Someone to Love - Donna Alward (St Martins - Mar 2017)

Series: Darling VT (Book 2)

SOME WISHES DO COME TRUE

Ethan Gallagher is a firefighter in Darling, Vermont, who followed tradition and pledged his love on the Kissing Bridge to ensure lifelong happiness. A few years later, he’s a widower with two rambunctious boys who no longer believes in magic. But even he has to admit that free-spirited Willow Dunaway fills him with wonder…and an attraction he cannot deny.

Willow’s come back to Darling a different girl than the one who left after high school. Overcoming her past and owning her own business has made her into a strong, independent woman. Single dad Ethan appeals to her in a way she didn’t expect, even though settling down is the last thing on her mind. But after fire destroys the local food bank, the town rallies, and a fling between Ethan and Willow leads to unintended consequences. Can they find a way out of their heartbreak to make a home in each other’s hearts?

Emotional story of two people who seem like complete opposites but have more in common than they expect. Willow was a big part of the previous book, Somebody Like You, as Laurel's quirky best friend. She owns the Purple Pig Café, a healthy food restaurant, has colored streaks in her hair, a tattoo and a pierced nose, and does yoga and meditation. She has her life together just as she wants it to be. Ethan is a firefighter, widower, and father of two little boys. Though he has family to help, he often feels overwhelmed, guilty about taking advantage of them, and bitter about the loss of the life and dreams he'd had. Ethan frequently appears as grumpy, uptight, and brooding.

There are sparks between Ethan and Willow from the beginning, albeit unwilling ones. Their first couple of encounters don't go all that well. Willow sees Ethan as grumpy and judgmental and wonders how he can be such a grouch around his two adorable boys. She definitely gets the feeling that he looks down on her. At the birthday dinner at his parents' house, Ethan is snarky and snide about her yoga and meditation. It isn't until a little later that we get to see that it is really a bad case of envy that has Ethan behaving so badly. But as Fate finds ways to throw them together, Willow and Ethan discover that they have a connection that neither can deny.

I enjoyed seeing Willow and Ethan get to know each other, their early encounters facilitated by Ethan's sons. I loved the way that Willow stepped in to watch the boys when Hannah couldn't. She doesn't have much experience with kids, and it was fun to see her deal with the little crises that are inevitable. She was well on her way to falling for Ethan's sons. Ethan made me mad with his attitude when he arrived. I got that he was in pain, and frustrated, but he could have been at least a little grateful. One of my favorite parts was the day he took the kids to the Pig and had to eat a little crow along with the brownie. This begins a slow building relationship as Ethan and Willow acknowledge that they are drawn to each other. With each encounter, Ethan finds himself a little closer to being the man he used to be, able to smile and laugh and just be himself. But both are also wary of getting too involved. Ethan has been hurt so badly by the loss of his wife that he is reluctant to open himself up to that level of caring. Willow has issues from her past that she thought she had come to terms with, but because of her growing feelings for Ethan, she realizes that she had simply buried them beneath her surface serenity.

When the building attraction finally hit its combustion point, the result was frightening for each of them. Neither expected it to be as intense as it was, which sent both Ethan and Willow scrambling for cover. There was a lot of soul-searching and worry about being "ready" that neither was ready to face. The last several chapters were intense and emotional as something comes up that causes a collision between Willow's past and her future. I ached for her as she had to face those memories and make some decisions. I understood why she handled it the way she did, but I could see the trouble that was waiting for her. I could also understand Ethan's anger at what he saw as her betrayal. The pain that each experienced was heartwrenching, and I wondered how they were ever going to find their way back together. A scare brought on by an encounter with a bicycle opens Ethan's eyes to the truth. There was a terrific conversation between Ethan and Aiden that helped Ethan have the courage to open his heart completely to Willow. I also loved seeing Willow own up to her mistakes and take her own leap of faith. The icing on the cake was the final scene with Ethan's sons and Willow.

Somebody Like You - Donna Alward (St Martins - Feb 2017)

Series: Darling VT (Book 1)

A Kiss To Last A Lifetime

Aiden Gallagher was only five years old when he appeared in a photograph on the Kissing Bridge. The town of Darling, Vermont, has used Aiden’s image on the famed bridge―local legend has it that a kiss there results in everlasting love―as part of its tourism campaign. Now, twenty years later, Aiden is asked to recreate the moment with the woman he once kissed: Laurel Stone.

Recently divorced, there’s nothing Laurel wants less than to pretend happily-ever-after with Aiden. As teenagers, their romance was no fairy tale―and Laurel has never quite forgiven Aiden for breaking her heart. But now that she is back in her hometown, and keeps bumping into police officer Aiden, Laurel can’t deny that there’s still a strong flicker between her and her old flame. Could it be that the Kissing Bridge is working its magic on Laurel and Aiden―and that all true love ever needed was a second chance?

Very good second chance story. When they were five years old, Laurel and Aiden were photographed kissing on the legendary Kissing Bridge. When they were in high school, their brief romance ended when Aiden made a stupid mistake, hurting and humiliating Laurel, which led to some humiliation for Aiden. The town uses the photograph to promote its tourism, and someone has come up with the idea to recreate the photo. Aiden is willing, but Laurel is much harder to convince. Laurel returned to Darling after her divorce, determined to move on. She is happy and busy, reconnecting with friends and getting her new garden center up and running. The last thing she wants to do is get involved with Aiden, who she has still not forgiven.

I enjoyed the development of Laurel and Aiden's relationship. It starts out a bit rough, as their first encounter is when police officer Aiden responds to a report of vandalism at Laurel's business. Aiden is professional but friendly, ready to move past their teenage idiocy. Laurel realizes that she is still holding on to the past when Aiden makes a point of apologizing. Aiden is drawn to the grown-up Laurel's beauty, both inside and out, and wants to spend more time with her. Laurel is drawn to Aiden also, but her divorce has made her very wary of getting involved with someone else. I really loved seeing them get to know each other. Laurel is kindhearted and sweet, which sometimes works against her when others take advantage. She struggles with the effect her divorce has had on her dreams for the future and her confidence in herself. This creates a conflict in her relationship with Aiden, as she tries to deny her growing feelings for him to protect her heart. Aiden is patient, sweet and charming as he works his way past Laurel's walls. The dates he came up with showed just how much he understood her. There is also a vulnerability to him, as we see him have trouble expressing his feelings and suffer from the occasional "foot-in-mouth" moment. I loved how they slowly opened up to each other, sharing their hurts as well as the good times. I ached for Aiden when he shared his feelings for Laurel, and her fears made her push him away. It took working together to help a friend to close that divide. Laurel also had to face the fears that were holding her back. Aiden's big moment at the end was romantic and awesome.

I loved the small town setting and the characters that live there. The secondary characters were unique and well developed. I loved Aiden's relationship with his family members, with their teasing and nosiness and obvious love for each other. I loved the little bits that showed Aiden purposely doing some things to irritate his brother Rory. I also loved how the family quickly pulled Laurel into their circle. Laurel's friend Willow was a blast with her new agey style and direct attitude. She was always there for Laurel, even when Laurel didn't realize it. I loved her parts in helping Aiden. My favorite character was the homeless man, George. I loved how we first witness Aiden's kindness and sensitivity in the way that he treats George, and how that attitude rubs off on Laurel. I loved watching the changes in George as he benefits from their actions. Like Laurel and Aiden, I wanted to know more about who he was and what brought him to Darling. I loved George's interactions with them, especially the conversations that he and Lauren had. I felt Lauren's fear for him when he was missing and her determination to find him.