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Hearts in Hendricks #4

Love Like Forever

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Stealing Her Heart Was Not In His Job Description

Romance is the last thing on Carmen Navarro’s mind. Up to her neck in student debt, she needs a teaching job, and she needs one fast. As if that wasn’t stressful enough, she’s also overseeing her parents’ renovation project—which would be easier if the carpenter on the job had a little more work ethic and a lot less swagger. She has no time for his flirty banter and affable charm. So why can’t she get him out of her head?

Matt Stetman is a catch. Everyone in Hendricks knows he’d give the shirt off his back to help a friend in need. He’s been told a time or two that he’s pretty delightful to be around too. But for some reason, the enigmatic Carmen seems immune to his charms.

Just as Matt begins to make headway—with the project and with Carmen—a secret from his past threatens to ruin everything. Can Carmen find the courage to trust Matt and take a shot at love? Or is the foundation of their relationship now broken beyond repair?

234 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 3, 2019

24 people are currently reading
191 people want to read

About the author

D.E. Malone

23 books485 followers
D.E. Malone writes sweet contemporary romance and is the author of the Hearts in Hendricks and Blueberry Point romance series. She also writes for the middle grades as Dawn Malone, and her work has appeared in Highlights for Children, Pockets, the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and other magazines and newspapers. She loves traveling to places off the beaten path which inspire the small-town settings in her stories. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, hiking, volunteering with shelter dogs, and continuing her never-ending quest for the holy grail of bakeries.

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5 stars
39 (33%)
4 stars
54 (46%)
3 stars
16 (13%)
2 stars
5 (4%)
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1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Deanne Patterson.
2,409 reviews120 followers
November 4, 2019
Small town sweet contemporary romance. You just never know what life may throw your way whether it may be teaching,a friends unexpected deeds,an unexpected romance or the storms of life.
A fun read!
Published October 3rd 2019
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.
Profile Image for Kat.
391 reviews3 followers
August 13, 2020
So endearingly cute. Once again the author created incredibly well rounded and believable characters. Carmen was so loveable and I adored the fact that she wasn't just the personality traits that others put on her and same with Matt being so much more than what he's believed to be. Absolutely in love. I'm so sad my time in Hendricks has come to end, I could stay there forever.
12.6k reviews189 followers
October 16, 2019
A wonderful story of romance least expected. Having student debt, overseeing her parents renovation is enough to take care of and more for Carmen. You never know where life leads you.
Profile Image for MaryEllen.
2,898 reviews29 followers
May 21, 2021
Believable, rounded characters, well-written dialog. Sweet romance in the opposites attract trope.

The story was well written, with snappy and sweet bits, the return of some characters from previous books and a wedding that didn't go quite as planned.

Sean had such a low opinion of his brother. It was nice to see that proved wrong.
Profile Image for Juli.
799 reviews27 followers
January 16, 2021
I really liked Matt and Carmen!
Profile Image for Carol Pennington.
387 reviews5 followers
October 1, 2019
A very sweet romance, Love Like Forever follows the budding relationship between Carmen and Matt. Carmen lead a sheltered life and struggles with romantic relationships. She also has a troubled relationship with her overbearing mother. Matt isn’t really seeking a relationship, but doesn’t want to miss the opportunity if the right one comes along.

They get off to a rocky start from their very first meeting. When things start to look a little brighter for them, the path becomes rocky again. Will they be able to overcome the obstacles and learn to trust each other?

This is a great read for any romance reader that prefers wholesome and sweet stories. The language is clean and there are no sex scenes or violence.
Profile Image for Melissa.
1,191 reviews15 followers
May 12, 2021
It's fun to be back in Hendricks again and to see some old friends. Matt is Sean's brother who has always been thought of as unreliable, but what people haven't realized is he has changed. Matt is still a very funny man, but he is also very loving and giving, especially of his times and talents. I loved Matt's character. Cameron is embarking on a second career as a teacher and is terrified of failure or letting others down. She's a wonderful person. I really liked when she finally got some back bone. Her and Matt are those great opposites attract. Their story is sweet and possibly one a lot of people can relate to in some way.
2,536 reviews46 followers
March 21, 2020
Sweet romance. It is a quick read that one can easily finish in a day. I liked the characters who were definitely in the opposites attract zone. It took me a while to warm up to them though. Carmen was pretty rude in the beginning and I wondered why Matt had any interest in her after their first encounter where she was incredibly snotty. Either he enjoyed the challenge of winning over someone who wasn't charmed by him or it reflects how forgiving a person he is. And he came across as pretty over confident and a bit full of himself. But it didn't take long for me to see the good in both of them.

Sex: kisses
Language: no
Violence: no
Profile Image for Shanna Johnson.
546 reviews23 followers
August 15, 2022
Cute as always

This has been such a beautiful series to reach and this book was wonderful. While it wasn't my favorite in this book (mostly because some of the drama just didn't appeal to me personally) I still LOVED it as I have with every book by D.E. Malone.

It's beautiful, touching, funny, sassy, and I love how characters seem to always find not only their positives by the end, but also their faults that they need to work on improve. Things like this help books feel so much more realistic and enjoyable.
Profile Image for Cassidy Johnson.
31 reviews
December 28, 2024
Definitely my favorite of this series. The pacing finally seemed right, and the general plot just seemed a little more realistic. It wasn’t necessarily groundbreaking but it was exactly what I was hoping for from a romance book. Had some similar issues to others in the series with a few grammar mistakes or jumping to something happening without really explaining how it got there. This just happened in small moments and only once or twice so not a big deal. Overall a very sweet and easy romance.
853 reviews
May 24, 2022
Miscommunication

Matt is a joker and sweetheart, Carmen is a studious and insecure person. But these two just click even though Frames keeps pushing Matt away. We they finally talk things out and LHEA? Great character and a fun read.
Profile Image for Amber L.
581 reviews5 followers
September 17, 2020
Just a perfect way to finish the series... I absolutely loved these books and they will be a reread for me in the years to come. Fast, beautiful, heartwarming and a romantic cry...
24 reviews1 follower
December 16, 2020
A very interesting book.

I really liked the romances and characters I this story. There wasn't anything that I did not like. I would recommend this to my friends.




Profile Image for Lauren Fontz.
59 reviews
June 3, 2024
Carmen is such a relatable queen and she clears every time I fear.
2 reviews1 follower
October 6, 2019
Another great book in this series

This book was one you wanted to just keep reading and was sad when you came to the end. The author made the characters come so alive, you hated to say goodbye to them. This was a great series, looking forward to reading more from this author.
994 reviews
October 9, 2019
A good clean romance series. Carmen is serious and Matt like to have fun. Are they too different to get together?
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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