Today we’re excited to participate in the Creative Blog Tour for The History of Us by Jennifer Bardsley hosted by MTMC Tours. This poignant small-town contemporary romance is out now from Montlake!
Now read on below for a book review, a book quiz, a character Q&A plus an International giveaway were you can win a physical copy of The History of Us!
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The History of Us by Jennifer Bardsley
Published by Montlake on July 12, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 304
Format: eBook, Paperback
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Source: Author, MTMC Tours
I received this book for free from Author, MTMC Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
From Sweet Bliss author Jennifer Bardsley comes a poignant romance about a small-town crime that throws together ex–high school sweethearts who have never quite gotten over their past.
Andrea Wint’s life in the small town of Port Inez, Washington, is a simple one. She works, enjoys the gorgeous view from her bay window, and visits her dad at the memory-care facility. Her father is in the late stages of Alzheimer’s, but Andrea brings in one coin from his valuable collection every day—little bits of precious metals that seem to bring him back to himself, even if just for a few moments.
So when Andrea’s house is burgled and the coins disappear, she’s bereft.
To track down the culprit, she turns to Dustin Karlsson, who just happens to be her former high school sweetheart. Years ago, they broke each other’s hearts, and some wounds are slow to heal. But Dustin feels indebted to the ailing Tom Wint and wants to help.
What’s more, Dustin has a personal stake in finding the perpetrator. In fact, he suspects the thief could be his own brother-in-law, a gambler and a drunk who skipped town, leaving Dustin’s sister and two young nieces behind.
As Dustin and Andrea travel the Pacific Northwest in an effort to recover the missing coins, old feelings rekindle. Maybe their happily ever after can still be minted.
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Why you need to read The History of Us
I’m so thrilled to have read another amazing contemporary romance by Jennifer Bardsley, am a fan!! Visiting the beautiful towns like Harper Landing and Port Inez, the romantic and cozy feelings throughout reading this book are just *sighs*😍. In The History of Us we meet Andrea, a talented graphic designer that enjoys her quiet life in Port Inez after settling there to live near her father that is on the last stages of Alzheimer. She makes sure to carry coins from his valuable collection to help with his memory, little did she knew that one day they would be stolen. Andrea is desperate to find them so when her former high school sweetheart, Dustin offers to help, she teams up with him to find the culprit.
As expected The History of Us was a sweet and heartfelt story. We get to experience Andrea’s sorrow for her father after realizing that he is slowly loosing the battle against Alzheimer. I felt so much for her, she feels lonely after her mother decided that she could not handle it and decided to get a new life instead. Andrea is still doing her best and she has her best friend Heidi who is one of the reasons why Andrea came back to live in Port Inez, but she cannot help to wish for a better support system. However, she’s a super strong, cheerful, smart, thoughtful person that learned from her mistakes but isn’t afraid to open her heart and talk things through whenever it’s necessary. I believe thouse are one of her strongest qualities and I just really liked her!
Then there is Dustin, who is still very much in love with Andrea, but after a misunderstanding they had years back, he believes she’s no longer interested. However, when he suspects his brother-in-law is the one responsible for stealing her father’s coin collection he immediately offers to help. I really liked Dustin, he’s a really sweet guy that cares a lot for his family, but sometimes he has trouble communicating his feelings and that gives off the wrong impression.
Andrea and Dustin are practically soulmates, we get to read so many cute moments while they were together despite the circumstances. We learn about their backgrounds, they share a love for history and there is also a lot of driving around the Olympic Peninsula. The beautiful descriptions in this book were so inspiring and the historical details shared from the places they visited to the coin collection of Andrea’s father were fascinating. There were also bits of humor shared throughout the story and also mentions of landmarks and places that belong to the author’s previous books like Sweet Bliss, that made this into such an enjoyable read.
The History of Us was such a charming and emotional read for me. It’s the type of story I would recommend to snuggle up in a blanket while drinking a warm beverage. It had me smiling and at times crying, but it was just so good. Will forever love reading about Harper Landing and its inhabitants. ✨🍂
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The History of Us Book Quiz
Which Jennifer Barndsley Contemporary Romance book are you? Find out in this professional and carefully researched quiz that will let you know your perfect match!
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Character Q&A with Andrea
from The History of Us
Hi Andrea! So happy to have you here today, can you introduce yourself to our audience?
Thanks for having me. I'm thirty-six years old and have recently moved to the small town of Port Inez, Washington after living in Seattle my whole life. My main reason for moving was that I wanted to be closer to my best friend, Heidi Karlsson, and also to be nearer to the memory care facility where my dad lives in Harper Landing.
It must be so nice to live close to your loved ones! We adore the relationship that you have with your father. Can you tell us a bit about him?
