Always Mine

Coming Home to the Grove #1

by Hope Ford

My high school sweetheart--the one that I broke up with--is back in town.
I'm going to find a way to get her back.I have one chance, and can't mess it up.
Because losing her again is not an option.
Welcome to Forest Grove.
It's a small town in the hills of Tennessee where everyone knows each other, and love always prevails.

For one reason or another, the people may leave, but they each return to find love and romance in this small town with a big heart.

Genres: Second Chance, Romance, Novella, Contemporary, Second Chance Romance, Fiction, Adult

84 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 2, 2020

About the author

Bestselling short romance author Hope Ford writes short, steamy, sweet romances.  She loves writing about ALPHA MEN that fall in love with CURVY WOMEN.  She has over 70 books and they are all available on Amazon.

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Reviews

[♡Tonya♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I had really had high hopes for this one. Often, second chance stories can be tricky for safety readers. I liked that neither was intimate with others during the separation but the fact that the heroine dated during the separation didn’t sit well with me. She also dated once she came back to town even though she knew the hero was trying to make it right with her. That coupled with the fact that she pushes him away for 80% of the book just did me in.

-no cheating
-no ow drama
-om drama - the heroine goes on TWO dates with another man. Granted, they didn’t turn out well
-they were each other’s first and only
-heroine dated after being with hero
-no violence of a sexual nature
-epilogue was just a few days later which also made a dent in my rating.

[Amyb1975 · Rating 5 out of 5]

You were always mine, long before I even understood what that meant.

This story had everything I enjoy reading in a book. Dual POV, both virgins and each others one and only even after a 3 year separation, groveling from the H, no abuse, tearful H, the h was not a doormat, she put up a good fight to keep her distance and made him work hard for her forgiveness.
Safe for hypocrites such as myself... I was ok with her going on dates with OM (little to no physical contact). She was trying to get over him and keep her heart safe from him breaking it again. If he'd gone on any dates, I'd be throwing a fit...see total hypocrite here.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/18/2021)! 🎁

[Ansu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so had high hopes for this book and I liked the plot - my favorite 2nd chance romance.

Sadly this book fell flat for me. I just could not relate to the MC and I thought that Lacy will have a little more self respect and not just give in to Trent so quickly and easily.

Trent annoyed me as he dumps Lacy and after 3 years just decided that he wants her back and she must just fall in line with his plans - PLEASE !

Sadly this one was just not for me.

[Hope Ford]

Always Mine is LIVE!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08...

I have one more chance, and I’m not going to mess it up.
My high school sweetheart—the one that I broke up with after my parents passed away—is back in town.
And she’s here for good.
I had let her go.
We had planned to leave our small town, but I knew I couldn’t. Not when I had to help my brothers take care of the family ranch.
So I broke it off with her, wanting her to chase after her dreams.
But now she’s back.
And I’m going to find a way to make it right.
Because losing her again is not an option.

Welcome to Forest Grove.
It’s a small town in the hills of Tennessee where everyone knows each other, and love always prevails.

For one reason or another, the people may leave, but they each return to find love and romance in this small town with a big heart.

Return to Forest Grove is a series of interconnected, stand-alone small town romance stories. Each book promises a sweet, steamy, happily ever after.

[Lenna Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 star
Quick read, at least 2 hours start to finish. Some drama. Good story that’s fairly clean and overly sweet.

Lacy and Trent became a couple in 6th grade and lasted until after high school graduation and they had big plans in life but tragedy happened to Trent to cause him to force himself to break not only his heart but of Lacy. She left for the big city and he stayed behind to help his brothers. 3 year later Lacy is back but still with a wounded heart. She dated but no one to go the next step, none compared to .. him. Trent and his brothers saved their dance but once he heard a certain woman is back he has a new focus to achieve, he never dated nor itched the ‘scratch’. Will she open her arms for Trent or will he have to show her his feelings and his apologies before she finds a new guy to take her mind off of the ex???

[Mari (Mystics & Metaphysics Book Blog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet second chance romance that will have you screaming at times and blushing at others. I was a little frustrated with Trent at times with him not being honest from the beginning and trying to win her over again without any explanation. Their connection was sweet though and I could feel their chemistry. There are some things in the story that are repetitive, like conversations that were already mentioned, happen again a few chapters later so that threw me off. But I did enjoy the story and small town feel.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always Mine

Wow what a fabulous start to what I feel is going to be my favorite Hope Ford series. Trent and Lacy have such a beautifully devastating love story. A true second chance at love is so rare. I love that Lacy made him work for it before giving in to her true feelings. A very Happily Ever After.

Completely safe with no cheating or abuse. A perfect amount of om drama. No other partners while they are apart. I absolutely cannot wait to see what comes next in this small town!

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just about as I expected. Not great but good. I enjoyed it. With stories this short it's a balancing act between setting just the right pace, and not missing important pieces of the story.

I really liked the main characters. And their story was sweet. I think Trent is exactly what I envision in a man - hardworking, forward, protective, goes after what he wants, communicates, affectionate, and puts in effort.

Overall, a solid 3 stars.

[Chalice · Rating 3 out of 5]

The couple: Lacy and Trent

Romance genre: second chance
Part of a series: Yes (Coming Home to the Grove)
Length: 84 pages

Plot: Right after high school, Trent lost his parents, and knew that he would have to stay in town to take care of his siblings. He didn't want to hold Lacy back though, and so he broke up with her. Three years later, she's back, and he wants to try again.

Character development: This was a very quick story that was mostly Lacy not wanting to get involved with Trent again because he broke her heart. They were a solid couple and he had a problem and didn't share that with her. But also, they were very young, so that's not surprising, and the time apart was probably good for them - they had a chance to grow up a little and learn about themselves. Neither of them became intimate in the three years they were apart, and when they finally resolved their issues (or issue - it was Trent breaking up with her without a good reason, even if he thought it was one), they were solid again.

Would I read more from this author/in this series: Yes
Next book in the series: Meant To Be

[poppysocks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

Brilliant first book of the series. Lacy returns home to take over her parents b&b as they want to retire but didn’t want to run into the man that broke her heart Trent.
Trent finds out Lacy has returned home he made the biggest mistake of his life letting her go but he thought at the time it was
unfair to hold her back as he was going to have to stay and help on the farm since his parents died and he knew she always wanted to leave Forest Grove. Now Lacy is back he can’t let her go again he can’t lose her again.
Trent keeps turning up at the b&b helping Lacy out trying to get her to see what they could be together and he won’t stop. When Lacy goes out for a date with Bradley he sees red especially when he holds Lacy’s skirt up. Trent ends up taking Lacy home as she runs into the b&b he can’t let her go Trent goes after her and tells her why he broke things of with her and there has never been anyone but her and never will be he loves her.
Lacy sees the truth in his face can she forgive him and put her heart in his hands again and trust him not to break it?

[A-reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars
Lacy is back in her small hometown to take over her family’s B&B. There are a lot of bittersweet memories in town for Lacy. Trent was Lacy’s boyfriend since the sixth grade, but right before graduation his parents die and he is needed by his brothers at their ranch. He decides that it’s best to break up with Lacy and let her go achieve her dream of living in the city. Now that’s she’s back he’s going to win her back. A little drama with her dating the handyman. Lacy tried to protect herself from her feelings for Trent but was failing, she still loved him and he never stopped loving her. He finally confesses why he broke up with her and they make up. I liked that they were both celibate during their three year separation. Lacy did date but Trent did not. Epilogue is opening scene for next book about the baker and sheriff.

[Kiley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Always Mine, Book 1 of the Coming Home To The Grove series, was about 21-year-old Trent Keller and Lacy (no last name given for her).
Trent and Lacy had been a couple since the sixth grade. They had plans to leave their hometown after graduating high school and try their luck together in "the big city". However, before that could happen, Trent's parents died in a car wreck. After the funeral, Trent did something stupid. He broke up with Lacy, telling her he didn't love her anymore and that she should follow her dreams. So, heartbroken, she did just that.
Three years later, Lacy's parents told her that if she didn't return home and run their B&B in their stead, they were going to sell it. Not wanting to lose her childhood home, Lacy did as they requested and returned home. She hoped to avoid Trent as much as she could, but it was a small town, so their seeing each other at some point was inevitable.
When he learned that Lacy was moving back permanently to run her family's B&B, Trent was determined to right the wrong he had made when he broke up with the only woman he'd ever loved. However, Lacy was just as determined to stay away from him. She told him they couldn't even be friends. However, Trent sort of bullied her into it, then made certain that he was in her face and space as much as he could be without pushing her away.
When Lacy went on a date with a man Trent knew to be a player, he wasn't happy. He tried to talk her out of it but didn't succeed. However, being so tired from running the business for the first time on her own, she fell asleep during the movie they attended. When she went on a second date (with the same guy), Trent found out about it from his youngest brother, only to cause a scene for her.
While this was a sweet story, it felt very rushed and incomplete. Lacy forgave Trent way too fast after the way he treated her before she left town, and he really wasn't that much better upon her return three years later. He basically bullied her into giving him a second chance, never giving her room to breathe, and he didn't even care about what she wanted. He was determined to have her no matter what it took to get her.
The flow of the story was off, and the whole thing was rushed from beginning to end. Even the two epilogues were ill-fitted to the storyline. In fact, the second epilogue was from the POV of the FMC from Book 2, so it was just an introduction to the next book in the series, so it was a given that it didn't fit with Book 1. I couldn't give this more than a two-star rating.

[Heidi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty boring

I read Hope Ford’s contribution to the. Sweetheart, CO series and it was decent enough so I thought I’d give her other books a chance.


I really like series and this one sounded good, however, the story was boring and so were the characters. Plus, the writing style is wooden/mechanical and the grammatical errors were too numerous to count.

A main issue as to why it’s boring, is there is very little dialogue. We’re mostly told what the characters are thinking. We’re told he kissed her passionately. He said he would be here in the morning instead of writing the conversation they had. They agonize over the same issues multiple times. They repeat the same conversations and information multiple times. She also rarely uses contractions and tends to default to -ing verbiage (“I am looking at the door” vs “I looked at the door”). All of this reads as very formal and lacking emotion.

Also, the POC switches way too often. A lot of times it’s just one page before the switch.

The author has an odd way of putting sentences together. Direct quote: “I should have known I should have gone somewhere that we hadn’t spent a lot of time at.” As an English major and technical writer/editor, this sentence made my head hurt. The number of errors in this sentence alone should give you a good idea as to what you will find in the rest of the book.

Unfortunately, I think I’ll be passing on the rest of the series.

[Charity Esparza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just a really sweet second chance romance. Trent is determined to heal the pain he caused, breaking up with Lacy to ensure she followed her dreams. But now she's back for good, running the family B&B so her folks can retire. Lacy knew she'd have to face Trent sooner or later, but she never expected it to be within hours of her arrival. Nor did she expect for him to want to rekindle their lifelong love. Lacy's heart still aches from losing him the first time, she's unwilling to risk it a second time. I loved the measures Trent took for Lacy to understand the depths of his feelings. And he finally bares his heart, revealing the reasons for their breakup three years before. Romantic and sweet, fun and delightful, this book is well worth reading. Can't wait for more set in this sweet little town. Happy Reading!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Opasan Ouprie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope has done it yet again with the curvy girl and the sexy hot man. Boy breaks up with girl so she can follow her dreams since his has changed with a change in his life that has happened unexpected. Boy stays in small town America to tend to family business while girl goes on to the big city hurt and has to come back home for her family business. Its great to see the reactions of the boy that thought he was doing what was right for the love of his life. She has built up walls of course and he has to break them down to get back into her heart. Things get heated in the town but also even more heated in the bedroom. This is a HEA and just a small amount of drama. I really enjoy reading all of Hopes books.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lacy has returned home after 3 years to run her family's B&B. Trent is her ex-boyfriend who broke up with her before she left. But Trent had his reasons. Can he convince Lacy to open her heart to him again? I loved this story! Trent is sweet, honest and determined. He has to be - Lacy loved him so much, she'd rather forget what they had and move on with someone new than risk that kind of pain again. Watching him battle with jealousy as she goes on dates had me smiling and shaking my head! This story is told in dual POV and is realistic in dialogue, emotions and actions. If you've ever wondered what a man could say and do to get a seond chance, "Always Mine" is a great example. Sweet, with tension and heat! I look forward to the next romance from the cast of this small town. 5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rmqbookqueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Returning home to run your family's B&B in the small town where your high school sweetheart that broke your heart still lives should be a piece of cake right? Wrong. Trent ripped both their hearts our when he broke things off to get Lacy to explore her dreams of college and the city, but with the intention of doing what was best for her. Both characters were well written and more complex in the way that Lacy was fighting Trent's love he was giving her and the ability to accept how much they still loved each other. There was no cheating in the years they were apart from each other, and both were each other one and only. Lacy gave Trent the hard time earning her trust back, but we also got to see the sweet Trent and the alpha Trent in this second chance story. Coming home to the Grove was what everybody needed in Always Mine.

[Suzanne Houser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope Ford kicks off new series Coming Back to the Grove with Always Mine. This is a super sweet second chance romance. Lacy returns to town to run her parents' B&B after three years away. As happy as she is to be home, she is dreading running into her first love, Trent. Best friends and each other's firsts, Trent broke Lacy's heart before she left, but he is still in love with her, intent on getting her back and making everything up to her. However, Lacy is not going to be easily won over. Watching Trent do whatever he can to woo her and prove that he will never hurt her again makes for a super sweet and entertaining way to spend a couple hours.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sassy Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story! I loved every second of it. I always love reading second chance stories.

Lacy and Trent made plans to leave their hometown for the city after high school. Then his parents die and he decides to stay home to work on the family ranch. He makes the hard decision to let the love of his life go. Now she is back home to run her family's bed and breakfast. He is not going to let her go again. Lacy is determined to not fall for him again and chance another hurt. Will he convince her to give him another shot?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ꭿຖᥲ·♡ ྀི · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.75✯

°2nd chance
°Each other's first and only
°Switching POVs
°3 years separation - both celibate but she dated a few men
°Both are 21 when they reconnect
°No OW drama
°OM drama - she went on 2 dates with the same OM after meeting the H again
°No cheating or intimate scenes with OP
°I didn't like that the H never tried to get the h back, what if she hadn't returned to their hometown? how many more years was he going to wait before going after her?
°Least favorite line: "I have no dignity left when it comes to you, Trent Keller."
°Epilogue: a few days later they get engaged

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always Mine is a second chance romance with a lot of hurt due to a misunderstanding and perception. Lacy is coming back home to run the families B&B after being away for a few years. Trent stayed behind to run the family farm after a tragedy derailed his plans with Lacy. There are lots of hurt feelings and some of them can be chalked up to the age of the h/H and due to just being stubborn in general. You will fall in love with this couple and this book will leave you wanting more of the couples from this town. A great beginning and I can't wait to come back to visit.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet story about two people with a past and the good and bad memories that come with that. I felt Lacy and Trent's angst, sorrow and pain as well as their hopes and their love, their connection shone through and I liked Trent's inner stuggle on how he should behave and what he should do. I thought the story flowed well and held my interest, I'm looking forward to Cassie's story after reading the end of this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this second chance romance, the emotion rolls off both Lacy and Trent, none of the emotions from their high school romance have disappeared even though Trent broke her heart all those years ago. He knows what he lost and is determined to win her back.

Well-written storylines, filled with plenty of drama and emotion, both Lacy and Trent are incredibly likable characters..

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cathylynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, it was a quick read and the story moved along at a good pace.Trent and Lacy were sweethearts from the sixth grade on. Tragedy hits and Trents does the unthinkable for Lacy. It was a big mistake. Years later Lacy is back and well I will not tell you what happens. You just have to read the book. I liked the characters and the story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[adina willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lacy is returning home to run the B & B her parents owned. She left because her boyfriend at the time, Trent, dumped her after his parents passed. Trent is thrilled Lacy is back home. He realizes that he screwed up the first time and this is his second chance, if Lacy will give him one. This is a sweet, short read with the emotional feels of a love that still lives on.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Geeky Girl Review Cafe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a super cute second chance romance from Hope. I love the small-town setup of this series. And can easily see that there are going to be more amazing books coming along.

Trent's reasoning for letting Lacy walk away years ago while noble was maybe not the best decision for both of them, and now they have found their way back to each other.

I'm a sucker for second chances and small-town romances so this was a delightful read for me.

[Oriana Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was sweet romantic but a bit sad as well. They both fell in love with each other young but different circumstances made it hard for them. 3 years after they broke up they finally found their way to each other. But heck had Trent his work cut out for him.🤣 He had to grovel to get his 2nd chance. A HEA and safe😍😍

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sara Munoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Return to Forest Grove is a series of interconnected, stand-alone small town romance stories. Each book promises a sweet, steamy, happily ever after. This book 1 in the Coming Home To The Grove Book Series is so good and sweet. This story has strong characters with a quick romance with insta love, hot love scenes, and a sweet story. I loved this book so much I bought the series that were. A Must read

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mandi Garivn · Rating 5 out of 5]

New series new obsession.

Wow I think this may be my favorite series yet. The character development and the heart strings that you feel in this story are one of a kind. Lacy and Trent’s love is found on every page and the 2nd Chance HEA at the end is everything you can hope for. I cannot wait for Carrie’s story because it looks like it is going to be a doozy.