestselling author Kathleen Fuller offers a second chance at romance for one local reporter and his big-city accountant ex.

Little Rock, Arkansas, 1995: Jade Smith's life has never been entirely stable. Bouncing back and forth between her mother and foster care, she learned that the only person she can really trust is herself. So when she starts to fall for newsroom reporter Sebastian Hudson, her defenses go up. When she gets a job offer from a company in Atlanta, Georgia, she immediately takes it, leaving Sebastian behind. He might have claimed to love her, but she knows no one sticks around for long.

Ten years after his heartbreak, Sebastian is back in his tiny hometown of Clementine, Arkansas, running the local paper and writing his slice-of-life column. The numbers in the accounting book are telling a story he's not ready to read, but he's refused to entertain any buy-out offers from big conglomerates, even as other small presses are being grabbed up, and in some cases, put out of business. He's determined not to let anything happen to the Clementine Times.

In Atlanta, Jade is eager for the promotion that will finally provide the security she's always craved. There's only one hitch--her boss wants her to convince a small-town newspaper owner to sell his paper to their company. No big deal, right? Then she learns the owner is none other than Sebastian Hudson. Now it's a very big deal.

Reunited for the first time since their awful break-up, Sebastian and Jade dig in their heels, refusing to see each other's side. But the small town of Clementine won't let them stay at odds with each other for long. Between a springtime hoedown, a dangerous apartment fire, Sebastian's slightly meddling younger sister, and the surprise appearance of Jade's younger brother, Sebastian and Jade end up discussing everything but business. They also rekindle past feelings.

But when one of them makes an unforgivable decision, can they find their way back to each other? Or is this second chance the very last one?

The Author

With over two million copies sold, Kathleen Fuller is the USA TODAY bestselling author of several bestselling novels, including the Hearts of Middlefield novels, the Middlefield Family novels, the Amish of Birch Creek series, and the Amish Letters series as well as a middle-grade Amish series, the Mysteries of Middlefield. Visit her online at KathleenFuller.com; Instagram: @kf_booksandhooks; Facebook: @WriterKathleenFuller; X: @TheKatJam.

Book Review

Kathleen Fuller may be best known for her Amish romance, but personally, it's her contemporary romance that have made me a fan... and this one is a prime example as to why. Centered around a smalltown newspaper in the mid-2000s, this one had all the small-town charm that I absolutely adore... and I found that newspaper aspect to be a really interesting one as well. Sebastion and Jade had their first chance at love ten years earlier... but, well, things just didn't work out. Ten years later, they're reunited when her boss sends her to his small newspaper to try and buy him out... something he has absolutely no interest in doing. As they spend more time together and get to know each other again (and learned things from their pasts that hadn't been shared before), it seems like perhaps those old feelings are making a return. Second chance romances are some of my favorites, and I thought this one was done really well. I loved seeing their growth throughout the story, allowing them to truly get that happily ever after after all that time--- though there are certainly some challenges along the way. The side characters added a lot to this story as well, and I loved seeing their stories and growth as well. If you enjoy Christian romance with small town charm, this is certainly one to check out. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/4iG1YRD