This is Book 1 in the "McKinney/Walker" Series and it is one the best reads I enjoyed in a long time!

Claudia Connor manages to deliver a beautiful second chance romance where the characters are strong, deep, real and so lovable!

Nick Walker and Mia deserve this book so much! The story goes back and forth in time from the day Nick had to take care of his whole family to the present time and I couldn't put the book down!


In this book, Nick and Mia show us that sometimes love is not enough and the path to forgiveness and healing can be very long.

Wonderful read! Highly recommended!

I voluntarily reviewed a copy provided via NetGalley

Look! I just took a punch in the stomach. I'm out of breath, bent over on the floor or the floorless truely with pain radiating all over my body and a sense of awesome vulnerability. I do not even know how I'm going to talk about this book that just came in like someone who does not want anything and stole my heart.

I start by explaining that I got the book because of this cover, I did not read the synopsis, I just looked at this face so soft, with a conquering smile and a look of surprise and I was hooked, but later I talk about it, let's go to the book .....

A great lesson about how true and pure love can withstand the most intense pains and the most complex torments.

Nick Walker suddenly saw his whole life collapse when, at the age of nineteen, he lost his parents in a car accident. With a strong and protective personality, he takes on the responsibility of raising his 4 brothers: Luke, the twins Dallas and Zach, and little Hannah, who is only 2 years old (the protagonist of book 2 of the previous series, Brothers McKinney).
Without wanting to leave school, he takes Hannah to daycare there, but the girl doesn't want to stay and is weeping for him. As his teacher allows him to accompany her brother in class, he begins to carry his backpack, her bottle and her bag of supplies on one side, and her sister on the other, in a sudden movement, knocks down everything .... .and as well as movie scene .....

A helping hand, ready to help him organize this whole mess, he just did not imagine that she could really organize the mess that became his life literally. And as a movie scene, the spark of an out-of-the-ordinary love appears...

Mia never imagined that her life would be so affected by helping a young man with a beautiful little girl recover his belongings, but since that day her life would never be the same. Sweet, dedicated, determined, extremely thoughtful, she left her parents and her comfort zone to start her studies toward the dream of being a doctor and it was in this scenario that Nick and Hannah take charge of her life.

Narrated in third person, the book alternately shows present and past this long and passionate journey towards the Happily Ever After. But as nothing comes easy in life, this couple will go through many trials. It was a rather dense reading of tearing through the heart with several soft, sighing moments to compensate and help me move on.
Beginning the plot in the present where the couple is eleven years apart, the writer builds a great suspense to reveal what happened to them in almost twelve years of relationship and after another tragedy plagues Nick's life and how he turns after that. She goes, step by step, making us meet the couple and see how the connection between them is strong, but always with that doubt in the background:

How could such a beautiful love be destroyed? Why did they split up? Eleven years? Really? It's a long time....

So I was sucked into this story, thrilled with every revelation, wearing Mia's shirt and almost going into the book to give Nick a very good beating.
No longer a simple book on second chances, it is a shake of concepts and feelings where the characters slowly realize that life is worth living together and begin to feel each other's pain on the skin and see how they have made mistakes in the past And how they need to turn the page to achieve the Gran Finale. It's amazing the scene where Mia realizes the greatness of what Nick lived and felt and can feel his pain on her skin. And even more impressive was to see Nick feel the deep loneliness that Mia was in and want to win back the girl anyway.
Very beautiful the way the two take towards reconciliation.

Think of a beautiful book full of strong messages and effect phrases ready to get you off the axis?
It is what you will find in this beautiful love story where Nick finally realizes how privileged he was when he came across a perfect angel who fell from the sky in his arms more than once and that this angel not only modified his life but also help that of his brothers don't collapse completely.

I just do not hated it with 5 stars because I can not stand long passages and find it absurd, they're separated for eleven years after everything they've been through. Anyway .....
4/5 stars.

And without forgetting to talk about the cover, I could only understand why choosing a lightweight Nick for such a heavy plot after arriving at the end and realizing that it has everything to do with the message that the book wants to convey.

Highly recommended ....
Kisses, Myl

This book brought so many emotions out in me. I laughed, cried and cried some more. I highly recommend this book.

Warning - this book made me ugly cry. Tears, snot and the full red face. The pain of the two main characters was absorbing and almost overwhelming but in a wonderful and so glad I read it way. I haven't read anything by Claudia Connor before but will be remedying that as soon as possible.

