Stealing Our Hearts

“Sometimes I feel so lost, Ty,” I whisper, leaning into his side. “You’re not lost, baby,” he says in his soft, scratchy tone. “I found you, and you’re right where you belong.”

Carian Cole has quickly become one of my favorite authors. She’s definitely one-click worthy. Though this is only the second book I’ve read by her, I’m not surprised to find that I fell madly in love with the characters and got lost in the magical world.

This is a dark, twisted fairytale that probably shouldn’t have a happy ending, but it does. It deserves the happy ending that it gets. We deserve that happy ending. The characters definitely deserve it. This is a story of two broken, lost souls finding each other. Tyler and Holly are two human beings that have been through excruciating trauma. Holly was abducted when she was five years old by a man who held her captive in his basement and in a hole in the woods for eleven years. She was beaten, raped, and traumatized to the point of near death. Tyler finds her, in the hole in the woods, and saves her life. Tyler, on the other hand, was severely mutilated in a fire when he was seventeen. He turned to alcohol and drugs for years before he got into a motorcycle accident that resulted in him losing his vocal chords and almost dying.  Tyler hides his face from the world because people stare at him, laugh at him, and treat him differently. Holly hides her face from the world because people stare at her, whisper about her, and treat her differently.  Both of these characters understand what it means to be different and to feel like an outcast. They find love and solace in each other. 

Holly sees Tyler as her prince. When she was abducted, she had a backpack with princess books in it. Her captor allowed her to keep her backpack and books, so she read those stories over and over again to protect herself, to find hope. She always believed that a prince would come rescue her from the “bad man” and Tyler did just that.  She loves Tyler for everything that he is, she doesn’t even see his disfigured face. She sees his heart. She trusts him more than anyone else, she feels safe with him. Tyler feels like he can open up to her, speak to her, even though his voice is messed up. He is known as a mute around town, he never speaks to anyone. As these two grow closer emotionally, so does their physical relationship. We find out a lot of gruesome details about Holly’s time as a captive. It’s heartbreaking and nauseating. It was very difficult to read, but also necessary to get the full effect of what it meant for Holly to trust Tyler with her body. It was truly special. Every touch was made with extra care and tenderness. Tyler fights his own battles with certain fantasies (you’ll have to read the book to understand what I mean). Every step is an uphill battle for these two, but it’s all worth it in the end.

Speaking of the ending, holy crap. Could there have been a better HEA for these two? I don’t think so. Everything that Tyler does is perfect and so insanely special, I couldn’t contain my tears. I was absolutely elated to read the ending. And then we got to the epilogue…don’t even get me started. Make sure you have your tissues, ladies. I was not prepared. Overall this was a phenomenal 5 star read. I desperately need another book in this series!! Bravo!

“She’s everything. My past. My present. My future. My twin flame – the one who shares the path of my soul.”

“You’re everything I could ever need,” I whisper in his ear as his body shivers with my touch. “You’ve always been everything I’ve ever needed.”

Being completely honest here, I came upon this novel accidentally and had no idea it was a paranormal romance.  I don’t like paranormal romances. I feel like, usually, it’s just someone trying to remake Twilight. That might be naive of me to say, but it’s my honest opinion. So yes, I happened upon this book on accident. I thought it was a dark romance (which it is), but I didn’t realize it was truly about fallen angels. But guys…I was not prepared for how much I would absolutely LOVE this book. Holy crap. 

It was addicting from the very beginning. By the time I figured out that it was about angels and demons, it was too late, I was already in too deep. Elijah and Luna are fated, destined for each other, a bond that is impenetrable. Their attraction towards each other is undeniable and completely irresistible. Elijah is a fallen angel and, at the beginning of the novel, we are lead to believe that Luna is just a normal woman. But she’s not…she’s so much more. I won’t tell you what she is, but know this, it’s really freaking cool. Elijah has a brother named Nathaniel who’s super sexy and smart. He’s helpful in moving our story forward. Luna has a sister named Stella who has something special on her own as well! IT IS SO INTERESTING. It’s not at all contrived or outlandish. It’s a brilliantly built world. 

