**Synopsis:**
This book picks up where the prior one left off.
Alena and Noah met in Book 2. Deciding not to wait on Noah any longer, Alena asks him out on a date. However, while on the date a bombshell is dropped on Noah. Even given the new circumstances, Noah is ready to try to build something with Alena.
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“I may have freaked out about your interest for a few months in the beginning, but I’m done living in the past. I’m ready to try this with you, and I hope you are too.”
But, the road to HEA might be a bit bumpier than either anticipated.
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The following are my thoughts about this book:
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* * I didn’t really feel the connection between Noah and Alena. The chemistry was lacking.
* * Noah irritated me a few times. From the way he demanded time with his son (discussed below) to always putting others before Alena, I started to get annoyed with him.
* * Noah ticked me off with his demanding nature when it came to his son. The little boy had no clue who he was, so it would have made sense to take things a bit slower or at least have the mother around in case the child got scared being around someone he didn’t know. His whole handling of the situation seemed like he only focused on what he wanted, not what was best for Austin
* * Alena’s insecurities became frustrating. And, because of her insecurities she got inside her head and retreated rather than talking things out.
* * I was sure the custody thing was going to ramp up into a big issue. But, just like the other books, a significant issue was kind of glossed over and there was no depth. Granted, the child was only three and not fully aware of everything going on. But still, co-parenting, introducing your newly found child to all kinds of new relatives, working out custody arrangements and building a relationship with your child are issues that could have been addressed. On top of that, Noah was trying to get to know Alena and bring her into his messy life. There was a lot going on, but the story just didn’t spend any quality time with the issues. It felt very shallow.
* * there were grammar issues and just something about this book made me feel like it wasn’t as polished as the two before it.
* * Neither character had any growth. Alena was just as insecure at the beginning as she was at the end.
* * Just like the other books, this one also lacks depth
**Overview:**
- Content Warning: father not notified he has a child
- Setting: Livingston, Montana
- Do you need to read previous books in series?: yes. I would not classify this as a standalone. It has a different H/h, but the characters and and backstory from the previous books are important for this book.
- POV: Dual POV
- Who is the Hero? Noah Sawyer (age: probably late 20’s ). Cop
* The following words/phrases were used to describe Hero: likes to push buttons, walls of steel, cocky, confident
* H likable? For the most part, yes. However I thought he was a little clueless and selfish at times
- Who is the Heroine? Alena (age: I’m going to guess mid 20’s). Has been traveling around but has decided it’s time to settle down Recently moved to Montana. Fashion Designer and is hoping to open up a little boutique in town.
* The following words/phrases were used to describe Heroine: lacks self esteem, often feels unworthy or not good enough
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“I’d had what seemed like a hundred short-lived relationships that always left me wondering why I wasn’t good enough to make someone stay.”
* h likable? she was ok. Her insecurities started to make me a bit irritated. She needed to work on ways to build confidence and she didn’t do that.
- h virgin? No
- First time they kiss: 2%.
- First time they sleep together: 34%
- Safe sex? Yes. Condoms were used
- First time they say I Love You 76%
- steamy? Yes. Descriptive bedroom scenes
- OW/OM drama? Yes
- H/h cheat? No
- Time apart? Nothing significant
- Did I skip pages? No
- Big secrets? Not between H/h
- Did I cry? No
- Did I laugh? Not really
- Did I swoon🥰? Not really
- Cliffhanger? No
- HEA? Yes
- Epilogue? epilogue 1: maybe a few months later. Epilogue 2: Four years later
- Recommend? Overall - I read all three books back to back and I will say they all suffered from the same thing: lack of character growth / story depth. The stories were ok, but I prefer something that’s more rounded out and really dives into the issues in the story. That’s what brings a story to life, and this series didn’t do that for me. I’ve read enough and won’t be continuing on with the series.
**Quotes**
“Well, you must be the asshole that doesn’t know a good thing when it’s dry-humping him against the side of his truck,”
“I never intended to make you think I didn’t want anything with you. I just don’t know how to balance it all out yet.”
“Sometimes you just need to be shown there are kind people in the world. One little gesture of hope could lead to a lifetime of success and love.”
“You have a way of making all the yuck turn to yum.”