This is one of a series of books but you do not need to have read the others. One of the support characters (Hero's sister) is the heroine of the previous book. You can soon pick up that something happened between her and the two main characters to cause the hero and heroine to abandon each other. It isn't gone into great depth in this book, perhaps there is more in the previous book, but I preferred this as it allowed you to focus on the (amazing) emotion and angst between Nick and Mia.

Every part of this book was believable, the characters were likable and easy to relate to, the pace was good and I struggled to put this book down - it completely captivated me. I felt pummeled by the end of the book but also uplifted and disappointed to have reached the end.

The story flips between the past and present - it works to help fill in the back story and let us fully understand how the main characters felt at the time. At first the back story seemed to move slowly (I worried how long it would take to get to the 'point') but stick with it as it skips years but in an easy to follow way. The book is alternate POV's for both the hero and heroine, this helped you to know their thoughts and fears, so that their actions were understandable.

This book is VERY MUCH WORTH READING. I can't recommend it enough.

Given copy from netgalley..

Loved this book.. I just love second chance romance....
I soooo loved Nick & Mia... this was my first book by this author and I am going to have to look into mor of her books...

Nick & Mia were so in love then one day it was just over.. fast forward 10 yrs.... life brings them back together... and the love is right there front and center... but they are both hurt.. will these two find there HEA after all these years...

Go ck this book out... I now need to find worth the risk..

Here's my review from Library Thing:

I like everything Claudia Connor has written; she's my favorite writer of contemporary romance. And while I read "Worth the Wait" in two days, it wasn't my favorite of her novels (having said that, I think the book is still vastly better than most of the contemporary romances on the market).

The book is intelligently written in a style that doesn't call attention to itself, and the novel fills in gaps in the McKinney/Walker series. I also very much enjoyed the older protagonists (Mia and Nick are in their mid-thirties, with a lot of history).

So why wasn't this a favorite? Oddly, I believed in their story and relationship more before The Event (SPOILER ALERT -- plot is discussed in this paragraph). Hats off to Claudia Connor for writing about how traumatic events that happen to others can wreck lives. While Hannah was the one who was kidnapped and tortured, both Nick and Mia's lives are forever changed by the guilt and responsibility they feel for the tragedy. My issue is that I didn't find Nick's turnaround entirely believable; it seems that he simply willed himself to move on when he realized that it was the only thing that would win Mia back. And Mia's own issues (her deep grief at having to give up the daughter she adopted because the birth mother changed her mind) were serious enough that it's tough to believe that her healing could come from seeing her daughter one last time and moving forward with Nick. I don't know if I would have enjoyed reading about therapy sessions, but with these kinds of serious issues, maybe that would have been more plausible.

An ambitious romance novel -- that satisfied 3/4s of its promise.

I feel like I've waited forever for this book. We first met Nick back in 2015, in Hannah's story. He seemed so strong but so sad. Now, we found out a few more reasons for that sadness; namely Mia and their breakup. It was a sad story and I spent half the time reading this clutching a tissue and wiping tears away. If your thing is second-chance romance with a HE A then you should definitely read this book. Can't wait for more books by Ms. Connor.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

‘They just were. Nick and Mia. Always.’

We picked Worth the Wait up not having read the series from which this is a spin off, on the basis it’s being tagged a standalone. For us, we felt like we’d missed out somewhat on Hannah and Nick’s sibling bond, but yes, in most respects this stands alone. There’s absolutely no question that Claudia Connor’s writing is beautiful. She demands attention with a powerful and passionate prose. We felt incredibly sad with very heavy hearts as we read one of the more emotionally upsetting romances we’ve read in a while. It’s very difficult to read a story where the heroine and hero spend more agonising time apart than they do together. You begin to doubt it’ll ever happen for whichever tragic reasons presented.

“It’s been a long time. Maybe you don’t know me anymore.”

“I know you.”

We fell in love with all the characters in this story; especially Nick and his much younger sister, Hannah. Their relationship melted our hearts whilst making us all teary at the same time. Nick found himself in the distressing position of having to hold his parent-less family together when he became the head of the family through heart-breaking circumstances. A heavy load for a young man barely out of his teens. His caring, protective, determined and nurturing side knew no bounds and we fell in love with this young man.

“How can I forget when you always remind me?”

