| Title | : | Love in a Small Town (Pine Harbour, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle , Hardcover , Paperback , Audiobook & More |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | First published August 13, 2014 |
Police officer and army reservist Rafe Minelli knows better than to tell his wife no, particularly since they aren't married anymore. She can’t hightail it out of town, though, not when they’ve finally broken through the post-divorce cold war status quo.
Olivia Minelli needs to leave Pine Harbour. It’s just too hard to see Rafe moving on without her—even if he says he doesn’t want to. But when a new and exciting job falls into her lap, she needs to choose: protect her heart, or take the new job and risk getting emotionally entangled with her ex-husband. Again.
Love in a Small Town (Pine Harbour, #1) Reviews
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4.5 STARS
Okay! This was surprisingly good! Very, very good. I loved it! The fact that it was written by a Canadian author describing places I know and have seen, makes this even more incredible because it's so rare.
I loved Rafe Minelli, I loved Olivia Minelli. But most of all, I adored them together. This could have been one big drama fest, infused with useless back and forth, annoying characters and an overdrawn plot. It was NONE of those things. I was so surprised because it was so damn mature! We saw characters with real problems, real issues that made marriage a challenge neither person was ready to face. Anyone in a long term relationship or married could relate to Rafe and Liv's problems. They were young when they got hitched and probably didn't realize the obstacles in front of them.
The book starts with Liv and Rafe two years post their divorce. An incident taken the wrong way sets Liv off and begins the tale of second chances and the sincerity of never getting over the one you truly love. There was no drama, each hurdle faced by this couple was dealt with realistically and honestly. I teared up a few times over the unfulfilled expectations, the hurt endured by Rafe and Liv and the miscommunication. Some scenes from the past broke my heart and made me even more determined to see them get their much deserved HEA.
The most beautiful thing though? That both Rafe and Liv wanted a second chance. Despite their past, each of them had grown and come to take responsibility for their role in the breakdown of their marriage. Seeing each get that lightbulb moment about what went wrong was amazing. I could feel their love for each other so strongly, so acutely and I loved how they finally found some middle ground.
The steam was compounded by the sexual tension rolling off the pages. It was incredibly well done and stuck to the quality over quantity rule...which I loved. The epilogue was beautiful and I'd love to read more about this wonderful couple. What's really great though is the secondary story lightly woven in here about Dani, Rafe's younger sister and Jake, his best friend. I'm so excited to read about those two!! Anyways, I loved this so much and recommend it! -
I enjoyed the first half of this book. Ended up skimming to the end. Not sure why.
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I LOVED this book! This was a beautiful, second chance romance that was really well written. I was hooked from the first page. Olivia is working at a diner when her ex-husband of 2 years comes in for breakfast with a girl who is wearing his flannel shirt. Olivia is upset to see him moving on even though it's been 2 years. Everything is not what it seems though and Rafe has not moved on from Liv at all. I loved Rafe! Wow! He is such a sweet, amazing and sexy man. His love for Liv was so beautiful. The problems that this couple faced were real problems that a lot of marriages go through, not having enough time for each other and trying to figure out how to make your marriage a priority in life. I can't say enough how much I really loved this story. It was just so good! The supporting characters were also fantastic and I am so excited to read more in this series. Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance!
**ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review** -
4.5 stars
Contains minor spoilers and quotes !
I really really enjoyed reading this one . The story begins when Rafe brings a girl wearing his shirt to the diner that his ex-wife Liv works in , he doesn't really have a choice since they live in a small town . Liv is jealous , despite them being divorced for 2 years , they still very much love each other , she thinks that Rafe has moved on . She knows its his right but it's hard for her to accept that .
“So it’s okay for you to want to see other people but not me. Not after two years.”
“It should be okay,” she sobbed. “It needs to be okay. And yet…it’s totally not.”
