Publication Date: February 1, 2026
Harv Meldon works at the lost luggage desk of an airline and thinks his life is bad before losing his job, apartment, car, phone and bank account in the same day. His girlfriend turns against him and he ends up homeless. That’s when he stumbles into a hospice thinking it was a hospital. His life changes from that moment as he meets Betty, a homeless dog and Zoe who sees potential where others see failure. It’s odd that Harv then finds a new start where others go at the end. That’s when he learns his weakness is actually a strength. It never would have happened without the faith of one special lady and the love of a dog who had no home.
Always by Clay Renick has a beautiful cover that drew me in. The dog, Betty, shown on the cover, helps save Harv when they both need a helping hand. She’s named Betty by someone else who thinks she’d be “better off” somewhere else, and the name stuck.
If someone could have everything go wrong with their life all on the same day, Harv would be a likely candidate. Losing his job, his apartment, his abusive girlfriend, his cellphone, and his car left him nowhere to turn, but that’s not all of it. When he ends up at a hospice center, and not because he’s ill, things start looking up. But for someone like Harv, who always sees the bad in life, especially given his history, he’s still wondering what could happen next.
The story started slowly but picked up as Harv realized he might be able to change his life for the better. He runs into supportive people at the hospice and is actually befriended. He is given a place to live and meals in exchange for volunteering as a landscaper. The hard physical work, along with reconnecting with a childhood friend who is now ill and moved into the hospice, seems to give him some positivity and change some of his outlook on life and why he’s always so scared and afraid.
Harv finds it’s easier to speak up for himself even if he still has some doubts. Finding God through a few of those he interacts with, especially Zoe, a cook who takes Harv and Betty under her wings, gave him some comfort and peace. It also helps clarify his thoughts and lighten his soul. There are Bible verses sprinkled throughout that always seem to fit the current situation without being preachy.
There are surprises and twists throughout. There’s also a letdown Harv didn’t expect after so much good came his way, but he tries his best to move forward anyway. There is closure and a happily-ever-after for a few of them, although the ending was definitely not what I was expecting. Unfortunately, it seemed rushed, and I would have liked an epilogue to tie up a few loose ends.
Always easily had me thinking about the role God plays in our lives, or could if we embraced him and his teachings. 
Clay Renick is a storyteller with a passion for exploring how faith and resilience shape the human heart. His background includes graduate work in pastoral counseling at Liberty University, where he studied trauma response and crisis development. These themes inspire his writing, which reflects the biblical truth that God can bring growth and hope out of hardship. His latest novel, Always, follows a homeless man who is transformed by the love of a dog and the support of a good woman.
