5 stars
This was a great story. I first met Mike in [book:At Peace|11665750] and am so glad he got his own book. This have become my favorite book of the series.
I really loved Dusty. She's a great character and I think one of the best KA heroines. She's smart and spunky but also sweet and warm in a way that people tend to respond to. Dusty in having issues when the story begins. Her brother just died leaving a widow and 2 sons, Fin and Kirby. Dusty's sister, Debbie (also Mike's EX from back in high school) has always hated Dusty and makes problem about the funeral forcing Dusty to back off when the family needs her to avoid more stress on the family.
Mike is a good guy and I liked him a lot but he did make a number of mistakes with Dusty. Because of past woman issues he tends to be distrustful. When Debbie fills his head with lies about Dusty, Mike decided to go see what Dusty's problem is only to find out that Debbie is the problem. After he makes an ass out of himself and Dusty sets him straight they reconnect (big time!). Things go pretty well so they decide to continue and Mike's hopeful but then finds out something from Dusty's past that he thinks must have scarred her. When he confronts her (while breaking it off their budding relationship) he finds out he was wrong again (this being the 3rd time her's jumped to conclusions about Dusty without asking her about things and been wrong). Dusty, being a straight shooter, lays it all out for Mike to see. And he sees clearly then just how wrong he was, just in time for him to loose her and he has no one to blame but himself.
Mike has 2 kids, Jonah (aka No) and Clarissa (aka Rees). Fortunately for Mike, his kids love him and his daughter notices things. Rees knew that her Dad hadn't been happy in a long time. She also knew he was starting to see a new woman and just as her Dad seemed to be getting happier it changed. Now her Dad seems upset and she finds out why, because things ended with Dusty and Mike blamed himself. Rees didn't know what happened but decide to try to get them back together so her Dad would be happy.
Rees ends up approaching Dusty's nephew, Fin. Fin is having issues with keeping the family farm once his Dad died due to his Aunt Debbie trying to sell it out from under them. He needs help and know Dusty will help him. When Rees tells him the situation he agrees to help (which will help them both). He calls Dusty for help and once she get back to town Rees lets it slip to her Dad. Upon hearing the news that Dusty is back in town, Mike wastes no time heading over to the farm to gain her forgiveness. It wasn't gained easily but he manages and from here I really loved Dusty and Mike's relationship. Because of their history from when they were younger (or maybe because they're just soulmates) they have a connection that make it seem they've been together for years and things fall in place pretty naturally for them. Although, they still have issues to work out from time to time.
One thing I loved about this book was that in addition to the main romance of Mike and Dusty, there's a secondary romance between Fin and Rees. This was a wonderful part of the story. While not as in-depth as the adult romance, it's still a great part of the story that integrates well in with the rest of the story. It even adds more dimension with the added issues of Dusty's nephew dating Mike's daughter... It was done very well and I loved the integration of the kids and families together.
There were a lot of things going on in the book. There's the problems with Aunt Debbie trying to contest the will and bringing crooked land developers to try to take the farm. There's the EXs of both Dusty and Mike to deal with. There's bullies and vandals that cause problems as well. The book almost always had something going on and I had a problem putting it down because I wanted to see what came next. In the end the danger doesn't even come from where I was expecting it to come from.
The characters in this book were great. I loved the new character but also enjoyed seeing the characters from previous books come back. I especially enjoyed seeing Ryker again, he was just as humorous in this book as #3. Loved him telling Dusty "You owe me cake!". LMAO.
This was a great book. It was very interesting but also touching and emotional so make sure to grab some tissues. I loved reading it and can't wait for the next book in the series. I'd recommend it. 2 thumbs up! :D
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Reviews with images
Amazing read! It was full of love, heat, drama, and emotion and I couldn't get enough!
This was so amazing! It's hard to even pinpoint one particular thing because it was such a full story with these wonderful characters and all these smaller stories intertwined that made everything excellent. It was full of love, heat, drama, and emotion and I couldn't get enough.I’ve loved Mike since he was first introduced in The ‘Burg series and I've wanted him to have an HEA. He's such an incredible guy and I was always rooting for him. I loved getting to know him, really see him, and watch him find his love. He's such a bossy alpha male but he's all heart. Dusty was just as wonderful. A total firecracker who loves fiercely. I enjoyed their history and them reconnecting. They were just wonderful and caring and stubborn and it made for a spectacular story of them coming together.There are several stories and different POV's in play and I loved them all. I loved Mike's kids and I liked learning their struggles and how that played out in the book. There are so many special relationships throughout, all the different friendships and bonds. It was incredibly heartwarming. I loved all the different perspectives. There is an amazing cast of characters involved. Characters from previous stories and new ones introduced and I got so excited about every single one.I loved the ins and outs, the character development and growth. How everything evolved, the timeline and these incredibly rich characters. This was elaborate and detailed, I like how it's all woven together building and building. Just an absolutely incredible story!
Top reviews from other countries
Shirley
Jonathan Michael Haines and Dusty Holliday - now there is an incredible couple
Reviewed in Canada on September 19, 2015