I absolutely loved that Elijah and Luna were caught in a slow burn romance. They hate each other at the beginning. Elijah was burned by an ex (it’s much more complicated but you should read the book), so he doesn’t want to be fated to Luna. He doesn’t ever want to be in love again. He wants to continue living his pitiful existence alone and unhappy. Of course, fate has other plans. Luna doesn’t understand why Elijah hates her so much, but he’s a total a**hole to her all the time. This makes her hate him. Some parts of this book left me crying, other parts left me physically nauseous and heartbroken, but overall…this was truly a FANTASTIC book. When our two leads finally give in to each other and form their unbreakable bond it’s like fireworks. Seriously the sex is outrageous and completely delicious. BRAVO, Liza James. I’m totally on board for the next book. I need it. 5 stars!!

“We consume each other with every breath, love each other with every thought, and I realize that for the first time in my life, I feel whole again.”

“I never thought I’d love someone as much as I love you. You’ve changed my life, Luke. You and Grayson.” “No, baby,” I say, placing my hand over hers, staring intently into her eyes. “You gave me mine back.”

I’m currently suffering from a major book hangover after finishing this book. I’m recovering, or trying to. This story was surprisingly painful. I knew it was going to be a difficult read because of the nature of the story, but I wasn’t prepared. Make sure you have some tissues with you. You’re in for a bumpy ride.

To say this story holds a special place in my heart isn’t enough. This story is everything to me. It speaks volumes about grief and moving forward. It drives home the meaning of forgiveness. This is a story of second chances, of re-discovering what it means to fall in love. Harlow gives and takes equally from her readers throughout this book. This is a story of a man who lost his wife and, five years later, still isn’t over that loss. Luke hasn’t been able to move on from losing the love of his life, Hannah, in a car accident when his son, Grayson, was only three months old. Now, five years later, Luke is desperately in need of a nanny after his mother falls, and breaks her hip, and can no longer care for Grayson. That’s when Rachel comes into the picture. Rachel is Piper’s best friend from New York. Piper is the heroine in Harlow’s last book, Captivated. Rachel moves to Emerson Falls shortly after Piper and Cash get back together (if you haven’t read their book – DO IT NOW). She is planning on teaching elementary school, but needs to finish some classes in order to get her teaching license for the state. At the beginning of our novel, she’s currently living with Cash and Piper, but is looking for somewhere to move on her own. When she agrees to be Grayson’s nanny, Luke has her move into his house. (There are a few extra scenes in between that I’ve left out, but you’ll just have to read the book to see what you missed *wink wink*). 

These two characters are drawn to each other from the very beginning. Rachel lets herself get swept up in Luke and his life, she relishes in feeling like she belongs somewhere. She loves Grayson with her whole heart and thoroughly enjoys taking care of him. Luke is on the opposite end of the spectrum. He struggles daily with his attraction to Rachel. He feels like he is cheating on his late wife. He doesn’t want to move on from Hannah, and he’s constantly at war with himself as time moves forward and his attraction to Rachel only grows. When Luke finally gives in and takes Rachel out on a date, it’s like the stars have aligned. They share a beautiful weekend together and you think everything might finally work out…but you’re wrong. Luke still feels like something is holding him back. He can’t fully give himself to Rachel. Guys, I’ve got to admit, this was so difficult for me to read. I felt SO terrible for Rachel, feeling like she didn’t deserve this wishy-washy back and forth from Luke. But I also saw it from his perspective, he never truly had the chance to grieve for his wife. He jumped into being a single dad immediately. It wasn’t until he met Rachel that he started processing his loss and what it might mean to move on. That’s HUGE, right? I mean, how often is it that you read about someone simultaneously experiencing grief and falling in love? That’s what made this book so special. You get to experience a miraculous story about a brave man finding his way again. It brought so many tears to my eyes. 

