I love second-chance romances. More so when it's college sweethearts and then add Claudia Connor to the mix and you get the perfect story. Emotional, heart wrenching, and delicious, this book is a must read.

*4.5 stars*

All the feels, and the tears…

Mia and Nick brought all the emotions – and the tears – to this heartfelt and drama-packed romance. It started with tragedy and that melancholy feeling never quite left me. Through the many ups and downs – as the Walkers faced sibling strife and another tragedy, Nick and Mia fought. They fought to be together, to live up to their responsibilities and to just be… Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen quickly. And not without a lot of pain. And regret. And wishing that things could have been different…

Hands down, this story had me from the beginning and never let go. I was sad and anxious, but like the characters themselves, hopeful as well. Love was worth everything and they proved it, over and over. They never gave up hope, so neither did I…

If I felt a little lost it was because I thought it was the first in a series. Instead it was a continuation/spin-off. After I realized that, all I could think of was ‘yippee, more stories!’ I could go back and find out about Hannah and her full story – as well as the other Walkers. And man, that made me put away the tissues quickly and grab the kindle once again!

This is my first experiencing reading anything by Claudia Connor and HOLY UNRELENTING FEELS, Batman! Claudia Connor held nothing back from these characters--she put them through some serious turmoil and heartache and just when you'd catch a break and kinda get the sads under control, you'd get hit with something else. Let me suggest that you might have to be in a certain headspace to read this--if you want something that's going to tug on your heart, this is it; if you want something more lighthearted, don't reach for this one. I was curious and had steeled myself for some drama and this novel gave me that-- the love story of Mia and Nick from both the past and present, from both of their viewpoints. I saw the sweetness of young love unravel into a mess of epic proportions. I grieved and hoped and grieved and hoped until I got to the end--where a much needed ending and epilogue gave us just what we needed--a second shot at this love affair.

Don't let my angst-fest over this heavy in the feels novel scare you off; I really enjoyed it (sick, I know...I enjoyed my heart being tortured). I was a little skeptical about the timeline and how the novel would cover so much time and history in a 'regular' length novel but it moved from past to present smoothly--yet another thing that I wasn't sure about when I started it and turned out to be just fine.

So the moral of this review? Give it a shot; I think you'll enjoy it.
**link to come when review is live on the blog**

I am not a big fan of second chance romances but I loved this story and I loved the glimpses I had of Nick and Mia from the prior books. That is why it pains me to say that their book was a disappointment. I had a hard time really liking Nick in his own book.

I do sympathize with Nick's circumstances and gave him some leeway. Nick was nineteen years old when he started dating Mia. They managed to make a good family situation but he could have been a bit more flexible. As the brother that tried to hold the family together when the parents died, I understand that Nick put himself last. But Mia deserved more.

The story bounces back and forth between the present and the past, giving the reader a glimpse of young Nick & Mia, and then the current adult Nick and Mia. When Nick and Mia separated, it is hard for me to fathom a police officer didn't locate the woman he claims he still loved after ten years. He either didn't make a good faith effort or he had moved on. Clearly Mia didn't move on from Nick either. I expected Nick to go all out to show Mia how much he missed and loved her but there was no real grand gesture. In fact, he was trying to throw perceived past sins in her face when it seemed like they were on the verge of a reconciliation.

But 10 yrs...I couldn’t get over that. The story ended well but this one was my least favorite in the series and its a really good series with about a family that worked so hard to remain connected.

We first meet Nick Walker in Worth the Risk (The McKinney Brothers #2) as he is the brother to Hannah Walker. In Worth the Wait we get the whole back story to why Nick is so protective and a bit of a jerk sometimes. When tragedy struck he pushed Mia away. Now years later she's back.

"You left me." Her chest rose with a sudden breath. Her eyes widened for one second before closing him off. "And you let me go."


"We could have moved forward together. But you didn't want to. You couldn't see me past your own guilt. You still can't."

I adore second chance romances and this was a good one. I love Claudia Conner and her heartfelt flawed characters that just chip away at your heart with their heartaches and tragedies.

I am a sucker for Claudia Connor’s stories. She has a way to bring some intense emotions and worth The Wait was no exception. I wasn’t expected to be so overwhelmed, Nick and Mia’s journey was emotionally charged with a hint of sweetness.

I’ve been waiting for Nick’s story for so long, and as the story unfolds, I was surprised.

Nick and Mia shared such an all-consuming love. From the start, things weren’t easy, they had some battles on their own. For their young age, they fall in love hard. The kind that could overcome anything … until a tragedy tore them apart, leaving Mia’s soul shattering into pieces.

