Kate Hoffmann

Good reunion story with some added steam. When they were kids, Devin's mom worked for Elodie's parents as a maid. Her parents were the richest people in town, owned the mill where most people worked, as well as most of the stores in town. As teenagers, they had a secret romance, until her parents found out and sent her away to school. Not long after that, her parents went bankrupt, closing the mill and losing everyone's pension funds.

Years later, Devin is the police chief of the economically show more struggling town. He's fairly content with his life, watching out for the people of the town. Then Elodie returns to Winchester. Her plan is to sell the old mansion then return to her job in New York. When she and Dev see each other again, their lives are upended.

Overall, I liked Elodie. I loved the scene in the prologue, showing what a sweet kid she was and the beginning of her connection to Dev. When she returned to town, she was pretty sure she wasn't going to be welcomed with open arms, and she was right. I thought she handled peoples' attitudes with class and humor, as shown in the scene at the town picnic. Seeing Dev again reignited the old sparks, and suddenly she wasn't sure what she should do. Being with him brings back so many good memories, plus the heat between them is incredible. But she's also afraid of losing control of her life if she gets too involved with him. She has an idea for something to do with the house that could also help the town, but when she runs into problems, she won't let him help. I got really frustrated with her refusal to let him be part of her dream. I did like her determination to make it happen, and that she was finally able to let go of her fears and see that Dev wouldn't try to take control from her.

I loved Dev. He was a real sweetheart of a man. His love for the people of his town was evident in everything he did. It was terrific to see the lengths he went to in order to help the teenager Jimmy Joe. He had never forgotten Elodie, and having her back in town gave him an opportunity he wasn't gong to ignore. Now that the division of rich girl and maid's son no longer exists, he plans to pursue her. I loved the protectiveness he showed when some of the angrier victims of her father get in her face. I also understood why he was so upset when she didn't share her plans with him. I thought it was really sweet of him to want to help her make her dream come true when he found out about his inheritance. Her refusal was hard for him because of the way he cared for her, but he loved her enough to let her go for it on her own terms. I loved his "go big" moment at the end, and the scene with the trains was especially wonderful.

I also liked Dev's mother and the way she took care of Elodie and the house, even though she didn't have to. She also had a couple good "gotcha" moments with Dev, letting him know he wasn't fooling her about his feelings for Elodie. There was quite a surprise involving her and her past that makes a terrific lead in for the next book in the Quinn saga. show less

Good book that follows Eli Montgomery, half brother of the New Zealand Quinns. Though he never knew his father, Eli is very much like him. He is a restless soul who loves the challenges of the wilderness. He also has a great respect for the dangers it holds. When he found out that a woman was planning to spend the next year living in his grandmother's old cabin by herself, he was worried about what could happen to her.

Lucy has set herself the challenge of living by herself like the previous show more owner of the cabin. She has read Trudie's journals and has sold the idea to make a television show about it. The rules are that she gets no outside assistance, other than monthly deliveries of supplies. Her intentions are tested when the first delivery is made by Eli, Trudie's grandson. Besides being incredibly good looking, he is worried about her safety, something that Lucy has never experienced before. She is the product of foster homes and has learned the hard way that she can only depend on herself.

I loved Lucy's independence. She knows what she wants and has no trouble going after it. She may be a little overconfident in her abilities, but she has the determination to push through until she succeeds. She does see the sense in accepting Eli's advice on how to do some things, though she works very hard at keeping him from doing things for her. I really enjoyed seeing her accomplish the things she did, and have the feelings of satisfaction that came with it.

I really liked the way that their relationship built slowly. At first Eli kept to the once a month rule, but gradually started visiting more often. I liked the way that he understood what she was trying to do and supported her efforts. All the time that they spent together gave them the opportunity to really get to know each other. Though they had started out simply enjoying their physical relationship and not wanting any commitments, Eli began to realize that he wanted more. Lucy got really used to having Eli around, and that started to make her very nervous. Because of her past, she has no idea what love is like, all she knows is that she feels like she is changing and it scares her. She feels like she is losing sight of who she is.

When the television people cancel her project, Lucy is heartbroken at having to leave it all behind. Eli has offered to help her continue, but she's afraid that it would mean losing the heart of what she was trying to do. It isn't until she leaves it all behind that she begins to see the truth of what she feels. I loved the ending and seeing how Eli had the patience to wait for Lucy to work through her issues. I really liked how he had spent his time while waiting for her.