Okay, I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this or not but Harlow named Rachel after me. That’s right folks! HOW FREAKING COOL IS THAT??? Okay, now that I’ve had my grand reveal (hehehe), let’s talk about this ending…I’m not giving anything away…but I just want to say that the epilogue was everything I needed. Specifically this: “Through therapy and being honest with Rachel over the past two years, I’ve been able to conquer a lot of my fears about death and moving on with my life…”. Truthfully, that gave me all the closure I needed for this story. It left me with so much hope for this couple, knowing that they have been through the ringer, but with each other they are able to get through anything. According to Luke, “feeling is living” and he was out of touch for so many years AND for most of this book! He wasn’t living until he met Rachel. She made him feel alive again and that’s because he felt SO much when he was with her. I’m such a huge proponent of living for the “now”. You never know when it will be your last day on this earth, so it’s important to have no regrets. Luke shows us what that means when he makes a conscious decision to move forward with his life. IT’S SUCH A PHENOMENAL STORY.

Last thing to discuss (I promise)…Grayson. He’s honestly one of my favorite parts of this story. Children either make or break a novel for me, and Grayson definitely exceeded all expectations. He loves facts about the human body. He’s so adorable and honest. He loves his dad fiercely. And he understands that his mom is in heaven. I think one of my favorite parts of this book was when Grayson said he has a “Heaven Mommy” but he wants an “Earth Mommy” too. Such a smart, sweet child. Harlow told me that she based his character on her son, and all I can think is “man, I would LOVE to meet her son!” Grayson is empathetic and gracious, and wicked smart. He’s the perfect missing puzzle piece to this story. I couldn’t have asked for a better written child. I’m blown away again by Harlow’s insane talent. This is not a story you want to miss out on. It tests your limits and asks a lot of you as a reader, but it’s well worth it. This story is definitely the most raw and the deepest of any of her books. If you’re anything like me, you’ll finish this book and need some time to simply sit and let it all sink in. It’s an incredibly powerful story and it leaves you feeling raw, but satisfied. I can’t compliment Harlow enough on how truly impressed I was with this masterpiece. I’m in complete awe of her talent. If you take anything away from this review, I hope it’s that you will give this story a chance. 5 stars!

“I’ll meet you on the other side of the stars.”

“I think that’s what it means to love the way I love you. To love so much you feel broken open and at the same time healed. Maybe that’s what it means to be vulnerable? Maybe that’s intimacy? Whatever it is, whatever it means, I don’t want it to ever end. I never want to stop feeling this kind of love for you. I want us to love each other this deeply, this powerfully, always. Promise me, Ryder.” I cup her cheek, bring her close for yet another gentle kiss. One of thousands and thousands I want from her for the rest of whatever time is given to us. “Promise, Sunshine. Always.”

**WARNING: SPOILERS**

I’m not really sure how to begin this review. This is a top 2020 read for me. It might even be one of the best books I’ve ever read. I was not prepared for how much this story would affect me. How ardently I would fall in love with these characters. This book meant so much to me, that it hurts to write about it. It feels like I’m bleeding on to the page right now. These emotions feel so personal, so raw and real. I’m humbled by and so completely enamored with this story. This was my first experience reading something written by Chloe Liese. I already purchased this book in paperback and have recommended it to anyone and everyone. This story needs to be shared.

The first thing that stuck out to me in this enemies-to-lovers sports romance were the roles. In *most* sports romance that you read, the man is the athlete. Not in this book! Willa is a college soccer star and she is phenomenal, the best on her team. She only has one problem – her business mathematics course. She is basically failing the class and feels as though her professor is out to get her. She’s constantly late to class, at no fault of her own, and has to miss classes and tests for away games. When she approaches her professor about it, he tells her to get her notes from another student in the class, Ryder. When Willa tries to speak to Ryder to ask him for a copy of the notes, he ignores her. And so the games begin.