But in realty he really didn't ,he tried but she's it for him . When Liv feels like the town is too small for the two of them she decides she has to get out at the same time Rafe decides he wants her back. and so it begins ..
“I’m not moving on. I’ve tried. I can’t do it. You’re it for me.”
Rafe and Liv had a great connection , you could feel the love they had for each other . There are a couple of flashback chapters that gives us a sense of what life as a married couple was like , and when and how it all fell apart . I think that both of them were right and wrong at the same time , she wanted to be a top priority and that's her right , and he couldn't balance being a cop , a soldier and a husband. Even so ,I thought they both didn't fight for each other and they let go too easily and that's why they never got over each other.
At first both of them were insecure about what the other wanted , but I liked seeing them learn from their mistakes . It was real , because it was too easy to fall back in the same routine but they held on because they decided that as long as they love each other they'll make it work.
I'm gonna tag this quote though !
and Yes I did swoon ;) !
If you're a fan of second chance stories , I highly recommend this one , It was really sweet and I enjoyed it all ;)
As for the safety of this book regarding OW/OM :: -
Second time around
Something about this book bothered me. It might be him bringing another woman to the diner where his ex-wife worked, and the situation that caused it. That niggled at me the entire book. He said she was his distraction of the month. I know they were divorced. It had been two years. But taking her to the diner? It felt mean to me. But I did like the book. He loved her still. She loved him. Seriously I can't believe they got divorced even. It was totally lame. They just needed to talk. It felt contrived. Oh well I need to move past it. I kept thinking that the company she was working for was shady and I expected it to be part of a drug plot but it was real I guess and turned out to be boring. I just expected more. The situation at the end was serious and tragic and brought the book to a resolution but I felt it lacked somehow. I did love the ending and I was glad they had their HEA. For that it got three stars. And they never really stopped loving each other. That was good. -
Olivia and Rafe
This is the first book of this series. Six years ago Race and Olivia met and got married and they moved to his childhood town. Soon after they parted ways . Got divorced and moved on. Well they thought they would move on. Now Rage wants her back. Her heart was crushed before. No way. But he is out to prove her wrong. -
I binged the entire Pine Harbour series back-to-back during lockdown and overall it’s a great series. I originally gave Love in a Small Town 3 stars, I enjoyed it despite Rafe and Olivia feeling underdeveloped but still, Zoe York did enough to see me eager to read the whole series. And 6 years after original publication and a bit of rewrite later, both Rafe and Olivia and their story benefit hugely.
I’ve tried to move on. It was a mistake. I can’t do it.”
I love the marriage in jeopardy trope and second chances, and in Olivia and Rafe’s case neither is blameless for the failure of their marriage. The bones of the story remains unchanged, the ink may have dried on their divorce papers, yet their hearts say otherwise, but it’s the changes and additions that make both the story tighter and the characters stronger which in turn brings a greater depth to their reconnection: Rafe is unquestionably a far better man for being tweaked. If we take our time, if you give us another chance and if I really listen, we’re going to get it right. I’m going to get it right.”
And that’s why I’m upgrading this from a 3 star to a high 4, it’s not my favourite of the 8 books, Sean and Jenna and Matt and Natasha will always be tied for that spot, but if you love small town, sexy romances with great characters and plenty of feels then Pine Harbour is the place to visit.
First edition purchased, second edition received courtesy of Grey’s Promotions for an honest and unbiased opinion.
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He brought his one night stand to the diner his ex wife works in and expects her to serve them breakfast. HOW TACKY CAN YOU GET??????!!!!!!! I don’t care that they are divorced, he is cruelly rubbing her nose in it. And I don’t care that he technically didn’t enter the one night stand. They made out all night at a bar then went back to his apartment where she proceeded to convince him to have sex for a good while and he enjoyed the seduction. Then, literally at the last second, he decided not to share the bed with her and just let her "sleep over." The next morning, he gave her his shirt to wear (which his ex wife recognized) and brought her to the diner to get served breakfast by his ex-wife. I would have served him arsenic-glazed donuts!
