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Camp Firefly Falls #1
Winning Back His Wife
Twenty years ago, Michael Tully fell hard and fast at summer camp. Now his soon-to-be ex-wife has quit her job and invested every last penny into re-inventing Camp Firefly Falls. It’s a crazy, ridiculous plan–which he ignores, right up until he’s served with divorce papers.
First book in an interconnected series coming summer 2016!
First book in an interconnected series coming summer 2016!
107 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 25, 2016
About the author
Gwen Hayes
32 books1,282 followersGwen Hayes (that’s me) lives in the Pacific Northwest with her real life hero and a pack of wild beasts (two of whom she gave birth to).
She is a reader, writer, and lover of pop culture (which, other than yogurt, is the only culture she gets).
Gwen also edits kissing books.
She is a reader, writer, and lover of pop culture (which, other than yogurt, is the only culture she gets).
Gwen also edits kissing books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
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June 20, 2016This book will release July 1 officially, should start to roll out to the various retailers a few days before that because we need to get it price matched on Amazon--because it's going to be FREE! Gwen and I are so excited to share this first in series prequel to the Camp Firefly Falls world. www.campfireflyfalls.com
August 27, 2018
I absolutely love a marriage on the rocks story. As long as there’s no OW/OM involved. This was a novella but felt like a full story. Like this one a lot. Definitely need to read more from this series.
November 2, 2016
I found this book boring. And I think it was really unfair for only the husband being blamed for the "failing" of the marriage. I know at some point the heroine also took blame for it. But still...
In the end, for the husband just giving up his family business after years working with his father just to go back to rebuild a camping was so unbelievable and again, so unfair to him. I don't want dive in how marriage should work. Give some, take some. But for what I understand and the little I could see (short book, no development, not enough background, etc.) hero never asked the heroine to change to please him and play the role of a corporate wife. she did under pressure of her "mother-in-law". With whom she never had a good relationship. She did it because it was what she thought it was going to please the husband. She pretended she liked so in the hero's eyes she was happy. You know, men see what they see. It's black and white. If she never told him she wasn't happy, I'm sure he couldn't read her mind either. And then comes the same old workaholic husband who failed to paying attention to the wife. My point is, they should have worked for the marriage equally. Not only him was to be blamed and I didn't like he gave up everything to stay with her to fulfill her dreams. Just my humble opinion. And for a short book, it really felt too long and again... boring
In the end, for the husband just giving up his family business after years working with his father just to go back to rebuild a camping was so unbelievable and again, so unfair to him. I don't want dive in how marriage should work. Give some, take some. But for what I understand and the little I could see (short book, no development, not enough background, etc.) hero never asked the heroine to change to please him and play the role of a corporate wife. she did under pressure of her "mother-in-law". With whom she never had a good relationship. She did it because it was what she thought it was going to please the husband. She pretended she liked so in the hero's eyes she was happy. You know, men see what they see. It's black and white. If she never told him she wasn't happy, I'm sure he couldn't read her mind either. And then comes the same old workaholic husband who failed to paying attention to the wife. My point is, they should have worked for the marriage equally. Not only him was to be blamed and I didn't like he gave up everything to stay with her to fulfill her dreams. Just my humble opinion. And for a short book, it really felt too long and again... boring
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 1, 2016Free novella that is a set up for a continuing companion series. It can be read alone.
This story was what I was looking for. Not too long but sweet and fluffy. It's about a married couple who have grown apart but still love each other. They met long ago at a summer camp and were each others first kisses. They reconnected in college and went on to wed. The husband gets a wake up call when his wife serves him with divorce papers and it shocks him into going after his wife and working to fix what had broken.
I liked that it pointed out that they both brought problems to the marriage that resulted in what happened. I like the few flash backs to the past that we got with them. Actually, I would have preferred even more. Low angst. No outside drama other than his difficult, disapproving mother.
This story was what I was looking for. Not too long but sweet and fluffy. It's about a married couple who have grown apart but still love each other. They met long ago at a summer camp and were each others first kisses. They reconnected in college and went on to wed. The husband gets a wake up call when his wife serves him with divorce papers and it shocks him into going after his wife and working to fix what had broken.
I liked that it pointed out that they both brought problems to the marriage that resulted in what happened. I like the few flash backs to the past that we got with them. Actually, I would have preferred even more. Low angst. No outside drama other than his difficult, disapproving mother.
July 1, 2016
Hello, Summer!
This book is perfect for a day at the beach or lounging by the pool. Lots of story and emotion packed into a quick, easy read. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series!
This book is perfect for a day at the beach or lounging by the pool. Lots of story and emotion packed into a quick, easy read. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series!