“Hate, enmity, rivalry are all passionate responses. My personal theory is that they are incomplete expressions of one core human emotion: love.”

These two quarrel like nobody’s business. Ryder has a secret that he doesn’t share with Willa until the professor assigns them as partners for their final project. I won’t tell you what Ryder’s secret is, but know that it doesn’t stay secret for long. Willa deems them “frenemies” and they play pranks on each other whenever they can. It’s all fun and games until Ryder realizes that he has real feelings for Willa. She is a closed book. She doesn’t allow anyone in, emotionally, and she doesn’t allow herself to be vulnerable ever. We catch glimpses of her expressing herself when she visits her mom in the hospital. That’s another thing, Willa was raised by her mom and grandmother. Her grandmother passed away when she was in high school and now her mother has terminal cancer. Willa is afraid to let anyone in because she doesn’t want to lose anyone else. She keeps everything inside all the time. Ryder doesn’t even find out about Willa’s mom until reality comes knocking on his door. There’s so much that I can’t say in this review because I don’t want to give anything away. Just know that you should make sure you have tissues with you because this novel brings forth the waterworks.

We get explore grief during this novel. That’s always a really difficult subject for me to touch on. It’s hard to understand other people’s experience with grief when you can’t know exactly what they’re feeling. So, I hope this doesn’t count as a spoiler, but Willa’s mom dies in this book. It’s devastating. I was uncontrollably sobbing when I read through that section of the book.  Willa doesn’t have anyone else. She keeps everyone at arms length, except for her mother. Ryder tries to be there for her but she pushes him away. Her roommate steps in and helps her pick herself back up, but it’s not the same. After many weeks she starts seeing a grief counselor and things really turn around. It was beautiful to watch. I think therapy and counseling is so important for mental health. It always makes me happy to read about it in books. So, yes, Willa goes to therapy and Ryder opens himself up to be vulnerable with Willa. 

Okay, let’s talk sexual tension because HOLY MOLY does this novel have it in spades. Talk about a slow burn! It takes our couple almost the entire novel to sleep together. But that’s what makes the final moment so special. Ryder doesn’t want it to be just sex, and Willa is asking for no strings attached. The push and pull between these two is excruciatingly painful. All I wanted was for Ryder to pull Willa into his arms, but he had to let her come to him. He so flawlessly knew what she needed every single time. He let her make the final moves. He let her take the lead. He let her draw the line. But when she asked him to cut out his emotions, that’s where he took over. He told her exactly what he wanted and she followed his lead, thankfully. Our lovers are both explosive characters. They have incredible pasts, painful or not. 

I have to admit something to you guys. When our couple finally shared their first intimate moment, I actually cried. I was so joyous. I felt like I’d been waiting at the edge of my seat for so long. It was absolutely perfect. Actually, everything about this book was absolutely perfect. I can’t think of a single thing that I would change. To give this book 5 stars doesn’t seem like enough, it doesn’t feel like it does this story any justice. This was more than a 5 star read, to me. It was painful and rich and vibrant. It was everything I didn’t realize that I needed. It fed my soul. 

“I’m scared too, Sunshine. This is vulnerable shit.” His mouth is a breath away from mine. “I just know I’d rather be afraid with you than fearless with anyone else.”

“You’ll leave, because you know you deserve better. And I’ll have to let you, because I’ll know it too.”

This was my first experience with Melanie Harlow. I have seen so many of her books floating around and a lot of my bookstagram friends have reviewed for her, so I thought I’d give her a go. This story was the perfect jumping off point. A friends-to-lovers, age-gap romance with some extra sexy scenes. I couldn’t have asked for more!