Worth the Wait is a book of continuous past and present. Through the flashbacks we learn of how it all began for Mia and Nick; with two year old Hannah in tow. From the present we learn of them being apart, and the struggles facing them individually, due to a horrific event which separated them a decade ago. It broke us. In the flashback’s we felt some of their love and connection. In the present we felt their agony and subsequent emotional pain.

‘He was barely there, so lost in his dark cage of anger and guilt he’d built for himself, he’d locked himself in and locked her out.’

Whilst we loved many, many parts of this story we felt the balance was excessively weighted towards the incredibly heavy angst, guilt, responsibility, despair and suffering. We barely experienced any joy nor happiness.

“You’ve got the past clenched so tightly in your fist, I’ll never be enough to make you let it go. I can’t go back to that place we were. It nearly killed me.”

Now, we love our highly emotional reads, however we do need some happy or at least an epilogue that completely mends our broken hearts and leaves us more than satisfied that everything is okay and everyone is where they need to be. Particularly after a journey that was as emotionally taxing as this one. This is a personal preference so we may be in the minority. Saying that, there is no question that this talented Author made our hearts bleed and kept us riveted, needing to find out if Mia and Nick would ever find their way back to where they began after so many years separating them.

“It still shakes me that something so enormous as our love could be erased so simply.”

Worth the Wait is a second chance romance story. Nick and Mia went through quite and ordeal and it divided them in such a way that it left them both broken in ways. Finding themselves in the same area again, brings it all back to the forefront, beyond the hurt and the pain, they both still have deep feelings for the other even if they don't want to admit it.

Nick was the ulitmate good guy, he had the most family loyalty and he took things to heart. Left to take care of and raise his younger siblings when their parents died, he took on a lot more than other college men would do and along the way found THE ONE and as life continued to throw punches at him and his family, he lost her. But Nick doesn't want to give up on his dreams of the future, he doesn't want to let Mia go again once he's found her in his life again. But that means rehashing the past, letting go of traumas, and perhaps a little bit more growing up.

Mia thought she'd found herself a new life, thought she was moving on from her past, from the love of her life, something she didn't think she'd find again but then her new future shatters in front of her and once again Mia was left trying to hold together the pieces of her broken heart. She's leary to let Nick back into her life especially as she's overcoming the most recent hurts.

As Nick is forced to accept that his sister, the one who has only known him as a parent, is an adult fully capable of making her own choices and moving on with her life, he also finds himself struck with the realization that he needs to move on with his own life. I really liked the emotions at play as Nick figured out what he had let go in the past and all that he had let himself lose. Mia is also made to see her part in their split and how things could have been handled differently and maybe they wouldn't have lost so much time.

Worth the Wait delivers a powerful love story, both in the past and present, one that tugs on your heart strings and makes you hurt. But also one that sucks you in and has you rooting for the love to win out, for feelings to be told in such a way that it makes you want to weep to finally see these two figure it out. Mia and Nick went through a lot together, they practically raised a family while still trying to work out what to do with their own lives, they had deep hurts, they suffered gravely, and though it tore them apart, it also brought them back together. Though there were times when I got frustrated over the actions or lack of action from the characters, I also understood why things were happening the way they were and how it was ultimately pulling together.

Claudia Connor wove all the intricate pieces of this story together in a stunning way, giving a story that was more than a second chance at love, more than a family working through their struggles. Each piece of the puzzle brought something more to the story, allowing it all to play out in my mind and pulling me deeper. I love the way each character is used in some manner to enrich the story, and I look forward to seeing more of these characters in future books.

I was recommended this book by one of my book buddies that I normally love everything she does. She was raving and said you have to read it. So I jumped straight on it, and I have to say that it fell flat for me. I was expecting so much more, but it just didn't deliver on what I need in a romance book.

This book is about family and commitment and love lost but with some time apart to heal, love found again. It was moving in certain parts, with plenty of angst and the slightest touch of humor. My heart ached for Nick with all that he had to endure but I also wanted to shake him and tell him to let it go...... but it wasn't his personality to be flippant on anything. He was so over protective of his sister, he lost track on other important things in his life.

Mia was definitely his match. She was serious, thoughtful, sweet and smart and dedicated to her job and instant family. She was someone that I would hang with. However, I found their love story lacking and was disappointed that they had more bad times in their relationship than good, and I found it hard to see how they could come back from it all. The book jumped from present to past so much, I was having to re read bits to see what era they were in. I did enjoy reading about the other characters, Hannah especially and it was set up nicely too for the following books about the other siblings.

