Review: Love this small town series!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 11, 2012
I have a little confession to make, I read and reviewed the Whispering Cove books 4-6 for Guilty Pleasures and it was driving me NUTS that I couldn't get my hands on books 1-3 which were released last year in an anthology. I was poking around on the Samhain Publishing website and saw they were re-releasing books 1-3 and I went straight to my email to ask DiDi if we could get them for review. While I did okay starting the series with books 4-6, my anal retentive self was having a really hard time not knowing the stories behind the couples in books 1-3 because we do see them again throughout the new books. So, I personally want to thank Samhain Publishing and Didi for helping me out because now I know everyone's story and I can sleep better at night. I also want to thank the authors of this series; Mackenzie McKade, Cathryn Fox, and Nikki Duncan for giving me yet another small town series to love!Small town America, you just gotta love it. With its unique stores, lovely streets, and generational families; towns like these are stuff dreams are made of and Whispering Cove is no different. Well, maybe a little different because in Whispering Cove you have the three match making "grandpas" who's crazy banter, unusual bets, and well meaning but misguided meddling often lead to some interesting entanglements.I really enjoyed this story about loss, love and never letting go. Andie Adair and Brody McGrath were engaged when she left town 10 years earlier following a tragedy. As soon as they meet again, it's evident that time hasn't erased the feelings and love they had for each other. Despite its length, this story is well written and gives us all the information we need to understand what happened in the past with these characters and where they are today.Andie blames herself for things that happened 10 years ago, she's closed herself off to people in general but once she's with Brody again she begins to realize that she's been lonely. But, she refuses to let herself be happy, to feel love or anything else. Brody has never stopped loving Andie, he's tried to move on but he just couldn't. With Andie "back home" he knows it's now or never and he sets out to prove they belong together. I love his determination and spirit and I admire that he realizes right away that something is "off" with Andie. Because of their history, they fall right back into a sexual relationship. Andie believes that's all they will have, but Brodie is playing for keeps. Their love scenes are wild and furious one minute and sensual and loving the next.Brody eventually helps Andie confront the past and the moment is heart breaking, tender, and very emotional. It is so clear in that moment that Andie would have never moved on if not for the help and love of Brody and in retrospect her grandfather as well.For a novella, Wild has well developed characters you immediately fall in love with and a plot line that makes you think back and wonder, what if? I realize I have an unfair advantage because I've already read books 4-6 in this series, but I just want to say that this is an excellent series. Yes, these are novellas so they are quick reads, but you won't feel cheated. The authors have done an excellent job in creating this town, these people, and their wonderful stories. Buy them; read them...you won't be sorry.ARC provided by publisher for an honest review.