Cassandra Pierce lost her parents in a fire when she was ten and has always blamed herself, since she was the one who lit the candle. Consequently, she has seen herself as a burden for everyone ever since. When she got pregnant at seventeen, rather than be a burden any longer – especially to the man she loves and her baby’s father – she runs off to New York with nary a word to anyone. After three tough years, she has to face facts. It is time to return home, for her daughter’s sake, back to the small – and small-minded – town she ran from. Back to the people who took her in after her parent’s death. Back to the man she has loved all her life.

When Cass ran out on him three years ago, Brenden Carter was shattered. Her leaving was not only an end to his dreams for the two of them but also reminiscent of his mother’s abandonment of him. He cannot imagine being able to forgive her, though he still loves her - always has, always will. Then he finds out they had a daughter together. For her sake, if no one else’s, he must find a way to make peace with Cass. Will they ever return to the loving relationship they had before or has too much happened?

No Matter What is an emotional tale that will really engage your feelings. Jordana Ryan really puts her characters through the wringer and you, the reader, right along with them. The end of the tale feels completely different to the beginning, signaling the journey Cass and Brenden have had to take to navigate the path of love. The depth of these characters is also shown via their maturity. All of our characters, Cass, Brenden and their friends, feel as though they are in their thirties. In actuality, they are only in their early twenties, yet they have been through so much they feel much older to the reader. Each character is well developed, Cass and Brenden most of all, with the demons they still need to fight before they can have a happy ending. The sexual side of the tale is not an overwhelming part of the plot; in fact, there isn’t any sex just for the sake of it. Instead, sexual intimacy is used to develop our characters’ relationship, to make it stronger (with the exception of a couple of scenes towards the start where a different character is involved, which demonstrated how far apart the characters are in the beginning). Jordana Ryan’s No Matter What is a heartwarming tale of love, forgiveness and coming to terms with one’s past.

Reviewed by: Elizabeth