WHENEVER YOU CALL by VICKI JAMES

“I’ll be there.” He paused, staring into my eyes.
“Whenever you call, Hannah.”

Vicki James takes us on a rollercoaster of emotions starting with a prologue so potent and raw, we were left reeling and immediately drawn into this story! We couldn’t look away! Wow! That’s how you start a story! Whenever You Call is a formidable read complete with a fabulous storyline and characters whose feelings felt so genuine and raw. A romance of second chances and which reminds us to believe in ourselves, when it seems as though everything is against us.

“It’s okay to miss what wasn’t good for you. It’s okay to love what ruined you, too.”

Whilst not a rock star book per se, Vicki James does manage to weave a bit of a rock star theme into Hannah and Logan’s story, which pleased us as it’s a theme this lady really excels at. We’ve discussed many times how magnificently this author captures the thrills and the pain in this theme.

When Cole Newman, the much-loved frontman from the mega-successful rock group Envy-98 overdoses, it is left to Paramedic Logan Thomas to try and save his life. Doing so elicits some painful memories for Logan – he’s been here before and is driven to save Cole’s life. Not only for the man himself and Cole, but for his legion of adoring fans, his wife, and their six-year-old daughter.

‘It hurt to look at him, and I was convinced there was no greater burden on Earth than to love and hate someone at the same time.’

For Hannah Moore-Newman, there has only been one man in her life, Cole Newman, but his destructive ways, and their toxic relationship is no life for her and their sweet daughter Belle. All attempts to help Cole beat his demons have failed, and Hannah has had enough, but her finality about their marriage has consequences that plague Hannah following the loss of Cole. What Hannah never anticipated was the relationship with the man who was with Cole during his final moments.

‘I helped people. I didn’t break them.
But sometimes, I wanted to tear the entire world to pieces with nothing but my bare hands.’

Vicki James beautifully wove a story of two people crippled with guilt, who come together through pain and loss. She really captured the heartache, loss, and despair that this type of guilt and grief eats at a person. We felt for Logan and the burden he carries with his secret, knowing it could destroy any hope he has of a future with Hannah.

‘I hated to see her suffer, and I hated even more that there was nothing I could do about it now.’

Whenever You Call brings passion, hope, and hopelessness together with conflicting emotions as Hannah and Logan navigated their way through the obstacles thrown their way. Vicki James wrote elements we haven’t experienced in our previous reads, which was a real plus for us. We loved the feelings this story evoked, and for our fellow readers, this one is a must-read!