Even After This

By Deborah Clack and Deborah Clack

Book Overview

When you're ready to live again, love often has a way of finding you.

Four years after tragedy, Meredith Harper is tired of hiding in her corner of Texas and living life like a game of dodgeball. She packs up her grief, awkward social graces, and sizable life insurance in search of a vacation and investment property in Colorado Springs. A botched dinner reservation throws her into the path of a bona fide movie star, and Meredith pushes through her comical celebrity neurosis to discover he is charming but a terrible dancer.

A viral video of a daring rescue makes Harlan Holcombe's celebrity star stronger, with millions of his fans deeming him a real-life Hercules. But a minute of heroism doesn't absolve his past mistakes.

As Harlan and Meredith spend more time together, he helps her believe there might be more for her not just in life but in love. And she might be part of the solution to restore the legacy he fears is tarnished. But what happens when the path to redeem his mistakes collides with the path to redeem her loss?

"An eloquent and empathetic romance that balances a sweet love story with difficult themes."--Kirkus

"Clack's charming story . . . will appeal to readers who enjoy family-oriented, chaste romances and Southwestern settings."--Library Journal

A poignant and humorous contemporary romance of second chances with swoon but no spice, grief and healing, celebrity meets reluctant widow, love after loss, and new beginnings. This clean and wholesome love story will delight fans of Abby Jimenez, Katherine Center, Annabel Monaghan, and Cara Bastone.

Content consideration: This story explores themes of significant loss and grief. For more specific content information that may contain spoilers, visit this book's page on the author's website.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0800746945
• ISBN13: 9780800746940
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Haven
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

soul stirring fiction

"Just don't allow fear to be the guest who won't leave. Doubt should never take up residence." What an incredibly soul-stirring, heart-rending novel about grief, fear, and new beginnings. Deborah Clack has climbed onto my favorite authors list with this book. Meredith tells her story in first person present tense and I was captivated from page one. Her refreshingly honest, warm, often over-the-top hysterical voice was easy to love and empathize with. Her backstory unfolded slowly and heightened the angst as the reader discovered additional grief elements in her life. Harlan, though only seen through his actions and conversations, was the perfect hero for Meredith. He was equally broken and looking for a purpose. His deeply layered character, compassion, and desire to do something that matters to others debunked the myth of celebrities being shallow. Their interactions, romance, and journey toward healing brought equal measure of tears from laughing out loud, tears from empathizing with the pain, and tears from joy. Those who love women's fiction will absolutely adore this book. I am waiting breathlessly for the next installment in the series. I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Haven and author via NetGalley. I was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own. As a side note, Haven is a new imprint from Baker Publishing and I knew going into this novel that there will be very little to no reference to Christian faith in the story. So for those who do not like Christian faith thread in their readings, there are mentions of prayer and a chapel but nothing deeper. Those who do enjoy Christian faith threads, there is a bit of spirituality thrown in towards the end that could sound a bit new age but I understand that there had to be a spiritual angle to the climb out of grief and fear and the author was trying her best to tie that into the storyline.