Blog Tour, Guest Post and Book Review: When It's Least expected by Heather Van Fleet

Title: When It's Least Expected
Author: Heather Van Fleet
Published:
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Author (in exchange for an honest review)

Book Description:

Moving on after a tragedy can be impossible – especially when you’ve been dealing with those tragedies for over two years. But it’s her senior year, and Harley Anderson is more than ready to do just that, even though the skeletons in her closet can’t exactly be hidden.

Enter Mason Daniel, the egotistical, sexy, surfer boy from California – a boy with his own hidden demons, and even bigger secret agenda.

Mason isn’t right for Harley. He knows this better than anyone. He’s the epitome of a runner–a guy who takes what he can get, only to split a short while later. But he can’t deny the emotions that Harley brings out of him, so he’s going to break his rules for once.

He should have known what it would lead to… Two kindred souls – both lost and then found. Will they fail, once again, in their search for contentment and happiness, or will they finally find true love, when it’s least expected?

About The Author:

Heather Van Fleet currently resides in northern Illinois, with her three daughters, Kelsey, Emma, and Isabella, and her fabulous hubby (and high school sweetheart) Chris, with whom she’s been blissfully married to now for ten plus years. She’s a stay at home mom by day, and an avid and completely obsessive writer and reader by night.

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Guest Post:

My own YA love story by Heather Powell

I love YA books, there’s no question about that. I love the idea of first love – the possibility of finding your one true soul mate when you’re just sixteen or seventeen years old. It never fails to make me swoon; to make me want to relive it over and over again myself. Guess that’s why re-reading books has become a bit of a habit of mine. In fact, I think I guiltily read the Twilight Series at least ten times in a row. It got to be so bad that I made my husband hide the books from me just so I could move on with my life. J

Anyways, I remember when I first fell in love. It was that sucks you in kind of love. . . The kind that hurts your heart so badly when things go sour, that you can hardly stand it. But when it’s right – when it’s perfect – you can’t let it go either because it just feels so darn good.

I was sixteen years old when I experienced these emotions. It was the summer before my junior year of high school when it all went down.

His name was Chris. And he quickly became the love of my teenage life – and my whole world at that. He was just fifteen years old too. *Gasp*I know, I know, a younger man, LOL. But technically he was only ten months younger than I was, so it was more than acceptable. J

Chris had this dimpled cheek that I wanted to kiss over and over again. His eyes were so dark, that I constantly lost myself in them whenever he looked at me. He was charming, he made me giggle, and he brought out parts of my personality that nobody had ever seen before. Oh – and it didn’t hurt that his smile was perfect too. Dear God, who am I kidding here . . . I loved that smile of his more than anything.

Chris and I dated for four long teenage months, a record for a set of teens growing up in the late nineties I’d say. We held hands in the hall, kissed by our lockers, and I attended all his football games and wrestling matches. I even convinced my parents to let me travel out of town to go see him in all his athletic glory. I was so head over heels in love with that boy, that I never saw the dreaded break-up coming. And then when it did come . . . it was in a note . . . an after school note at that. And it all happened after he’d just held my hand under the table at lunch time only two hours prior.

I was so heart broken, that I didn’t think I could put myself back together again.

But in those few short months, I experienced every emotion known to man. And it was both the best, and maybe the worst emotional moments of my life. But you know what? Those moments also made me who I am today. They made me the woman I wanted to become. And fifteen years later, I am still a whole person. And you want to know what the best part about my experience was? Well, how about the part where I say that Chris and I are now happily married to each other? J (Almost eleven years of marriage now actually) In fact, we now have three beautiful little girls and all of our past indiscretions behind us, to prove to disbelievers out there that yes indeed, it is possible to experience your own happily after at the age of 16 and 17.

I’m not saying that it’s been an easy ride for the two of us. Heck, it’s still to this day a challenge at times. And then add three kiddos to the mix, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a story. But each time I look into my hubby’s eyes – each time I stare at his dimple and lose myself in his smile – I know that everything that’s ever happened to us has been worth it. And the best part is that I can’t wait to see where, and how, the rest of our real life love story unfolds. . .

My Thoughts and Review:

I have always loved the saying that good things happen to those who wait and when they least expect it because I think it is so very true. It also happens to be the perfect title for this story. A story about two people who come together and not only discover a great friendship in the process but a great love as well. One that is healing and soothing and everything a great love should be. 

I really loved Mason, I didn't love him all the time because, let's face it, the boy made some pretty stupid mistakes along the way with Harley (love that name!) but, he tried, he really really did and I had to give him credit for that, especially since he really had never been in love with someone before and being a clueless boy in love, yeah, never a good thing when it comes to the smarts department. He was bound to make some mistakes and hopefully learn along the way and you know what? He did learn and he did get better and of course, I had to fall in love with him for that all over again, I couldn't help it. 

Both Mason and Harley had some pretty big secrets and some deep hurts and they learned a lot from each other along the way. They kind of had the whole, the good, the bad and the ugly thing going on. They saw each other through a lot of crap and instead of crumbling and falling apart they grew stronger, alone and together and even though they had their weak disastrous moments, they were better and stronger together and I will forever be a sucker for stories like theirs.

The author did a great job portraying their love for one another. Showing how two young people grow together and sometimes even apart. How any good relationship should be built on friendship first and how life isn't always easy, regardless of your background. That things in the past, do not determine our future, we determine our future. 

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*All Opinions are my own and I was in no way compensated for my review*