Only the Beginning
Daphne Dubois
Publication date: April 25th, 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

After a heartbreaking betrayal, Melissa Legacy shuns romance. So when her best friend joins the Lovers Oasis website and fears her fiancé will find out, Melissa agrees to meet the anonymous Romeo, prepared to explain her friend’s change of heart—then she sees him.

Failing restaurant entrepreneur, Craig Wheaton hasn’t been home since his mother’s tragic death. Now he’s back to confront his demons and stand beside his brother as best man. Dreading the reunion, he agrees to meet his avatar lover, but at the last moment he reconsiders the arrangement—until he lays eyes on her.

When Craig assumes Melissa is his online consort, she impulsively plays along, resulting in an afternoon of unexpected intimacy. But with Melissa using her friend’s identity and Craig dealing with a family fallout, is a future together impossible, or will they discover that love at first sight is Only the Beginning?

My Review

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Daphne Dubois’ latest release, Only the Beginning. Melissa Legacy’s best friend Brooke is engaged but has been having an online romance with Craig Wheaton. When Craig suddenly has to return to his hometown, which happens to be where Melissa and Brooke live, he and Brooke agree to meet. But when Brooke freaks out and is too scared of getting caught by her fiance, she begs Melissa to go in her place to let Craig down. However, when Melissa and Craig literally bump into each other at the arranged meeting place, Melissa can’t fight her attraction to Craig so decides to pretend that she is Brooke. Between Melissa’s lingering heartbreak over Brooke and her ex, Craig’s family and financial issues, and Melissa’s dishonesty – does this couple have a chance?

I liked this novel and was quickly engaged with the characters and the action, but I did have some ups and downs concerning my overall feelings. First, I loved the theme of fate and kismet as Melissa and Craig kept repeatedly coming together. I also loved them together as a couple and how carefree they were together. The way the author made them so in-tune to one another, along with the effortless attraction and chemistry made me rooting for them from beginning to end.

I also loved that each character was able to tackle various inner-demons of their own, moving on from heartbreak and resentment in their friend and family relationships. I never did see the appeal in having Brooke as a friend, personally, but Melissa’s forgiveness allowed her to move on.

Now, the main thing that I did not love, was the overall premise of how Melissa and Craig met. Why on earth was an engaged woman having this online relationship anyway? And then why did Melissa have to pretend to be Brooke? I realize that she basically lost all ability for rational thought when she and Craig met, but I hated that the entire novel revolved around dishonesty.

Only the Beginning is romantic, emotional, and funny novel about healing old hurts, reconnecting with family, and how quickly things can change when you meet “the one.” Destiny and fate are instrumental in this novel that will have you laughing out loud, empathizing with the characters’ painful memories, and leaving you with a full and happy heart!

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Author Bio:

Daphne Dubois writes contemporary romance and believes the right book at the right time can make all the difference. When she’s not putting her characters in compromising positions (ahem), she works as a registered nurse. A member of the Writer’s Federation of Nova Scotia, she lives in Eastern Canada, the most romantic place in the world.

You can also find her writing for teens as B.R. Myers.

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