Blog Tour + Giveaway + Review: "Yours Since Yesterday" by Jennifer Bernard

Today, I am very excited to be participating in the blog tour celebrating the release of Jennifer Bernard's latest novel, "Yours Since Yesterday," book #2 in the Lost Harbor, Alaska series.  Prior to reading this one, it had been a while since I picked up one of Ms. Bernard's books, and I had forgotten just how much I liked her writing. My full review is included at the end of this post, but in short, I very much enjoyed "Yours Since Yesterday" with its interesting, well-rounded characters, engaging plot, and beautifully described Alaskan setting.  This book is a complete standalone, and I recommend it for both new and existing readers of the series.  

For a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card courtesy of the author, Jennifer Bernard, click here! (Giveaway closes on November 29.)

About "Yours Since Yesterday"

Once they were best friends. Now they’re from two different worlds.

Zoe Bellini’s world exploded the second she kissed her best friend…and not in a good way. Every teen dream came crashing down when Padric was whisked away from Alaska, and her luck hasn’t improved in the last fifteen years. In fact, the pizza shop owner’s terrible track record with men has become a local legend. She doesn’t expect it to change when Padric—now a world-famous rock star—sails back into town. It’s not like they can just pick up where they left off…but her traitorous body sure wants to try.

Padric Jeffers never expected to return to his hometown of Lost Harbor, Alaska—not after the scandal that sent his family fleeing. But a mysterious letter with a warning about his childhood friend Zoe? That has him postponing his tour and hopping on the next flight north. Zoe’s been on his mind and in his lyrics since he left her behind, and once he sets eyes on the stunning grown-up version of his best friend, his mission is clear: do whatever it takes to have her—and keep her—this time around.

Easier said than done, since not everyone in town is excited about Padric’s return. And someone will do anything it takes to get rid of him. Can a pizza maker and a rock star overcome their history—not to mention scandals, angsty fans and unexpected danger—and find their way back to love?

A standalone novel in the Lost Harbor, Alaska series. 

Check Out the Book Trailer for "Yours Since Yesterday"

My Review

I found Jennifer Bernard's "Yours Since Yesterday" to be a very enjoyable read, with likeable, well-developed main characters and an engaging, suspenseful plot.  I particularly liked Zoe, the female lead; she was forced to shoulder a lot of responsibility for her family at a very young age, but still managed to face life with a generally positive attitude.  It would have been so easy for Zoe to become bitter because of everything that she was forced to give up for her family, but she handled everything admirably.  She even managed to pursue her true passion, sculpture, in her spare time, although she wasn't able to turn it into a career.  I really admired Zoe's tenacity and the fact that she didn't give up no matter what life threw at her.

As for the male lead, Padric, I really appreciated that he managed to remain grounded even after becoming a major recording artist and didn't turn into an arrogant, detached celebrity who didn't care about anyone but himself.  The situation with his teenage fans was really tough, and I can completely understand why Padric would feel bad about it.  I admired his efforts to put a stop to what they were doing, but unfortunately, it's impossible to control other people's behavior, and teenagers are especially stubborn.  Also unfortunate is that there really are sick people in this world who would threaten Padric over what was happening, even though it wasn't his fault. 

Zoe and Padric's relationship development seemed nicely paced to me.  I especially loved how they worked together to trick Zoe's sisters into taking responsibility for their wrongdoing in convincing Padric to come back to Lost Harbor.  It was a fun way to get Padric and Zoe past their initial awkwardness and back to being friends.  The flirtatious text messages they exchanged after that were very cute, and things seemed to grow organically from there. 

The secondary characters in this story were also very interesting and a lot of fun, and I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in this series to see what happens with them. It would be great to see Padric's friend Nate get a story of his own! 

*ARC provided by the author via InkslingerPR.  All opinions expressed are my own.