Great and Precious Things
Rebecca Yarros
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Release Date February 25, 2020

How do you define yourself when others have already decided who you are?

Six years ago, when Camden Daniels came back from war without his younger brother, no one in the small town of Alba, Colorado, would forgive him—especially his father. He left, swearing never to return.

But a desperate message from his father brings it all back. The betrayal. The pain. And the need to go home again. But home is where the one person he still loves is waiting. Willow. The one woman he can never have. Because there are secrets buried in Alba that are best left in the dark.

If only he could tell his heart to stay locked away when she whispers she’s always loved him, and always will…

Great and Precious Things is a heart-wrenching story about family, betrayal, and ultimately how far we're willing to go on behalf of those who need us most.

Camden Daniels is home...to the small town of Alba that he was basically run out of years ago. He was always the bad boy and returned from serving his country, while his well-liked younger brother did not. He is loaded down with guilt and regret and is used to being the black sheep. He swore he would never come back until he got a call he could not ignore. Unfortunately, his return is met with relief from some and resistance of others...and the tension and antagonism just seem to spread as events unfold.

Willow Bradley is the girl he has loved since childhood...but she ended up becoming his brother's girlfriend and suffered the great loss as well. She is caring, smart, outspoken, and has always known her own feelings for Cam...even if she kept them to herself.

Cam will have an uphill battle to do some of the things he feels he needs to do. But he finds an unlikely ally in Willow. And the more time they spend together, the more unresolved feelings begin to surface. But they will both have to be honest and vulnerable to be able to try to move on. Cam has a long way to go as far as self-forgiveness and gaining self-worth. And it is even harder when it seems like the whole town has an opinion on every decision made.

My heart broke for Cam. He took so much of the blame for things he could not control. And despite how he was treated, he was trying to do the right thing most of the time. But he was constantly being judged and baited by others, and I was frustrated and upset for him! And his protective side often either got him into trouble or made him try to push her away. I loved that Willow had an inner strength and was not afraid to stand up for what she believed in. 

The story and town is layered in history and some secrets. There are a lot of dynamics and conflicts, and even some surprises. The issues his father is dealing with are challenging and frustrating, and I feel the author did a good job explaining how hard they are for both the individual and the family in a sensitive way. 

In addition to the slow-burn and emotional romance, this book touches on various larger issues and has good messages about life and how to be a good person. There are threads weaved into the story tying events and people together past and present. Ultimately this is a heartfelt and inspiring story about choices, balance, second-chances, redemption, and unconditional love.

Camden Daniels stayed away from his hometown because they would never let him forget that his brother followed him off to war and didn’t return. Cam was the troublemaker, and his brother was the best of them, the golden boy. The town, and especially his father, would never forgive him for his part in his brother’s death. But a phone call has him returning despite his promise to stay away. What he finds at home will challenge everything he thought about his home.

Willow Bradley was his brother’s girlfriend and is caught in her own web of grief. But even before she was attached to Sullivan, she was also friends with Cam. She hasn’t left home and the ghost of Sullivan still follows her - the town expects that she continues to grieve their hero.

I loved Cam from the very beginning. Rushing home was not something he had predicted he would do, with the chilly reception he received the last time he visited. It frustrated me to no end that the town itself wouldn’t let him grow up and continued to view him as the troublemaking kid he had been when he left. But I loved his determination to show everyone that he was dependable and to make up for his past actions, even to his own family.

The way Cam and Willow leaned on each other just served to make me love them together even more. The history they share, the loss of Sullivan, and their present struggles find them working together more than either of them imagined.

This is such a great story from start to finish. It is not just about Cam and Willow remembering the bond that their friendship was based on, but it is also about letting go of the hurts of the past, remembering the good, and cherishing the promise of the future. There are legal issues, medical battles, secrets from the past, and new bonds formed. Once again, Rebecca Yarros has proven that she can write the heck out of an emotional story with multiple interwoven threads.

Rebecca Yarros
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Rebecca is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of over fifteen novels, and is always ready to bring on the emotions. She's also the recipient of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence for Eyes Turned Skyward from her Flight and Glory series.

She loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for eighteen years. She’s the mother of six children, ranging from kindergarten to law school, and is currently surviving the teenage years with two of her four hockey-playing sons. When she’s not writing, you can find her at the hockey rink or sneaking in some guitar time. She lives in Colorado with her family, their stubborn English bulldog, and a feisty chinchilla. Having fostered then adopted their youngest daughter, Rebecca is passionate about helping children in the foster system through her nonprofit, One October.