June 21, 2022
This was a great second chance romance! The depth of emotion between these two was evident from that start, and their desire for each other, emotional and physical, radiated. Once they moved past all the ‘stuff’ plaguing them, they were more committed to each other than ever <3
January 7, 2021
Simple but effective story
5 stars
This story ticked so many boxes for me. It’s the story of a husband and wife who have found themselves drifting apart despite still being madly in love with each other. It’s almost a second chance romance despite the pair never really being apart.
It’s a simple enough story - and I was pleased to see it was written in a very linear fashion. Yes there are flashbacks to the couple’s time at camp and into their young adult years, but it starts with the divorce papers and ends up with a satisfying ending. It keeps things simple to focus on Michael and Heather, their feelings and their future plans.
It’s easy to like both Michael and Heather - and to see where they went wrong. I liked the way that both took ownership of their mistakes and their problems, but not without getting grumpy about it, first. It’s the way normal people would behave in situations and that made the pair seem real to me.
I was surprised to find a little bit of spice in this book. I had just assumed that this would be fairly tame on the sex front so I was pleasantly surprised when a little bit of heat appeared. Oh, it’s not melt your pants, bring steam out your ears kind of heat - but something a little bit unexpected and nicely spicy to add to the storyline.
Not being American, I only have second hand knowledge of summer camps but the authors did a great job of bringing them to life and making us understand why they were so special to Michael, Heather and so many others. I’m still not so sure I would have been comfortable going to one as a child but I definitely want to go to the adult Camp Firefly Falls now.
There are other books in this series, some by these authors and some by others. They all stand alone, as does this book. I’m going to look for other books in the series as I really enjoyed the setting and the feel of this romance - and want to read more.
Overall a fun, well-written book that flows well. It’s not too angsty and deals well with what could be a heavy subject with humour, romance and positivity. A recommended read and at only 108 pages it can easily be read in an afternoon. 4 stars.
July 19, 2016
3.25 stars. This was a pretty good book. This was a novella freebie that is the first book in the Camp Firefly Falls series. This is the story of Michael and Heather. They have been married for many years, but Heather feels Michael doesn't really love her anymore. He works so much that he didn't even notice for three days that she had left him and moved out. After 6 months living apart, Heather served him divorce papers. Michael is shocked and finally realizes that he isn't willing to let her go. Heather has decided to go back to the place she was the happiest, Camp Firefly Falls, where she met Michael as a teenager. She has bought the camp and is going to renovate it to make it an adult summer camp experience. Michael follows her to camp and shows her that he is willing to give up everything to make her happy and prove his love for her.
This was a quick, easy read. I didn't feel a big connection to the characters, but I understood their emotions and it was easy to identify with the way they drifted apart in their marriage. I didn't quite understand why Michael was so shocked to receive divorce papers from Heather, when they have been separated for 6 months and living separately. I liked the camp story line. It was original and interesting. I liked the fact that Michael was willing to do what he needed to do to get his wife back. Overall, this was pretty good read and I will probably try to read more from this series.
This was a quick, easy read. I didn't feel a big connection to the characters, but I understood their emotions and it was easy to identify with the way they drifted apart in their marriage. I didn't quite understand why Michael was so shocked to receive divorce papers from Heather, when they have been separated for 6 months and living separately. I liked the camp story line. It was original and interesting. I liked the fact that Michael was willing to do what he needed to do to get his wife back. Overall, this was pretty good read and I will probably try to read more from this series.
June 28, 2016
Winning back His Wife is a prequel to the upcoming Camp Fireflies series and it was indeed a really sweet and sexy start to the series. This is a second-chance romance featuring a married couple.
Heather and Michael Tully met at summer camp when they were teenagers. They had a crush on each other during that time, but it never went much further. They meet again at college and since then they are inseparable. It's been 10 years since they've been married and they still love each other as much as they did when they first fell in love. Except something is missing, and when when Heather servers the divorce papers to Michael, he knows it's time to buckle up and get his wife back.
Winning Back His Wife, the title is quite apt, as that's exactly what Michael does. It's beautiful to see how the rule following Michael and the free-spirited Heather find their way back to each other. Even in the few short pages on which this book is written the authors manage to include a range of emotions from love to anger to a little bit angst and pure, unadulterated joy. The best part about this book is that it flows seamlessly, you never feel like this was written by two different people. I am eagerly awaiting the start of this series. I'm sure they are gonna be great.
Heather and Michael Tully met at summer camp when they were teenagers. They had a crush on each other during that time, but it never went much further. They meet again at college and since then they are inseparable. It's been 10 years since they've been married and they still love each other as much as they did when they first fell in love. Except something is missing, and when when Heather servers the divorce papers to Michael, he knows it's time to buckle up and get his wife back.
Winning Back His Wife, the title is quite apt, as that's exactly what Michael does. It's beautiful to see how the rule following Michael and the free-spirited Heather find their way back to each other. Even in the few short pages on which this book is written the authors manage to include a range of emotions from love to anger to a little bit angst and pure, unadulterated joy. The best part about this book is that it flows seamlessly, you never feel like this was written by two different people. I am eagerly awaiting the start of this series. I'm sure they are gonna be great.