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I don't know he says ,'it's not what it looks like' but he did try to move on with the girl, couldn't do it put her up for the night, while he slept on the sofa, then took her for breakfast in the diner where his ex-wife works, with the girl dressed in his shirt and is surprised at what it looks like......Men!!!
Couple broke up not due to cheating.
During separation both are celibate but he did have other woman on his lap, kissing him.
HEA.
ARC. -
Six years. Two break ups. One divorce. They should be over each other.
I always love a good small town romance and this is another that I really enjoyed.
Olivia and Rafe married six years ago and divorced for two years, but they still very much a big part of each other lives due to living in such close proximity. It also didn't help moving on easier with Rafe showing up at her diner three times a week.
We have a little snippet of flashback of how their marriage fell apart over time. It felt realistic and something that I believe easily happened to every married couple out there.
They never lack passion and still very much in love. Their problem lies with their inability to compromise in everyday life and lack of understanding. So declaring those magic words 'I still love you' and 'I can't move on' will never solve their problem. I'm naturally curious to see how they can finally accept their difference and repair their relationship.
Seeing Rafe being such a dear, trying to win his ex-wife back makes me adore him. Olivia was having difficulty giving in because Rafe is still very much the same workaholic man despite his undying love for her. She never questioned his love, she only question his ability to be a better husband.
I felt like I miss the part where Olivia suddenly decided to give Rafe a second chance during Halloween Day. What triggers it? I know she start to enjoy her new job and being content, but it was not clearly explain well there. I love seeing how they each try to be better from before and make their marriage work again. Rafe didn't turn all perfect, but you simply will appreciate his effort.
The ending is really satisfying. The little bit of drama from Rafe work add in more swoon moment. I totally dig the whole vulnerable man scene. Although I feel the thing with Olivia future job prospect was not tied up neatly, I'm too happy with their HEA to care about it. -
This was a pretty good read that I liked. Olivia and Rafe have been divorced 2 years yet neither of them have moved on. He is a police officer and also does military reserves which leave him no time for his wife. This is their problem he's always putting his job before her. Olivia is not from the area and is working for his mother Olivia has no life. She grew resentful so after fighting for so long they divorced. The love for each other is still there so he sets out to try to win her back. While I liked that they got their happy ending they didn't really solve their problems. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
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2.5 stars leaning towards 3 because I liked the characters.
Could've been a much better story here.
Olivia and Rafe are quite likeable. They are divorced, but neither has moved on with their lives.
Rafe is a cop and his work is everything to him, Olivia feels that he doesn't care about her.
And so off they go wondering if there's another chance for them, feeling drawn to each other.
Nice and goofy, easy to read, all pretty much obvious.
It would have been a bit more entertaining if there was some other substance to the story apart from the pair doing a rain dance around each other .
Oh yes, I loved Rafe's mother, "Italian by marriage" :)) -
I was in a mood for something sweet, uncomplicated and didn’t take too long.
Love in a Small Town was the store-bought cookie dough of romance novels.
Was it overly trope-y?
Yes.
Was there too much showing-not-telling?
Yes.
Were there plot holes?
Definitely yes.
But, I still ate this book up anyway.
It’s a flitty little romance novel that sort of mirrors a Hallmark movie except with some dirty parts.
It could have been better, but it still hit the spot, just like that tube of Nestle Tollhouse.
My recommendation to the author: put your series on KU, because while this book was cute, it’s not worth the $5.99 price tag.
**Technically the kindle version for THIS book is $0, but every book that came after this one in the series (7 more in total), is $5.99. I’m willing to pay for one more book, but I can’t afford to stay in Pine Harbour that long. -
Generic.
Not particularly engaging.
Not great.
Not terrible either.
Unnecessary ~dramaz~ at the end
Up till that point, little happened.
Acceptable sex.