I also enjoyed seeing Eli come to terms with his own past. The surprise that he gets because he is a Quinn by blood also gives him the resources to give Lucy the help she needs, if he can get her to accept it. I loved the epilogue, the trip to Ireland, and the other surprise that was waiting for him there. I would have liked to see a reunion included in the epilogue. show less

Very good book. Thom is the bad boy of the hockey team. He's awesome and focused when he's on the ice, but off the ice, he's out of control. When some particularly bad photos surface, team management has had enough. They plan to trade him, and until they do, he'd better mend his ways. Otherwise, the trade won't be one he'll like. Boss's daughter and social media specialist, Malin, is put in charge of making it happen. Malin is determined to prove herself to her father and thinks that if she show more can reform Thom, she'll finally earn his respect. But she doesn't expect the intense attraction that has her interested in more than just his public reputation.

I loved the development of their relationship. It isn't smooth, and it isn't easy, but it feels real. Both Thom and Malin have some deep-seated issues that make the possibility of a real relationship hard for them to believe. Thom grew up in difficult circumstances, and hockey was his ticket out. His reputation as "The Beast" is how he sees himself, and if he doesn't have that, he isn't sure who he is. He understands Malin's plan for his makeover, but he's not so sure he wants it. Malin starts out seeing Thom as her ticket to her father's respect. She is certain that she can turn him into a man that is respected. But the more she gets to know him, the more she realizes that there is already a good man under that beastly exterior. The attraction between them is hot and strong, and they have to decide if giving into it would be worth the possible consequences.

It starts out a little rough when Malin isn't entirely honest with Thom about the team's plans for him. Between that and his insecurity over his belief of why she wants him to change, Thom feels hurt and angry. An open and honest discussion of means and motivation went a long way toward repairing their growing friendship. There were some terrific scenes of Malin's makeover attempts, from Thom's introduction to Twitter to a "spa day." Even better was the growing connection between them. I loved seeing Thom's transformation as his feelings for Malin made him want to be a better man. There are still obstacles to overcome, such as Thom's difficulty with sharing when it comes time to make an important decision. Malin also has to face her own insecurities when parts of Thom's past make her realize that she still has some trust issues. I loved the ending as a surprise twist made their patience well worth the effort.

I enjoyed the secondary characters also. Thom's brothers provide some insight into the far-reaching effects of their childhood, while their grandmother shows that they do have an ability to give love. There is a brief appearance by a little boy who showcases Thom's empathy for someone going through the same things he did as a kid. There's also a bit of foreshadowing of Thom's future. Malin's father rubbed me the wrong way for a good part of the book, both because of his hard attitude toward Thom and his apparent lack of respect for Malin and her work. He did redeem himself somewhat at the end. On the other hand, I loved Malin's mom, Lillian. She seemed to have a good handle on how to deal with her husband. I also loved her memories of the early days of her marriage and the effect they had on Malin's relationship with Thom. She also had a pretty sweet scene with Thom at the charity ball. show less

Good book. Gabe has been in love with Annie for years, ever since he and his best friend Erik met her. But Erik got to her first, so Gabe buried his feelings and was a good friend to both. After Erik died in a training accident, Gabe did his best to support Annie. But all that time together pushed his self-control until he stole a kiss. It was too much, too soon, and Annie pushed him away.

Two years have gone by when Gabe sees Annie again. His feelings haven't changed, and he still wants her. show more But Annie still grieves for Erik and the life they could have had. Even if she were ready to move on, Annie would not fall in love with another military man. She wants a man who will be home every night and doesn't risk his life every day.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Gabe and Annie. When Gabe shows up at Annie's sailing school, there is no denying the sparks between them. Gabe is ready to pursue Annie but runs into a roadblock when she makes it clear she doesn't want a relationship. She's okay with a friends with benefits arrangement, but risking her heart isn't going to happen.

Gabe was a bit on the cocky side, confident that he could win Annie over to his side. Meanwhile, Annie has set a goal of finishing the boat that Erik was restoring and sailing it from Maryland to California by herself. This is her method of closure, and nothing will deter her. Gabe is super-protective of Annie and makes his disapproval of her plan known, but helps her ready the boat anyway. I liked watching them get to know each other along the way, deepening their connection from friends to something more. Annie is still resistant, determined to protect her heart until a crisis with Gabe opens her eyes. The two of them still can't agree on the future, and harsh words are exchanged.

I liked how some time apart gave both Gabe and Annie time to reflect on what they want. I liked how Gabe finally realized how important the journey was for Annie, and that Annie accepted Gabe as he was. I liked how they managed their goals, with neither one sacrificing everything. Gabe's big moment at the end was terrific.

My only quibble with the book was a relatively minor one. The school that both Gabe and Erik graduated from was the US Naval Academy. It is generally referred to as the Academy or the Naval Academy - always capitalized. The references here were not capitalized, which was irritating to me. On the other hand, Marine was capitalized correctly throughout the book, which was a nice change from most Harlequins. show less