Cherish and Blessed by Tere Michaels

Cherish and Blessed by Tere Michaels  is Books Four & Book Five of the Faith, Love, & Devotion series.  You really need to read the first three books in the series to understand what is going on. Check out my author spotlight with Tere Michaels for an inside look at the characters, story creation, and Ms. Michaels herself.  Continue reading for my own review of the book.  This post contains affiliate links and I appreciate any support you provide!

Cherish and Blessed by Tere Michaels

Purchase Links : Amazon / Dreamspinner

Title:    Cherish and Blessed
Series:   Books Four & Book Five of the Faith, Love, & Devotion series  
Author:  Tere Michaels
Publisher:  Dreamspinner Press (February 13, 2015)
ASIN:      B00T6ZRGRU
Format/Length:    805 KB/202 pages
Genre:     M/M, Contemporary
Heat Rating:  3  
Star Rating:     4

Author Info:

You can learn more about the author by checking out her website or following her on Facebook or Twitter.

Blurb:

Cherish

After several years of happy coupledom, Matt and Evan can relax in the knowledge that their little family has survived the worst of it. The two older girls are away at college, the twins have yet to fully hit teen angst, Matt is doing well with his part time security consulting, and Evan is about to be promoted to captain—it seems like things are calm and bright.

Until they aren’t.

As the holidays approach, Evan and Matt get a shock no parent is ever prepared for: feisty Miranda, Evan’s eldest, has a new boyfriend, Kent, and they are talking marriage after just three months together. In fact, Miranda wants to bring him to Thanksgiving dinner—along with his parents, Blake and Cornelia.

Blessed

Lives are in transition as everyone gathers at the stunning Hamptons beach home of Daisy and Bennett to celebrate the christening of their new baby. Griffin and Jim—secretly growing tired of their rootless lifestyle—are in a rocky spot in their relationship. And as the godfather, Griffin finds himself yearning for something he’s sure Jim won’t be interested in.

Fatherhood.

Matt and Evan are looking to reconnect during the long weekend, as their respective careers pull them in separate directions. With less time spent together, Evan grows concerned about what will happen when the last two kids leave the nest.

1st Edition of Cherish published as an eBook by Loose Id LLC, November 2012

My Review:

Cherish and Blessed by Tere Michaels is books 4 and 5 of the Faith, Love and Devotion series.  It continues a few years after book 3 ended, giving us a look at Matt, Evan, Jim, griffin, Bennett and daisy as they navigate the stresses and joys of everyday life

Cherish

In Cherish, Evan and Matt have to deal with Miranda’s continued belligerence and her emotional turmoil over her mothers death.  Her sadness manifests as anger towards Matt and a bit of manipulation to cause strife among the family

Evan struggles with trying to keep his anger in check a nd Matt continues to try and play peacemaker.  Miranda’s anger is wreaking havok on the other kids in the family as well and no one is happy about the situation.  I liked that Evan stood his ground and refused to choose between his daughter and the love of his life. After his wishy washy behavior in the last book, it was nice to see him firm about what he wants in life

True chaos ensues when Miranda brings home her boyfriend, a rather nice and slightly clueless guy who really likes her.  Her mind games cause a lot of emotional upheaval but after a lot of yelling and crying and apologizing, it seems like things will go a little smoother in the future.  I think Miranda turned into quite the brat but it was good to see her grow up a bit in this book.

This book was rife with drama and emotional upheaval but it was a logical continuation of the story set forth in the first three books. You will spend most of this book disliking Miranda, feeling horrible for Matt and Evan, and just looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner being over!

Blessed

Where Cherish was all about the drama and angst, Blessed is all about happily ever after.  I think I literally smiled through the entire story. I was thrilled to get a peak at all the major players and how their lives are settling down.

Daisy and Bennett have a new baby and invite all their friends to the Hamptons for the christening.  Lots of merriment ensues amongst the giddy adults but they all take a few moments to reflect on their relationships.  Questions arise for Matt and Evan about what the future holds. Jim and Griffin realize that they really need a heart to heart to figure out the next phase of their relationship.

There is a bit of angst in this book,  but there is also soul searching, introspection, and a lot of love.  In the end, there are still a few obstacles to overcome, which will be touched on in the next book. I will say that with so many characters to touch base with, you really didn’t delve too deeply into any of them.  But, it was an enjoyable look at where all my favorite characters have ended up so far. You switch POV throughout the whole book which some people might find difficult to follow but I think it really helped you get into each characters’ head space.  The ending is a cliff hanger, but don’t worry…Truth & Tenderness is already out so you can keep reading to find out more!

Truth & Tenderness by Tere Michaels

Purchase Links: Amazon/ Dreamspinner

Review coming soon!