Book Review: Melissa Tagg’s “From The Start”

I’m in love.

Melissa Tagg’s latest novel “From The Start” was a whirlwind ride. I had mixed feelings about Colton Greene and Kate Walker’s relationship at the beginning, but towards the end Tagg had me swooning once again.

The story is about a former NFL quarterback forced to quit the job that shot him to super-stardom and find a new path in life. He heads to Maple Valley for a little down time only to be thrust into a vacation of servitude (that actually opens his heart). Along the way, he unexpectedly meets writer Kate Walker. The pair bonds over a book he asks her to write and end up falling in love. However, this love story is not a typical fantasy. Their dark pasts threaten their budding romance before it even begins.

“From The Start” made me miss football even more during this long off-season. It also reminded me of the crush I once had on a player. I enjoyed Melissa Tagg’s newest clean romance, and I’m glad she finally made one of her characters a screenwriter. All of her books deserve significant screen time in real life.

I only have one big complaint….to my knowledge, Chicago doesn’t have any eastern suburbs. Lake Michigan and Indiana are directly to our East. I was born and raised in the Chicagoland area and that one reference in the book kind of stuck with me.

Besides that, the book was a great read. Here is one of my favorite quotes: “Don’t assume saying yes to one dream automatically means saying no to another.”