Allison Leigh

Good introduction to the new series. Meyer is the oldest of four half-siblings who have inherited a dilapidated beach house from their famous but absent father. The terms of the will are unusual, and they are all unhappy about it. Meyer left his Air Force career as a pilot behind and moved to Cape Cardinale after his best friend died in an airplane crash, determined to save John's flying business and take care of his family.

Sophie is a local nurse who carries a long-standing grudge against Meyer. She met him when she was twelve, and he was dating her sister. She blames him for Corinne's struggles since then. Unfortunately, she encounters him often since John's widow, Meredith, is her best friend.

Matters become complicated when Meredith goes away for a weekend, leaving her two kids in Sophie and Meyer's care. Thrown together to care for Leda and Granger, Sophie finds herself unwillingly attracted to Meyer. She fights the attraction, feeling as though she's betraying her sister. Meyer is equally drawn to Sophie but has his own reasons for avoiding getting involved.

I ached for Meyer and Sophie. They are both mired in the past, so neither can move forward. As the book progressed, I began to suspect that there was more to Corinne's story than Sophie was aware of, and I looked forward to seeing if I was right. Meyer's guilty feelings have led to other issues that affect his outlook on life. It takes a crisis to bring the secrets, fears, and misunderstandings out into the open, where they can be dealt with. The ending was terrific, and I loved Meyer's surprise for Sophie in the epilogue.

Family is a big part of the book. We have Meyer and his half-siblings and their challenges in claiming their inheritance. I look forward to getting to know each of them in future books. Sophie's worries about Corinne are ongoing, and their encounters are heartbreaking. Finally, Meredith has her two children and a second chance at love if she can let go of the past long enough to grab it.

There was one inaccuracy that pulled me out of the story. Meyer was an Air Force pilot, but the author has him talking about landing on aircraft carriers. Air Force pilots are not trained for carrier landings. Only Navy and Marine pilots do that.

#netgalley… (mehr)

Good conclusion to the series. Justine was a secondary character in the previous, frequently hanging out in Kirby's Perks. At the end of that book, she had a strong reaction when the Fortunes mentioned the town of Chatelaine, Texas. I had a feeling she would be important. Justine is a single mother of a seven-month-old baby boy. She doesn't talk about his father until the day Stefan Mendoza shows up in Rambling Rose.

Stefan works with his brothers, doing marketing for the family winery. He has bigger things on his mind and is partnering with a friend and his craft brewery. Stefan enjoys his bachelor life but hasn't been able to forget last New Year's in Miami.

Stefan and Justine met and had a weekend fling, never expecting to see each other again. When Justine found out she was pregnant, she didn't try too hard to find him; she just went on with her life. She left her small town, moved to Rambling Rose (not much bigger), and became a virtual personal assistant while raising Morgan and attending school. Justine was shocked when she encountered Stefan at Kirby's, but that was nothing compared to Stefan's realization that he had a son. I loved that he never hesitated to acknowledge that Morgan was his and that he wanted to be involved in Morgan's life. He did go a tad overboard with his demand that he and Justine get married. She, of course, made it clear that they could co-parent without having to marry.

I ached a bit for Stefan as he tried to get to know his son. Morgan doesn't take to strangers, and it takes a while for him to begin to warm up to Stefan. Justine is wary about getting too close to Stefan, worried about losing her heart to him. When she loses the lease on her apartment, Stefan invites her to move into his house, clearly hoping that proximity will help him win his battle. There is a bit of dancing around each other as they work to hide their feelings and protect their hearts. But living together does bring them closer, both in attraction and feelings. Unfortunately, Stefan gets a little ahead of himself and plans a surprise that doesn't go well. I ached for both because a little honest communication would have prevented several days of heartache. Some heartfelt advice from a friend gave Justine the courage to go after her dream, even if she didn't think Stefan shared her feelings. A stunning revelation at the wedding cleared up the misunderstanding between Stefan and Justine and solved the puzzle of the mysterious gifts.

Following the mystery of the gifts from the first book, I wondered how it would be resolved. Each book had another clue, but no one could figure out how they were connected. I was as surprised as everyone else at the wedding by the secrets that came to light. There was one thread left hanging, and I can't wait to read next year's Fortunes series to see how that works out.… (mehr)