Sure. His name is Tom Wint and he was a prominent lawyer his whole life until he developed Alzheimer's disease. Now he lives in a place called the Owls Nest where they take really good care of him. I try to visit each afternoon to check in. Usually I bring a coin from his collection so that we have something to talk about. Otherwise it's difficult to keep up a conversation since he's lost so much of his memory.
We think it's pretty cool that you are able to talk to him about a subject he clearly was passionate about. I admit I know very little about Numismatics, but I’m intrigued! Tell us what you love about it?
My dad introduced me to numismatics when I was little and what we both love about coin collecting is that it involves art and history at the same time. Every coin in your purse is a miniature work of art. My dad collected Saint-Gaudens double eagles made of gold. Those sell for thousands of dollars, but people interested in coin collecting can start with something cheaper like the state quarters.
Oh, art and history?! That's fascinating!! What about your favorite hobbies?
Well, if you saw my house you'd know that in addition to collecting coins, I love hedgehogs. I don't have a pet hedgehog anymore, but I do own hedgehog slippers, pajamas, mugs, and more.
Yess, we're so impressed with your hedgehog collection! They're adorable!! We know that you love Little Free Libraries and that you frequent two, what have been your favorite reads from them?
I just finished a non-fiction book about the Pacific Northwest called "Boys in the Boat" by Daniel James Brown. It's about a rowing team from Washington State that goes to the 1938 Olympics and shows up Hitler. George Clooney is directing a movie about it.
We must add it to our TBR!! In another note, we’re thrilled to be back at Harper Landing/Port Inez, such lovely towns! I especially loved visiting Sweet Bliss again! What are your top favorite places to hang out?
It seems like I spend half my life on the ferry going back and forth between Port Inez and Harper Landing, but when I do have free time to spend across the water, I love visiting Sweet Bliss frozen yogurt shop and Paige's Pages bookstore.
They sound like the perfect places to visit! We’re obsessed with your blue house btw, it sounds beautiful! What made you want to buy it?
I love everything about my house but especially the window seat in the dining room. It looks out over the water and on a clear day you can see the Space Needle in the distance. There's also a charging port in the garage for my Nissan Leaf.
Whoever designed it must be a genius! Now, let’s talk about Dustin. What were your thoughts when you saw him after all these years?
Honestly? It was difficult at first especially with our past history. We dated in high school and then broke up because of things I won't get into now, but seeing him again after all these years brought back some intense memories. I'd heard what he was up from Heidi, but that was it until we went on a road trip together to recover my dad's stolen coins.
Ugh, what a nightmare! You must get them back for sure! But, just for fun: what Halloween couple costumes would you recommend?
Ha! Well, the only couples costume I've ever participated in was back in high school when Dustin and I dressed up like bacon and eggs.
Can you tell us about Heidi? She's Dustin's sister and best friend, right?
Yes, Heidi is Dustin's older sister by a couple of years. They own a business together called Karlsson Construction that buys, restores, and then resells old houses. That keeps her busy but we go for walks together a few times a week.
And last but not least, what else can we expect from you in The History of Us?
In The History of Us you'll see me go all around the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsula searching for my dad's stolen double eagles. Dustin is with me, and that really adds to the drama. LOL! But it also brings about a happy ending. As I like to say, wine, cheese, coins, and love. Some things get better with age.
Aah, thank you so much for visiting us Andrea! We had a blast and we cannot wait for everyone to meet you!! ❤️
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INTL Tour-wide Giveaway!
Head over to my Instagram account to enter the tour giveaway where two winners will receive a paperback copy of The History of Us.
Ends on September 3rd, 2022. Winners will be announced on @mtmctours’ Instagram account.
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Tour Schedule!
August 22
@thereaderandthechef - Bookstagram &Book Blog
August 23
@all.you.read.is.love - Bookstagram
August 24
@sophiesreadingcorner - Bookstagram &Book Blog
August 25
@alessasbookshelf - Bookstagram
August 26
@readreadnosleeprepeat - Bookstagram
August 27
@pavlinamich - Bookstagram &Book Blog
August 28
@thebibliolife - Bookstagram
August 29
@bookbringer - Bookstagram
August 30
@book_rambler - Bookstagram & Book Blog
August 31
@celiamcmahonreads - Bookstagram
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About Jennifer Bardsley
Jennifer Bardsley believes in friendship, true love, and the everlasting power of books. A graduate of Stanford University, she lives in Edmonds, Washington with her husband and two children. Jennifer’s “I Brake for Moms” column has appeared in The Everett Herald every week since 2012. She also writes Young Adult Paranormal Romance under the pen name Louise Cypress. When she’s not writing books, or camping with her Girl Scout troop, you can find Jennifer walking from her house to the beach every chance she gets.
oooh, this book sounds like a good read!
Highly recommended! Particularly if you love small town romances, they’re sweet! 📚❤️