Another really great, emotional read with an ending that's wrapped up too quickly. I really wish Sarah Mayberry would move out of category romances so that the line requirements wouldn't hinder the endings. She's a really terrific writer and handles serious subjects responsibly, but these endings are killing me.

Also, there's a brief whiff of some not-quite-homophobic shit in the beginning related to the lady protagonist's hairstyle (short and no-nonsense) and her style choices (or lack thereof). Based on these unquestionable clues and following an awkward conversation, Jon (our dude-pro) assumes Gabby is a lesbian. But look, lesbians are not a monolith and have style across a huge range (the range is all-of-it, actually), nor do they corner the market on short hair. It's a very minor plot contrivance, but it's one that annoyed me. Anyway, I'll read the preceding book, just because. ( )

There are sequels and there are sequels. Oh that all were as good as this one.

According to the author's introduction, this story grew spontaneously from [b:The Last Goodbye|8940946|The Last Goodbye|Sarah Mayberry|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51j0Ff1ueZL._SL75_.jpg|13817625]. The spontaneity shows in the almost seamless seque from the characters and events in the first book.

While Tyler and Ally, the protagonists of [b:The Last Goodbye|8940946|The Last Goodbye|Sarah Mayberry|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51j0Ff1ueZL._SL75_.jpg|13817625], bask in the sunlight of their mutual adoration, the focus turns to Jon, Tyler's elder brother and another victim of their father's physical abuse. Instead of a simple POV switch, Ms Mayberry introduces a completely different dynamic into the story. Jon's trauma is far more deep-rooted than was Tyler's, and the romantic element is provided by a feisty and self-reliant employee of Tyler's furniture workshop whose only obvious hangup is that Tyler, the love of her life, has settled down with Ally.

As with the previous book, Ms Mayberry skilfully crafts a convincing and satisfying narrative, demonstrating total control of her material. ( )

I struggled a bit with the wrong assumptions of both characters in the beginning, but as always Mayberry delivered. I even got teary at the and. ( )

I'm pretty sure this is the first category romance I've ever read. No particular reason for that, other than I find the category books a bit overwhelming when I look at them on the rack at the store (or even online.) So many different lines and series to try and sort out. I probably wouldn't have read this one if it weren't for some fabulous people here on GR that talked about how amazing it was. And they were right!

This book was lovely. These were real people with real problems. They had baggage, but it was believable baggage and the way they dealt with it made sense.

For the most part, I liked Gabby. I found her stubbornness a touch annoying in places, but luckily for her, our hero found it endearing. I did love her relationship with Tyler and Ally (her ex and his wife.) It was extremely refreshing to read about people that had broken up but don't hate each other.

The hero, Jon, is Tyler's brother. He carries a lot of guilt because he wasn't able to save Tyler from their abusive parents. He and Gabby get off to a rocky start, but it was interesting to watch their relationship evolve.

One bonus to this book was watching the relationship between the two brothers grow. They had not been close, Jon had left the country as soon as he was old enough to and they hadn't really seen each other in years. Watching them rebuild a brotherly bond was touching.

I will definitely be picking up Tyler and Ally's book.

( )

Who would have thought this was such a great story! I'm not normally a Harlequin reader, but this contemporary romance was so highly recommended to me I gave it a shot and it did not disappoint. Tight story, no filler, lots of emotion and a voice that rang true. Set in Australia, this is a keeper, now I've got to read the previous book in this series about Tyler and Ally's story. ( )