4.5 stars.

Shirlee McCoy's The House on Main Street is a heartfelt romance that pretty much stole my heart from the very first page. Genuine and likable characters, a warm and endearing plot and a lovely small town atmosphere prove to be quite an irresistible combination in this first installment of the Apple Valley series.

The bright spot in Tessa McKenzie's unhappy childhood was her close friendship with Cade Cunningham but his relationship with her sister Emily precipitated Tessa's hasty departure years earlier. Now a successful interior designer, Tess has little choice but to return to her small town after Emily's death. Tessa's intention is to sell her sister's house and business as quickly as possible and move her nephew Alex and her cantankerous Aunt Gertrude back to Annapolis with her. But that decision is quickly complicated by the realization that the last thing that Alex needs is another change in his life. And then there's the small matter of the surprising attraction that is sizzling between Tessa and Cade...

Tess is a vibrant and likable character and I found her very easy to relate to. In the wake of Emily's death, she is wracked with regret over past decisions but she does not dwell on them. Instead, she learns from her mistakes and moves on as best she can under the circumstances. I like how she is able to put Alex's needs ahead of her own desires and in doing so, she begins to find the positive side of life in a small town.

Tess's relationship with Gertrude is contentious and these two butt heads at just about every turn. Misunderstandings from Tess's childhood continue to plague them and their fragile truces are often short lived. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at their frequent clashes and I was moved to tears when Gertrude finally opened up to Tess.

But the absolute best part of The House on Main Street is Tess's friendship with Cade. Their friendship remains intact despite the passage of time and genuine warmth and mutual respect underscores all of their scenes. No matter how much Tess tries to protect herself, there is no mistaking how much these two care about one another.

The House on Main Street is a delightfully sweet romance with plenty of substance and very little angst. Shirlee McCoy's beautiful descriptions bring the town and its inhabitants exquisitely to life. Intriguing glimpses of Charlotte Garrison and Max Stanford will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment of the Apple Valley series.
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This was a good, small-town, friends to lovers story. Ten years earlier, Tessa left her small town to escape the memories of her childhood, and to stop cleaning up the messes her older sister created. She built a good life and a successful career as an interior designer on the east coast. When her sister and brother in law died in a car accident, Tessa found herself the guardian of her autistic nephew and owner of their Victorian house and antique shop. She was determined to dispose of the house as quickly as possible and move Alex and Aunt Gertrude back to Maryland with her. But that proved to be easier said than done.

I admit that I had a little trouble liking Tessa at the very beginning. She seemed very focused on the inconvenience of being there and her own desire to get back east. There didn't seem to be much sympathy in her for the effect of the changes on her aunt and nephew. That changed pretty quickly as her grief and regrets over her estrangement with her sister were revealed. I ached for her, too, because she was at a loss on how to connect with Alex. That was complicated by the way that Aunt Gertrude always made her feel that whatever she did was wrong. Add to that the stress of cleaning up the last of the messes Emily left behind, and my sympathy for Tessa overcame my dislike. She completely won me over when she realized that she couldn't take Alex away from the only home he'd ever known. Then there was Cade - her childhood friend, her sister's high school sweetheart, and the guy she had loved with all of her teenage heart.

I liked Cade. After time away for college and the military, he was glad to be back home in the town he loved. In his job as sheriff, he gets to show that love in everything from giving troublesome teens something to do to dealing with quirky older residents. Cade was happy to see his friend Tessa back in Apple Valley, despite the circumstances. He had great memories of the time he spent with his sweetheart's little sister. What he didn't expect was his reaction to the beautiful and caring woman she had become.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Cade and Tessa. First came the renewal of their friendship. They had known each other so well and for so long that talking to each other was as easy as it had ever been. What threw them both for a loop were the sparks of attraction that popped up. Cade was wary at first because he knew that Tessa planned to leave. He was married for a short time to a woman who hated the small town life, and he didn't want to go through that again. Tessa was recently burned in a relationship and trusting any man with her heart was a risk she didn't want to take. I loved that it was Cade who recognized his feelings first and made it his mission to show Tessa the benefits of living in a small town. I loved his steady, gentle pursuit of Tessa, combined with his determination to support her, however she needed him. There were some sweet scenes between them as he worked to break down her walls. Tessa resisted her feelings for as long as she could, but it was a losing battle. The strength of her feelings scared her, and those fears made her lash out at him a few times. It took a near tragedy for her to finally accept that it was okay to lean on Cade and accept his love.

The secondary characters were terrific. Aunt Gertrude was a real piece of work. She was feisty and stubborn and contrary, but she also loved her family with all her heart. I loved the description of her as looking "like an ancient Christmas elf with an attitude." She and Tessa butted heads almost constantly through the book, as Gertrude tried to push Tessa the way she wanted her to go. I enjoyed Gertrude's feud with the neighbor and the unexpected twist at the end. Alex was the character that my heart broke for. He seemed so lost at the beginning, only happy when he played his music. His fascination with the angel caused some of the most emotional moments of the book. Zim started out as the man I loved to hate because of the way he tried to cause trouble for Tessa and the others. He did redeem himself quite nicely at the end. The deputy, Max, was quite flirt and I wasn't sure if he was going to cause trouble for Cade and Tessa or not. I ended up enjoying the way he poked at Cade a little bit without being mean about it. I'm looking forward to reading his story because I suspect that he's going to fall hard. ( )

5 STARS

I loved the House on Main Street. It has a good story. Strong characters, romance, mystery, touches your emotions in many ways, clean story.

Tessa McKenzie has come back to Apple Valley to bury her sister and husband. She wants to clean up her house and sell it. Take her nephew Alex and her Aunt Gertrude back to Virginia with her.
Tessa does not want to see Cade the man she had a crush on for years who liked her sister Emily.

Gertrude raised both of her nieces in Apple Valley when their mom dropped the girls off at young age and disappeared. She does not want to move. She is feisty. Loves to argue with Tessa.

Alex hardly talks, he loves to play piano and composes music. He has autisms.

We meet a lot of characters of Apple Valley and a lot of them are single. It sets up for lots of stories to be told in the future. I know I want to come back to Apple Valley and read them.

The setting is Apple Valley, Washington a small town

A angel figurine that has been in the Riley family for generations is stolen. Alex has strong feelings for it. Gertrude things now the family is cursed because it is not kept in the Riley house and its her fault.

I was given this book to read by Netgalley and Kensington Books and asked in return to give honest review of it when finished.

publication: November 5th 2013 by Zebra Kensington Books 352 pages ISBN:1420132350 ( )

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