Bryce leaves her job in Tampa and moves to New York after the death of her brother and his wife to become the guardian of their three daughters. The maternal grandparents are contesting her custody so she works as a chef at PattyCakes and does catering on the side. She meets her boss' son Ryker as she is trying to get her 8-year-old niece who is caught under the baby food shelves at the grocery store. She does not know who he is but he knows she works for his mother. Both are attracted to the other but both think they have too much baggage. He has a prothesis and PTSD from his time in Afghanistan. She has three girls under the age of 13 plus is fighting the grandparents for custody as well as possibly taking over PattyCakes. Can they work it out? Do they want to?

I loved this story. I laughed so hard at times I had tears rolled down my cheeks. I liked that Bryce could find the humor in any situation. I also liked that she softened Ryker. The scenes with Ryker and the girls are some of the funniest. He takes every situation in stride and seeks solutions for any problem that arises. He may have PTSD, but Bryce is able to handle it. He needs to learn to communicate more. I liked the three girls: Addison, Cicely, and June. Each has their own personality. They make their own decisions and are not always easy to deal with but they form a family. They are typical kids.

I am so glad I read this. I need to get the earlier books in the series. I had so much fun. ( )

When Bryce Weatherford unexpectedly becomes the guardian to her three young nieces, she packs up her life in Florida to move to New York and things are....not going great. Her youngest niece Addison will not take off her fairy wings, middle niece Cecily will not take a bath, and tween June is out to make every moment for Bryce as difficult as possible. While it's understandable that the girls will be feeling the loss of their parents the most and in different ways, it doesn't make things easier on Bryce who's also having the guardianship challenged by the girls' grandparents.

Ryker Matthews on the other hand is struggling with his PTSD and the pain in the leg he lost during active duty is getting worse by the day. He's afraid of what the means for him and any future he may want. True, he made it home alive, but getting back to "normal" and rebuilding the connections with his family is more difficult than he thought.

Clearly Bryce and Ryker have a lot going on and even thinking of beginning a relationship would just add more to the pile. But from the moment Ryker pulls Cecily out from under some store shelves - in one of the most unique meet-cutes I've run across - there's no denying an attraction is there. The question is if they're willing to take that chance.

I've really enjoyed this series. When I first began it, Dylan Newton was a new-to-me author and now she's become a must-read.

As you can tell by reading the synopsis of the story, there is a lot going on for our main characters. But I think that even though it can feel a bit chaotic and a bit much, it also felt very authentic. I think they Dylan Newton really wrote this one especially well and balanced everything that was happening in a way that both conveyed the unpredictability of Bryce and Ryker's respective situations, but also dealt with everything in a way that felt complete by the end.

I think that the tougher subjects (PTSD, going through grief, etc.) are not shied away from or delicately stepped around, but handled head on with much empathy while also showing the strength it takes sometimes to simply keep moving forward. Where Bryce and Ryker find that strength is in one another.

I think they work so well because of the fact that they aren't starting out looking for anything. It's very unassuming. But they are also not going to ignore that they're attracted to one another. There's no shame in that. It's confronting the idea that they could have more with one another that is a little scary because then it kind of also means confronting the things that have been holding you back. I liked that while they are great together, their journeys are individual. They both have to get to the place where they want to be without outside influence.

Overall, I've really enjoyed this series. Each of the books stand nicely on their own, but I think there's a huge payoff in Ryker's story especially because it's been built up a bit throughout the other two.

Now, I'm on the lookout for what's next from Dylan Newton! ( )

Change of Plans by Dylan Newton
3rd in series although not named as such online. Contemporary romance / romantic comedy. Can be read as a stand-alone. Heroine = New guardian parent. Hero = Veteran with PTSD.
Bryce Weatherford has recently become the guardian of her three nieces. As a new and single parent, she is juggling their care while still working. She meets Ryker one night at the local grocery store where sparks fly. While dating is difficult for a single parent, as a group they manage both family entertainment together and a bit of alone time. Can they make a relationship work between his PTSD and her parenting needs and in-laws that are fighting for custody?

While I loved all the 3 books, this is my favorite. Happy stuff, making family work, a hero that needs a hug, a heroine that loves a baudy joke, children that have individual personalities, and a dog that can handle the lease. Touching and emotional, I cried in several parts over the last 15% of this adorably sweet and heartwarming romance.

Series, 3 brothers in a small town, each with their own story.
Book 1, How Sweet it is.
Book 2, All Fired Up.
Book 3, Change of Plans.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley. I will purchase this series in full to share. Opinions are my own. ( )

What an amazing surprise Change Of Plans by Dylan Newton was. I have read a couple of her stories, so I grab anything of hers I see. I love this fun cover and the romance inside. There are some fun moments and lots of romance. The characters are addictive.

Imagine, if you will, the ringing of the phone. You answer and you are told your brother and his wife died and named you guardian of their three young children. Of course, the wicked grandparents think you are incapable of raising them and sue you for custody. As I read along, I thought, why didn’t she take a vacation and have the children stay with them. I think they may change their mind.

The children: five year old Addison, who refuses to take off her fairy wings. I can picture her, spinning around the room with a smile of innocence on her face. Then we have eight year old Cecily who won’t bathe. Once we found the reason why, it all made sense. Tween, June hates everything about life and is constantly in trouble, lippy and standoffish.

Bryce, their guardian, struggles to cope. I feel for her. Not only is she doing her best to take care of the children and find work in a new place, she is grieving for the loss of her brother. She has no family left. No support system. Her breathing exercises to calm herself in high stress are familiar to me. The garbage plate in Rochester, New York, been there done that. I love a book that has a taste of reality for me.

Ryker left the Marine corp because of the loss of his leg. He has PTSD and nightmares haunt him as her relives the worst day of his life. He avoids everyone, tinkering in his garage, where he restores vehicles. He rarely ventures out, but a visit to the grocery store changes his life forever.

Cecily had dropped her lucky rock under a grocery shelf and gets stuck.

“Let go of the change and the rock so I can pull you out, and I’ll give you a dollar.

“Two dollars,” bargained her niece, “and I get to pick out the cookies this week.

I was laughing out loud. I think I picked the perfect time for me to read Change Of Plans by Dylan Newton. I laughed and laughed. I cried and cried. I shared in Bryce’s lack of confidence in her new role, her grief. The writing is heavy and light at the same time and flows so smoothly, I reached the end before I was ready.

“I’ve been waiting to see him in his fairy wings. Only Aunt Beamer says the fairies don’t leave heaven ’cause the gates are locked. Have you ever seen a fairy, Mr Ryker:”

When Ryker found them in the grocery store, saved Cecily and played pirate with Addison, I found myself grinning like a fool, then her heartbreaking cuteness was like a punch in the gut. The tears flowed, so I will warn you to have a box of tissues handy.

The moment they met it changed both their lives. They slowly began to open up and think they could have the happiness everyone desires. Of course, we have a communication problem. Doesn’t that always happen in a romance story or real life? I thought she was too quick to do what she did, but I can understand her hurt. Other than that, I couldn’t find a single thing wrong with the book.

No matter what genre is your favorite, I can’t recommend a better book than Change Of Plans by Dylan Newton. to give you your emotional requirement of ups and downs, highs and low, bliss and despair, and…and…and…and…

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Change Of Plans by Dylan Newton.

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com ( )

The heroine has been appointed as the legal guardian of her three nieces after their parents died from a car accident. Struggling being a single parent as well as dealing with her nieces' maternal grandparents wanting guardianship, the heroine encounters the hero at the supermarket when one of her nieces needed help. From that auspicious meeting, the heroine and the hero have more encounters that brings them closer together. Yet they also must deal with their own personal issues, which includes the hero's health and the heroine's future career path.

This is the third Dylan Newton book I've read and it's also my favorite one. This book has a disabled military hero dealing with PTSD and other health issues, who is also not looking for any romantic entanglements, but the heroine changed his mind on that. The heroine is dealing with grief and the struggles of being the guardian of three grief-stricken children, which changed the direction of her life. The precarious nieces have strong personalities that have distinctive ways of dealing with grief, yet they are endearing characters who really love the heroine and began to get closer to the hero as time goes on. The main couple were surrounded with supportive secondary characters, especially the hero who has his brothers and his military friend. I would have liked a bit more details in certain areas of the story, but my particular preference wasn't detrimental to my enjoyment of the book. Overall, a highly recommended Dylan Newton book and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. ** ( )