What do you think?
Rate this book
Lake Howling #4-6
The Lake Howling Boxed Set
In a small Oregon town, three different couples are in for the ride of their life… Laugh out loud funny, sizzling sexy, this set of contemporary romances will deliver you all the feels, from USA Today bestselling author Wendy Vella.
IT ONLY TOOK YOU (Cubby and Katie)
Sheriff Cubby Hawker loves his job, his mother, and his friends… but the woman side of things is not going so well. He’s had his chances, take his best bud’s sister, sexy Katie McBride. She’d thrown her heart at him and he’d been to slow to catch it. She left him the next day, and now years later, she’s a detective. A sexy, hard assed one who turns him inside out. Finding her halfway down a bourbon bottle, broken and scared, makes him want to protect her, he’s just not sure she’ll let him.
DON'T LOOK BACK (Brad and Macy)
Brad Gelderman rode his Harley into the small town of Lake Howling with one intention. Find Ethan, apologize, then leave. No messy emotion required. What he hadn’t factored on was arriving the day of his brother’s wedding, or meeting Macy Reynolds.
A LONG WAY HOME (Newman and Hope)
Corporate raider Paul Theodore Newman likes his life to run smoothly. His sheets have a thread count between 1400-1500, and his spreadsheets are always on point. Maybe when he’s back in Lake Howling he lets down his guard and his personal hygiene slips, but there is absolutely no need for Hope Lawrence to take shots at him because she dresses che dumpster. Her fashion sense makes him shudder, as do her kale smoothies!
IT ONLY TOOK YOU (Cubby and Katie)
Sheriff Cubby Hawker loves his job, his mother, and his friends… but the woman side of things is not going so well. He’s had his chances, take his best bud’s sister, sexy Katie McBride. She’d thrown her heart at him and he’d been to slow to catch it. She left him the next day, and now years later, she’s a detective. A sexy, hard assed one who turns him inside out. Finding her halfway down a bourbon bottle, broken and scared, makes him want to protect her, he’s just not sure she’ll let him.
DON'T LOOK BACK (Brad and Macy)
Brad Gelderman rode his Harley into the small town of Lake Howling with one intention. Find Ethan, apologize, then leave. No messy emotion required. What he hadn’t factored on was arriving the day of his brother’s wedding, or meeting Macy Reynolds.
A LONG WAY HOME (Newman and Hope)
Corporate raider Paul Theodore Newman likes his life to run smoothly. His sheets have a thread count between 1400-1500, and his spreadsheets are always on point. Maybe when he’s back in Lake Howling he lets down his guard and his personal hygiene slips, but there is absolutely no need for Hope Lawrence to take shots at him because she dresses che dumpster. Her fashion sense makes him shudder, as do her kale smoothies!
Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2020
69 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Vella
93 books824 followersWendy Vella is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of historical romances filled with mystery, intrigue, unconventional heroines, and dashing heroes.
Connect with Wendy in her Facebook reader group facebook.com/groups/wendyvellareaders or sign up for her reader newsletter at WendyVella.com to get goodies, exclusive excerpts and behind-the-scenes peeks.
Wendy also writes small town contemporary romances under the name Lani Blake.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 7, 2021
It Only Took You
Katie’s had a thing for her brother’s friend for as long as she can remember, and even having him refuse her declaration of love hadn’t cured her of it. From the moment he figured out what kind of jerk his dad was, Cubby swore he’d never drag a woman into the same kind of hell he’d grown up in. If that meant he stayed single and alone his whole life, so be it. There’s something a little bit second chance about this story and that gives me all kinds of warm, happy feels. Though, I admit that I spent a lot of this book wanting to smack some sense into both of them. Their apparent blindness to the villain in their midst also left me wanting to tear my hair out. I would have greatly enjoyed seeing more about how Katie’s situation was finally resolved, but for how much I loved the way this book ends, I’m willing to overlook it.
