Breaking the Mold: Hoffman Grove, Book 4

by Karla Brandenburg

Kayleigh Cragin returns to Hoffman Grove for her 10-year reunion, eager for a reboot of her life. She’s breaking away from family expectations and chasing her own goals now. But some things never change. The false friends she had back in the day are eager to repeat old patterns. She’s onto them this time, and new friends rise to the occasion - including Rafe Martin, who volunteers to be her pretend boyfriend for reunion weekend. We all have to carry our own baggage, and if Rafe wants to move out of the “pretend boyfriend” zone, he'll have to let Kayleigh carry hers.

Genres: Contemporary

Audible Audio

Published March 3, 2022

About the author

Karla Brandenburg is an award-winning author of contemporary romance novels which include paranormal elements. Now that her children have settled into lives of their own, she loves to go out into the world on adventures with her husband, from Milwaukee to the French Riviera, but the Chicago suburbs have always been “home.” She is an avid reader across multiple genres and is a card-carrying cookie-holic (we all have our vices). Sign up for her newsletter

Reviews

[BookHound · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the series that I've read and will definitely read the first 3 now. Rafe's family survived a horrible injury. His Mother was shot and paralyzed while defending her youngest so Mig. Since then the family has had a difficult time dealing with it. Mig has nightmares, Gigi dedicates her life to caring for her Mother (no one knows what she is doing at night), the other sisters struggle as well. Rafe, after making big money selling an invention, is determined to take care of his family - whether they want him to or not.

Kayleigh has been controlled her whole life by her Mother. Who she was friends with, who she dated, where she worked, what she did. She felt like her lawyer sister's lapdog, coming when called and doing what she was told. She didn't even want to be a paralegal. After a tense argument with her sister, she quit her job and left for her high school reunion.

Wanting to see her ex-boyfriend, but not wanting to see him. She froze when she did and it was Rafe to the rescue. Things heated up from there. But will Rafe's controlling ways end the relationship? Will she continue to stand up to her Mother and sister and run her own business, a ceramic shop she has dreamed of owning? We know there's going to be a lot of fireworks - good and bad. You will have to read the story to find out how the characters deal with their individual burdens.

A wonderful story about learning to trust and grow as an individual. It is possible to start over again.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful Cinderella story. Following a fraught 10 year high school reunion, closet artisan Kayleigh Cragen decides to move back to her hometown of Hoffman Grove. She desperately needs a do-over, to leave behind the stifling remains of her hated career, her domineering mother, and her manipulative sister.
Raphael Martin, a man with a large and caring family is quite taken with Kayleigh but family troubles make it difficult to have a relationship with her.
Kayleigh and Rafe’s story kept me turning the pages. Author Karla Brandenburg’s characterization drove the story and had me rooting for this couple to have their happily ever after.

[Kathy Kornatz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually read Romance between other genres for an alternate reading experience. The story flowed well for me! Nice to see the main character develop and make choices and stand up for herself. I have read the other books in the series and will continue to read the next.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Kayleigh decides she has had enough of her family's control she moves to Hoffman Grove and starts a new life. She finally finds the time to have friends, pursue her craft and find romance. This story has fun, interesting characters and was very entertaining.