Mack works alongside Frannie’s entire family at Cloverleigh Farms. They have everything from a wedding/event venue to a distillery. Frannie is the youngest child in her family, at 27 she still lives on her parents dime. She’s the baby, but they treat her with more caution and care because she has a heart defect. When she was a child, she had to have 3 different open heart surgeries. Needless to say, her parents have a difficult time letting go when it comes to her. Frannie works as a receptionist for her family’s company. She crosses paths with Mack every day, as he is the acting CFO. Mack has 3 young girls that Frannie ends up babysitting for most of this novel. He’s a great dad, but struggles with time management and keeping everything together when it comes to his girls. Mack has been lusting after Frannie for more than a year when he decides to act on it. Frannie has been in love with Mack for who knows how long, so she accepts his advances eagerly. Their secret love affair becomes not so secret after Frannie ends up telling her sisters and Mack tells his bestfriend, his mother, and his ex-wife. Their relationship starts to take a toll on him and he grows more and more insecure that he won’t be enough for Frannie. He fears he can’t give her everything that she needs because he has his 3 little girls to care for. This is ultimately their downfall. 

Frannie’s character is probably one of the most interesting that I’ve read. She doesn’t let the fact that her parents are overprotective, or the fact that she’s never really had a close relationship with her sisters get to her. She doesn’t have a chip on her shoulder like you might expect. She’s the kindest, most giving woman. It’s ridiculous how selfless she is. She drops everything for anyone. She’s genuine and even though Mack breaks her heart, she still shows up for his kids. She still loves and supports them. She doesn’t treat them any differently even though her heart is aching just being in the same room as them. That leads me into the next, probably best part of this novel. Winnie, Millie, and Felicity. Mack’s 3 little darlings. These girls are the most emotionally aware children that I’ve ever read about. The pick up on EVERYTHING. I mean everything. By the end of this book, they are telling Mack how to ask for forgiveness from Frannie.  They are begging him to get her back because of how miserable he’s made all of them with his grouchiness. Seriously, I’m blown away by these girls. They are fantastic. The perfect touch to make this story different enough to be memorable. 

Like I said before, this was my first Melanie Harlow book, but I’ve already downloaded the next book in the series, so you know it won’t be my last! I truly enjoyed myself. A great pallet cleanser, but also a slight tear-jerker. I definitely cried a little bit. Bravo! 5 stars! 

“If you love someone, nothing else should matter. You should do everything you can to be with them as much as possible.”

“I love you, too,” she whispered. “And I’m really scared.” “So am I. Scared shitless. But I realized that I’d rather have a year or a month or even a week of the happiness I feel when I’m with you than live in a place where I know I can’t get hurt. That’s not a life. Not a life I want anyway. I want a life with you for as long as you’l have me in it.” “Forever,” she said planting a kiss on my mouth. “That works for me.”

WARNING: This review does contain some spoilers!

It’s important to note that I’ve never read a fireman romance novel that I liked. I always feel like it’s too much of a stretch to be believable and sometimes the storylines are outlandish and a little too dramatic for my taste. That’s not the case with this book. This story is about a woman who is a volunteer firefighter and the man she falls for: her chief.  

I absolutely loved that this book was written with dual POVs. I always appreciate when we get to experience what both characters are thinking and feeling during a story. Especially with this one, when sh*t goes down a little over fifty percent of the way through the book, we are able to see the aftermath pretty quickly from both sides. 

Sophie is the bomb.com. She’s completely herself all the time, she loves her life (for the most part), she’s caring and considerate, she’s smart and driven, and she’s all about woman power. I love how spunky and sophisticated she is and how, even though she meets the man of her dreams, she doesn’t change anything about herself. She has absolutely no filter and that’s part of the reason Nick falls for her. Nick is a super sexy, cocky, motivated firefighter who shows up in Sophie’s hometown of Lilly Valley to interview for the position of firefighter chief. On his way to the interview, there is a major car crash that he pulls over and helps direct. That’s where he meets the volunteer fire fighter crew including Sophie (who is the one in charge) and the other men (none of which are important in any capacity). He falls for Sophie immediately, commenting on how she is the smallest firefighter he’s ever seen, but she knows what she’s doing and can command a group just as well as any man. He immediately wants to take her out and sleep with her, but before he can do that, he finds out that he got the job as chief over her. He still takes her out and they mess around a bit after she’s had a few drinks, but he tells her the next day who he is, and she is NOT about it. She’s furious with him for lying by omission and not telling her that he is the new chief even though she had been speaking poorly about whoever the new guy was the entire time they were drinking. It’s a pretty hilarious few chapters of Nick trying to get back into Sophie’s good graces.

