Review: Heartwarming and Sweet!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 16, 2013
I am in love with contemporary romances right now and this was such a sweet and romantic story. I really adored all of the characters, especially Rafe and Hannah. It had a really great storyline and plot and excellent writing.When Rafe's best friend dies in Afghanistan, he vows to keep his promise to make sure his wife, Hannah and their 2 daughters  are taken care of. Three years later and he is taking Hannah and the girls to his mom's for Christmas. There is clearly something brewing between them, even though they both deny it. When they finally succumb to their feelings for each other, secrets and revelations threaten to break them apart.I absolutely loved both Rafe and Hannah. Rafe is such an honest and loyal guy. He takes his vow to Tommy seriously and he puts his life on hold to make sure that Hannah and the girls are taken care of. He has his own secret and his own painful past that has caused him to shut out love and his family. He was deeply wounded and after 12 years, he still struggles to forgive and let go. Rafe is so amazing with Hannah's two little girls and he gives them the father figure that they need. Hannah is so sweet and thoughtful. She was widowed at such a young age and so devastatingly tragic. She wants to open her heart to Rafe but she feels so guilty and worries that he doesn't feel the same way. When they finally succumb to their feelings and desires, it was so romantic and beautifully written. It wasn't racy or erotic but it was perfect for the tone of this book."I love you, Rafe. You are my air; without you I couldn't go on as I am". "And you, my Hannah, are the breath that breathes life into me."I loved Rafe's entire family. When they let someone into their lives, they treat them like family right away and Hannah immediately feels at home with them. His mom is such a warm and open woman and she treats the little girls just like grandchildren and spoils them. It was so sweet. I also liked Rafe's brothers and how supportive they were and how much they encouraged him to be with Hannah. Each of them has their own story in the previous Bayou Brothers books and I can't wait to read them.I was enthralled with this story from the beginning all the way to the end and I loved watching Hannah and Rafe explore their feellings for one another and discover each other in a new and passionate way. Rafe clearly loves not only Hannah, but also her girls and he is like a father to them. He reads them bedtime stories and takes them to the zoo and I was in love with him from the very beginning. Just as he and Hannah are developing their relationship on a new level, Rafe's past comes back into play and threatens to crush everything before it even starts. I felt like Rafe and Hannah both handled the situation poorly and each one of them could have made different decisions that would have prevented the heart ache they felt. Rafe let the anger resurface and started to close the walls that Hannah had finally opened. Hannah was a little insecure and she let those insecurities get in the way of her budding relationship with Rafe. In the end, they both grew from the experience and they were able build a once in a lifetime romance."I love you," she whispered to him. "Today, tomorrow and forever, I'll always love you."Overall, this book was so much more than I was expecting and I couldn't put it down. I loved the writing and the happily ever after romance because sometimes that's just what a story needs. While this is the third book in a series, it is the first one I've read and I can't wait to pick up the first 2.