Preston’s Honor by Mia Sheridan

Synopsis: There were two brothers—identical twins—and though I loved them both, my soul belonged to only one.

Annalia Del Valle has loved Preston Sawyer all her life. The daughter of an impoverished migrant farmworker, she grew up as an outcast in what was no more than a tiny, cooped up shack in California’s Central Valley. But her heart found freedom in the land, in the wide-open spaces of Sawyer Farm, and in the boys who were her only friends.

Preston has yearned for Annalia since he was a boy. But a sense of honor kept him from pursuing her until he’s unable to hold back any longer and their worlds—and bodies—collide one hot summer night. A night that sets off a chain of events that will alter their lives forever.

Now Annalia is back in town after disappearing without a trace for six long months. Determined to reclaim her heart, her life, and the baby she left behind—the son who was created in a moment of lust and love and pent-up yearning.

Preston has survived grief, a ravaging drought, and the despair of heartache, but he’s not sure he can survive Annalia again. And he might be unwilling to try. Will pride and bitterness keep him from the one thing he’s always longed for?

How do you heal what is irreparably broken? How do you forgive that which is unforgivable? How do you discover that real honor comes not from circumstance, but from the place deep in our hearts where truth resides? And how do you move beyond the wounds of the past to discover that some loves are as solid as the ground beneath your feet, and as enduring as the earth itself?

Review: I had not read any novels by Mia Sheridan even though I had Archer’s Voice in my TBR pile. Also, when I had the opportunity to read this one which I had heard a lot of good on, I did not hesitate!

The author presents the story by inserting flashbacks to discover the childhood and evolution of Annalia’s life. We discover this little girl rejected by her mother who lives in poverty, but whose days are often cheered by the presence of two twin brothers who love to play with her. But Annalia always loved one more than the other but the story is not so easy. Nowadays, we see the young woman come back after having run away for 6 months and the return is much harder than she would have thought. And if she comes back like a flower, Preston is really not ready to forgive her.

I had trouble at first understanding how Annalia was able to leave like that, leaving everything behind her. I really think bad of her at the beginning of the story, especially when I saw the reaction of Preston and yet there is more behind all that. Little by little, we discover her reasons, we understand her need to escape, and above all we understand that she is not the only one at fault in this situation.

It’s an intense novel and I had a tight throat several times.