Twenty-two words is all the enthusiasm I can drum up for this one, I’m afraid. -
Olivia and Rafe got married too young and after six years got a divorce. But that doesn't mean they stopped loving each other, does it? Rafe wants to prove to her he's a different man now and one who still loves her. Olivia knows she shouldn't but she can't help but fall in love with Rafe all over again. Is there a chance for them or has too much pain created a rift between them?
I loved this romance. Not only does this take place in the small town of Pine Harbour but it's a second-chance romance. Both Rafe and Olivia are fully developed characters with past hurts. I kept rooting for them to get together. A great ending!
My Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by: Mrs. N -
It should have been angsty but it’s not.
Divorced couple can’t stay away from each other, he’s a cop and a soldier and she works in a cafe, the town has something like a few hundreds people so everyone know everything. Until one morning the hero arrives at the bar with a woman who apparently spent the night with him, and the heroine decides she’s had enough.
The hero can’t move on, he never slept with ow but he knows he and the heroine are not good together.
His job is always what matters most and he had no time for his wife.
The heroine trying to move to another city is his wake up call, and he will try to change his lifestyle to be the man his wife wants.
Meh. Not bad but not too good.
Both characters have their point and I don’t see how things will change if he isn’t giving up any of his commitments.
I suppose they are in love and the wife will accept that his jobs will always come first until retirement but I don’t feel that they are a great couple. -
DNF.
Premise: Rafe is a small-town Canadian cop and Army reservist. Olivia is his ex-wife who waits tables at the local diner. They met in their early-mid 20s, had a whirlwind sex romance, and got married. Life in the tiny town was frustrating and lonely for Olivia, and they got a divorce. Now it's a couple of years post-divorce and just as Olivia intends to get out of town so they can move on with their lives, they magically rediscover that they find the other party extremely sexy and rekindle their romance.
Pro: the prose is solid, and at first it really seemed like the book was grappling with what caused the relationship to fall apart, for real. I briefly thought "Wow, is this a contemporary that treats adult relationships seriously?!?"
Con: okay, it doesn't turn out to treat them very seriously. I thought that the flashbacks would make clear to me what - besides sex - drew Rafe and Olivia to each other, but they didn't. I quit reading about 60% in, so maybe it becomes clear later, but it just felt like repetitions of how sexy they are to each other. I didn't get feelings of "Oh, they also really like each other as people! They make each other laugh! They're a good team! They really KNOW each other!" or anything like that.
I also felt, as someone who knows from being married to a soldier, that the book sort of glosses over how crappy it can be to be the trailing spouse. The book does talk about it, but I felt that it sort of floats that idea ("it's lonely to stay behind when your spouse is deployed!") but then also pretends that it's easily fixable with some attitude adjustments. It's not really fixable. It's just hard, and people learn to accept that it's hard (or they don't, and the marriage ends). But there's not really a magic attitude fix that makes it okay.
I also struggled with Olivia's work situation. Part of what's hard about being the trailing spouse is that they generally, for obvious reasons, don't have the same career opportunities the soldier does - quite often people sort of end up in housewife/househusband situations without ever really choosing those situations intentionally, and the problem is that isn't just about "self-actualization" or whatever (although that's important, too!), there are real and obvious problems to putting your family's financial stability eggs in one basket. What if your soldier comes home seriously wounded? Who's going to make the money then?
Part of these issues might be that the book sort of straddles New Adult and regular-flavor-adult, I guess, so maybe these things - longterm mental compatibility as well as sexual compatibility, career issues for both partners - are less important in New Adult books. But that's also part of why I can't really do New Adult books, sooooooo.
Final gripe: Rafe is a small-town cop in Canada. A lot of what he does seems to be busting marijuana growers. It's really hard for me to take that seriously as an external threat or as a driver of why his job is so extremely vital and not something he can pause to deal with his marital issues. I also found my eyebrows climbing pretty high when Rafe and Olivia were at a party where there was lots of alcohol and Rafe gets "look at the criminal behavior!" about someone maybe, he thinks, no evidence, smoking a joint (GASP) and started skimming after that, because I could no longer feel my way through how serious I was supposed to take the problems in the book. Like Rafe's job is soooo important he can't possibly move to a city where Olivia has career options, but most of what he does that is so vital is... bust people for non-violent drug crime and possession?!? -
Oooh, Oh, Oh! Fabolous start to a New series!
Zoe York does it again, she reaches out captures your attention and does not let it go until the end .Then leaves you wanting more, is it December yet? No it is not a cliff hanger I just can't wait to go back to Pine Harbour and see what evryone is up to, especially Olivia's sister in law!
Rafe and Olivia Minnelli had a world wind romance and married just as quickly , but Olivia was not prepared for all the alone time due to Rafe's demanding jobs, a police officer and a soldier leave the two not having enough time for one another and expressing their feelings of loss the wrong way, all leading to a stupid question , Do you want a divorce?
Who would of thought the answer would be yes, but even in this the two of them actually are second guessing what the other wants but never really talk it through.
Two years later Rafe and Olivia are living apart but in a small town like Pine Harbour nothing is private , Rafe still loves his x wife Olivia, she is the only women for him and though Liv did not like all the time apart and feeling not a priority in his life , work always coming first she still love him .
So when Rafe comes into the diner one morning for breakfast with a beautiful women wearing his shirt Olivia can not believe the nerve Rafe has flaunting his liaison in front of her, but what hurts most , is that after two years she has not moved on and knowing he has hurts. Rafe sees her face, sees the tears she fighting and takes her to the diner office and tries to explain it is not what it looks like , that the girls car broke own, nothing happened he slept on the couch, that Liv is the only women for him. So , yes I broke put the tissues because this book is so well written my heart ached for these two!
After this Rafe sets put to woo his X wife , he wants her back! They have a twisty turny journey that is heart warming, sweet, sexy, frustrating and hot ! Of course it's a bumpy and scary road to the end, but well worth the ride!
Book graciously provided by Net Galley and Zoe York for an honest review! -
I hated this book. Ok, I take that back: my extreme hate for Rafe made me hate this book.
So Liv and Rafe get divorced for a stupid reason -- seriously all they had to do was communicate with one another (big then again this dickhead is only good at being a dick)-- but are still in love with one another. That being said, Rafe is a verbally abusive asshole. His mother hates Liv and he never stands up to her, he cares more about his job/town/mom (real mama boy here) than he does about his own wife. And when she dares voice her unhappiness and asks him to spend more time with her and act like a husband, he calls her every name in the book and treats her like shit. The only time he's somewhat passable towards her is when he wants sex, then as soon as that's done he's back to degrading her. I just want to punch this dude in the dick with a needle.😡😡 there's a difference between being an alpha and being an asshole, and this dude was a straight up DOUCHE.
Another thing that made me ragey?! When they are separated he took a woman he spent the night with to the diner where his ex works. Just no. Obviously he has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, but gooddammmnn. And this poor girl still loved him? No.
The only reason why I have this book two stars was because I liked Liv. She reminded me of someone very close to me and I just wanted her to realize that she could do so much better. My heart hurts even thinking about this situation..
So if you're into assholes you use their supposed loves as a plaything versus an actual human being, this is for you. -
This novel is sweet and heartfelt. I was completely enchanted with this look at life in rural Ontario. York tells an intriguing tale that brings together all the best of a new romance, with trying to rebuild what was lost. Her picturesque descriptions bring this small town to life in a very big way. She combines romance with hard fought realities in a manner that brings you directly into this oh-so-real relationship. At the same time the daily lives of the characters play directly into the story’s well thought out plot.
The main characters in this novel were quite amazing. Not only are they well developed in the past and the present, but you can see the evolution of their characters throughout this novel. I loved how her characters wanted to stay who they are. They weren’t willing to sacrifice who they intrinsically see themselves as being for their relationship. At the same time, they were quite willing to compromise, at least a little anyways. The combination of small town gossip with family feuds rounds out the interactions between the cast quite nicely.
My final thoughts? I laughed, I cried, I fell in love. What more can you ask for from a novel?
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review. -
An amazing start to a new series by Zoe York. This is set in a small Canadian town and the author introduces us to a lot of characters while telling a beautiful second chance love story between Rafe and Liv. After marrying too fast and too young and then a bitter divorce, this wonderful couple realizes what they had should have been worth fighting for. This book takes us along for there journey and it is simply beautiful. I highly recommend it.
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Love in a small town by Zoe York is the first book in a new series that takes place in a town called Pine Harbor. This is the story of Rafe and Olivia, a couple that divorced two years ago, but still love each other desperately.
Rafe and his whole family have always lived here, and Rafe is a police officer, and a part time Reservist in the military. Rafe and Olivia met while he was training out of town, they fell in love and were married in a whirlwind of a few months time! When they go back to Rafe's hometown, the trouble starts and between his mom's interfering, Rafe always working and being sent to training, which leads to little or no time for Olivia, trouble brews. Eventually, Rafe is resentful of Olivia always wanting time from him he can't give her and tells her she is too needy.
This is the final nail in the coffin so to speak, and after a couple of weeks of no communication, Rafe asks Olivia if she wants a divorce. Olivia feeling this is what Rafe wants, says yes, They get divorced, however thy are both still crazy in love and the next two years are spent with them bumping into each other and Rafe eats at a diner Olivia works at a few times a week. One morning Rafe shows up at the diner with a woman, who is wearing his flannel shirt, and Olivia is cut to the quick, and Rafe realizes that something that is so innocent is so damning in her eyes, attempts to explain but she refuses to listen, At this point Olivia decides its best she move on.
Rafe is desperate to keep her in town, and she is desperate to leave, and so she starts planning on what to do. One day while working at the diner her dream job lands in her lap, a chance to be a liason for a film company that wants to film in the town, the only problem being that she will have to remain there for another 6 months, however the job is too good to pass up so she takes it, with the plan to get ready while she is working.
After working for her new boss,Olivia decides to start dressing the part of a successful liaison, and her boss shows up with other members of the crew, they have a town meeting so all the citizens will know what is going on. Afterwards they go to the diner and Rafe sees Olivia interacting with the new people and how lovely she looks with her hair down instead of her signature pony tail, and he gets upset, she looks and sees him, and knowing he is upset she introduces him to everyone, and she realizes that Rafe really does still love her,that maybe she should have hung in there with him. Rafe on the other hands starts leaving notes for her in her screen door and on his 4 days on and 4 days off routine, and she is secretly charmed by this.
What will happen between Olivia and Rafe, will they start communicating better? Will their love be enough to get them back together? Will Rafe be able to tell his mom to stay out of his business, and will she? Will Olivia now that she has something to occupy her time, realize that Rafe loves her, do they stand a chance?
After a terrible thing happens in town, that affects both of them in the worst way, things come to a head. Read this book to see what happens, you will be so glad you did!
This is the first book I have read by Zoe York,and I loved it! I love her style of writing, and how smoothly the words move down the page to give us a great read, filled with all the things we readers like to read and later think about-romance! There is a lot of emotional angst that adds to the book and a couple of bumps in the plot to keep it interesting. Also keep a few tissues nearby, for the parts that will make you feel sad, happy, or just frustrated! Do not throw your kindle!
Thank you so much Zoe York for a great first book in a series that I know I will be reading! I gave this book a 5 ***** star rating and can't wait for the next book to come out! -
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What Danielle Did Next
I absolutely love those very rare occasions these days when I discover an author all on my own. It reminds me of my pre-blogging days when I wandered into a book store and picked a book up on a whim, knowing nothing about the author, previous works or what themes it had and genre it was. I don't know what drew me to LOVE IN A SMALL TOWN but I'm so glad I picked it up. It awakened in me a love for second chance romance and for that I am so thankful!
