Purchased Amazon March 25, 2022

Liked this. Interesting hero, struggling with addiction. Liked the heroine who had never gotten over him. Saw the end coming a mile away. But still enjoyed it. ( )

I dragged my feet a bit before reading Steadfast, as it features a hero just released from prison in Bittersweet. Jude was in prison for driving under the influence of opioids, resulting in a fatal car crash. The victim? His long-term girlfriend's brother. And, since Bowen writes ANGST, the heroine's dad is the Chief of Police. I won't give spoilers, but I will say that I loved this book, despite my concerns and the ample content warnings below.

I live in an area of New Hampshire where we find needles on the playground, where break-ins are widespread, where foreclosed houses are gutted of copper pipes because addicts can sell the pipe to scrap metal dealers. There's nothing romantic about drug addiction, or about the intense, never-ending process of recovery. But... Sarina Bowen writes characters who make you cry, laugh, and love right along with them. In the hands of someone else, I could see this story not working. I wouldn't have been willing to take the risk, if I'm honest. But she pulled it off, and I managed to love Jude and Sophie more than I thought possible.

Sophie and Jude meet and interact at a church supper, the same church where Jude attends AA meetings
The Shipley family (from Book 1) plays a big role in Jude's recovery, being the big warm hug that they are
Sophie's family is somehow worse than Jude's addiction? No spoilers, but eeep
Content warnings: drugs, physical/emotional/verbal abuse directed at the heroine (from her father), police abuse of power ( )

it was fucked up! i was fascinated with addiction and Jude's and Sophie's relationships with each other, their parents and outside world.

smutty, but make it deep™ ( )

Steadfast was my first read by Sarina Bowen (yes, I know it's the second book in the series) after I picked it up from my local library and I'm so glad I did. Steadfast was everything it promised to be and more! I fell in love with Jude and Sophie and their complicated love story.

People assume that they know everything there is to know about Jude Nickel and, honestly, they don't care to give him the benefit of the doubt - not after he spent the last three years locked up for an accident that killed the town's golden boy, Gavin Haines, who was none other than Sophie Haines's older brother and the police chief’s son.

Sophie is also used to being judged for her past mistakes, after all, her one rebellious action - dating bad boy and closet drug addict Jude - ended in a heartache unlike any other. Her once bright dreams of singing on Broadway died along with her brother in the accident and three years later she's still living in Colebury, Vermont with a fledgling career in social services, trying to ignore the sizzling chemistry between her and Jude, who has just returned from a season of hard work at the Shipley's orchard following his release from prison and subsequent stay at a rehab facility. But some things can't be ignored - and Sophie and Jude's rightness is one of them.

Throughout the course of Steadfast, Sophie and Jude battle past and present demons to find something beautiful together. With a little hope and trust, Sophie and Jude make a future for themselves that is better than they ever could have imagined.

I really, really loved this book. I loved how real it was. As fun as cutesy romances are, it felt like Steadfast was a book that could connect with people on a visceral level. Rather than sweeping Jude's addiction and the problems and heartache it caused under the rug, Steadfast actively worked to address his issues and follow along with his struggle. You felt Jude's desire to be better and his internal fight when faced with temptation and fueled with self-deprecating thoughts. Likewise, you could feel Sophie's love for Jude and her frustration at her lack of knowledge about how to help him. I greatly admired Sophie's tenacious advocacy for Jude, her refusal to write him off like so many others have, and her willingness to believe in Jude. Their love is messy and complicated for sure, but most of all, it's steadfast. ( )