Even After This

Author Deborah Clack
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Shelter and Sky #1
Pages: 384
Release Date February 3, 2026
Publisher: Haven

When you're ready to live again, love often has a way of finding you.

Four years after tragedy, Meredith Harper is tired of hiding in her corner of Texas and living life like a game of dodgeball. She packs up her grief, awkward social graces, and sizable life insurance in search of a vacation and investment property in Colorado Springs. A botched dinner reservation throws her into the path of a bona fide movie star, and Meredith pushes through her comical celebrity neurosis to discover he is charming but a terrible dancer.

A viral video of a daring rescue makes Harlan Holcombe's celebrity star stronger, with millions of his fans deeming him a real-life Hercules. But a minute of heroism doesn't absolve his past mistakes.

As Harlan and Meredith spend more time together, he helps her believe there might be more for her not just in life but in love. And she might be part of the solution to restore the legacy he fears is tarnished. But what happens when the path to redeem his mistakes collides with the path to redeem her loss?

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Reviewer: Raechel Helwig

I enjoyed most of this book.

I did find it rather slow to start off and had a bit of a hard time getting into it. But once I reached a little before halfway, I started to feel more connected to the characters and the story. Especially as we were able to get to know and understand Meredith and her circumstances more.

Harlan was a great hero, and I loved how patient, enduring, and supportive he was.

The relationship between Meredith and Harlan was very sweet, humorous, and on the side of a slow burn, which worked out really well.

Meredith went through a large healing journey, and as the reader, you can’t help but cheer her on.

“Even After This” was a well-written debut, and I liked seeing how it all turned out in the end.

I received a copy of the book from Haven Publishers through Interviews & Reviews. All thoughts expressed are entirely my own.

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Reviewer: Tammy Lunsford

I do not think I have cried so much while reading a book in quite some time. This is an emotional landmine, but yet it was so well-written with a balance of knee slapping humor as well, that I simply could not stop reading it, even when my heart was completely wrung out.

This story blows any other second chance romance completely out of the water because these two characters not only needed a second chance at romance and at life in general, but also a second chance at a new chapter in life. I have never met two characters more deserving of a second chance. The author expertly wove a story filled with sobbing grief, new unexpected romance, and just the right amount of humor to lighten the story.  

Meredith Harper’s heart has been shattered in a way that most people cannot even fathom. She  needs a change of scenery. She needs to learn to live again, and she is hopeful her trip to one of her favorite resorts will be a step in the right direction. What she does not count on is meeting a dreamy man almost immediately after arrival.  

Harland Holcombe is a movie star who plays a superhero, but he has also recently become an internet sensation after heroically saving a young woman. Harland is a little tired of all the hubbub. I really liked Harland as soon as he was introduced into the story. He was a successful movie star, but he was so down to earth and so in tune with Meredith’s feelings, as if he had known her forever.

It was emotional from cover to cover as the author kept dropping further landmines. My tissue box was my best friend. However, when she worked in the humorous scenes, they were epic and unforgettable. The humor  stretched from Meredith’s insatiable need to speak before thinking, Harland’s horrific dancing skills (think absolutely no rhythm - it’s a good thing he was so good looking) and Hank, who had a hearing problem. I could write for days about the funny scenes.  

To conclude, though this book is emotional and will make you cry, it will also make you laugh out loud and maybe more fully appreciate life and its gifts.

Thank you to Haven Publishing, through Interviews & Reviews and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Reviewer: Juanita Varela

Deborah Clack is a new author to me. Her writing is unique and captured my attention from the beginning. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. 

This book left me so confused at the beginning that it was intriguing. Immediately, I wanted to know what had happened to Meredith to make her like this, and the big secret everyone knew except for her. I was also curious if “Handsome Man” was in fact going to be her love interest. 

There is heartbreak in this book, and it was written in a way where I felt it. If you have ever gone through grief, I would be careful with this one. It deals with the loss of loved ones, and it was pretty sad for me. 

I loved the two main characters. This is a clean romance with just kissing. 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Haven through Interviews & Reviews. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own. 

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