Then Came Love

4.5 stars--THEN CAME LOVE is the ninth instalment in Melissa Foster’s contemporary, adult The Bradens & Montgomerys:Pleasant Hill-Oak Falls erotic, romance series- a spin off and companion to a number of the author’s other series. This is twenty-nine year old, wedding-gown designer Jax Braden, and health care administrator and amateur designer Jordan Lawler’s story line. THEN CAME LOVE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Jax and Jordan) THEN CAME LOVE follows the building romance and relationship between twenty-nine year old, wedding-gown designer Jax Braden, and health care administrator and amateur designer Jordan Lawler. Jax Braden fell madly in love with Jordan Lawler the moment they met but Jordan was a client, engaged to someone else, someone who didn’t have the time or patience for our story line heroine. Having postponed her wedding on three previous occasions, Jordan thought she was ready, making plans with Jax Braden to design her gown but as the wedding day drew closer, Jordan began to have doubts, doubts in the wake of too many red flags. Jax Braden knew not to cross the line with our story line heroine but his heart was breaking for the woman whose own heart was about to be trampled and destroyed. What ensues is the building friendship and relationship between Jax and Jordan, and the potential fall-out as Jordan’s life is upended with in more ways than one.

Years before, Jordan Lawler lost her parents and a younger sister to a motor vehicle accident but has spend her life struggling to make sense of what happened and why. Battling between head and heart about her upcoming wedding, Jordan must make a decision that will affect her life, going forward. Jax Braden never thought he would fall for another man’s fiance but our hero refuses to cross the line into the forbidden territory but that never stopped Jax from flirting his way into Jordan’s heart, a heart he is hoping one day to call his own.

The relationship between Jax and Jordan is one of the forbidden. Jordan is engaged to a man who is rarely around, and in this, she begins to have doubts about the man and her future. Falling for Jax was easy but disappointing everyone else was harder to swallow. Jax knows Jordan is his forever but refuses to watch the woman he loves walk down the aisle with somebody else. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

As per Melissa Foster’s style of writing, there is a large ensemble cast of colorful, energetic and familiar secondary and supporting characters all of whom will play a significant role in our couple’s lives. The back and forth chatter between

THEN CAME LOVE is a story of betrayal and loss, family and friendships, relationships, acceptance, moving forward and love. The premise is emotional and intense; the romance is seductive; the characters are charismatic and determined. Melissa Foster writes wonderful stories of romance and love.

I have been waiting for Jax’s story, I was not disappointed. It was full of emotional turmoil that left you wanting the best for him and Jordan. The chemistry between Jax and Jordan was off the pages. Their story shows that fate sometimes have plans for you when you are sometimes focused on other things.
“When you’re feeling empty, I’ll fill you up. When you’re scared, I’ll protect you, and when things get so frustrating, you feel lost or unsure about why you started looking in the first place, I’ll be there to remind you.”
I can not wait to see what comes next in the The Bradens & Montgomerys: Pleasant Hill - Oak Falls series.

About the Book:
What happens when you find your soul mate but she belongs to someone else?
Months ago, famed wedding-gown designer Jax Braden met the woman of his dreams when a bride-to-be came in for a consultation. He’s tried to move on, but there is no forgetting beautiful, smart, and refreshingly real Jordan Lawler, or the loneliness she cleverly tries to hide. When Jordan hires him to design her wedding gown, Jax knows he’s in trouble, but he cannot walk away. As business meetings turn to late-night confessions, their connection deepens, igniting passion too strong to deny. They’re drawn into an inescapable and forbidden love. Loyalties are tested and hearts are frayed, but neither will cross that invisible line in the sand. Come along for the sexy, emotional ride as Jax and Jordan face their toughest competitors yet—their hearts.

"𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙮, 𝙄'𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙪𝙥. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙, 𝙄'𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙨𝙤 𝙛𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙄'𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪."

Jax and Jordan have felt a connection between them since they first laid eyes on each other but Jordan is unavailable. The more time they spend together, the more Jordan realizes how stale her life is. Once Jordan’s status changes, Jax will stop at nothing to prove how much Jordan means.

Jax and Jordan’s story is different than most Melissa Foster books but was well done and still felt like a Love in Bloom book. There was no shortage of sexual tension or witty banter. The glimpses into the future have me excited about what is coming next.

Then Came Love is a small town, friends-to-lovers, workplace, big family romance told in dual third-person point of view.

⏤ 4.5 Maple Leafs ⏤