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Ferry Falls #1
Home to You
Time doesn’t heal all wounds. And some secrets are better left in the pas
Desperate to provide her son with a safe home and a future with more than the barest essentials, Annie Brooks will do just about anything—even if it means returning to her hometown and risking the exposure of her dark past.
When Nate Lucas’s former high-school sweetheart shows up in town, he knows better than to get tangled up with that particular pair of baby blues. Or with the wounded teenager who should’ve been his.
But Annie’s holding a bargaining chip Nate can’t refuse, and she’ll use everything she can to protect her son and secure his future.
Nate’s determined to keep his distance, but when old feelings are resurrected, he must decide if some risks are worth taking.
And if some secrets are better left hidden.
Desperate to provide her son with a safe home and a future with more than the barest essentials, Annie Brooks will do just about anything—even if it means returning to her hometown and risking the exposure of her dark past.
When Nate Lucas’s former high-school sweetheart shows up in town, he knows better than to get tangled up with that particular pair of baby blues. Or with the wounded teenager who should’ve been his.
But Annie’s holding a bargaining chip Nate can’t refuse, and she’ll use everything she can to protect her son and secure his future.
Nate’s determined to keep his distance, but when old feelings are resurrected, he must decide if some risks are worth taking.
And if some secrets are better left hidden.
269 pages, ebook
First published April 7, 2020
86 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
August 8, 2020
Great small town / second chance romance from a debut author.
Love the drama of finding out what tore them apart 16 years ago and the consequences that had on both of their lives. All the feels here.
And a great small town with cool characters that I hope to see more about in future books.
Love the drama of finding out what tore them apart 16 years ago and the consequences that had on both of their lives. All the feels here.
And a great small town with cool characters that I hope to see more about in future books.
April 14, 2020
I’m going to start with Trigger warning, it was mentioned and hinted to about rape of an underaged girl, Annie, at 17 she became pregnant by her stepfather but he raped her of trust in others, her love of Nate and feeling safe.
I would love to talk about more but if I do it will bring out spoilers unintentionally, so hers a small part without spoilers.
Nate and Annie were friends and later boyfriend/girlfriend without the benefits, but special trust and dreams kept them together until the day she plans to runaway. That was the day the whole town did a 360 on Nate. We also get parts of show Annie lives after she ran. Nate and Annie will have to build just an acquaintance type of communication. There is loads of hostility, but she she comes back it’s for her son’s future not herself. Will Annie warm up to the idea of the terms of her mom’s will? Will her dark past be brought up before the town? Or will these two actually get their long awaited and overdue dream of a family??or will guilt keep these two apart for good?
I would love to talk about more but if I do it will bring out spoilers unintentionally, so hers a small part without spoilers.
Nate and Annie were friends and later boyfriend/girlfriend without the benefits, but special trust and dreams kept them together until the day she plans to runaway. That was the day the whole town did a 360 on Nate. We also get parts of show Annie lives after she ran. Nate and Annie will have to build just an acquaintance type of communication. There is loads of hostility, but she she comes back it’s for her son’s future not herself. Will Annie warm up to the idea of the terms of her mom’s will? Will her dark past be brought up before the town? Or will these two actually get their long awaited and overdue dream of a family??or will guilt keep these two apart for good?
June 10, 2020
i am a huge sucker for angsty stories so it’s safe to say i loved this book!
April 18, 2020
Book one in the Ferry Falls series a story that held my interest throughout. For sixteen years Annie Brooks has kept a secret. Nate Lucas has suffered because she ran from Ferry Falls all those years ago, he was blamed from something he did not do. This story is one that is well written and handles the subject of what really happened to Annie back then very well. I can not blame Nate for acting the way he does when he finds out what really happened back then. All because of one monster, I will not call him a man did what he did. I enjoyed seeing Anne and Nate get the happy ending that was ripped from them back then. This is a new Author to me, and it looks like this is her debut book. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 19, 2020
I would give this more than five stars if I could. This is heartbreaking story about high school sweethearts Annie and Nate who had their future planned until she gets pregnant but not by Nate which sets off the events which this story is based on. She leaves for sixteen years but comes back for her inheritance after her mother passes away where she runs into Nate. She is broke and almost homeless but she is determined to make the best life she can for her son Zach even when all odds are stacked against them. This has some triggers regarding underage rape but is only the tip of what this story covers. I absolutely loved this book.
April 14, 2020
Annie and Nate were high school sweethearts and she left town sixteen years ago, pregnant. Nate has always thought Annie cheated on him, since they never had sex. Now that she’s returned, will the truth come out or will they try to avoid talking? This is a beautiful, inspiring story about what a mother will do for her child. Grab your copy and get ready to fall in love with the town of Ferry Falls, Minnesota and its residents. I can’t wait to see what Sandra Marine has for us next.
