Review: Then, Now, Forever by Teodora Kostova!

THEN

"Gia had let Beppe into her life so easily, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She’d held him when he’d hurt so badly he’d thought he might die; she’d talked him down when he’d been so angry he’d considered doing something he’d regret for the rest of his life.

Gia had saved his life.

At least once he needed to be strong for her.

This right now, this moment, was theirs. It belonged to them, not to abusive or dead fathers, not to guilt, regret or sorrow, not to the past or the future."

But will their love survive when tragedy separates them?

“I have to go, Gia. I’m tired and I feel empty. I know you need me, but I have nothing left to give you. I need to heal.”

“I miss you so much it’s hard to breathe.”

NOW

"Beppe was still Gia’s closest friend. But they’d never be anything more than that again. Remembering what it felt like to have the person you love most in the world be torn away from you still hurt. Gia was determined never to be put into that position again."

There was never lack of love, but can Beppe win Gia’s trust again?

FOREVER

“When I was broken you gave me pieces of yourself and made me whole again.”

'Then, Now, Forever' is the second book of the Heartbeat series. It features characters from the first book in the series - 'In a Heartbeat' - but can be read as a stand alone novel. It's the complete story of Beppe and Gia - no cliffhanger.

New Adult Contemporary Romance, recommended for readers 17+ due to language, sexual situations and incredibly hot Italian guys.

Hi, my name is Teodora and I live in London with my husband Ted and my son Jason. I've been writing ever since I can remember, but it became my full time job in 2010 when I decided that everything else I've tried bores me to death and I have to do what I've always wanted to do, but never had the guts to fully embrace. I've been a journalist, an editor, a personal assistant and an interior designer among another things, but as soon as the novelty of the new, exciting job wears off, I always go back to writing. Being twitchy, impatient, loud and hasty are not qualities that help a writer, because I have to sit alone, preferably still, and write for most of the day, but I absolutely love it. It's the only time that I'm truly at peace and the only thing I can do for more than ten minutes at a time - my son has a bigger attention span than me.

When I'm procrastinating, I like to go to the gym, cook Italian meals (and eat them), read, listen to rock music, watch indie movies and True Blood re-runs. Or, in the worst case scenario, get beaten at every Wii game by a six year old.

Have you ever read a book that had you bawling once you had finished it because it was just so perfect? Because despite how much tragedy struck the couple the story followed- all the hours spent sad due to their circumstances- completely paid off because it's one of the most beautiful stories you've ever read?

Those were my feelings about Then, Now, Forever. I fell in love with the author's writing after In a Heartbeat and I anxiously awaited Beppe and Gia's story. I knew it was going to be good, but I wasn't prepared for just how amazing it was. (Which is saying something because I adored In a Heartbeat) I can't remember breaking down after reading a book like that before because the characters finally got the happy ever after that they deserved like I did with this book. Your heart breaks for Beppe and Gia the entire story, but you can't help but cheer them on the whole time.

Teodora writes with such passion that it flies off the page. She captures your heart completely with her stories. I felt incredibly strong emotions while reading Then, Now, Forever because it's a book that constantly switches from sensual, to tragic, to happy and back- building up until you reach the magic that is the end of the story. The fact that the story is broken up into three sections- Then, Now, Forever is brilliant. I loved getting the detailed back story and loved getting glimpses of things that happened 'In a Heartbeat', but told through other perspectives. That and seeing characters from the previous book made the story so much more enjoyable.

If you liked In a Heartbeat, you will love Then, Now, Forever!

10 stars!