Eventually Sophie gives in and invites him over and they get it on, and that’s when we find out that *ahem* Sophie is a VIRGIN! So now you know what “First In” actually means LOL. I love it. They have incredible sex and chemistry and, because there is no place to rent in town, Nick moves into Sophie’s house as her roommate. Now this is where I was a little sad and disappointed with the plot. We only get a few chapters of our couple being a happy couple. Just as soon as they are living together, Sophie overhears a conversation that ends with her kicking Nick out of the house. It was pretty upsetting. Although, in the end everything gets fixed up and our couple get their sweet HEA, I do wish we had been given more scenes of them together. I always enjoy basking in the happiness of a couple before the big bad thing that tears them apart comes into play. Anyway, overall I really enjoyed this novel and would definitely recommend it to a friend! 4 stars! 

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. 

“You heard me. I love you. And I need you. I need you in my life. Not as my deputy. Not as a friend. I need you like I need air. Like I need water.”

Holy H-E-Double hockey sticks (lolz because this is a football book). This story was EVERYTHING. I feel incredibly grateful that this author reached out to me to promote this novel. This is an enemies to lovers, sports romance (the best subtrope). It definitely has some LJ Shen-bully-vibes mixed with some good old fashioned Meghan Quinn-sports-comedy. Like it’s literally the best of both worlds. 

Our novel begins with us meeting our heroine, Callie, on her first day of college at Blairwood University. Something happened to Callie and she suffers from PTSD and disfigurement in the form of scars on her body. We learn that she used to be the most popular girl in school back in high school and that she lost her parents. The mystery surrounding how she got the scars, what happened to her parents, and why she suffers from guilt is maintained throughout most of the novel. Talk about brilliant writing. It is DIFFICULT to keep a reader interested for that long, it takes skill – mastery. I was flipping through the pages of this book as quickly as I could. I can’t wait to own this book in paperback. 

So yes, our heroine, Callie, has scars on her face and body from a traumatic experience a few years prior to when our story begins. She needs PT because her leg doesn’t work the way it used to and she needs counseling because her mind is so ridden with guilt. When our hero, Hayden, bumps into her on campus, everything comes rushing back. Callie and Hayden knew each other in high school. Hayden was in love with her and she abused that. An incident occurred and Hayden left school during their sophomore year and now, three years later, they run into each other again. That love has morphed into hatred for Hayden. He blames her for everything and holds onto that anger. For the first forty percent of the novel, Hayden taunts and manipulates Callie. He calls her “Beast” because of her scars and throws everything in her face. She’s strong though, she withstands everything. She holds her head up high, apologizes for the past, and tries to move forward. But…there’s an inkling of something under the surface for both of them. An undeniable attraction, a curiosity, a spark. When it ignites, it burns hotter than ever. They can’t get enough of each other. The rest is a snowball effect. The passion and the love that burns between these two is hypnotic. Even when we hit the tip of the iceberg and suddenly everything comes to a head, that desire is still there. 

Guys, I can’t even begin to describe the chemistry between these two. It’s palpable. There are so many delicious scenes in this book, you have GOT to read this. And then we have to talk about the side characters: Nixon, Chloe, Zane, and Yasmin. I cannot WAIT for Nixon and Yasmin’s book, it’s going to be epic. Nixon became Callie’s first friend when Hayden was awful to her at the beginning. He stood by her, was gentle and kind, and even stood up for her a few times. Yes, a lot of it was motivated by trying to get a rise out of Hayden, but eventually it became a real friendship. He is the class clown, a huge player, and a total tease. His story is going to be off the wall! 5 stars for this gorgeous, amazing tale! Can’t WAIT for more!!

