A contemporary paranormal romance that shows love has no boundaries.
Sometimes love only comes once in a lifetime. For some lucky people, it is possible to love again.
Melody and Jack had shared an unforgettable love story that abruptly came to an end. Melody, left picking up the pieces, finds herself alone years later, with no hope or desire to date again. With the holiday season approaching, Melody finds it particularly difficult to get Jack out of her thoughts.
Jack isn’t sure if he’s an angel or a ghost, but his mind is set on one thing only, finding a new love for Melody by Christmas Eve at midnight. Easier said than done, with many obstacles to tackle, Jack underestimates how difficult the task is. With conflicting emotions, Jack takes it upon himself to find a man for a woman he still loves.
With the clock ticking as the holidays approach, this charming story of finding love the second time around will have you laughing and crying, but ultimately, it will have you believing in true love.
Excerpt
He stood, watching her, feeling every ounce of her pain, her anguish. He was probably the only one who understood what it was like to lose the person you loved, the person who was everything in the world to you.
If only he could just touch her, reach out to her, make her feel happy again. But that was just selfish on his part, wasn’t it? It wouldn’t be fair to Melody. Anybody could see that even three years later, she was still struggling. Hadn’t he always told her that if something happened to him, he would want her to fall in love again? It saddened him to think that if she continued down this cold and lonely path, she would be alone forever.
Melody had wanted it all, a home filled with children, a loving marriage. Thinking back to how happy they had once been, it broke his heart to see her this way, and it was always saddest to see her like this around the holidays, which were quickly approaching.
Jack’s mind was whirling with ideas, if only...He wished that he could talk to her just one more time, but alas, that was against the rules. If only there was some way, if only he could help her see the light. The corners of Jack’s mouth crept up as his mind took hold of an impossible thought. Would he be able to pull this off? If he did, could he ever be the same again? …
The electricity was undeniable. It was something that he should have considered, knowing how powerful their attraction and love had been in life. The look on Melody’s face was shock, confusion and curiosity all rolled into one. He would have to remember not to touch her again, it was simply too much of a risk to take. He knew that if his cover was revealed, the rules stated that he could never make contact with her again.
“What was...did you feel?” Poor Melody peered at him with those gorgeous light brown eyes of hers. There was something different about her eyes now; once they had been filled with spark and mischief, but now they were sadder, as if the light had somehow gone out. The same eyes that had looked at him with varying degrees of emotions for all those precious years they had shared together. The same eyes that held him spellbound right now. Jack didn’t know what to expect; he had no way of knowing how hard it would be to not reach out and touch this woman who was his wife, the love of his life. She evoked so much emotion in him that he had to turn his head before she saw the tears that sprang from his eyes. He had known this would be hard, but Melody took his breath away. Melody was always beautiful, but now she also appeared slightly sad and fragile. Looking down at her so many times before, he knew of her sadness, of course, but standing right here beside her, Jack could practically feel her strong emotions within his own heart.
Since he had gone to great lengths to disguise his true identity, Jack would have to do better than this. There was no way that she could recognize him by his appearance. He was once tall,
standing six foot three inches tall, maintaining a trim physique with messy light brown hair. He now stood barely five foot seven with wavy dark hair and a stocky build. The only thing about his appearance that Jack wasn’t able to change was his eyes. Nobody could change their eyes, because it was a fact that eyes were the windows to the soul.
Melody stood before him, her mouth gaping open as if she were caught in a spell. Think of something, quick, he told himself.
“Melody. I heard great things about your store. You see, I’m new to this area and I was just walking around and I figured I’d come check out your store.”
Melody appeared as if she had composed herself slightly. Clearing her throat, she finally spoke. “Where are you from, if you don’t mind me asking.”
He really should have been more prepared, how could he have forgotten how inquisitive Melody was?
“Um, I’m from down south, Florida.”
“Whereabouts? I have a friend from the Orlando area.” He should have also remembered her old college roommate from Orlando. Was Miami far enough away to field off further questions?
“Miami.”
“Miami? What brings you all the way up north to the New York area?”
Wow, she should have been a lawyer instead of owning a business. “My job. I work in the city now and live here in the suburbs.”
“What do you do for work?”
Thinking quickly on his feet, Jack steered away from his real occupation in life, working for an insurance company.
“I work for a pharmaceutical company. I’m in sales.” That ought to do it. He was reminded of a time when Melody had quizzed him nonstop when they had first met, he had felt like he
was interviewing for a job. They had laughed many times together over that memory.
“Oh. Well, who is it that recommended you to my store?” Her eyes peered cautiously through her striking auburn hair. The long hair that was always slightly out of place, always in her eyes. Wishing that he could reach out and touch her beautiful hair just once more, he reeled himself back in.
“Just some guy at a diner recently. He raved about the selection of books and the coffee. Hmm, if I recall, he also said that you have the best cheesecake in town.” That should do it. Melody loved to bake and could go on and on about her desserts.
And that she did, thank goodness for the distraction of a good cheesecake. When Melody had stopped gushing about how she prepared her cheesecake, she caught herself and chuckled.