May 27, 2020
This story took me by surprise in many ways, and all of them good! I was not expecting as well written of a story as I got and I was truly pulled into the story from the very beginning with Annie's warnings to her 15yr old son about small towns... boy, was that spot on! You know right away she's running from bad and afraid she's running back into bad, but has no choice if she wants to build a better life for her son. The author's descriptions are spot-on, especially since I'd dodged a similar deer in the road incident the morning before!
I love that the beginning of the book wasn't so stuffed with back-story that a reader can hardly get through, she did it perfectly... bits and pieces revealed as the story rolled along, and that feeling Annie has when she sees her car fixed and restored... that's the feeling you never get over when you work like hell for that first car.
Her description of Nate's mustang was so exact I read it outloud to my husband, who had just about that exact car (candy apple red) when he was 16 - can you just imagine what hot-shit he thought he was? LOL! I read the part when Nate fires up the car for Annie and they all pile in to take it out for a drive... My husband got misty-eyed and was like, "yep, I remember that well". She even got the smell right, I could SMELL it and that was perfect!
But truely, the mark of a really good story is when you are reading over lunch at work, and your co-worker says something to you... and you actually growl at them... don't interrupt me when I'm reading a good story!!!
The gritty part... yeah, that was rough, but Ms. Marine handled it perfectly. She got Annie's feelings and reactions spot on enough that I could feel everything and the tears started going, but there needed to be dark to contrast the light and she did very well with it. I loved loved LOVED Nate's revenge on the evil, it was awesome and definitely something that I would do!
The story was soo good, enough true-to-life to be believable, I boo-hoo'ed a bit, that's a good thing, laughed quite a bit, sighed a little, but still enough HEA to be a wonderful escape and "feel good" at the end.
I can't wait for more stores from Ferry Falls and Sandra Marine!
I love that the beginning of the book wasn't so stuffed with back-story that a reader can hardly get through, she did it perfectly... bits and pieces revealed as the story rolled along, and that feeling Annie has when she sees her car fixed and restored... that's the feeling you never get over when you work like hell for that first car.
Her description of Nate's mustang was so exact I read it outloud to my husband, who had just about that exact car (candy apple red) when he was 16 - can you just imagine what hot-shit he thought he was? LOL! I read the part when Nate fires up the car for Annie and they all pile in to take it out for a drive... My husband got misty-eyed and was like, "yep, I remember that well". She even got the smell right, I could SMELL it and that was perfect!
But truely, the mark of a really good story is when you are reading over lunch at work, and your co-worker says something to you... and you actually growl at them... don't interrupt me when I'm reading a good story!!!
The gritty part... yeah, that was rough, but Ms. Marine handled it perfectly. She got Annie's feelings and reactions spot on enough that I could feel everything and the tears started going, but there needed to be dark to contrast the light and she did very well with it. I loved loved LOVED Nate's revenge on the evil, it was awesome and definitely something that I would do!
The story was soo good, enough true-to-life to be believable, I boo-hoo'ed a bit, that's a good thing, laughed quite a bit, sighed a little, but still enough HEA to be a wonderful escape and "feel good" at the end.
I can't wait for more stores from Ferry Falls and Sandra Marine!
April 21, 2020
Annie left town 15 years ago, pregnant and nowhere to go. Now she is back to claim her inheritance left to her by her mom. On their way into town she and her son, Zach, got into an accident when a deer run in front of their car. And the person arriving with the tow truck is none other than Nate, her boyfriend from back when. Nate who believed that she cheated on him and got pregnant. Nate who hated her for years for the way she left and the destruction of his family and everything he held dear she left in the wake of her leaving. And now she is back, with her son in tow and slowly he starts to realise that Annie did not have the easy life he imagined she had. So what else was he wrong about? Annie learned some of what happened when she left but also that his family had no hard feelings over what happened. But can they overcome all the hurt and loss they suffered? This is such a heart breaking story written in a riveting way that had me hooked from the first word. This is the first book I've read from this author but definitely not the last.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 19, 2020
Be ready to go through many emotions with this book as it has a bit of everything in it, maybe get some tissue, chocolate and a wine or two ready for this one. After years in hiding Annie is back in town after getting notification of her mothers passing albeit a year after due to her being untraceable. Now she has to face her pass which includes not just the town, but also more importantly Nate and his family especially after learning of the fall out when she left. I loved how Annie learns what it is like to have friends again, as well as be able to start to let people in and then seeing Zach going from hating the town as he can't draw or paint like he use to getting some thing even better, then there is Nate who has to work through his feelings as Annie is back and he can't avoid her. But we don't know how Nate is going to act once what really happened to Annie to make her leave town 16 years ago is finally revealed.....
