A Summer to Remember - Marilyn Pappano (Forever, July 2016)

Series: Tallgrass (Book 6)

FIRST LOVE NEVER FADES . . .

It's been a long time since widow Fia Thomas felt the spark of physical attraction. But from the moment she meets Elliot Ross one stormy night, she yearns for a fresh start, for him to make her feel whole and well again. With his broad shoulders and a warm smile crinkling his dark eyes, he could finally offer her the solace she's been seeking. And she's willing to give him anything in return . . . except a promise that could break his heart.

Now that Elliot is out of the Army, he's looking for a place to call home. Tallgrass was just a stop to stretch his legs, yet one look at Fia halts him in his tracks. In her sweet, sassy company, he finds the soul mate he never thought he'd have. But Fia is holding something back-something that keeps her from making any plans. Elliot's new mission: gain Fia's trust...and convince her that summer's end can mean a new beginning.

Good book. Fia and Elliot meet by chance one night in the rain. Elliot has recently left the army and is looking for a place to call home. During the journey he rescued and adopted a dog he named Mouse, and it is while walking her in the rain that he meets Fia. Fia is one of Tallgrass's Margarita Girls, an army widow putting her own life back together.

I loved both Elliot and Fia. Elliot is one of those naturally upbeat people. He is sweet and sensitive and just plain wonderful with people. He's been wandering the country for six months, working odd jobs and looking for a place where he feels at home. He's a good looking man who loves women, but is not a player. He loves to cook and bake and make people happy. He grew up in a happy family, with parents who loved each other and their kids, and is looking for some of that for himself.

Fia has had a tougher life. She grew up with parents who didn't want her and made sure she knew it. She was pretty wild as a youngster, until she met and married Scott. They had been happy together until he was killed in the war, and she was back to being on her own. Fortunately she has the other Margarita Girls as her support, which becomes very important when she starts suffering from a mysterious illness.

I loved the development of the relationship between Elliot and Fia. There were sparks between them from the moment they met. Elliot's attention makes Fia feel like a normal woman again, something that has been missing for a long time. Elliot believes he may have finally found the woman who will give his heart a home to belong to. I loved seeing them get to know each other, sharing meals and walks with the dog. Elliot finds a job as a baker with two of the other Margarita Girls, Patricia and Lucy. Fia is happy to enjoy her time with Elliot for as long as it lasts. She keeps her health issues under wraps, not wanting to wreck her relationship with him. By the time she realizes that her feelings for him have grown deeper than she planned, she doesn't know how to tell him. Elliot's feelings for Fia grow quickly, though he senses that she is holding something back. I ached for Elliot when Fia had an episode with her illness and he had no idea what to do. Then Fia tried to push him away, not wanting to be a burden to him. I loved how Elliot refused to be pushed, and instead showed her just how much he cared. Her illness wasn't minimized, instead they had realistic conversations about it, and Elliot made clear that he was with her no matter what. I loved seeing her allow herself to lean on him. I loved the ending and Elliot's heartfelt statement of his feelings.

There was also a secondary story involving another Margarita Girl, Marti. She has been on her own for several years and is managing just fine. Then her life is shaken up a bit, as her fourteen year old niece, Cadence, comes to live with her for a year while her parents are overseas. Cadence is a sweet girl and fits in better than expected into Marti's life. There are some really sweet scenes between the two of them. I especially liked the one where Cadence takes it upon herself to add some color to Marti's wardrobe. It is also though Cadence and her love of horses that Marti is brought into contact with Dillon. Dillon was the wild child in his family and ended up making some bad decisions in his life. He's back in Tallgrass after having paid for those decisions. He and Marti are unexpectedly drawn to each other. I loved seeing the beginnings of something special between them, and would love to see a book with their story. I'd also like to see more of Cadence, who I think would have a much happier life with her aunt than with her own parents.

A Promise of Forever - Marilyn Pappano (Forever - June 2015)

Series: Tallgrass (Book 4)

Sergeant First Class Avi Grant's return to Tallgrass, Oklahoma is a long-deferred wish come true. With her final tour in Afghanistan over, Avi can focus on her future-a job here at home and a family of her own. There's just one thing she has to do first: visit her beloved commanding officer's widow and share her grief. The last thing she expected was to feel an instant attraction to the woman's son. Too bad the sexy surgeon is impossible to ignore . . . and even harder to resist.

The sting of his parents' divorce still niggles at Ben Noble. So when a warm, funny, and beautiful young sergeant arrives, mourning his stepfather's loss as strongly as his mother does, Ben can't help but feel conflicted. If his parents taught him anything, it's that love doesn't last-especially with a career soldier. But try as he might to keep his distance, Ben begins to see that Avi-and the spark she brings to his life-is the stuff forever is made of. As Avi's leave ticks away, can Ben convince her to take a chance on forever with him?

In the previous book, A Love to Call Her Own, we met Patricia and Ben. Patricia is the newest member of the widows group, the Tuesday Night Margarita Club. Ben is her estranged son. He is a surgeon who lives in nearby Tulsa. In the previous book he began to reconnect with his mother, after his stepfather's death. He comes to Tallgrass on weekends to see if she needs anything. Their relationship is slowly improving, though still somewhat strained. He still resents that she left his father, sisters and him to marry George, and pretty much ignored them for years.

Avi is a soldier home on a month's leave. Her grandparents lived in Tallgrass and her parents recently moved there. George had been a good friend of her parents and a mentor and role model for her. She had been serving with him in Afghanistan when he was killed, and it was one more death on top of others that have left her hurting. One of the first things she plans to do is visit Patricia. She does not expect to meet Ben.

The attraction between Ben and Avi is immediate. Neither one is particularly happy about it  at first. Avi knows she only has one month in Tallgrass before she returns to Georgia and her next duty assignment. Getting involved with a man who is rooted in Oklahoma would not be smart. Ben certainly isn't looking to get involved with someone in the army. First, he associates the army with his mother's desertion of the family. Second, he has no desire to uproot his own life and leave his practice and his sisters behind.

I liked the development of their relationship. They acknowledged the attraction and were honest with each other about their future plans. Avi has eight years left in the army before she retires. She likes what she does and plans to stay. She wants a family of her own, and hopes to find someone that's right for her. Ben is clear on his plans to stay in Oklahoma. They make the decision to spend time together anyway. They know their relationship has an "expiration date" but spend as much time together as they can. I loved seeing how much fun they had together. Though they don't always see eye to eye on everything, there are no major disagreements between them. I especially loved seeing how Avi's relationship with Patricia and George, and sharing memories of him, helps Ben deal with some of the resentment he still had. As the days went on Ben and Avi both realized that their feelings were growing far deeper than they had planned. I ached for them both as it looks like there is no way for them to be together. Avi has no real choice, as she still has at least two years before she could get out, even if she wanted to. Ben I wanted to shake a few times, because it would be so easy for him to pick up and go. I loved the heart to heart conversation with Patricia that makes him think about his future without Avi, and his sisters' two cents that seal the deal. His big moment at the end was great.

I loved the realism of the life of the military people and their families in Tallgrass. The good is shown with the bad, such as the depth of the friendships and the support that is always there. There is also the bad, such as the deaths, injuries, and mental problems. We were introduced to Calvin Sweet, another Tallgrass native, who is having trouble dealing with the memories that have built up over the years. A heartbreaking and scary moment with him is an excellent lead-in to the next book. I also liked seeing more of Lucy and Joe, who are good friends. It becomes increasingly clear that Joe would like more than just friendship, but Lucy is blind to it.

There are also some wonderfully fun moments to lighten the mood. The post-it notes that Avi's mom leaves around the house for her were great. I loved her parents' attitude toward Avi and Ben's relationship, accompanied by a terrific scene with Ben's mom the night before Avi leaves to return to Georgia.  My heart melted when Avi went to the animal shelter with her mom and came home with a new friend.