“You must think I’m something, rambling on like this. I’m sorry, I just realized that I didn’t catch your name.”
My name, my name. Something unusual perhaps, but fitting for a friend. “Oliver.” Where did that come from?
“Oliver. Well, Oliver, I don’t usually do this because we are closed, but would you like to try some of the cheesecake? We happen to have some left over.”
“Oliver” could tell that he had gotten on Melody’s good side. She wasn’t a particularly outgoing person. As a matter of fact, she was usually pretty shy, but he was delighted to see that he had made an impression on her. Or perhaps it was just good business sense. Either way, Oliver had succeeded in completing the first step of his mission: meeting Melody.
****
Melody couldn’t recall the last time that she had felt so comfortable with a total stranger. It wasn’t like she was even physically attracted to him, Oliver wasn’t her type at all. He was
the complete opposite of Jack in every way. Well, in every way except for those captivating blue eyes. It was uncanny how much Oliver’s eyes reminded Melody of Jack’s eyes. It wasn’t just the color or the shape, but it was the intensity of his gaze. That was probably why Melody had felt so comfortable with him from the start.
“I know that you’re going to think this is forward, but would you mind showing me around town sometime?”
Melody sucked in a breath and inwardly panicked.
“My girlfriend is coming up in a few weeks and I wanted to show her around a bit.” He finished.
Melody’s shoulders visibly dropped as she let out a sigh. “Sure, yes, Oliver, I think that would be fine.”
Two finished slices of chocolate cheesecake and decaf coffees later, Melody realized this was the best evening she’d had in, well, just about three years.
Professional Reviews
I Can't Stop Thinking About It!
I'm not a big fan of angel books, but this one was fantastic! There is so much emotion involved in this story--heartbreak, loss, love, humor, and hope. I'm still reeling!
Melody and Jack had a wonderfully romantic marriage and relationship, but when Jack dies suddenly, Melody finds herself lost--she just can't let go. Jack just wants Melody to be happy and to find love again. He takes it upon himself to help her along and to find someone for her to love by midnight on Christmas Eve. Of course, Melody has no idea that Jack is there helping her. She only thinks she has a new friend, but there are so many strange things surround this friend, Oliver.
I adore the way Melody grew throughout the story. Her feelings are tangible. It would be really hard to move on and feel like you're not forgetting your true love and she really had to work hard to get to the point where she could even consider doing so. I love that, even though she was completely heartbroken, she was able to follow her dream and open a book store. That is what led to her finding some measure of happiness and a new road to love.
I don't want to give things away too much, but I really love her possible love interest. It seems like fate, the ways that these two meet and continued to run into each other. He is such a determined and amazing man, yet he doesn't want to force his attentions on someone who isn't ready to have them. If she doesn't want him, I'm sure I know someone that I could set him up with. :)
Jack is the one who stole the show in this one. What an incredible man! No wonder Melody loves him so much. I really enjoyed the way things ended--not perfect, but just right for the story.
Heartwarming story
I loved this book. I would give it 4 1/2 stars. Melody was a girl who already found the love of her life once. After his sudden death, she wasn't sure she could ever love again. The love she had for Jack was just a once in a lifetime kind of love. Jack is given the opportunity to come back to earth in a completely different body and is given a little more than a month to convince Melody to love again. He (as Oliver) comes back and forms a quick friendship with Melody. He then tries to find her a man to love and spend the rest of her life with. It was a darling book, watching the twists and turns of Oliver trying to find love for Melody. Jack's love for Melody was so pure and selfless, it just completely warmed my heart.
Bittersweet love--grab your tissues...
Mya O'Malley's, If You Believe, reads like a lifetime movie. With an angel, lost love and second chances--this book reads easy.
Melody's husband Jack has died leaving her feeling lost, and not capable of loving again, ever. Jack who's now dead and gone, sees how unhappy Melody is, and he wants to fix it. He wants Melody to find love again and he thinks he's just the guy to do it.
If you Believe is a sweet moving tale of love, life, and second chances. Melody struggles with life and happiness with the absence of her husband but she often sold herself short. Melody's character was at times difficult and I wanted to slap some sense into her but luckily for me she was finally able to make the decisions I thought she wouldn't be able to make. I had to understand that nothing would be easy for Melody. I mean what's a story without the right amount of conflict?= right?
I loved her best friend Cassie, she was charming and often kept Melody on her toes in the way friends are supposed to.
Jack--Jack's character was endearing and saddening--I won't say too much but it was both a pleasure and a sad thing reading him. All in all this book was a treat and it made me feel warm inside. I loved the idea of this story and I think it played out well. It's definitely a "in front of a cozy fire" kind of read. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves the holidays, and wants something sort of emotional but cute to read.
Audrey and Sue, both 42, took a trip to England completely paid for by Audrey's cheating millionaire boyfriend. “Cougar” describes older women on the prowl for much younger men, and although they didn't begin the trip on the prowl, somehow they bec
