The Heart of Christmas - Brenda Novak (Mira - Nov 2014)

Series: Whiskey Creek (Book 7)

Just call her Christmas Eve…

Eve Harmon has always enjoyed Christmas, but this year it reminds her of everything she doesn't have. Almost all her friends are married now, and that's what Eve wants, too. Love. A husband and kids of her own. But the B and B she manages, and even Whiskey Creek, the small Gold Country town where she was born and raised, suddenly seem…confining.

Eve's worried that her future will simply be a reflection of her past. There's no one in the area she could even imagine as a husband -- until a handsome stranger comes to town. Eve's definitely attracted to him, and he seems to have the same reaction to her. But his darkly mysterious past could ruin Eve's happily ever after -- just when it finally seems within reach. And just when she's counting on the best Christmas of her life!

Good book. I liked seeing Eve finally get her story. Eve runs Little Mary's B&B. She's at the local bar celebrating her birthday and feeling sorry for herself. She wants what her friends have - a family of her own, but so far she hasn't found the right man. She wakes up the next morning with a handsome stranger in her bed, and only vague memories of the night. What she can remember is pretty impressive, but she's horrified by her uncharacteristic behavior. Rex is in town trying to keep his past from catching up with him. His night with Eve was amazing, but he should move on. Unfortunately for his peace of mind, he can't seem to pull himself away. 

I liked Eve better in this book than I have in previous ones. In those, she frequently seemed judgmental about the decisions her friends were making, or the people they were falling for. In this book, her attitude becomes a little clearer, as she is one to worry about her friends and wants what is best for them. With her sudden attraction to Rex she begins to understand them a little better. There's something about Rex that has her wanting to get closer to him, but at the same time there is a lot of mystery surrounding him. As she gets to know him, she sees a good man who is trying to get past the mistakes he's made. All she has to do is convince him that he's worth loving.

I really liked Rex. He had a family tragedy as a teen that he continues to blame himself for. The guilt he felt then led him to make some poor choices, choices that kept building until he ended up in prison. He's been out for eight years and has made a good life for himself, but the past won't leave him be. The gang that he belonged to as a safety precaution in prison doesn't like that he has left them behind. They are determined to find him and kill him. This has added to Rex's determination to keep an emotional distance from everyone. When he found out that they had tracked him down once again, he hit the road for awhile, ending up in Whiskey Creek. His encounter with Eve filled a need in him he hadn't realized he had. He tries to keep her at a distance, but finds himself unable to resist going back to her time and again. He wants to be able to stay with her, but his fears for her safety have him convinced it's not possible.

It was great to see the various people from previous books and see how things are going for them. There's a reference in this book to something that happened in an earlier book that I still don't agree with. I'm waiting for that decision to come back and cause problems. However, I loved the support that Eve had from her friends. They are all protective of her, and while some go a bit far in their actions, they all want what is best for her. In the end, it was wonderful to see how they banded together to make it possible for Eve and Rex to be together. The solution was pretty clever. I liked the epilogue and seeing Rex take the first steps into a new future.

This Heart of Mine - Brenda Novak (Mira - Apr 2015)

Series: Whiskey Creek (Book 8)

First love. Second chance?

As the daughter of a hoarder, Phoenix Fuller had a tough childhood. So when the handsome, popular Riley Stinson became her boyfriend in high school, she finally felt as though she had something to be proud of. Phoenix was desperate not to lose him -- especially once she found out she was pregnant. Yes, she might have acted a bit obsessive when he broke up with her. But she did not run down the girl he started dating next!

Unfortunately, there was no way to prove her innocence. Now, after serving her time in prison, Phoenix has been released. All she wants to do is return to Whiskey Creek and get to know her son. But Jacob's father isn't exactly welcoming.

Riley doesn't trust Phoenix, doesn't want her in Jacob's life. He is, however, ready to find someone to love. And he wants a good mother for his son. He has no idea that he's about to find both -- if they can forgive the mistakes in their past…

Good book. Phoenix has been a presence in the background of the series from the beginning, as the girl who had been sent to prison for running down and killing a romantic rival. There was always a feeling that there was more to the story, and here we finally get it.

After finishing her time in prison, Phoenix is back in Whiskey Creek. All she wants is to live quietly and finally get a chance to know her son. But Jake's father isn't exactly making it easy for her. Riley really isn't sure he wants Phoenix anywhere near Jake, but he can't deny his son a chance to get to know her. 

My heart just broke for Phoenix. The entire time she was away, all she could think about was the baby she hadn't even gotten to hold. Though she doesn't earn much money while in prison, she feels it's important to contribute to Jake's care, so she sends money to Riley whenever she can, even though he doesn't need it. That first day, when she invited Jake and Riley out for breakfast, and didn't eat anything herself so she'd be sure to have enough money to pay, just made me ache. All she really has left is her pride and she refuses to allow herself to look bad in their presence. 

I thought that Phoenix was an amazingly strong woman. She is starting her life over with practically nothing. She is back living with her mother, an obese woman with hoarding issues, who is extremely negative toward her. She has little money, but an incredible determination to make the small business she has started a success, overcoming obstacles not of her own making to do it. She has to deal with the attitudes of people in town who don't want her living there. Through it all, she has her eyes on the prize of getting to know Jake. She was willing to do whatever it took to do so, and always put what was best for him ahead of what she wanted for herself.

Riley bugged me a bit at first. I understood that he was trying to be protective of Jake, but he was so darned suspicious of anything that Phoenix said or did. I finally got that part of it was the guilt he felt, because he had listened to everyone else back when it happened and not trusted his own feelings. He didn't want to believe that he had misjudged her all those years. I did appreciate that, in spite of his fears, he didn't try to keep Jake and Phoenix apart.

The rekindling of the relationship between Riley and Phoenix was pretty sweet. Phoenix had never stopped loving Riley, but she was determined that she wouldn't repeat the mistakes of the past. She does everything she can think of to make sure that Riley knows that she doesn't expect anything from him. Riley moves quickly from suspicion of Phoenix and her motives to wanting to get closer to her again. I loved the ways that he tried to help her, and his frustration at her resistance. I especially loved seeing the way that his public support of her grew and seeing him stand up for her against others. I really loved the patience he showed as he worked to earn Phoenix's trust. What he did for her at the end was absolutely fantastic.

I loved Phoenix's son Jake. Riley had done an awesome job raising him. He could have been spiteful about having an ex-con for a mother, but he gave her the benefit of the doubt from the very beginning. He was a real sweetheart about trying to include Phoenix in his life from their first meeting. It was pretty sweet to see him almost shaming his father into doing the right things to help her. He also was very protective of her feelings and hated to see the way she was treated. I had fun seeing him try to push Phoenix and Riley together.

Riley's friends were the wild card at the beginning. It was hard to tell if they were going to be for her or against her. I loved the way that Kyle was the first to reach out to her. He felt that since she had served her time, it was time to move forward. He was a really nice guy with the way that he gave her ways to help herself without feeling like she was accepting charity. It was also fun to see the way he pushed Riley's buttons a little, by paying attention to Phoenix. I liked the way that Riley's friends all made a point of talking to her and including her during the weekend party at the cabin.

I loved the ending and seeing what Riley did for Phoenix. It was very satisfying to see him stand up to his parents and the family of the dead girl. I would have liked to see some actual consequences and contrition as a result of what happened, but as long as Phoenix was content, I suppose I should be too.

*copy received in exchanged for honest review.