His Hometown Girlby Karen Rock
Mass Market Paperback, Large Print, 331 pages
March 1st 2014 by Harlequin
He'd always managed to best her…
Jodi Chapman will do whatever it takes to get top care for her autistic son. If that means going home and convincing local farmers to sell their land, so be it. Even if her biggest opponent, childhood rival Daniel Gleason, is equally determined to convince farmers to buy into his co-op plan. And he's not playing fair.
Facing off against Daniel is the last thing Jodi wants. The attraction that's always fueled their competitiveness is as strong as ever and just as distracting. But with both their futures on the line, and years of distrust between them, how can they ever be on the same side?
My Review: This was was a big 5 stars in my book! There were many aspects to this book that I absolutely loved--forgiveness, hope, love, sacrifice, and a modern issue. With all of that, one might think this book is depressing and heavy, yet it's quite the opposite.
Let
me discuss the modern issue first of all, since it affects my family,
as well as many others around me and I really appreciated the way the
author handled it. Autism. Autism is something that affects way too many
families, yet so many people in society are still unaware of how to
deal with it. In this story, Jodi's four-year-old son, Tyler, has been
diagnosed with autism and because of it, she finds herself becoming a
single parent, with no support from her ex. The way people would look at
her and treat her son really tugged at my heartstrings. The emotions
and feelings that Jodi had to deal with...alone...was astounding. Karen Rock has a way of pulling the reader into the story and allowing true emotion to actually be felt.
When
Jodi went back home, after 10 years, to try and convince the farmers in
her Vermont hometown to sell their farms to her big company, she was in
for a surprise when Daniel showed up at the airport to pick her up. The
way that he and his sister, Sue, accepted Jodi, and especially Tyler,
was just plain amazing! Most of the people in town were very supportive.
Jodi
and Daniel have a past that had to be resolved. That's where the
forgiveness, hope, and love come in. Watching the two of them work
through their individual issues and come to terms with many parts of
their life was very inspiring. The sacrifices that they both made for
those whom they loved were so sweet and selfless.
I
loved this story! I loved the strawberries, the farm life, the small
town family feel, and of course, the clean romance. I loved the ending!
It was perfect.
Content: no violence; maybe a cuss word or two; kissing (clean).
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Karen Rock has adored romance since receiving Harlequin
Presents books from her grandmother each summer. She formed her Young Adult
writing partnership, J.K. Rock- pseudonym for the CAMP BOYFRIEND series, with
her sister-in-law and Blaze author, Joanne Rock in 2011. When Karen heard of a
call for submissions to Heartwarming, Harlequin’s latest line, she was inspired
by the possibilities of writing unforgettable, deeply romantic, tender love
stories that mothers would feel comfortable sharing with their daughters. When
she’s not writing, Karen loves scouring estate sales for vintage books, cooking
her grandmother's family recipes, hiking the ‘high peaks’, and redesigning her
gardens. She lives in the Adirondack Mountain region with her husband,
daughter, and two Cavalier King cocker spaniels who have yet to understand the
concept of “fetch” though they know a lot about love.
For more information
about Karen's upcoming books, check out her website,
Facebook page, or follow her on twitter. She’d love to hear from you!
Tour-Wide Giveaway
Grand Prize: Hand-stitched, authentic Amish quilt (uses their overlapping heart-stitching- pattern), with matching dust ruffle for a king-sized bed, signed copies of Wish Me Tomorrow & Camp Boyfriend, and some surprise swag (US Only)
1 - Paperback/ebook copies of Wish Me Tomorrow and Camp Boyfriend (format is winner's choice, paperback for US Only) and $20 Amazon gift card
2 - ebooks of Wish Me Tomorrow and Camp Boyfriend (INT)
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I don't have a hometown crush, I'm happily married :). I do live in a small town though. That probably explains why I love the small farming town in His Hometown Girl. I love walking or driving in town and how everyone waves or nods. It makes it easy to pick out the tourists in the summer.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a small town, but don't live in one anymore. I do miss that small town feeling where everyone goes way back and seems like family.
DeleteI grew up in the city, but every summer we spent two weeks staying with my great-aunt who ran a country store in the front half of her house. I loved having a soda machine in the front room, playing with her cats, and hiding out in the cornfields.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like fun! I'm sure you looked forward to those summer visits.
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