Westridge

by Heather Lin

Gabby Jones and Jason Dawson were born only months apart in the small town of Westridge. For the next eighteen years, they were inseparable, but after their high school graduation, Gabby got on a bus to the city, leaving Jason with a weak explanation and a broken heart. After five years of making it a point to avoid her old flame, Gabby comes home for a funeral and, thanks to meddling parents and circumstance, she and Jason are thrown together again.

But now Jason is an auto mechanic with an ex-wife and a daughter, and Gabby owns a successful flower shop in the city. Even if Gabby is able to admit she still loves Jason, and even if Jason is able to convince her to tell him the real reason she left, will they be able to get past the changes and broken pieces in time to start over?

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Contemporary

179 pages, ebook

First published June 1, 2011

About the author

Heather lives in Delaware with her husband, kids, cat, dog, and house bunny. She began publishing in 2008 and enjoys writing romance in all its genres and heat levels.

Reviews

[Desere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone deserve a second chance, it does not always happen but when it does I always think of the old saying when letting someone go it hurts but if it's meant to be they will come back to you.

But have you ever thought of just how complicated it could get when that love comes back to you and since they have been gone you have started a new life ? Married, kids, divorced , ex husbands and ex wives, guilt from the past, afraid to try again, new line of work, you name it the list goes on and on.

So just exactly how are you to overcome all these complications? The answer is a simple one, there is no easy way to handle it. You need to re-adjust to the current surroundings and the honest truth is, if you can't handle it then there is no point in trying in the first place.

This read tells of Gabby Jones and Jason Dawson, born only a few months apart in the small town of Westridge, they grow up learning all there is to know about each other and after eighteen years they seem like the perfect ' we grew up together, fell in love and we are happy', kind of couple. Only after high school graduation Gabby gets on a bus and takes off, leaving poor Jason confused and totally heartbroken.

Five years go by, Jason gets married and has a child, but the marriage does not work out and they divorce. As he tries to adjust to his new life and of course the fact that another relationship has failed, Gabby reappears. She is home for a funeral and of course having avoided Jason for the last five years and now having to face him in the small town setting( let's face it in a small town everyone knows when someone has come back after many years) she is more than just a little of kilter, but she does her best to avoid the confrontation.

With the help of fate, meddling parents and a few twist and turns Gabby and Jason are thrown back together and there is no chance for either one to run or to tip toe around each other. They reestablish a relationship but only to a certain degree. They are able to admit they still love each other but Gabby feels lost , she has her company back home and Jason is no longer the only person she will need to pay attention to, there is being a stepmother to his little girl. So even if Jason can get Gabby to reveal the reason she left him five years ago, there is no guarantee they will be able to overcome all the new challenging pieces to an already complicated puzzle.

This is a new author to me and after reading this book I will definitely me making my way back to her books again. I very much enjoyed the sense of mystery and suspense to the build up when Gabby finally does reveal her reasons. I wanted to of course immediately have it out in the open, but as all good books go there is a moment that is just perfect for the big reveal.

The characters were well written and the book had a nice and even flow to it. I really liked Jason, he was a good, solid and strong hero, he does not fall into a heap and think the world over when he hits a low point in his life, he gets up and fights back as hard as he can. The character of Gabby was a little less likable , but only because I did not agree with her reasons for leaving, I did not think it is something that should be run away from and rather needs to be dealt with asap. But I also realized that the author was showing that we all deal with situations differently, some of us are not strong enough to stand up and handle it everyone is unique in their own way.

I am taking away a message of life has up's and down's when it comes to second chances, sometimes they are easy to overcome and other times it is much harder to try and pull it all together. But never run away from it, risk all you can today to find that second time happiness you deserve because tomorrow you might not get the chance again.

I recommend this read for all fans that love a good sweet and sensual , emotionally pack second chance romance.

4.5 star review
"No one ever said the road to happiness is easy"

[Ruth Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, this is your typical romance novel, and I can assure you it will meet the expectations of steamy (but not erotic) and full of romance. Gsbby and Jason are the perfect lovers who are torn apart by something about which Gabby is ashamed. But five years cannot put the fire out between them!

I was not overly impressed by this book--just being honest here. I thought the author wrote a nice little story, and it was very readable. But it was predictable (but never boring). The characters were believable and even had 3-dimensional elements to them. The story leaves a little to be desired. I would have preferred a little more realism.

One technique that Heather Lin does use well is a mild form of suspense. For most of the book, the reader knows of an issue about which Gabby will not discuss. It is a closed topic and the real reason she ran away. Although I basically figured out Gabby's secret (I was somewhat wrong but took exactly the same attitude as Gabby.)

I was glad that the profanity did not make an appearance too often, but I felt that this particular language was not necessary. I could have done without the two fairly detailed sex scenes. While nothing was extremely detailed, it was not necessary to explain the act in detail.

I was confused and perturbed about the references to God in this book. It would seem that everyone was expected to go to the little country church, but I didn't see anyone going out of their way to celebrate God/Jesus. It would seem that the church mentioned in the book was more something that people did because it was part of their culture and just the thing that people did in a small town. The church did not seem to make a difference in people's life, but that is just my opinion.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I was reading, I was thinking, ok they are obviously going to have a confrontation of some sort at some point, and glad to say it happens sooner than I thought. The characters, Gabby and Jason, were constructed pretty well. We know that they have known each other since they were babies and they became friends that led to them dating and forming a strong love connection with one another. I thought that was really sweet. These are characters that are very familiar with each other and can read each other easily, and that is felt in the scenes, in the writing, in the dialogue. Lin's writing overall is wonderful, and she connects these characters really great. The story overall flowed pretty good. I was hesitant with Jason's ex-wife, Rosa, who was the one in high school that always wanted to get Jason's attention while he was with Gabby (typical) and of course she and Jason end up together and getting married after Gabby abruptly leaves, and they even have a baby together. That is hard on Gabby when she comes back to Westridge and I also felt that when she sees Rosa and Jason talking or when their daughter Penny is around. Gabby still hurts inside by seeing them as a family, or in their case two divorced parents with their young daughter, forgot to mention that, but yes Rosa and Jason do divorce, as they realized that they just weren't for each other. But anyways, there's a reason that Gabby left for the city five years ago, and I wanted to know it asap, but it's revealed at an appropriate time, so this story keeps you on your toes, and I think it's one to read. I just wished it was a bit longer, especially towards the end, but I Recommend this Book! Great Story! :)

[M.A. Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet short story!

My heart ached for Gabby, as I pretty much figured out her reasons at the start. That didn't take awy the want to continue though.

I know going into the book that it was short, and tbh I think it could certainly have been expanded. My only criticism was that the early quick POV shifts, coupled with the flashbacks, made it somewhat clunky.

I enjoyed the smooth style of writing, and the realism of the subject matter.

I'd certainly read more from this author.