Reese Ryan

Return to Hummingbird Way by Reece Ryan
Holly Grove Island #2. Contemporary diverse/own voice romance. Small town, Second chance troupes.
Garrett Davenport returns home for a family event. Sinclair Buchanan has organized the event and seeing Garrett there gets her heart racing. He reciprocates but both have busy lives and aren’t sure anything more is possible, much less advisable. Enter granny, Mama Mae with a rehab decorating project she wants Sin to manage, has Sin and Rett working together on the project. Can their geographic differences be overcome so they can peruse a more permanent relationship?

Sin and Rett clearly have chemistry (steammmy!) but competing careers and where they peruse those careers is a big factor. One or both will have to make changes and compromises. Both seem happy and successful where they are so that typically means something changes over the course of the story. I was thinking that I dislike this conflict, but I guess it’s real life. Your new job / opportunity / love may require some changes.
Sin and Rett work well together on the rehab and in their relationship. Mama Mae adds some wonderful life commentary, and yes, change happens to get our HEA.
Steamy, and charming.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.… (lisätietoja)

The hero and the heroine are best friends to a couple who is about to marry in this book. They have mutual hate crushes on each other since they were teenagers and as adults, their relationship changed a bit when they became adults. Their close contact with each other brings the mutual attraction that had simmered ever since they succumbed to a night of pleasure five years ago to burst forth and they enter a relationship that could end due to other factors.

This is the second book in the HOLLY GROVE ISLAND series by Reese Ryan. It has a couple who were definitely made for each other. I enjoyed the exchanges that occurred between the hero and the couple as their relationship changed and they learned more about each other. I liked how the couple were with their families and their friends, with all the ups and downs that they experienced with their loved ones. I also appreciated a decision that the couple made about their future. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this Reese Ryan book and look forward to reading more HOLLY GROVE ISLAND books in the future.

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

Good story about love and family. Chandra is the oldest of the six Valentine siblings, intently focused on her career in San Diego. When her father calls a family meeting in the small town of Magnolia Lake, Tennessee, the request is odd enough that she drops everything to go. Chandra is a nervous flyer in small planes, and the last leg of the trip is on a very small plane. A fellow passenger, "JB," provides the distraction she needs to make it through the flight.

JB, Julian Brandon, is headed home to Magnolia Lake to keep a promise. Years earlier, local billionaire, Joe Abbott promised to pay for Julian's schooling if he committed to spending four years as the town's doctor when he finished. Julian dreads his return thanks to unhappy memories attached to his hometown.

I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Chandra and Julian. They connected quickly on the flight to Magnolia Lake. Julian's calm demeanor and easy conversation soothed her fears. The sparks of attraction were there, but neither expected to see the other again. Fate intervened when Julian came to her rescue after she drove off the road. Their third encounter was an eye-opener for Chandra when she discovered that her sexy rescuer was none other than the town's young new doctor. I had to laugh at this meeting. Chandra is aghast that she's attracted to a man years younger than she is, while Julian is thrilled to have the opportunity to see her again. Very conscious of the age difference, Chandra shoots down his invitation for a date.

However, that isn't the end. Chandra soon has the chance to repay Julian's kindness by helping him. Poor Julian has become the quarry of nearly every single woman in town. During a party given by the Abbots, and at the instigation of her sister Naya, Chandra rescues Julian from his pursuers by implying they are a couple. Julian jumps on the idea as a way to spend more time with Chandra and show him as more settled to the people in town. As Julian finds every opportunity possible to be with Chandra, the sparks between them continue to grow. She is willing to enjoy the attraction but, with her looming return to California, has no interest in a relationship. Julian hopes to change her mind.

A change in circumstances at her job in California motivates Chandra to take a hard look at her plans for the future. I loved how Chandra stood up for herself and didn't allow them to take advantage of her. Her return to Magnolia Lake allowed her to explore the feelings she was just beginning to admit. An unexpected complication pushes them closer together, while Chandra's fears have her resisting the truth. Meanwhile, Julian must face his past before he can move forward into the future he wants with Chandra. The scene at the poker game was a hoot, and I loved Julian's big moment. The epilogue was terrific, and I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series.

The overarching theme of the series is the establishment of the Valentine Vineyards. Stunning family revelations redirect patriarch Abbott Valentine's interests and passions in a new direction. His actions shock his children even as he indicates his desire for their involvement in the new enterprise. It was interesting to see their reactions, good and bad, and how they handled the news. I can't wait to follow the progress.

#netgalley… (lisätietoja)