Sweet Laurel Falls: My Review

Sweet Laurel Falls (Hqn)

About the Book:

Spring should bring renewal, but Maura McKnight-Parker cannot escape the past. Still reeling from the loss of one daughter, the former free spirit is thrown for a loop by the return of her older daughter, Sage, and the reappearance of her first love, Sage's father. Jackson Lange never knew his daughter-never even knew that he'd left the love of his life pregnant when he fled their small town-but he has never forgotten Maura.

Now they are all back, but Sage has her own secret, one that will test the fragile bonds of a reunited family. Thrown together by circumstances and dedicated to those they love, Maura and Jackson must learn to move forward and let go of the mistakes of their past for the bright future that awaits them and their friends in Hope's Crossing.

My Comments:

I enjoyed this third book set in Hope's Crossing Colorado.  Maura is a single mom who recently lost one of her two daughters in a car accident that touched the characters in all the books in this series.  Her other daughter returned home from college with her father in tow--the father Maura loved when she was in high school, the father who left before he knew she was pregnant, the father who never knew he had a daughter.  These two get to know each other and the father from whom he is estranged.  They learn that problems in families tend to repeat themselves but that people can change.  All in all, its a sweet story with some depth.  It is also a reasonably clean read with no bedroom scenes, and one that shows the real consequence of bedroom scenes.  It was fun to see that I guessed the mystery character from the other books (though it wasn't the toughest mystery to solve).  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.   Grade:  B.  

Review: Woodrose Mountain

Woodrose Mountain

About the Book:

Evie Blanchard was at the top of her field in the city of angels. But when an emotional year forces her to walk away from her job as a physical therapist, she moves from Los Angeles to Hope's Crossing seeking a quieter life. So the last thing she needs is to get involved with the handsome, arrogant Brodie Thorne and his injured daughter, Taryn.

A self-made man and single dad, Brodie will do anything to get Taryn the rehabilitation she needs…even if it means convincing Evie to move in with them. And despite her vow to keep an emotional distance, Evie can't help but be moved by Taryn's spirit, or Brodie's determination to win her help—and her heart. With laughter, courage and more than a little help from the kindhearted people of Hope's Crossing, Taryn may get the healing she deserves—and Evie and Brodie might just find a love they never knew could exist.

My Comments:
This book is  a sequel to Blackberry Summer, which I reviewed a few months ago.   Taryn was one of the kids hurt in the accident which happened in that book, but you do not have to have read it to enjoy this one. The book takes us through rehab after a major incident; both the rehab of Taryn's body and the rehab of Evie's heart.  The mystery person from Blackberry Summer is back, and if this person is who I think s/he is, I'd love to read his/her story--I'd like to read it even if my guess is wrong.

While the book includes passionate kissing and one couch scene with a couple of undone buttons, the characters stop at that point, definitely putting this in the "clean" category.  However, the physical attraction between these two crackles every time they are in the same scene.

I really enjoyed this quick easy read and since the rehab subplot was almost more important than the romance plot (which was pretty standard and predictable, I'll give the book a B+.

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  I was not obligated to write a positive review, or any review.