*I received a copy for an honest review.
**Reviewed for JoandIsaLoveBooksBlog.

Worth the Wait (McKinney/Walker, #1) by Claudia Conner Nick Walker at the age of 20 finds himself a parent to his younger siblings. His parents have suddenly been killed and even though he is in college he rather struggle with his siblings than see them split up. His 3 brother are old enough to take care of themselves but he has his 2 year old sister who doesn’t understand their parents are dead. To make matters tougher Hannah clings to her brother and will not stay in daycare so Nick takes her to class. Mia comes into his life when he is making that adjustment and she helps him with his struggle. They love each other and over the years they have pledged their love while pursuing their careers. A horrible accident put a stain on their love which ultimately tore them apart. Many years later they are brought back together. What they felt for each other has not diminished over the years but can they overcome what tore them apart so many year ago. A well told story of a love that withstood the test of time. I voluntarily read an Advanced Reader Copy. I give this 3.5 stars

The blurb of this book really intrigued me. I love second-chance romances so I’m always excited to read them. Nick and Mia were college lovers that were together for a long time. When tragedy strikes, it changes their relationship and they split apart. Now 10 years later, they are reunited through Hannah-Nick’s sister. So what will happen?

The past and the present are interwoven throughout the book. I enjoyed reading the flashbacks of Nick’s and Mia’s relationship. It was great seeing them in love when they were younger and being so cute together. They were great together and I liked their interactions with each other and also Nick’s family. Hannah was a significant part of their story and it did make sense that she would play a role in their reunion. When Nick and Mia were all sweet and lovey, I could definitely see how they were made for each other. However, there were times that I was not into their reunion as much. Some of the decisions and actions by both Nick and Mia made me question if there would be a second-chance. But that is where Claudia’s writing shines and shows the reader that these two were meant to be. Overall, there was more good in this story.

For those who have read the series, you get to see the McKinney couples from the first two books as well as other family members make appearances. Readers who haven’t read the series, this can be easily read as a standalone. Claudia did a good job giving just enough information that will help but not ruin the previous books. Overall, this was a pleasant read.

BOOK REVIEW: Worth the Wait
BOOK SERIES: McKinney/Walker #1
AUTHOR: Claudia Conner
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
PUBLICATION DATE: January 10, 2017
CLIFF HANGER: No

4 Stars

*This story is for mature audiences only. Contains explicit scenes and adult language intended for adults 18+

SYNOPSIS:
He broke her heart. When he finds out just how badly, it will break his too.

Nick Walker found the love of his life when he was just nineteen.

Found her.
Loved her.
Lost her.

It's been ten years since Nick watched the only woman he ever loved walk out of his life. Now this FBI Special Agent will do anything to win her back.

But it won’t be easy…

Mia’s heart was shattered by Nick. They'll have to face their painful past if they want a future, including Mia's own secret about that day it all fell apart.

Do you believe in second chances?

MY THOUGHTS:
Well this had me wrung out! Wow! This is an incredible story of loss, young love blossoming into mature love, tragedy, grief, misunderstanding, 10 years of lost love and trying to find a common ground to find forgiveness in oneself and others. Yup, there’s more! A chance to try again with the only person you ever loved. Yes, I was wrung out.

This is the first time I have read anything by this author and it won’t be the last. This is a great start to a new series and I look forward to reading more by this author. The characters were well developed and they had such amazing chemistry. They went through so much! You could feel the push and pull going on in the relationship and I kept thinking, don’t give up, don’t give up. All the outside factors adding into the story. My heart broke for them. There is so much to this story!

I feel like I should let the reader enjoy this emotional second chance love story, so I won’t give anymore away! I truly enjoyed it and I highly recommend it.

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

I loved the previous series, so I was looking foreward to this one. But I was really disappointed in it. It was way too dismal and bleak for me. And too focused on the past, which sure, was important, but I wanted more of their present, instead of just falling together again. While this one totally missed the mark for me, I'm still eager to read the rest of,the Walker boys stories.

What an emotional read! Claudia Conner is a new author for me, so I hadn't read the series that this book is spun off from (The McKinneys). Although Worth the Wait can definitely read as a standalone, I think I might have a better understanding about some of the character history that might have helped fill in some holes for me. That being said, I absolutely tore through this book and loved every minute of it- every tear I shed (I definitely shed some tears!), every time I smiled, every angsty minute!

I fell in love with CC's writing in "Worth the Fall". I'm always an eager reader for a new CC book. I'm not quite sure why this story didn't meet my high expectations of a CC story. Nick and Mia are two MCs who definitely deserve their HEA. I enjoyed the backstory of Nick and Mia because their highs and lows seemed so true, sweet, ugly, but true. I also felt the switching from present day to the past throughout was necessary but also clunky at times. It seemed there was more backstory background then current day relationship restoration.

Wow! This book sure will give you the feels. I felt every emotion you can name. It tore my heart up, put it back together again, SHREDDED IT and slowly put it back together again. It's an emotional ride for sure!

Nick and Mia were always supposed to be together. They were soul mates, they couldn't imagine not having the other in their lives. Nothing should have been able to come between them, nothing at all.

I loved the flashbacks so I got a chance to see what kind of relationship that they had from the very beginning. I got to watch it grow and flourish. Unfortunately I watched it all fall apart. The sadness, the despair, the horror of events, the guilt, the everything! I also got to see love, soul, gut wrenching love.

I've slowly started to love 2nd chance romances and this book is a good reason why I have. I do wish that it didn't take couples 10 years to realize that they were meant for that special one. 2 years authors, 2 years. It's a nice round number and would still work for the story.

Oh my my my! This story pulls at your emotions from one moment to the next. The reader is engaged in the story right from the start and you learn so much about the characters and keeps you guessing what will happen next. Warm and wonderful, yet all out sexy at the same time. Wonderful!

Damn you, Claudia Connor and your ability to reduce a reader to tears . . . gutted. I am gutted by Worth the Wait. I love a second-chance romance. It’s one of my favorite tropes to read. And holy hell, Worth the Wait is one of the very best I’ve ever read.

Nick Walker and Mia James are both so broken. Neither one has forgiven themselves for their perceived sins of their past. And seeing each other again after ten years is gut wrenching. Both have lost so much but their biggest loss was the ending of their relationship. Now, nothing will stop Nick from trying to win Mia back. But first, they need to face their past and move beyond the hurt.

“You looked like you’d seen a ghost in that hospital room, like you wanted to kill someone, and wanted to fall on your knees at her feet all rolled into one. I’ve actually never seen a guy with such obvious problems.”

Worth the Wait is a book about loss, heartbreak, loneliness, anger, and helplessness. But it’s also about love, hope, and forgiveness. A whole lot of love and forgiveness. ~ Missy, 5 “keep your tissues handy” stars

4.5 stars

When Nick Walker was just 20 years old, his world was shattered with the death of his parents and the unexpected responsibility of raising his 4 siblings including 2 year old Hannah. He suddenly needed a crash course in parenting with no family to provide that knowledge and support, so he fumbled through as best he could while still juggling college classes of his own. He meets Mia in the halls one day as he is struggling to juggle Hannah, his books and her toy with limited success, and the beginning of a beautiful relationship was born.

It seemed like every day was an uphill battle for Nick at times, but every day it got a little bit more routine and Mia was a huge part of that for him. What started out as a great friendship turned into a strong and beautiful love until tragedy struck 12 years later. They thought their love was strong enough to endure any test but Nick’s inability to find a way to move forward after the unthinkable happened was the eventual end to their relationship leaving both of them with shattered hearts.

Now, ten years later, fate has brought Mia back into Nick’s life again and he has no idea how to react. The years have hardened him even more than when they split but Mia has been no stranger to heartbreak herself. Nick’s pride demands that he act like a giant jerk but his heart remembers how good things were and the forever that he thought was in their future. With a lot of fits and starts and more than a few heartbreaking revelations and acknowledgments, Mia and Nick try to decide if there is an opportunity for a second chance at the life they always wanted or if there is just too much water under the bridge.

Worth the Wait was definitely high on the emotional turbulence scale as we alternate between the past and present via both Nick and Mia’s POVs. My heart broke for both of them time and time again with each new step forward and subsequent step back as flashbacks to happier times were interspersed through the story. Having read the McKinney series in its entirety to date, I loved the familiar faces that popped up and the little bit of overlap with Worth the Risk which was Hannah and Stephen’s story, but you can read Worth the Wait completely as a standalone if you have not read the other books previously. Ms. Connor has written an amazingly emotional and complex story, and Worth the Wait is most definitely worth the 1-click!