August 11, 2026
Rating: 3.7 of 5 stars
Oh my gosh! This book was all SWOON and I just can't not love it! It was too short for my taste but I really enjoyed it!
I love reading about Heather and Michael's love story - from the first time they fell in love to them falling in love again. They're so different and yet they bring out the best in each other. Seeing Michael win back Heather just melted my heart. It was very sweet, romantic and fun.
I'm not married (I'm only 21) but I think Heather and Michael's story perfectly captures the reality of marriage. Sometimes couples drift apart without them noticing and unfortunately fall out of love. Now it is up to them to find the spark and passion they once had and remember why they married each other in the first place. I have only ever read one book with the same plot as this and it was Every Wrong Reason by Rachel Higginson. And just like the case with that book, Winning Back His Wife made me fall in love with its characters at the same time they were falling in love with each other again.
I am so excited for the rest of the series!!
I received an arc to read and review.
Oh my gosh! This book was all SWOON and I just can't not love it! It was too short for my taste but I really enjoyed it!
I love reading about Heather and Michael's love story - from the first time they fell in love to them falling in love again. They're so different and yet they bring out the best in each other. Seeing Michael win back Heather just melted my heart. It was very sweet, romantic and fun.
I'm not married (I'm only 21) but I think Heather and Michael's story perfectly captures the reality of marriage. Sometimes couples drift apart without them noticing and unfortunately fall out of love. Now it is up to them to find the spark and passion they once had and remember why they married each other in the first place. I have only ever read one book with the same plot as this and it was Every Wrong Reason by Rachel Higginson. And just like the case with that book, Winning Back His Wife made me fall in love with its characters at the same time they were falling in love with each other again.
I am so excited for the rest of the series!!
I received an arc to read and review.
August 29, 2016
DNF at 20%.
Yeah, so this one didn't happen. I tried, I really did, but when in the second scene the two shared together they were making out without speaking and there was utterly no "winning back" of anyone, I realized this was not the book for me. I'm guessing the book must have been pretty short because there hadn't been much content prior to the 20%, but for me that's enough of a percentage to give a book a single star because I was bored.
To be fair, the writing was pretty good and I can't say I wouldn't pick up this author again -- but the plot that was promised on the back of this particular book wasn't what I was getting, and life's too short to read a book whose blurb and title both promise a good grovel and delivers pretty much nothing.
Yeah, so this one didn't happen. I tried, I really did, but when in the second scene the two shared together they were making out without speaking and there was utterly no "winning back" of anyone, I realized this was not the book for me. I'm guessing the book must have been pretty short because there hadn't been much content prior to the 20%, but for me that's enough of a percentage to give a book a single star because I was bored.
To be fair, the writing was pretty good and I can't say I wouldn't pick up this author again -- but the plot that was promised on the back of this particular book wasn't what I was getting, and life's too short to read a book whose blurb and title both promise a good grovel and delivers pretty much nothing.
July 1, 2016
OMG this made me so inexpressibly happy! Every summer I get totally nostalgic about summer camp and I think about how somebody really ought to have adult camp. This series is going to give me EXACTLY WHAT I WANT. Every single one will be an autobuy for me. What fun!
Now, who's going to make this camp a reality?
Now, who's going to make this camp a reality?
September 4, 2016
Perfect!
This novella has everything a romance lover could ask for. Having a couple on the verge of divorce instead of insta-love was an amazing change of pace for one of these sexy novellas.
I loved every minute that the couple spent reconnecting. An emotional and sensual journey back to each other. Swoon.
Five stars and three wet panties.
This novella has everything a romance lover could ask for. Having a couple on the verge of divorce instead of insta-love was an amazing change of pace for one of these sexy novellas.
I loved every minute that the couple spent reconnecting. An emotional and sensual journey back to each other. Swoon.
Five stars and three wet panties.
July 22, 2016
Sweet second chance story.
Boy met girl, girl got away, they reconnected after some time then married to each other. Apparently that's not the formula of a happy ending. Because 20 years later, they drifted apart pushing the girl to serve boy divorce papers.
Boy met girl, girl got away, they reconnected after some time then married to each other. Apparently that's not the formula of a happy ending. Because 20 years later, they drifted apart pushing the girl to serve boy divorce papers.
December 31, 2022
I love second-chance romances, and this novella - co-written by Gwen Hayes and Zoe York (of whom I'm a HUGE fan) - hit me in the feels.
