I genuinely loved every minute I spent reading Never Leave Me by Jody Hedlund. I was so ready to be part of Ellen and Harrison’s adventure. I was hooked from chapter one and refused to put this book down. Chores and bedtimes meant nothing to me! I enjoyed getting to see characters from book 1 as much as I did meeting new characters that I can’t wait to see in future installments. I appreciate Ellen’s character. She is strong-willed, determined, and feisty, but she also has some demons to work through…and work through she does! When you know you’re going to die young because of a genetic disorder passed on from your parent, when you watch your beloved mother die from the very thing you have, it makes a woman feel a deep need to care for others but to also keep them at arm’s length. Why create a deep bond with someone if you are just going to die? Why allow for that kind of pain? I get Ellen’s thinking, I really do. But all the wasted years not forming real relationships with others is just wrong. God didn’t put us on this planet so we’d sit on the sidelines. No matter what He allows us to face, God always means for us to experience thriving relationships. No man…or woman…is an island. This is why I love Harrison SO much. Talk about a swoony hero!!! Yes, he is hot and manly and powerful — someone who can take out the bad guys — but it’s his sweet, sweet heart that had me twitterpated. He is the perfect example of truly selfless love. So much so, Harrison is willing to lay his very life down for Ellen. I love how he becomes the illustration of love and friendship for Ellen and helps set her on a path to addressing some of her issues. As a team, Harrison and Ellen are unstoppable. And their chemistry is fierce. I might have fanned my face a couple of times. So, so good!

Never Leave Me is a fantastic sequel, and I cannot wait to dive into book 3. I highly, highly recommend this book. If you’re a fan of Historical AND Contemporary Romance, if you love time travel stories, if you enjoy seriously engaging second-chance tales, then Never Leave Me is a story just for you!