Been waiting for that HEA in this, the second part of the Next Life Duet, have you? Well, put on your headphones, grab your tissues, and start listening. Macon and Lennon have a lot to go through before that HEA becomes even a speck on the horizon.

The Love of My Next Life set us up, gave us all the history and backstory, made us hopeful and afraid at the same time, and brought us to a turning point. What happened that called Lennon home? What has to change for her to end her self-exile in Paris and her estrangement from her family? Is it even possible?

Once again, narrators J. F. Harding and Lidia Dornet capture Macon and Lennon perfectly, but this time they’ve put a little maturity in their voices; it’s been four (yes, four) years. It’s no longer fevered teenage angst. It’s now adult longing and desire, but heavily overlaid with sorrow and regret and sadness, anger and deep bitterness.

What happened and is it fixable? The spark is still there. Actually, it’s not a spark but a wave of need, a current that flows between them. But Lennon has surrounded herself with a wall of refusal to give in again and Macon is torn between wanting to act on his impulses and fearing these are the addictions that will ruin him once and for all.

This Life and All the Rest is perfectly paced, alternating POVs between Lennon and Macon, and tugging at your heart strings each step of the way. Trent’s heart attack is the reason Lennon goes back to Virginia. This is a different Lennon than the girl banished to England, and she only intends to stay until Trent is well enough and then go back home to Paris. Author Brit Benson, however, carefully creates a collection of circumstances and chance meetings that almost immediately throw Macon and Lennon together again. That tingle of awareness when they come into each other’s presence is still strong, but something is off. Everybody knows what happened four years ago and since then – or do they? We start to realize neither they nor we have the full story. Macon says, “You’re the one who had the temper tantrum, who ran off,” and Lennon replies “I did what I had to do to survive.” Macon says, “I told you, I explained,” but Lennon says “That (little sticky) note?” Are they even talking about the same things?

It takes us – and them – a long time to get the full story. There are mysterious references to the past we don’t quite get. Trent relapses so Lennon must stay longer. Claire is still Claire, maybe even more so. Although now engaged to football-star-from-high-school Eric, she picks up right where she left off in high school, treating Lennon badly and questioning any time she spends with Macon. Casper and Sam are the opposite of Claire and we love them. The desire is constant, but each time hope starts to rise it’s dashed by uncovered secrets and revelations. Even the good things they uncover don’t seem to fit in this puzzle of misunderstanding. It is an absolutely delicious puzzle and you will enjoy (even while wiping away those tears) uncovering each piece of it. The phrases “It’s you and me. For real. Out loud. Forever,” and “You’re a good kid who’s going to be a good man,” and the significant of that pink butterfly clip will keep running through your head. You want this HEA!

I’m not going to add more detail and spoil the journey. Be assured the satisfyingly steamy scenes are all there (woo, can this author write!) and the ending is just what you’ve hoped for. Giddy Lennon, smiling ear-to-ear. Macon . . . well, who doesn’t love Macon? This is Macon with that crushing weight finally off him. Macon joyous, jubilant, exuberant. Macon who can’t keep his eyes, hands or lips off Lennon. Macon still with the sexy smirk but relaxed, fulfilled: “Lennon Capri Washington belongs with me. She knows it. I know it. Everyone else will figure it out soon enough.”

Thanks to Home Cooked Books and the author for providing an audio copy of This Life and All the Rest. Just as with the first book, I thoroughly enjoyed it, cried, laughed, worried and sighed all through it, and could not wait to get to the promised HEA. A final shout out to extraordinary narrators J. D. Harding and Lidia Dornet for taking author Brit Benson’s wonderful work and making it even more wonderful. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions are my own.

Note: there is some excellent bonus material you don’t want to miss available at the author’s website, authorbritbenson.com. ( )