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miaev's review
5.0
Can a troubled teen overcome his past as a grown man and find love?
Growing up, Ethan Thompson never knew a safe home life. Not until he landed at the Martin family ranch in Last Stand, Texas, as a teenager. Susannah Martin found a way to save him and brought him to the family ranch. But the scars and trauma of his childhood still haunt him and shape his view of his present life and future life. Ethan has become a sheriff’s deputy which has allowed him to keep a safe emotional distance between him and everyone else in the community.
Pen Martin-Wakefield has moved back home to the family ranch with her three children after her husband’s line of duty death. She is still trying to deal with the stress of his death and rebuilding her life plus dealing with her girls who are all dealing with their father’s death in different ways. And of course with her girls being different ages, she is also dealing with a wide range of normal growing up issues. Throw in that she has moved back at the Christmas season, plus a long hidden attraction to Ethan, and the stresses build.
Can Pen learn to accept that she doesn’t have to be perfect and can just be herself? Can she learn to let her girls live in the moment and learn to handle their own battles with each other? Can Ethan learn that it is safe to love? Well, given this a Nicole Helm novel, yes. But like her all of her other novels I have read, the storyline moves along and the characters are well written. You can relate to the characters in this novel because we all have a little bit of each one in us.
I did receive a copy of this book in advance from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
Growing up, Ethan Thompson never knew a safe home life. Not until he landed at the Martin family ranch in Last Stand, Texas, as a teenager. Susannah Martin found a way to save him and brought him to the family ranch. But the scars and trauma of his childhood still haunt him and shape his view of his present life and future life. Ethan has become a sheriff’s deputy which has allowed him to keep a safe emotional distance between him and everyone else in the community.
Pen Martin-Wakefield has moved back home to the family ranch with her three children after her husband’s line of duty death. She is still trying to deal with the stress of his death and rebuilding her life plus dealing with her girls who are all dealing with their father’s death in different ways. And of course with her girls being different ages, she is also dealing with a wide range of normal growing up issues. Throw in that she has moved back at the Christmas season, plus a long hidden attraction to Ethan, and the stresses build.
Can Pen learn to accept that she doesn’t have to be perfect and can just be herself? Can she learn to let her girls live in the moment and learn to handle their own battles with each other? Can Ethan learn that it is safe to love? Well, given this a Nicole Helm novel, yes. But like her all of her other novels I have read, the storyline moves along and the characters are well written. You can relate to the characters in this novel because we all have a little bit of each one in us.
I did receive a copy of this book in advance from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
tiggeruo's review
4.0
I really like this book I read the first in the series and the author has away of getting you right in the heart. I really love how the author take a group of really imperfect people and doesn't try and change them but tries to heal them. I also enjoyed in this story how the author had the 3 girls personality really shine off the pages they were just as equally fun to read about. My heart broke for Addie she was so small but dealt with some very adult emotions. I could not put this book down I really wanted to see how the story was playing out. There is one sex scene not completely in detail but you get the point. Over all this book is a super fun read and so will sum up what Christmas and family is really about, so worth the read.
ilsa1's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thewoollygeek's review
3.0
I enjoyed this but not as much as the first book in the series, the characters although lovely individually seemed to lack chemistry together as a couple. It was a cute story and nice supporting characters too. But sadly due to lack of chemistry between main characters it’s just 3 stars for me.
Thanks to the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
allingoodtime's review
4.0
3.5 stars
The boys (men) from Last Stand really tug at my heartstrings. Ethan is no exception. Not only does he internalize so much hurt, but he does it with a façade of calm and control. Nobody sees past that façade until Penelope. And Pen didn’t see the real Ethan until the real Pen came out.
Being the oldest of three girls, it was Penelope’s natural inclination to take over the nurturing role when their mother passed away. Then she got married young and had children herself and that nurturing became more intense and gave her a strong need for control and order. All the while she compared herself to her deceased mother, never feeling quite like she’s living up to the memories she has of the woman.
It’s obvious that Pen and Ethan are perfect for each other. Not only does Ethan bring a sense of calm to Pen, but he is head over heels for her daughters and they for him. Yet nobody can seem to admit what’s right in front of everyone’s faces.
I love this story and I love the characters. Unfortunately, I was missing the chemistry. Even though I think these characters are a perfect match, it wasn’t coming off the pages for me here. There’s no rhyme or reason for that. I can’t explain it at all. It seems like all of the ingredients were there for a perfect recipe, but there was still something missing. Which makes me sad since I love everything about this story.
A quick warning for those of you haven’t read the first in this series, Homecoming for the Cowboy; I think you’ll be missing some key points about the way the Ethan and his brothers and Penelope and her sisters were raised if you don’t read that first story. Sure, you can read this as a standalone, but you’ll be missing a depth to this story if you do that. Plus, that first book is amazing and a must read.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
You can read more of my reviews at All In Good Time.
The boys (men) from Last Stand really tug at my heartstrings. Ethan is no exception. Not only does he internalize so much hurt, but he does it with a façade of calm and control. Nobody sees past that façade until Penelope. And Pen didn’t see the real Ethan until the real Pen came out.
Being the oldest of three girls, it was Penelope’s natural inclination to take over the nurturing role when their mother passed away. Then she got married young and had children herself and that nurturing became more intense and gave her a strong need for control and order. All the while she compared herself to her deceased mother, never feeling quite like she’s living up to the memories she has of the woman.
It’s obvious that Pen and Ethan are perfect for each other. Not only does Ethan bring a sense of calm to Pen, but he is head over heels for her daughters and they for him. Yet nobody can seem to admit what’s right in front of everyone’s faces.
I love this story and I love the characters. Unfortunately, I was missing the chemistry. Even though I think these characters are a perfect match, it wasn’t coming off the pages for me here. There’s no rhyme or reason for that. I can’t explain it at all. It seems like all of the ingredients were there for a perfect recipe, but there was still something missing. Which makes me sad since I love everything about this story.
A quick warning for those of you haven’t read the first in this series, Homecoming for the Cowboy; I think you’ll be missing some key points about the way the Ethan and his brothers and Penelope and her sisters were raised if you don’t read that first story. Sure, you can read this as a standalone, but you’ll be missing a depth to this story if you do that. Plus, that first book is amazing and a must read.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
You can read more of my reviews at All In Good Time.
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