As time passed by, both are trying to move on, with the shadows on their past, hovering over them. The story is expended on so many years, and you could see how intense and strong their love was, the one of a kind. When they met again, all the memories of their past collided in a strong way, intensifying their feelings. After living such a whirlwind romance that leaded them both heartbroken, did this second chance worth the wait?

I enjoyed being caught into their story, heartwarming, gut-wrenching but with this incredible ability to give you hope and make your smile. I loved the Mckinney brothers and Nick Walker is definitely something else.

I enjoyed this book. It pulled you right in and kept you turning the pages. This book was well written and I had no issues following the story. It tied into the other books in the series well.

With every Claudia Connor book I read, I know the emotion and feelings I'm going to experience are always going to happen. But this one brought out so much more. She gave us second chance love decades in the making with so much love and passion between Nick and Mia that you could not hurt with their pain and yell for them to find each other again. I loved hearing from the McKinney's as well and can't wait to hear who's book is next!

Have you ever started a book not realizing that the new series you’re reading is a branch off of a previous series and found that you loved the authors writing so freaking much that you almost want to stop where you’re at and go back find the very first book they’ve ever written and then proceed to move forward in their library. (Wow that was a long thought) Any who... That’s me right now with Claudia Connors. I’m addicted and I might now own all of her books.

I had no clue that Worth the Wait stemmed from the McKinney Brothers series. And even though this book can easily be read as a standalone, you get glimpses of other couples and know that you’re missing out on their romances and that they were probably pretty spectacular love stories which you now want to read. (Again, I am a rambling hot mess here)

Anyway you don’t care about my author neurosis - you want to know about Nick and Mia. Gosh. This couple made me swoon, I loved them together but then, well, they kinda crushed my heart. I had to read through their pain and heartache. (Which I hated because I wanted them together and blissfully happy) It was an emotional and raw journey but I absolutely loved every single minute I spent getting to know this couple and their family. I loved experiencing Nick and Mia healing so they could find their way back together. It was a incredible storytelling.

Bottom line - not only do I recommend these books, I now I need to stalk Claudia so that I never miss another book from her. I can’t wait to read Zack, Dallas and Luke’s books as well as the one about the McKinney family. And I promise that once you meet the McKinneys and Walkers, you’ll want to send me a thank you note and stalk her too. So go now - find out why they’re so amazing!

While Claudia Connor is definitely at the top of my list "to read" authors when she release a book, I have to say that this one fell a bit short for me.

Nick, having lost his parents and raising his sister almost from a toddler has the love of his life, Mia, but when Hannah is attacked, things go from bad to worse and he shuts Mia out. Mia thought she had found the love of her life, the man she would spend the rest of her life with.

This is a second chance romance and Nick and Mia have to work through the troubles of the past before they can consider a future.

I think, for me, the 10 years was just a bit too long as each of them went on their separate career paths.


4 stars

Claudia Connor captured my attention with the first book in this series! I was sold, she can write romance and heartache like no other! The characters in this book are so realistic, I felt like I was spying on someone's life. Always a go to author for amazing romance! Loved this book!!

Absolutely wonderful story by Connor. This story was a second chance heart-warming story about a single dad, Nick, and the women he wants back, Mia.

This book broke my heart! I have loved all the books in this series but I think that Nick and Mia’s story is by far the most angst filled of them all. Which I LOVE.
This book spanned the past/present and through the course of Mia and Nick’s relationship I was so wrapped up in them. The author did a fantastic job of giving you their history and making you invested. But because you obviously know that they spent all those years apart it’s almost like watching a train wreck and not being able to look away.
You could absolutely feel Mia’s heartbreak over the break up and the years in between when she was lonely, alone and wanted nothing more to be a mother. I wanted to kick Nick for jerking her around when they first reunited. But it was all worth it when he finally got the full picture of everything Mia went through during their time apart. Nick might have felt responsible for what happened to Hannah but he still had Hannah and a chance to be a father to her. Mia lost absolutely everything when she lost Nick and it nearly broke her.
Second chance romances are one of my all-time favorites and this is one of the best! This series and this book in particular earned a space on my re-read shelf.

http://kimmyloves2read.blogspot.com/2017/01/release-blitz-5-star-review-worth-wait.html

Worth the Wait is worth the read. Beautiful and emotional book. So much story.