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

“Hayden…he makes me want to dream again.”

“Nothing is better than laying on the tailgate of a truck looking at the stars while the crickets sing and the frogs call each other. That’s how you win the girl.”

This is book two in Andrea Johnston’s Country Road series and I’m completely in love with this world of characters. We meet Ashton and Jameson both in the first book, Whiskey & Honey. Ashton is Ben’s sister and Jameson is Ben’s best friend. Ash and Jameson have some pretty intense history that we don’t get to learn about until this book. They spend the entirety of book one fighting and hating each other so, so naturally, I was beyond excited to dive into their book. 

Ashton is a hot mess. I hate to say that, but she really is. She works as a bartender and lives with her parents. The her parents house gets torn apart by a massive tree and she has to move in with Jameson because she has nowhere else to go. This is a match made in…hell? She calls Jameson “Manwhore” all the time and he calls her “Sunshine”. She hates that nickname, but it never gets explained which was a little sad. Anyway, so she moves in with him and we find out a little about their history. Four years prior, on Ash’s twenty first birthday, they slept together, and it was epic. Life changing for both of them. But in the morning, Ash woke up in bed alone. To this day, she’s still heartbroken over it. Jameson never apologized and they never spoke about it again. So instead of facing her feelings or discussing why she’s so angry with him, she just calls Jameson names and makes his life a living hell. It’s honestly super immature and annoying. Thankfully, by the time we’re about twenty percent of the way into the book, she has called a truce between them. Now that she’s living with him, she decided to be nice and cordial. Jameson is insanely attracted to Ashton, even though he’s known her all his life, and even though he already had a taste of her…he craves her. Anytime she’s in the room, his eyes are on her. After a night of drinking, they sleep together again, for the second time. The next morning Jameson convinces Ashton to be friends with benefits with him. And so the feelings begin to grow. 

They sleep together for weeks, both of them finding comfort in each other. Ashton comments on how much she loves waking up to a cup of coffee at her bedside. Jameson talks about how much he loves to fall asleep with her in his arms. Yes, they are both in love before they even realize it. It’s Ashton’s insecurities and inability to trust Jameson that causes their ultimate downfall. I wasn’t surprised at all. She needed to learn to accept herself and confront how she really felt about Jameson before she could allow herself to openly love him. Thankfully she was seeing a therapist this entire time (god did she need one), so she was able to work through her emotions and figure out what she really needed. Jameson’s attempt to “woo” her was absolutely precious and perfect. I adored this novel, just like I did the first one. I can’t wait to read book 3! 4 stars!

“Memories are just reminders of what’s already happened, not a determination of what’s to come.”

“My heart has been bound to you since the moment I saw you standing there at the airport. You showed up one day out of the blue and changed my life forever, lass. Don’t you get it? You’re the one for me.”

**WARNING: SPOILERS**

Oh my goodness, I love love LOVED this story. I think I’ve got a thing for Irish men. Ellie Malouff tells the story of a Californian who gets a job transfer to Cork, Ireland. While navigating her life and her horrible boss, she falls in love with a hunky Irishman who shows her what it means to enjoy life. Man, this was the perfect story for me. Dreams really do come true.

Eoghan is absolutely delicious. He owns a pub but dreams of being a chef. He’s driven and smart and knows his way around the country. Juliana is a fresh-faced American, who is having a first time experience in Ireland. She loves photography and trying new things, but she’s also passionate about making sure she has her life in order. She has bills to pay and a reputation to uphold, so she’s a little straight-laced. She’s a strong, independent, smart woman. When she gets off the plane, she finds that she has no way of getting to her hotel. Her boss was supposed to pick her up, but he got caught up, so she has to take a cab. That’s where she meets Eoghan. He drives a cab on the side to help out his family, and he gives her a lift to her hotel. Although it’s lust at first sight, it quickly turns to love for Eoghan. He convinces her to let him take her around and show her all the sights because she loves taking photographs. Eventually, he convinces her to move in with him and rent out his extra bedroom. We all know how that turns out. These two fall into a perfect romance, they complete each other and it’s so special.