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 15, 2020
4.5 stars
This was a good book. Not perfect, but as good as given the infinite amount of shite stories I had to wade through (and DNF) to find it.
I have no complaints - other than I'm finished with it and have to begin searching for something else, and I've already hinted that has become a chore. I'm just happy to give something than a single star and a rant for a change.
If I had a quibble at all it would have been with some of Annie's behaviour, but when I really think about it and account for everything she went through, it makes perfect sense that sometimes she didn't...well, make sense. She had no reason to trust anyone, no reason to hope for better. Survival was all she'd known for 16 long years. I wonder how many people could have come out of that as relatively sane and normal as she did. I wish she had realised on her own that leaving again was not in her son's best interests, but then Nate's final plea to her wouldn't have been necessary and that would have been a shame.
Good story, great characterisation from an apparent debut. Ms. Marine, you need to get cracking on your next book.
This was a good book. Not perfect, but as good as given the infinite amount of shite stories I had to wade through (and DNF) to find it.
I have no complaints - other than I'm finished with it and have to begin searching for something else, and I've already hinted that has become a chore. I'm just happy to give something than a single star and a rant for a change.
If I had a quibble at all it would have been with some of Annie's behaviour, but when I really think about it and account for everything she went through, it makes perfect sense that sometimes she didn't...well, make sense. She had no reason to trust anyone, no reason to hope for better. Survival was all she'd known for 16 long years. I wonder how many people could have come out of that as relatively sane and normal as she did. I wish she had realised on her own that leaving again was not in her son's best interests, but then Nate's final plea to her wouldn't have been necessary and that would have been a shame.
Good story, great characterisation from an apparent debut. Ms. Marine, you need to get cracking on your next book.
April 15, 2020
This was such a good story. Annie had run away from home at 17 as she was pregnant and afraid of being at home. 16 years later she returns when her mother is dead and she needs her inheritance to support her and her son, Zach. She is surprised to find she needs to stay at least a year to collect. The story was about reconnecting with her old boyfriend and her hometown and finding she can be safe and learn to love and lean on someone again. Lovely story. There were some parts that were tough to read (subject matter) but it related strongly to what happened to more than one person in the town.,
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 17, 2020
A Heartwarming Story....
by and1515
This book is like a huge vidalia onion each layer is a different part of the story
Life is can be tough especially for Annie,being a single mom trying give her son everything. With very few options Annie takes a chance going back to her home town.Another layer would be Nate seeing Annie again. Or maybe dealing with the past that's left him angry and hurt. Or the narrow minded people who believed lies and rumors.With each new layer revealed the lines begin to blur as past and present collide.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
by and1515
This book is like a huge vidalia onion each layer is a different part of the story
Life is can be tough especially for Annie,being a single mom trying give her son everything. With very few options Annie takes a chance going back to her home town.Another layer would be Nate seeing Annie again. Or maybe dealing with the past that's left him angry and hurt. Or the narrow minded people who believed lies and rumors.With each new layer revealed the lines begin to blur as past and present collide.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 18, 2020
A small town love story underlining the value of trust and the heartbreak that ensues in its absence. Annie and Nate are strong characters who don't wallow and waste our time with self-pity. It's a story of romance, but also friendship and kindness among a community that doesn't always have the best intentions.
I finished this story quickly because of the excellent writing that moved the story along to reveal interesting plot lines. I hope this story is the beginning of a series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I finished this story quickly because of the excellent writing that moved the story along to reveal interesting plot lines. I hope this story is the beginning of a series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 19, 2020
A very interesting, book 1 in the Ferry Falls Series that has the theme of second chance at love that has her trying to learn to love again when she has to go back to her hometown for a time to get her inheritance. The characters are wonderful and mostly understanding, but very real. No one is perfect and each of them have their flaws, but they learn that love overcomes all. A very heart-warming HEA and I will be reading more of this author
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 24, 2020
Wow... if I could give this more than 5 stars I would! I'm completely head-over-heels in love with Nate and Annie and their small town romance story. Annie has had to try to overcome tragedies in her past, and do what is best for her and her teenage son. Meantime, Nate, her high school sweetheart, and the one she left behind, has been heartbroken since she left without warning. Now they have to figure out each others' secrets, while following their hearts back to each other. Such a WONDERFUL story that breaks your heart and then puts it back together again, with an amazing HEA. HIGHLY recommend!
