Review: “Keep Holding On” by Melissa Tagg

Today I’m reviewing a story, Keep Holding On, of which I’m a little late in sharing my enthusiasm. This latest installment in the “Walker Family” series from author Melissa Tagg further establishes her as one of my favorite go-to authors for contemporary romance that is both hilarious and real. She manages to write such depth to characters while maintaining an overall light feel to a story.

Swoon-worthy Romance. Small-town Charm. 
Best friends reunite in Tagg’s latest novel of second chances and enduring love.
Beckett Walker hasn’t stepped foot in Maple Valley in years. There’s no getting past the painful memories, and there’s every chance he’ll be arrested as soon as he shows his face. Which is exactly what happens when he finally returns. Suddenly his dream of adventure as a military lawyer comes skidding to a halt.

Horticulturist Kit Danby has spent too much time missing home and her childhood best friend–Beckett Walker. Now she might have a shot at reclaiming both. After years of living abroad, she returns to run her family’s apple orchard. She has one season to turn a profit and impress the father she barely knows. But she can’t do it alone.

It should be simple: Beckett needs community service hours. Kit needs a helping hand. But there’s more at stake than either of them planned. With a tangled past and futures that look nothing alike, they’ll have to find a way to weather the storms of the present… or risk losing everything.

This is yet another quaint and perfect story from Melissa! It’s light and cute on the surface with depths of emotion and faith at its heart.

Fun bits: twinkle lights. Casablanca. Food comas. Baby goats (!). Apple cider. Oh, and a brooding male (with good reason and a long-carried burden) and his subsequent romance with Kit.

*minor demand side note: I need Megan to have her own story! Pretty please, Melissa?*

I’d say the main theme of the story is about finding purpose and a place of belonging, whether it’s a place of work, home, or family. And, about the constancy of God’s faithfulness and trustworthiness. Beckett and Kit are similar in this respect, both trying to prove themselves, in a way. A slight minor story line is worked in with a theme of giving — giving of yourself for others, realizing you might be the only person that can help someone else.

Fans of Melissa’s Christmas novella, One Enchanted Christmas, will be happy and pelased at the lovely cameos and “updates” on Drew Renwycke and Maren.

These characters go through quite the challenges! I loved reading Beckett’s journey, how he had to learn that both his heavenly and earth fathers kept holding on to him, loving him, wanting him “home”. Most striking was the interplay between Case (the dad) and Beckett; the healing, love, and relationship of those two from start to end. I highly recommend this novel to fans of contemporary fiction and I personally cannot wait to see what’s next for the Walker family!

My reviews of the previous books in the series:

From the Start

Like Never Before