Now let’s talk about sexual harassment. That’s a huge topic in this book, and I think out author did a great job of representing it. It’s not always something that seems like it should be reported, but it is. Juliana is taken advantage of by her boss on multiple occasions, but she’s too afraid to report him. She fears for her job and that she would be forced to leave the country she loves so much. That fear isn’t unfounded. As it turns out, her boss does try to force her out of Ireland after many failed attempts to seduce her. She feels insecure and afraid that her work is not up to par when he begins to punish her for not returning his affections. At the end of our novel, the author writes about a lawsuit that helps clear up the allegations and give Juliana the financial freedom she so desperately needs. It’s a beautiful happily ever after that, sadly, not all women get to experience. It really brought this novel full circle for me. 

I thought our author did a beautiful job of painting us a gorgeous picture of Ireland, the countryside and the city. I felt truly immersed in the culture as I read. This was a perfect HEA for me, and I’m so glad I took some time to read it. Bravo! 4 stars!

“You came back,” I whispered. “I came home,” she says.

“I’m choosing you now, new girl. I’m choosing us. Nothing else matters. The past is the past. I want today and the future with you. I’m all yours, Zo. Every single day, for the rest of our lives. Only yours.”

**WARNING: SPOILERS**

I seriously LOVED this book. It was incredibly painful to read, though. It hurt like hell. In the beginning, Delaware, our leading man, leaves his girlfriend Zoey and we don’t know why. The breakup is so real, I was crying while reading it. I never cry at the beginning of books! Like ever! I have to be attached to the characters first, usually. But not with this novel, nope. The breakup was a reflection of something I’ve been through, like I said, it was real and insanely painful. It brought up so many emotions that I’d been keeping inside. I think anyone who loses their first love will understand that pain that Zoey feels. What’s even worse is that we don’t understand why Del is doing it. We find out later and it makes it that much worse. What Zoey went through is not something that anyone should ever have to experience. I can’t imagine her pain. When you read the book, you’ll understand what I mean.

Let’s not forget the love triangle. Holy hell. NOPE. I can’t do love triangles. Cannot do that. I’m serious. But…I made an exception for this book. It HURT. Reading about Blue, Delaware’s brother, and how much he loved Zoey, it was almost too much to take. The poor guy just couldn’t catch a break. And the thing is…he kind of deserved Zoey. I know that sounds bad because Zoey is her own person and she is allowed to choose who she wants to love, but Blue was there for her when Del couldn’t be. Blue stuck by her side through everything. I really hope he gets his own book where he finds true love because he deserves his own happily ever after. 

“You keep doing it.” “Doing what?” “Being you. The you I fell for a million years ago. The you I thought I would never get back.”

Zoey forgives Del for everything he did to her and said to her. Although a lot of readers didn’t like the fact that she was able to move forward with Del, I think it shows immense strength on Zoey’s part. She was torn apart by Delaware, but she was able to forgive him because he was sick. She recognized that addiction is a sickness, not a choice. This is something I truly believe as well. Del went to rehab and turned his life around, he fought his way back to her. She was able to see that for what it was – true love. That makes her such an inspiration, in my opinion. She was also able to admit that, although she loved Blue, she wasn’t in love with him. It would have been so easy for her to fall into a relationship with Blue because of convenience, but she chose to stay true to her heart. 

Man this book left me a puddle of tears. My heart wasn’t prepared. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of reading this and can’t wait for the next book in this series – I really hope there is one. Andrea Hopkins did a phenomenal job. 4 stars!

“I’m here, new girl. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”