Claudia Connor writes some awesome characters! Character development is one of the most important things for me when I'm reading a book, and Connor has never let me down. Her characters are gritty, deep, and have survived. They are so well-written that they seem like real people. I have loved all of her books, and Worth the Wait does not disappoint!
That being said, I felt like the plot was missing something. I absolutely love Nick (I mean, really- a hot, sexy man who steps up to take care of his brothers and baby sister after his parents die?!? Swoon!!) and Mia (wow- she falls for said man and steps in to be a surrogate mother for Nick's little sister, all while still working to achieve her dreams). However, with everything that goes on throughout their 24+ year relationship, I felt like there were holes with important that would have made the plot more smooth (especially if it has been a while since someone read Worth the Risk).

Still, this book was phenomenal! I loved getting to revisit Hannah and Stephen and the McKinney clan! I will most definitely reread this one, and look forward to more from the Walker boys!

A very emotional book that takes you on a journey through a lifetime of heart ache and happiness. The problem being is for Nick Walker he has not been able to get out of his own way since his parents died and he step up to raise his 17 year old brother, two twin boys, and the one who would be his down fall 2 year old Hannah. He ends up taking her to college with him eating lunch with here and basically doing everything but still feeling it is not enough. When one day he meets a girl Mia and they start a relationship slowly years. She becomes ingrained into all of their lives. She even helps him with getting her off to her first day of kindergarten, they are essence a family. Everything is moving forward he is working towards becoming an FBI agent and Mia moves to New York for med school. She moves back to Virginia, and he is doing probationary training with the FBI when an incident happens to Hannah and this changes everything. He distances himself from everyone and becomes colder and when Hannah is back he way more over protective than before and he loses everyone around him. Now it is ten years later and he sees hear, Mia, his Mia and his heart and mind both ache but he does not know what to do. How does he fix it between them, can there be a them again? He works and works, but really you must read this book to find out what happens and the struggles they all go through. A very good book.

Claudia Connor has become a favorite author of mine since I discovered her McKinney brothers series a few years back. Each story is a wonderful blend of new romance, humor, and family, but they are definitely not fluff. The stories also tackle some strong subjects that are full of emotion and grab you by the heart. WORTH THE WAIT is no exception. I read this story in early January of this year and I find myself still thinking about Nick and Mia months later.
This story takes place over a couple of decades and flashes back from the past to the present day. Nick Walker steps up to take care of his younger siblings after the death of their parents, at the age of nineteen. He takes over as over-protective father bear to three teen-age brothers and a two year old sister. He meets Mia and she brings a sweet spirit to his life. They are together for over a decade, even when Mia goes to another city for her education. Together, they keep his family together. Unfortunately, something terrible happens and it tears the couple apart. What should have been a disagreement on how to handle the situation becomes a wedge that parts the couple for another twelve years. You literally see Nick shut down and give up on the happiness he had with Mia.
Did I hate Nick? Never. I was disappointed in him, but I thought Ms Connor presented a realistic look at life when it seems like more than you can handle. Nick had the weight of the world on his shoulders for so long. Unfortunately, he let the woman he loved down in a big way. Fate just kept putting a wedge between them. Years later, his siblings have grown and moved on, but he still is a protective force in their lives, especially his sister Hannah and her fiance Stephen McKinney. He is more caustic when he discovers that Hannah has been in touch with Mia. You discover more about Mia during those long years and the wounds finally begin to heal between Mia and Nick.
Now, I am not saying this story was a downer. Life is like a roller coaster for all of us at times. The scenes with Nick and Stephen butting heads are so funny. I love the way Claudia Connor writes, she really draws you into her characters and you feel their emotions, their pain, and their happiness. I love the McKinney/Walker books and it is difficult to pick a favorite. I do know that I was on pins and needles waiting for the HEA of another couple of people that I cared about because of Ms Connor's heartfelt writing. I read this story in one day because I couldn't put it down and I can't wait for more stories in the future.

As always, Claudia Connor gives us a story full of heart. The characters are genuine, the plot is interesting and the love between Nick and Mia was heart-wrenching and beautiful.

It's been a while since a book made me cry...more than once before I finished it. But this book...WOW read it with a box of tissues by your side!

The story will break your heart from the first page when you watch a very young man become the sole guardian of his 4 younger siblings all the while trying to attend college. The story bounces from the present to the past, giving you hints that something happened that not only tore Mia and Nick apart but also damaged Hannah to the point where her brothers became even more over protective of her.

And then Hannah's story comes out (cue more tears) and you learn what she went through. But if that's not enough you learn what happened between Nick and Mia. AND THEN you learn what really happened between Nick and Mia all those years ago. (cue even more tears). AND THEN you learn Mia's story (which of course means more tears).

The author did a wonderful job of setting this book up for the first of a series because you feel tied to all of Nick's siblings. You want to know more about each one of them, because she managed to develop the characters so strongly despite them only being supporting characters in this story.

I can't wait to read the next book in this series!