Was it a perfect story? No. I feel like this one came down hard on blaming the hero for all that went wrong in the marriage (even though we know that the undoing of a marriage is rarely the fault of a single person - unless someone cheats, but that wasn't the case here). Becauses the story is only about 100 pages long, and a sufficient amount of pages were spent on the story of how the couple met and fell in love (which is important for a second-chance romance!), we don't get a lot about how and where things went sideways in the marriage. The book starts with the wife giving her husband divorce papers after a six month separation, and from there the husband steps things up to win his wife back.
I'll read anything that has Zoe York's name on it. I'm glad I read this one...even if I would have liked far more about this couple than we got!
Was it a perfect story? No. I feel like this one came down hard on blaming the hero for all that went wrong in the marriage (even though we know that the undoing of a marriage is rarely the fault of a single person - unless someone cheats, but that wasn't the case here). Becauses the story is only about 100 pages long, and a sufficient amount of pages were spent on the story of how the couple met and fell in love (which is important for a second-chance romance!), we don't get a lot about how and where things went sideways in the marriage. The book starts with the wife giving her husband divorce papers after a six month separation, and from there the husband steps things up to win his wife back.
I'll read anything that has Zoe York's name on it. I'm glad I read this one...even if I would have liked far more about this couple than we got!
December 19, 2017
Michael Tully gets a wake-up when his wife, Heather serves him with divorce papers; he realizes that Winning Back His Wife is the most important thing in the world to him. She left him six months earlier and bought Camp Firefly Falls where they met as teenagers. The camp is need of major repairs and she has a business plan to make it into an adult camp offering a variety of types of adult camping experiences.
Michael joins her and they begin working together on the camp and on rebuilding their marriage. This is a big change from the structured corporate job Michael has in his family business. They have a few challenges but stick to the plan for the camp and building their relationship again. It is a sweet second chance love story and one of my favorite type of endings ~ a happy one.
Michael joins her and they begin working together on the camp and on rebuilding their marriage. This is a big change from the structured corporate job Michael has in his family business. They have a few challenges but stick to the plan for the camp and building their relationship again. It is a sweet second chance love story and one of my favorite type of endings ~ a happy one.
November 19, 2017
Fighting for forever
I loved everything about this book. Nothing better than reading about a married couple who is willing to fight for each other. Heather and Michael may have been from two different worlds, but their love for one another was kick down the walls awesome. Everyone deserves love like the love this couple has for each other. Amazing writing by Gwen Hayes.
I loved everything about this book. Nothing better than reading about a married couple who is willing to fight for each other. Heather and Michael may have been from two different worlds, but their love for one another was kick down the walls awesome. Everyone deserves love like the love this couple has for each other. Amazing writing by Gwen Hayes.
October 5, 2020
Okay...
The story of Michael and Heather reads short and rushed to me. It’s king of a short book. That will be okay if it covers all the bases. It is kind of sex and, that’s pretty much all. Nothing about their NA relationship, marriage, work etc. Just a line here or there about he latter. So, just an okay read for me.
The story of Michael and Heather reads short and rushed to me. It’s king of a short book. That will be okay if it covers all the bases. It is kind of sex and, that’s pretty much all. Nothing about their NA relationship, marriage, work etc. Just a line here or there about he latter. So, just an okay read for me.
May 10, 2017
This is a wonderful feel good reading experience! This story will remain in my "to read when I need a pick me up" pile forever! Some books are good enough to be read over and over and over and this is one.
June 9, 2017
Rekindling
She needs a less corporate life, they seem to have lost each other. She bought the camp they met at and wants to make it four grown ups. He ius suppose to take over his father's company. He realized he loved his wife more. How can they make it work.
She needs a less corporate life, they seem to have lost each other. She bought the camp they met at and wants to make it four grown ups. He ius suppose to take over his father's company. He realized he loved his wife more. How can they make it work.
July 6, 2017
Sweet
Love Michael and Heather. Love their story. Their love story is sweet. Hope to see glimpses of them through out the rest of the series
Love Michael and Heather. Love their story. Their love story is sweet. Hope to see glimpses of them through out the rest of the series
July 29, 2017
I really enjoyed this quick read. Looking forward to the next one.
January 14, 2018
A very short, sweet and fluffy read.
February 12, 2018
It is a great book to read
April 10, 2018
Really good second chance romance. I liked watching Allison and Michael learn to forgive each other and move on. They talked like adults, had really good chemistry. Well done.
Freebie from kindle
Freebie from kindle
November 10, 2018
Good quick read. HEA.
December 23, 2018
Adult Camping
Getting back to basics is usually what a couple needs to do. Both sides worked together to find themselves and each other again ~
Getting back to basics is usually what a couple needs to do. Both sides worked together to find themselves and each other again ~
Want to Read
February 12, 2020Not on Amazon?
October 11, 2020
I liked the idea of this novella and that the characters are older. But it didn’t quite hit the mark. A quick lite read.
Want to Read
March 6, 2023Purch Amazon Aug. 1, 2018
Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews