Unrequited love is one of my favorite romances. Seeing that desperate longing finally recognized and reciprocated brings joy to my heart. This is why I’ve been excited for Hunter and Megan’s romance, and it did not disappoint.
Hunter Abbott has been smitten with Megan for years, not that she knows, because she only had eyes for his brother, Will. When he catches Megan crying outside the family store, he finally gets a chance at showing just how deeply he cares for her. When he finds out Nina, Megan’s sister is moving and possibly closing the diner, Hunter resolves to do everything in his power to work things out so that Megan will stay in town. He’s determined to make the most of his chance to finally get the girl he’s dreamed about for years.
Megan’s life is in an upheaval. After years of working at her sister’s diner, she gets the shocking news that Nina is moving and selling it. Also, she’s had to give up her long held crush on Will Abbott when he fell hopelessly in love with Cameron. That hurt, but not quite as much as she thought it would. Maybe she was more in love of the idea of Will than actually being with him? When Hunter swoops in and offers her a shoulder to cry on, she can’t help but replay Will’s words to her “You’re focusing on the wrong Abbott brother”. Hunter is so sweet, helpful and intense and for the first time she starts to see him in a new light.
I had my doubts about Megan when I heard that Hunter would be paired with her. I love all the Abbotts and I wasn’t sure Megan was good enough for him after the way she treated Cameron. When Megan apologized in the last book, my feelings started to change for her, and I was eager to see the softer side of Megan and find out what made her tick. I was relieved to find a woman who cared about the town folk like they were her own family members, and I felt sympathy for a woman who lost her parents in tragedy at such a young age.
My heart went out to Hunter, the oldest of the Abbott children, because he yearned for a woman who barely registered his existence for so many years:
How exactly did you tell a woman who barely knew you were alive that you thought about her constantly? That seeing her upset killed you. That wanting her kept you awake at night.
Through the previous books, I got to know Hunter on the surface. He was devoted to his twin sister, Hannah, was there for her through the grief that threatened to consume her when she lost her husband. He also came off as a little stuffy and uptight. I was happily surprised to find Hunter anything but stuffy, he was definitely bossy though, in the best possible way, *wink* and all about taking control behind closed doors:
Gazing down at her, he touched his lips to hers. “After tonight…You’re mine. You know that, don’t you?”
“I wasn’t expecting our resident mild-mannered accountant to be so alpha.”
Don’t let the pocket protector fool you.”
Megan is a little overwhelmed by Hunter, and worried about loving someone and losing them, like she did her parents, so it’s a gradual process breaking her walls down. Hunter helped Megan realize that you have to risk some hurt to let someone fully in, but the rewards are well worth it.
I was thrilled to see sweet, hot, and bossy Hunter finally get the girl, and I was relieved Megan proved a worthy, loving woman for him!
Marie Force has created a place I dream to live in, not only because of the quaintness of a small picturesque town, but because of the big loving Abbott family. I look forward to being immersed back into their world again with the next romance (possibly Ella?). I’m getting to know all these characters so well it feels a little like coming home with every new installment.
A copy was kindly provided by Berkley in exchange for an honest review.