Don't Look Back
This was originally the first in the Lake Howling series that I read. It’s a slightly different experience to read it again now, having all of the background context of the people Macy and Brad were perceived as before this. Particularly Brad who didn’t have such a shining reputation in his brother’s book but has become the poster model for "strong, silent type" here. I was impressed to see the heart of gold beneath that tough exterior. And I've fallen in love with the woman that Macy has become by this book. I enjoyed the psychological thriller element, which forced our hero and heroine to pull together when they were working so hard to pull apart. Now I can’t wait to start the next book to see how different it looks in light of everything that’s come before it.
A Long Way Home
The sparks between Newman and Hope leapt off the page. Their snarky, witty banter was probably what first hooked me on the story. As I got to know more about Newman and Hope, the story kept pulling me in deeper. Newman's been a bit of an enigma in the earlier books. He was always ready to help, but we never got to see very far beneath his surface. Finding out what makes him tick made me fall in love with him right along with Hope - I wasn't fighting it like she was, though. Hope's the right kind of complex, kick-butt woman that Newman needs to keep him on his toes. They both have some serious family drama they're working through. Add in the chaos in Hope's career, and we could have had a recipe for disaster. It becomes an opportunity for the community of Lake Howling to pull together and show both Hope and Newman that they're valuable parts of the family. I love how each of the books in this series becomes an opportunity to check back with the couples we've read before. It reinforces the sense of community that surrounds the Howlers.
Katie’s had a thing for her brother’s friend for as long as she can remember, and even having him refuse her declaration of love hadn’t cured her of it. From the moment he figured out what kind of jerk his dad was, Cubby swore he’d never drag a woman into the same kind of hell he’d grown up in. If that meant he stayed single and alone his whole life, so be it. There’s something a little bit second chance about this story and that gives me all kinds of warm, happy feels. Though, I admit that I spent a lot of this book wanting to smack some sense into both of them. Their apparent blindness to the villain in their midst also left me wanting to tear my hair out. I would have greatly enjoyed seeing more about how Katie’s situation was finally resolved, but for how much I loved the way this book ends, I’m willing to overlook it.
Don't Look Back
This was originally the first in the Lake Howling series that I read. It’s a slightly different experience to read it again now, having all of the background context of the people Macy and Brad were perceived as before this. Particularly Brad who didn’t have such a shining reputation in his brother’s book but has become the poster model for "strong, silent type" here. I was impressed to see the heart of gold beneath that tough exterior. And I've fallen in love with the woman that Macy has become by this book. I enjoyed the psychological thriller element, which forced our hero and heroine to pull together when they were working so hard to pull apart. Now I can’t wait to start the next book to see how different it looks in light of everything that’s come before it.
A Long Way Home
The sparks between Newman and Hope leapt off the page. Their snarky, witty banter was probably what first hooked me on the story. As I got to know more about Newman and Hope, the story kept pulling me in deeper. Newman's been a bit of an enigma in the earlier books. He was always ready to help, but we never got to see very far beneath his surface. Finding out what makes him tick made me fall in love with him right along with Hope - I wasn't fighting it like she was, though. Hope's the right kind of complex, kick-butt woman that Newman needs to keep him on his toes. They both have some serious family drama they're working through. Add in the chaos in Hope's career, and we could have had a recipe for disaster. It becomes an opportunity for the community of Lake Howling to pull together and show both Hope and Newman that they're valuable parts of the family. I love how each of the books in this series becomes an opportunity to check back with the couples we've read before. It reinforces the sense of community that surrounds the Howlers.
July 31, 2020
Always enjoy Wendy Vella's novel, particularly her historical fiction. However, recently purchased her three-book Lake Howling Contemporary romance series for $.99 to experience the utopia of good neighbors, friends, and romance supposedly in an Oregon setting. (unlike the real world of today). Great character development in the three short stories - somewhat similar plots of rescuing or finding love for the once downtrodden town's damsels in distress and always returning to their hometown with a predictable ending. But, it's refreshing to read about towns of yesterday. Anxiously awaiting her next promotion to afford another of her great reads...
October 2, 2023
Good reading
May 18, 2025
Great series
Really good book series. Every one flowed and connected to the prior book. one of my favorite authors. Recommend her and her books!
Really good book series. Every one flowed and connected to the prior book. one of my favorite authors. Recommend her and her books!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews