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inmyhumbleopinion's review
4.0
Sweet small town romance. Two flawed individuals overcoming the past in different ways come together for the sake of a child. He has self-esteem issues that come with being a recovering addict no matter how successful you become you are still a recovering addict. She has lost her mother and her sister. She left the Army, her way out, to raise the child he made with her sister. To say she has trust issues would be an understatement. With the help of some wonderful secondary characters can these three learn to trust, love and become a family.
The story is sweet, a bit predictable but worth the read. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
The story is sweet, a bit predictable but worth the read. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
kbranfield's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Finding Glory by Sara Arden is an entertaining friends to lovers romance. This third novel in the Home to Glory utilizes the ever popular marriage of convenience plot device and the resulting story is a mix of sweet romance and angsty drama.
Gina Townsend and Reed Hollingsworth are childhood friends who lost touch years earlier after Reed left town. Gina also left town but after her sister Crystal's death, she returned to Glory to raise her young niece, Amanda Jane. She is struggling to make ends meet, working two jobs while also going to college when she decides to sue Reed for child support. Reed is unaware he is Amanda Jane's father, but he is more than willing to be an active participant in his daughter's life. Gina and Reed are surprised when the judge presiding over their case suggests a marriage of convenience as an alternative to shared custody. Although they both have a few trepidations about a loveless union, they do agree this is the best solution for Amanda Jane and they quickly wed. However, Gina and Reed are not prepared for their mutual attraction or for the emotional landmines waiting for them.
Gina will do pretty anything to make Amanda Jane happy even if it means marrying the man she has been in love with most of her life. She is determined to give her niece a better life than she had growing up and marriage to Reed will do just that. But she knows trusting him will not be easy since she had a ringside seat to his struggles with addiction and she is afraid that he will eventually relapse. Her fears lead to a seemingly endless cycle of pulling him close only to push him away and although she is aware that what she is doing is unfair to Reed, Gina cannot quite seem to break this pattern.
Reed has worked hard to overcome his addiction and make something of himself. Although he is wealthy beyond belief, he still feels like the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. He does a good job of hiding his insecurities but his fears keep him from fully trusting people. Reed is beyond thrilled to be a dad but at the first sign of trouble, his first instinct is to run. This plays into Gina's fears and their fragile relationship is ill-equipped to withstand their inability to trust each other.
Gina and Reed's relationship is a mix of easygoing friendship and tentative romance. They both tend to over think things but they never seem to work through their individual issues. Their problems become repetitive and their lack of progress is incredibly frustrating. For every step forward they make, they end up taking two steps back and the emotional merry go round begins yet again. The story becomes so bogged down in angst that it feels like Gina and Reed will never find their way to any semblance of happily ever after.
Despite the slow progression of Gina and Reed's relationship, Finding Glory is a cute love story. The secondary cast of characters is quite charming and very easy to like. Gina and Reed are sympathetic protagonists and it is easy to cheer them on as they try to make peace with their respective pasts. Their romance is believable and their love scenes are very sensual. Although it is the third novel in the Home to Glory series, it can be read as a standalone.
Finding Glory by Sara Arden is an entertaining friends to lovers romance. This third novel in the Home to Glory utilizes the ever popular marriage of convenience plot device and the resulting story is a mix of sweet romance and angsty drama.
Gina Townsend and Reed Hollingsworth are childhood friends who lost touch years earlier after Reed left town. Gina also left town but after her sister Crystal's death, she returned to Glory to raise her young niece, Amanda Jane. She is struggling to make ends meet, working two jobs while also going to college when she decides to sue Reed for child support. Reed is unaware he is Amanda Jane's father, but he is more than willing to be an active participant in his daughter's life. Gina and Reed are surprised when the judge presiding over their case suggests a marriage of convenience as an alternative to shared custody. Although they both have a few trepidations about a loveless union, they do agree this is the best solution for Amanda Jane and they quickly wed. However, Gina and Reed are not prepared for their mutual attraction or for the emotional landmines waiting for them.
Gina will do pretty anything to make Amanda Jane happy even if it means marrying the man she has been in love with most of her life. She is determined to give her niece a better life than she had growing up and marriage to Reed will do just that. But she knows trusting him will not be easy since she had a ringside seat to his struggles with addiction and she is afraid that he will eventually relapse. Her fears lead to a seemingly endless cycle of pulling him close only to push him away and although she is aware that what she is doing is unfair to Reed, Gina cannot quite seem to break this pattern.
Reed has worked hard to overcome his addiction and make something of himself. Although he is wealthy beyond belief, he still feels like the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. He does a good job of hiding his insecurities but his fears keep him from fully trusting people. Reed is beyond thrilled to be a dad but at the first sign of trouble, his first instinct is to run. This plays into Gina's fears and their fragile relationship is ill-equipped to withstand their inability to trust each other.
Gina and Reed's relationship is a mix of easygoing friendship and tentative romance. They both tend to over think things but they never seem to work through their individual issues. Their problems become repetitive and their lack of progress is incredibly frustrating. For every step forward they make, they end up taking two steps back and the emotional merry go round begins yet again. The story becomes so bogged down in angst that it feels like Gina and Reed will never find their way to any semblance of happily ever after.
Despite the slow progression of Gina and Reed's relationship, Finding Glory is a cute love story. The secondary cast of characters is quite charming and very easy to like. Gina and Reed are sympathetic protagonists and it is easy to cheer them on as they try to make peace with their respective pasts. Their romance is believable and their love scenes are very sensual. Although it is the third novel in the Home to Glory series, it can be read as a standalone.
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