Set in the small Canadian town of Pine Harbour, Liv and Rafe Minelli have been divorced for two years. Marrying young, their relationship sizzled with chemistry but it was their fiery tempers that led to pressing the self destruct button on their nuptials. Now Rafe is a member of the police force and Liv is forced to pour his morning coffee in her job as waitress in her ex mother-in-law's diner.
I loved how real their relationship was. The difficulties of seeing your ex every day is hard enough when you hate each other but when feelings of love and passion have never quite extinguished and are instead ignited by one seriously hot encounter in the woods (where's my fan?), things are even more complicated.
Flashbacks to their old relationship when they were still married are equally captivating and heartbreaking as we see how easy a relationship can slowly dissolve if you grow complacent. Olivia and Rafe simply stopping making a true effort, finding it easier to not speak up then start to another fight until everything builds and combusts. As they slowly start to communicate again in the present day storyline, we see just how deep the passion runs and how much love they still have for each other. York knows how to write steamy scenes and I swear the pages started smoking at one stage, it was so darn hot!
Both Rafe and Olivia are wonderful characters who I sympathised with from the get-go and I loved going on their journey with them. The secondary characters that pop up in the other books in this series are equally wonderfully realised and definitely have my interest piqued for future books.
LOVE IN A SMALL TOWN is a warm-hearted, sexy and emotional tale of second chances that is sure to please any reader of romance. -
Le. Freaking. Sigh.
Rafe and Olivia Minelli...sighhhhh!!!
Honestly, so glad these two were able to give their love a second chance post divorce. With a ton of miscommunication their first time around, they got it right this time.
Le. Freaking. Sigh.
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What a great listening experience. The story is well plotted, the characters are enthralling, and to top it off, there is suspense. The narrator is excellent and truly brought the characters to life. I highly recommend this book and will be looking for other books written by Ms. York and narrated by Em Eldridge. Happy reading!
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I don't like reading about the story of divorced couple's coming together again.
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Okkkk… That was too much drama for my lazy ass to comprehend. Literally too much! The whole point of this book seems pretty useless to me and the only thing that I can think is to force these two characters to actually speak with each other for once!!!!!!
Ughh… This book was a one time read for me , because I have never seen characters who are as irritating as these two. Especially the male protagonist. Who the hell is ok with his mother demeaning his wife like that?? He never once stood up for her , but she still loves him. I don’t even know why? Or how?
The storyline was something very bizarre for me and my dislike of the hero made it really tough for me to like this book. The ending was Ok, but I would have been more happy if these two characters would have stayed away from each other , because they clearly were toxic. There was a little bit of change in the behavior of the characters at the end and that was the only reason why I somehow reached the end of this book , I absolutely hate degradation which is why it was so hard for me to like this book! If that seems like your play , then definitely go into this book, you might like it!
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This is a wonderfully written second chance at love story, telling of the romance between Rafe and Olivia. Married six years ago after a whirlwind courtship, their expectations of each other were not tempered in reality, resulting in a divorce. Still living in the same small town and carrying strong feelings for each other, Olivia chooses to accept a new position despite feeling that leaving town would be better for her emotionally than constantly seeing Rafe. Will this decision give them the time and chance they need to open their hearts to each other again?
