Larkspur Road - Jill Gregory (Berkley - May 2012)

Series: Lonesome Way (Book 2) 

Fifth grade teacher Mia Quinn expected a tranquil summer in her hometown of Lonesome Way, Montana, sewing for her quilting group's exhibition fundraiser and caring for her rescued dog, Samson. But all her plans for a relaxing break are thrown out the window when Travis Tanner -- the boy who broke her heart in high school -- returns to town with his ten year old adopted step-son.

A former FBI agent, the boy Mia once knew is now well over six feet of male muscle -- and he still has the power to make Mia lose her train of thought with just a glance. When Travis asks her to tutor his troubled son, Mia quickly discovers that the sparks between them are hotter than ever. As danger comes to Lonesome Way and family secrets come to light, will Travis and Mia realize that love can be even better the second time around? 

Very good book.  Travis has returned to Lonesome Way to live.  He has brought his stepson along for the summer.  Mia is looking forward to a nice quiet summer break.  Instead, she gets Travis, her niece Brittany, and a family secret to discover. Travis would really like a second chance with Mia, but she wants nothing to do with him.  He does manage to convince her to tutor his son which puts them in frequent contact.  The attraction is immediate and intense.  Mia also is trying to get to know her estranged aunt and bring the family back together. Mia is also dealing with her niece, who seems to be very much on edge.  That problem brings some danger to them. I really liked both Travis and Mia.  Travis knows how badly he hurt Mia when they were teenagers and has regretted it for years.  He really wants a chance to apologize and see if they can move on from there.  He is a really good guy which shows in how much he loves his stepson.  I love the way that he has brought Grady to Montana and is determined to help him.  He even goes to Mia and asks for her help in tutoring Grady.  I love his patience in dealing with Grady and his problems and in getting Mia to trust him again.  Mia is great too.  I loved the way that she takes Brittany for the summer.  She senses that there is something wrong and does her best to help.  I love the way she is so supportive of her niece.  Mia was not happy that Travis was back and was still angry over how he had hurt her all those years ago.  She didn't let that stop her from helping Grady.  She was great with him and I loved the way that she was able to help him get his confidence back.  Her immediate attraction to Travis bothered her because she was afraid she would get hurt again.  But the more time they spent together the more she realized that they were no longer the kids they had been the last time.  Their relationship now was much better.  I loved his proposal at the end.  I loved Grady.  He was a terrific kid and it was easy to see why he had his problems.  I loved how he was determined to do what needed to be done.  I was really happy with the solution that Travis came up with at the end.  Brittany was a sweet girl that was trying to deal with a problem alone.  When she finally came clean I loved the way that Travis and Mia were able to help her.  The resolution of that problem was pretty scary.  My heart really went out to Aunt Winny.  She was such a miserable old grump at the beginning.  I really loved the way that Mia didn't give up on her.  When she finally told her story it was so sad.  I loved seeing her open up and become part of the family.

Sage Creek - Jill Gregory (Berkley - Oct 2011)

Series: Lonesome Way (Book 1) 

After her marriage falls apart, Sophie McPhee returns to her hometown of Lonesome Way, Montana, planning to steer clear of men and focus on her new bakery, A Bun in the Oven. Who she doesn't expect to see is Rafe Tanner, her first crush who now runs his family's ranch-and who spent most of their childhood ignoring her. But is Rafe a changed man?

While Rafe is stunned to discover that Sophie's grown into an irresistibly beautiful woman, he's been hurt too. They both have their guards up, but melt in each other's company. Can they admit that home is truly where the heart is? 

I really enjoyed this book.  Sophie came back to Lonesome Way to recover from her divorce and the emotional beating it had given her.  She had no plans to get involved with a man anytime soon.  One of the first things she did was to spend time with her best friend, and discovered that her brother was even better looking than he used to be when she had a crush on him. I enjoyed the memories of when she and his sister used to stalk him and wreck his chances of making out with his girlfriends. There was also an immediate attraction that she wasn't sure what to do about.  Rafe was not the wild kid he used to be.  He was now running the family ranch and raising his daughter by himself after his wife walked out on them.  I loved the way that he and Sophie connected right away.  I also liked the way that Sophie and Ivy were able to be friends, and that Ivy was able to go to Sophie with questions.  I could see that they were falling in love, but they were also cautious because they had both been hurt.  I loved the way that Rafe was protective of Sophie when she was having problems with a vandal, and the way he rescued her when she was attacked at the end.  I really enjoyed seeing the way that both of them changed over the course of the book, learning to trust again and seeing how other people have changed.  I also enjoyed the relationship between Rafe and Ivy.  It's very nice to see a father who is so involved with his daughter.  Sophie also had to deal with her mother's romance with Sophie's old math teacher, who had made her life miserable, and now had to decide if she approved.  I also liked Sophie's grandmother and her friends and their attempts to fix Sophie up.  Overall, a good example of a small town romance.