Return to Maplewood Mountain by Elizabeth Bromke {Review}

Return to Maplewood by Elizabeth Bromke

Kindle Edition, 1, 200 pages

Published January 15th 2019 by Elizabeth Bromke 

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.

    

Some say you can't go home again...

Anna Delaney has spent her entire adult life spinning through nightclubs, kissing strangers, and fortifying her edgy, high-tech career. Benders and business meetings have been the Band-Aids on a deep wound for the confident, gorgeous redhead. But when Anna’s sister falls madly in love with Anna’s boss, the delicate bandages begin to unravel, and there is only one place left to turn.

Dutch McCree was born and raised in a tiny Arizona mining town, and his low-heel upbringing made him into the gruff, hardworking, and successful contractor he quickly became. After the passing of Dutch’s wife, his hard heart left space for only one girl: his young daughter. When a new project takes Dutch from Phoenix to Maplewood, Arizona, he meets potential client Kurt Cutler and Kurt’s recently promoted Co-President. Dutch is wooed by the chance to expand his business, but he finds he has a soft spot for the little mountain town. And maybe for something else, too.

Anna and Dutch each must come to terms with their own difficult pasts before they can find true happiness. Return to Maplewood is a story of redemption and a reminder that you can always go home.

My Review: 4 Stars 

I've wondered about Anna Delaney since reading Christmas in Maplewood Mountain (you can see my review HERE). She's close with her sister, Mary, but obviously has something unrevealed issues that cause her to be distant at times. And wow, I was surprised at all this story disclosed!

Anna is a driven career woman who parties hard on the weekends, but sometimes a person needs to mask deep pain. Her first encounter with Dutch brings an instant allure, and he has secrets of his own. I love how these two characters collide in a tangle of attraction, with a tug-of-war of conflicting emotions. The battle to resolve past pains is strong, yet there is a gentleness that wafts throughout the story.

This delightfully charming mountain town is quickly capturing my heart, as are the people who dwell in it.

Content: mild+ romance (innuendo, kissing); mild language

Book Review: Ask Me To Stay by Elise K. Ackers

***--3 Stars.
When family tragedy brings bad boy Ethan Foster home, he doesn't expect a warm welcome. In the small town of Hinterdown reputation is everything - and Ethan's was ruined long ago. Nobody wants him around, particularly not Sam O'Hara, the girl he left behind. There's still a powerful spark between them, but Sam is afraid to risk her heart again. And Ethan is hiding a secret that will have repercussions for his whole family. Will the townspeople ever forgive him? More importantly, will those he loves the most find it in their hearts to take him back? This tender tale of love and redemption is the first in a brilliant new series by Elise K. Ackers, author of Small Town Storm and the bestselling The Man Plan.

My review:  I have a hard time reviewing some books and this is one of them. It is a tender story of a man, Ethan, trying to redeem himself, but he came across as a big jerk at first. When his brother's wife suddenly dies, he finds himself back home. Usually, instead of facing his problems, he would run and hide, but now it's different. WHY is it different this time? It seems like he was always trying to drown his sorrows in a drink and was often borderline drunk. Then *SNAP*. He's changed. People in town were so rude to him, but once the secret came out, they changed their attitude towards him in a snap as well. All that changed was quite sudden, at least for me. I wonder if that's how people are in real life...

That said, I did like how Ethan had a great relationship with his niece and nephew and how he got his nephew to open up. I loved how he talked about goodbyes and hellos with him, to try and help them deal with their mother's death.

Content: Some language (although some of it is Australian slang, so wasn't spelled like it is here). Personally, I don't believe in intimate relations before marriage or in drinking yourself into a stupor. I had to remove my personal beliefs and focus on the actual content. Yes, there were things happening and mentioned, but there weren't explicit details given, so it is technically a clean read, but there were a few parts that left me feeling a bit uncomfortable.