May 16, 2020
Emotionally wrenching and with an oh so satisfying ending!
The blurb for this book spoke to me and I’m so glad I read it. Even though it’s emotionally wrenching to read what these two characters had as children/teens, what they lost and endured before Annie comes back to Ferry Falls, the journey they take back together is so worth reading.
This is a fabulous read with fantastic characters and some secondary characters I’d love to read about in future books. Definitely a new author I want to keep reading.
The blurb for this book spoke to me and I’m so glad I read it. Even though it’s emotionally wrenching to read what these two characters had as children/teens, what they lost and endured before Annie comes back to Ferry Falls, the journey they take back together is so worth reading.
This is a fabulous read with fantastic characters and some secondary characters I’d love to read about in future books. Definitely a new author I want to keep reading.
June 6, 2020
[1.25 star] the hero hated the heroine when he thought she cheated and then fleeing town, and the heroine hated him for not believing and standing by her. they have more tension than connection to be honest.
and the real reason why the heroine fled from her hometown was only revealed at about 80%+ which too way back, on the other hand, seasoned readers would have guess the reason she fled.
overall, i think it's a meh...
and the real reason why the heroine fled from her hometown was only revealed at about 80%+ which too way back, on the other hand, seasoned readers would have guess the reason she fled.
overall, i think it's a meh...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2020
The story line was good, as was the flow of the story. The character work was fabulous. This was the first story that I've read by this author and I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was what I got. It surpassed my expectations of the book far and away. I look forward to more from this author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 19, 2020
Annie has a 15 year old son, father nowhere in sight. She comes back to town, she ran away from 15 years because something once again shook her life.
A very meaningful story with triggers. Great characters. This was my first read from this author and it will not be the last. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A very meaningful story with triggers. Great characters. This was my first read from this author and it will not be the last. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 5, 2020
This book, this series just has all the feels
What an amazing start to a new series. The book just flowed from start to finish. You will fall in love with the characters and the author has done an amazing job of introducing you to the characters you just know you want to read about in future books.
What an amazing start to a new series. The book just flowed from start to finish. You will fall in love with the characters and the author has done an amazing job of introducing you to the characters you just know you want to read about in future books.
April 20, 2020
This story is so good! I couldn’t sleep till I finished it. Two teenagers in love, a massive misunderstanding and a child. Annie returns home from running away to the last place she wants to be. She and her son have been surviving but the chance of an inheritance from her mother bring her back home for, hopefully just a short while. When she finds out she has to stay a year, her ghosts that drive her away just won’t stay hidden. This book has some themes that may trigger some people.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 28, 2020
Home To You was a fabulous book! Debut author who hit it out of the park. The characters jump off the page. They feel like your friends or neighbors down the street. I loved the town of Ferry Falls and Nate and Annie. So will you. If you're looking for a book that gets you in the feels I highly recommend Home To You. I can't wait for the next book.
May 27, 2020
This was a wonderful story, lovely characters, well written and lots of emotion.
April 8, 2020
4*
Annie isn't looking forward to returning home with her son, she left abruptly 16 years ago.
Nate is surprised when he gets called to tow a car, Annie is the girl that got away.
A truly heartfelt story love and betrayal written so well.
This is my first book by this author and I look forward to reading more
Annie isn't looking forward to returning home with her son, she left abruptly 16 years ago.
Nate is surprised when he gets called to tow a car, Annie is the girl that got away.
A truly heartfelt story love and betrayal written so well.
This is my first book by this author and I look forward to reading more
September 28, 2020
Wow! So many emotions
This book will definitely take you on an emotional roller coaster. I laughed, cried, and cheered. It's the happy ever after for me.
This book will definitely take you on an emotional roller coaster. I laughed, cried, and cheered. It's the happy ever after for me.
July 10, 2020
I just finished reading "Home to You: A small-town second chance love story" by Sandra Marine and I loved it. It is the first book in her "Ferry Falls Series." Annie Brooks has returned home with her son Zack after almost 16 years. She inherited the home that she grew up in, and had no plans on staying in town until a deer ran into her car on the way to town. Nate Lucas was her former high school sweetheart and he shows up with the tow truck. From here on out we read about Annie's life away from Ferry Falls, and what happened to make her run away in the first place. We also get to know a few other people, who I want to know more about, in this story. Hopefully that means we'll have more to this series.
October 23, 2021
Rating: 3.5 Stars
“ For the first time in a long time, she was in control of her life, steering it rather than simply being dragged along, trying desperately to keep her head above water.”
