A review by bribreez
Too Hard to Forget, by Tessa Bailey

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

5⭐️/ 4🌶️

The youngest of the Clarkson siblings was finally read to face her past or more specifically someone from her past. Peggy Clarkson was a beautiful, confident, outgoing woman, and could have any man she wanted. After all, with four previous engagements, and the four rings to prove it, it seemed like Peggy could have been happy with any of her four former fiancée’s, but alas only one man held her heart in a tight grip, and that was none other than, Elliot Brooks. Now being back at her Alma Mater University of Cincinnati for Alumni week, Peggy was determined to show to Elliot that letting her go was the worst thing he could have done. 

Over the past three or four years since graduating college, Peggy couldn’t stop occasionally thinking about the man that changed her life, Elliot. Even though she had the plan of confronting Elliot after the past few years, and accepting it as the chance to officially move on from him, Peggy still couldn’t come to terms that by moving on, she’d be closing the door on what she and Elliot once had. Being back at her old stomping ground of her university, Peggy found herself reminiscing on the steamy and deep moments she had with Elliot. Plenty of flashbacks that illustrated how Peggy and Elliot hooked up, and started their inevitable romance was hot! Being around Elliot again not only brought back past memories, but also caused Peggy to reconsider where everything went wrong between them.

Elliot Brooks was a man who followed the rules, and did things by the book. A very devout religious man, Elliot was always following his beliefs, and trying to be the best father he could be to his daughter, Alice. Especially after the loss of his wife, Elliot was determined to stay on the path that meant he would not fail his daughter or his job as head coach or even give into temptation. With all that in mind, I loved seeing Elliot get all lost in Peggy, also remembering the times they once shared together. As much as Elliot wanted Peggy back in his arms, with the belief that Peggy was married (which she wasn’t), he wasn’t going to steal another man’s wife. Little did Elliot know, that Peggy Clarkson was free, single, and more than ready for him to take her. 

Even early on in the story, I was immediately hooked by Peggy and Elliot’s story! With tropes from age gap romance, second chance romance, single dad, and a little bit of sports romance (since Elliot was the university’s football coach), I was loving it! Peggy was the only one who wasn’t afraid to go up against the formidable “Kingmaker” a.k.a. Elliot. Peggy was able to stand her ground against Elliot a lot of the time, and for that Elliot was impressed and intrigued by her more. The romance between Peggy and Elliot started back when Peggy was a student at University of Cincinnati, and despite Elliot’s initial hesitation on hooking up with Peggy and his moral dilemma messing with him, he simply could. Not. Deny. Himself spending stolen moments with Peggy whether it was in bed together or her smiling that beautiful smile directed at him. (Sigh) I was equally swooning, loving the tension, and emotional pull between Peggy and Elliot. 

Elliot may have been a holy devout, religious man, but… OH MY GOODNESS! THAT MAN WAS ALL KINDS OF DOMINANT, POSSESSIVE, AND THAT DIRTY TALK! OOOOOH SNAPS! Combine that with the constant sexual tension between him and Peggy, and it was all bets off! The spice in this book was hot, steamy, and DIRTY! Peggy also took the reins in tempting Elliot at whatever chance she got which I loved seeing her do, it was like a power move on her part. Plus who didn’t love seeing Elliot lose his ever loving mind over Peggy teasing him, and initiating some sexy scenes! OMG! Plus those flashbacks from when Peggy was in college and hooking up with Elliot were equally steamy! While I found it a bit unusual for Elliot to be saying prayers while having sex with Peggy (in the past) I also found it kind of hot? So idk guess it was unexpected, but still liked it lol. 

I will say that along with the spice, it actually dug deeper in revealing more about Peggy and Elliot’s views on sex. With the way that Peggy and Elliot initially got together, a lot of what he did early on in their early relationship influenced the way that Peggy saw relationships and how she viewed sex in a different way. Elliot was a religious man and when he first got with Peggy, he would always start with his prayer of “Art tho…” like for one, saying a prayer during the act of sex was one I wasn’t expecting, but the effect it had on Peggy made her view herself as a “sin” or even viewing herself negatively. I appreciated seeing Elliot see the extent of what his actions caused Peggy, as well as taking accountability for it. Through the time spent together, it not gave Elliot and Peggy a second chance at their romance, also reclaiming their sexually intimacy as not just to blow off pent up frustration, but one that fully embraced their admiration, desire, and love for each other. 

Peggy and Elliot’s story was unexpected in the best way possible. Similar to Aaron (her brother), I wasn’t sure if I was going to love Peggy’s story or not, but thankfully I was proven wrong, and fell head over heels with her and Elliot. There was a bit of angst and heartbreak that Peggy and Elliot had to face when being back in each other’s lives, as well as coming to terms with the fall out of their breakup three years ago. There were so many good qualities to this story from talking about how Peggy viewed herself in a negative light with sex, due to Elliot’s behavior with her when they first got together. In addition, seeing Elliot accept his past mistakes and try to make amends with Peggy, Alice, and move forward in trying to be a better man for his loved ones. This book was fun to read with Peggy’s signature bubbly, fun personality, and I also enjoyed seeing the deeper parts of herself that hadn’t been explored yet. The ending and epilogue were so loving and sweet, and it was a heartwarming feeling to see Elliot and Peggy finally get their chance at their happily ever after. Plus the epilogue further set up the next book with BELMONT AND SAGE! OMG! Even before getting to his book, I’ve been dying to know more about Belmont and Sage! The little sprinkles of Belmont and Sage throughout the previous books have been some of my favorites, but enough is enough and I’m ready to dive into the last book, and finally see what happens between those two! 
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