There are so many things to love about this story that it's hard to know where to start! One of the things I really enjoy about Zoe's writing is that she has a knack for not sugar coating reality. Marriage is hard. Marriage takes work. Marriage needs understanding and patience. And when a marriage fails, it is rarely the fault of only one party. In this story both Olivia and Rafe are finally able to admit to themselves and to each other that they both made mistakes. Bedroom compatibility had never been the problem and the sexual tension still exists and flourishes whenever they are together. Zoe crafts love scenes between them that are sensual and emotional, full of the reality of the love they still share for each other even if they aren't still married. Rafe is a handsome, caring man, dedicated to his family and his town and trying to balance that with his commitment to his marriage. He knows that he has failed Olivia and is willing to do anything to have her give him another chance. Olivia is friendly, outgoing, and her divorce from Rafe was out of a sense of desperation that he didn't value her enough over his other obligations. When she takes on a new career path, it occurs to her that part of her marriage problems came about because she resented Rafe's time away from her instead of finding something to fulfill those hours for herself. As she comes to understand this she also comes to understand Rafe better, and this understanding leads her to realize that she could have been a better partner too. The progress of their romance as they rekindle old feelings was wonderful to read.
The secondary characters play important roles in the story as well. Rafe's mother, an Italian busybody, is the quintessential interfering mother-in-law. I liked that she was portrayed that way as it highlighted one of the many problems that married couples often face. Rafe's police and army colleagues are key to the plot as well, highlighting the tension and realities of the stresses faced on the job. While there were action and suspenseful scenes, there were also moments of humour and good natured camaraderie.
My overall impression of this book is that it is a warm, touching love story full of sensuality, romance and emotional moments. A wonderful start to a new series! 5 stars! -
Well now... this book took me by surprise! I loved, loved, loved this couple.
You know you have found a good writer when you look up and realize you're already half-way through the book and you have no interest in putting it down. Very talented... her writing flows beautifully and she created some very likable characters in this story. This is a stand alone BUT there will be future installments involving supporting characters in the little town of Pine Harbour. I'm already looking forward to book two!
This is one of those love stories that reminds us that "Happily Ever After" sometimes takes a little bit of work. No matter how hot you are for each other, that doesn't solve the every day real problems that can make a relationship fail. This is what happened with Rafe and Olivia. They quickly fell in love in a whirlwind romance, got married and moved to the small town of Pine Harbour. Several years later they find themselves divorced... well, sort of... I think even they were confused! This couple sort of had a love/hate relationship. They had undeniable chemistry in the bedroom and couldn't seem to stay away from each other. But, his obsession with his job and her inability to find a way to fit in and grow as a person in this small town played a toll on their relationship. And, so began... operation let's try this again!
What I loved most about this book is that it addresses the fact that you have to fight for what you want and who you love AND it takes sacrifice. They both had to learn to put what they value most first above all else. Their undeniable lust for each other was at times very amusing and entertaining. I found myself smiling every time they were together.
This book brought me a little laughter... a few tears... all mixed together with a lot of sexual tension and passion. A wonderfully written feel good romance and one I would highly recommend to small town romance fans!
ARC was provided by the publisher via netgalley
www.ktbookreviews.com -
3.75 RATING+ I enjoyed Love in a Small Town. It didn't rate as high as a couple other books I've read by this author recently though. Even though it was a great second chance romance and was well written, I had an issue that was hard to overlook. The problem? I just didn't love the heroine. BOO! Now, I'm sure most readers won't have a problem with her at all. She is fairly likable. Unfortuantely, I found her needy, demanding, and whiny. She wasn't that way throughout the whole book which is why I didn't hate her. She was that way enough in critical situations with the hero that I felt bad for the guy. I almost wish, no matter how much he loved her or how dedicated he was, that he would have moved on. So that was kind of a bummer. Still, the story was a solid read. There was a thread of realism in the friction between the two characters that seemed very authentic. I've been in relationships before where past hurts and insecurities were difficult to overcome, always kind of festering right under the surface of things. That was defintely something the characters in this book had to deal with and the way the author told their story, just felt very real to me.
This is my third book by Zoe York in the last couple weeks. I find her style of writing very readable and overall it just seems to work for me. For readers that love second chance romances, Love in a Small Town is defintely worth a read. I look forward to reading more from this author!