Annie and Nate’s story was an emotional rollercoaster. I admit that I was a bit judgemental of a certain character’s choices and behavior for most of the story, but Marine did a fantastic job of changing my opinion by the end of the book. My biggest complaint is that the last few chapters seemed to have a regression of character development that didn’t feel cohesive with the plot. Other than that, I felt like the ending was satisfying and much deserved.
Title: Home to You by Sandra Marine
POV(s): Dual—Third Person
Interconnected Series: At this point of time, the author hasn’t published any other books. However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see books for both Bria & Ethan as well as Meg & TJ in the future.
Standalone: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
HEA:
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
Triggers: Yes
Tags/Tropes:
❖ Childhood-Friends-to-Lovers
❖ Hero-Doesn’t-Know-the-Truth
❖ Hero-Wrongly-Accused-Heroine
❖ Heroine-Ran-Away
❖ High-School-Sweethearts
❖ Love-to-Hate-to-Love
❖ Resentful-Hero-to-Regretful-Hero
❖ Return-to-Hometown
❖ Second-Chance
❖ Seperation (16 years)
❖ Single-Mom-of-Teenage-Son
❖ Small-Town
❖ Struggling-Heroine
❖ Tortured-Heroine
❖ Working-Class-Hero/Blue-Collar-Hero
June 2, 2020
Will Annie finally stop running and come home to stay?
Holy hotness! This was my first book by Sandra, and oh my was it ever great! Loved this story, hell loved isn’t even good enough to describe how much i loved this story.
I’m so glad that I’m one of the few people who doesn’t judge a book by others reviews. While she has plenty of great reviews she has a few not so glowing ones as well. The trigger in this book is a hard one for most of us to hear, but really its not discussed often in this book, its less than one chapter. So if you can manage to read this book it really isn’t much in here and its nearly at the end of the book.
Nate and Annie had a relationship years ago, when they were teenagers. Annie finds herself running away from the one place that she always thought to be home, alone and pregnant. Nate is blindsided by hurt thinking Annie betrayed him when in all reality she didn’t. Refusing to listen to Annie or to help her, she leaves. Nearly sixteen years later she returns to their small hometown, but when the old insecurities come rushing back and all the truths from the past surface will they finally be able to whether the storm together?
Holy hotness! This was my first book by Sandra, and oh my was it ever great! Loved this story, hell loved isn’t even good enough to describe how much i loved this story.
I’m so glad that I’m one of the few people who doesn’t judge a book by others reviews. While she has plenty of great reviews she has a few not so glowing ones as well. The trigger in this book is a hard one for most of us to hear, but really its not discussed often in this book, its less than one chapter. So if you can manage to read this book it really isn’t much in here and its nearly at the end of the book.
Nate and Annie had a relationship years ago, when they were teenagers. Annie finds herself running away from the one place that she always thought to be home, alone and pregnant. Nate is blindsided by hurt thinking Annie betrayed him when in all reality she didn’t. Refusing to listen to Annie or to help her, she leaves. Nearly sixteen years later she returns to their small hometown, but when the old insecurities come rushing back and all the truths from the past surface will they finally be able to whether the storm together?
June 28, 2022
Looking forward to more of this author
Annie left under strange circumstances sixteen years ago. Now she’s back, with a child. She has found out that her mother has died, and she is to inherit her mother’s estate. The only problem is she has to stay in town for a year to collect. Can she? What will it cost her?
When Annie disappeared, Nate was accused of her murder until the trucker that picked up the hitchhiking Annie came forward. What he could never figure out was who was the father of her unborn child. He knew he wasn’t. Now that she’s back in town, he’s determined to find out. What will it cost him?
Annie left under strange circumstances sixteen years ago. Now she’s back, with a child. She has found out that her mother has died, and she is to inherit her mother’s estate. The only problem is she has to stay in town for a year to collect. Can she? What will it cost her?
When Annie disappeared, Nate was accused of her murder until the trucker that picked up the hitchhiking Annie came forward. What he could never figure out was who was the father of her unborn child. He knew he wasn’t. Now that she’s back in town, he’s determined to find out. What will it cost him?
February 2, 2024
Good easy read
Was a easy read and a sad but nice storyline ,good characters too .Annie leaves her small town to have a baby but comes back after her mum dies ,she took a secret with her and her first true love believed she cheated ,they end up being around each other and obviously sparks are still there but will he still love her when he finds out the truth ,love a epilogue too
Was a easy read and a sad but nice storyline ,good characters too .Annie leaves her small town to have a baby but comes back after her mum dies ,she took a secret with her and her first true love believed she cheated ,they end up being around each other and obviously sparks are still there but will he still love her when he finds out the truth ,love a epilogue too
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews