Mercy McClain has lived under the shadow of having a deformed arm and has tried to strive to not let it bother her. But when her childhood bully comes back to town and starts working alongside her, past memories start haunting her again. Only, in truth, they never left, and Aaron isn't the only cause of her shame.

Aaron Firebrook knows he hurt people and he's come back to Teaville determined to try for their forgiveness. Obviously, he doesn't expect to be easy, only it's putting his entire life in jeopardy. We he able to appeal to Mercy for her name's sake in order to fulfill a promise?

When both find in each other the support to take care of an orphanage and children who desperately need role models, will prejudice continue to be in the way of the possibility of a stronger bond? Will pride endanger the discovery of a love never failing, never judging, always accepting, always caring?

unwavering trust and hope might be difficult to be born in a heart that has been hurt. But the obvious love pouring out might be enough to build bridges and atone for the past.
Enough to believe in a chance at forever.

Melissa Jagears's ingenious characters left me dumbfounded again in each book of this series. It has challenged me and made me think. I'm really sorry to say goodbye to these characters but these books are those type that you're just happy they've been written.
Though I can definitely see spin-off coming out... ;-)

Aaron Firebrook returns to Teaville hoping to make amends for his bullying ways as a child by being a teacher and influencing others for good and protecting the innocent. However, Mercy McClain, one of the girls he bullied, is a member of the school board and when Aaron comes looking for a job, she doesn't believe that Aaron has changed his ways and won't vote for him to receive the position.
Aaron doesn't blame Mercy for not trusting him, but he truly wants to make amends, and while it's too much for him to expect Mercy to forgive him, he hopes he can show her that he really wants to help the children.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the themes of making amends for past wrongs, finding forgiveness, and allowing others to change. I have really enjoyed reading this series, and I liked seeing Mercy get her own story. (The books do not have to be read in order.)

I read a copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own

Melissa Jagears takes readers back to the ever intriguing Teaville, Kansas in her third installment of the Teaville Moral Society in A Chance at Forever. I loved the first two novels in the series, and A Chance at Forever did not disappoint. Jagears has a talent for weaving complex and emotional plotlines that have no obvious or simple solution. Both Mercy and Aaron were exceptionally well-developed and fascinating to read about. While the novel stands decently well on its own, I wish I had read the previous two installments more recently to better appreciate the plot. Overall, I loved spending a long weekend back in Teaville and look forward to hearing even more of its stories.

"A Chance at Forever" is a Christian romance set in 1909 in Kansas. It's the third book in a series. This book wrapped up two side romances that have been building throughout the series, but it still worked fine as a stand-alone novel. Each romance was prevented from moving forward due to events in the past that need to be forgiven.

The main romance was between Mercy and the man who bullied her when they were children. He was abused by someone and in turn bullied others. Now he has returned to make things right after accepting Christ. He's trying to earn forgiveness from those he wronged and change his behavior through willpower. With Mercy's help, he realizes he needs to allow God to transform him from the inside and to accept the gift of forgiveness. We only see him as an honest, hardworking man, just one struggling with guilt and discouragement because he can see the damage his bullying did to Mercy and others. He encouraged Mercy to see her value and not believe the hurtful things he said in the past.

The author dealt with complex issues in a natural way that drove the events of the story. The changed people showed that change in their life even though they still made mistakes. Other characters struggled to trust that those people had really changed or to decide how to deal with those who weren't interested in changing. The characters acted realistically and were complex and likable.

There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this well-developed, engaging book.