REVIEW: Healed By Love (The Bradens #13; Love in Bloom #40) By, Melissa Foster

Meet the Bradens of Peaceful Harbor and fall in love with Nate Braden & Jewel Fisher in Healed by Love. Nate Braden has loved his best friend’s younger sister Jewel for as long as he can remember, but between their age difference and his respect for Rick, he’s always kept his feelings at bay. Now he’s back in Peaceful Harbor, and Jewel is no longer sixteen years old—but there’s an even bigger obstacle standing in his way. Nate and Rick joined the military together eight years earlier. Nate came home a hero, but Rick didn’t make it out alive.

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Review

Melissa Foster has created and built a whole world that surrounds a family and their relatives. The books are intertwined with other relative which gives you a huge reading experience. We get to live with different Bradens (and others) in different places and each of them have their own unique story. While I have not read them all, they all stand up well as being stand alones but you can also see past characters and how the relate and interact.

Nate and Jewel have such an emotional journey in this book. Jewel, herself has been through so much loss and heartache in her young life. She has lost both her father and brother so she has dedicated her life to helping her family keeping all of her emotions locked inside. She stays away from any other emotional attachments to keep her loss from becoming anymore then it already is. Nate has loved Jewel his whole life and everyone in the town knows it except Jewel. Nate keeps his feeling buried behind a wall of grief, loss, and guilt. Rick and Nate had been best friends before he died and now he has come back to town without him. For the first time they both have someone to lean on when the hard emotions finally start to hit both of them.

This story was an emotional roller coaster. There were a lot of emotions that were not being dealt with that finally came up to the surface. This story was definitely an easy read with an evitable outcome but so so enjoyable. There is something so addicting about a story that is full of love, acceptance, and real deep passion. Two characters the bow so gracefully and easily to the call of love. Even if there are not the usual twists that come with a romance story. The characters are well rounded and loveable, the writing is beautiful, and the story feels real. This was a romantic tear-jerker that needs to be read.

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REVIEW: Cape Cod Kisses (Love on Rockwell Island #1) By, Bella Andre and Melissa Foster

When Quinn Rockwell left Rockwell Island a decade ago to build a shipping empire, he never thought he’d return to live on Cape Cod Bay—that is, until his grandfather summons Quinn and his four siblings to take over the prestigious Rockwell Resort. Quinn is already working fifteen-hour days, and the last thing he has time for is his grandfather’s demands. But on his first night back, when Quinn finds a gorgeous and carefree woman skinny-dipping in his favorite cove, he’s tempted to ignore his work for a while…and focus on her instead.

As a free spirit who follows her heart and her dreams, Shelley Walters is not the kind of girl to wait around for Mr. Right, so she heads to Rockwell Island for the honeymoon of her dreams—a solo honeymoon. Ready for a week of sun and fun, she never expected to meet a man like Quinn Rockwell.

Wealthy and intensely driven, Quinn is everything Shelley swore she didn’t want. Refreshingly spontaneous and a true romantic, Shelley is everything Quinn never knew he needed. Drawn together despite their differences, during a week of sizzling-hot passion and deep conversations, they fall head over heels for each other. But when their perfect week on the island is over, will their love survive in the real world?

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Review

If you have followed my reviews you know how much I love Melissa Foster and her writing. She is brilliant and has some of the most swoon-worthy heroes. Before I found the brilliance of Melissa Foster I had read all of the Sullivan men. If there are any more that come close if not pass the Bradens it is those men. Bella Andre was my first read of a family romance series and I fell in love with the first page. When I heard that these two were collaborating on a new series I jumped to be one of the first to read it and I was not disappointed.

We meet Shelley Walters on the first night of her solo honeymoon. Shelley has always been a free spirit that goes against the grain whenever she wants. When half of the single women in Maryland get married and come back to talk about their amazing honeymoons Shelley decides to go on a 7 day, six night solo honeymoon. Quinn has been summoned back to the island he couldn’t wait to leave by his overbearing grandfather. On his first night home he spies Shelley skinny-dipping, and when she initiates a kiss it takes all of his strength to walk away because she had been drinking. The more time they spend together the close they become and the clearer a life together they can see.

Quinn was a free spirit and it wasn’t hard to love her. She did what she wanted whenever she wanted. She wasn’t afraid to leave money and privilege behind to find the happiness she has always wanted. She was a great heroine and I loved her story. Quinn is a sexy workaholic who has been married to his job. We get to see Quinn work through his disappointment when he starts to see his grandfather in his own image. Shelley slowly chips away his business minded exterior to find the sexy caring man underneath. These two characters had some serious chemistry and complimented each other nicely.

One of my favorite things about Melissa Foster is that her romances are relatively drama and angst free. I loved how she brought that into this story as well. The couple had their struggles but they worked through them together. Bella Andre brought her amazing writing and her wonderful swoon-worthy men. Both authors complimented each other beautifully and made the story ten times better. This was only our introduction to the Rockwell family and I can’t wait to read more. These love stories are going to be some of the best and I can’t wait!

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REVIEW: Catching Cassidy (Harborside Nights #1) By, Melissa Foster

Wyatt Armstrong never imagined that instead of celebrating his college graduation, he and his twin sister would be dealing with the death of their parents. Then again, Wyatt had never been one to think past tomorrow. He heads to their summer home in Harborside, Massachusetts, with his best friend Cassidy Lowell in tow, to spread his parents' ashes and to try to figure out his next step.

Six foot two, infuriatingly handsome, and flirtatious, Wyatt Armstrong has always been there for Cassidy, helping her pass her classes and fend off unwanted advances, while driving her insane with his one-night stands--but that's what best friends are for, isn't it? Having each other's backs. There was never any doubt that she would accompany him to his family's summer home--even if her jealous boyfriend is giving her hell for it. But he doesn't have anything to be jealous of...or does he?

It's impossible to ignore the sizzling heat between them as Wyatt and Cassidy get even closer, but Cassidy knows Wyatt's past, and she has a real job to begin in the fall. Wyatt may be a sure thing for the summer, but Cassidy needs more. For the first time in his life, Wyatt is forced to look toward the future if he doesn't want to lose the one woman who's shared his past and owns his heart.

Review

If you follow my reviews you know that I am a huge Melissa Foster fan. I love everything she has come up with. Catching Cassidy is the first book in her NA contemporary series. Melissa Foster always manages to create emotion filled reads that draw you in. Catching Cassidy is no exception. While it wasn’t my favorite Melissa book it was definitely a good one.

“Our lips part, lingering a breath apart, then come together again, like we need each other to survive.”

Cassidy, Wyatt, and Delilah have been best friends for so long and now they are finally graduating college together. The night of graduation is supposed to be the best night of their lives and the start of the next chapter, instead for the trio tragedy strikes. Cassidy catches her boyfriend of two years cheating on her and Delilah and Wyatt lose both of their parents. Now Delilah and Wyatt have to learn how to run their parents bar and Cassidy is going to be the support both of them needs. To add to all of the confusion Cassidy and Wyatt are discovering feelings they never knew they had for one another.

“I want to love you until you can’t remember a time we weren’t together. I want to make you mine in every sense of the word.”

Melissa Foster is a genius when it comes to her characters. She always seems to create characters that feel real. You can’t help but love them. In this story I actually had a few problems with the characters. Overall I loved the two main characters but there were times that I just wanted to shake them. Let’s start with Wyatt. I had a few problems with him in the beginning, not necessarily his character but the way he was written. In the first few chapters his character was so focused on Delilah and her problems. I feel like we didn’t get to really learn who Wyatt was until much later in the book. His chapters were more about Delilah then him. But once we got to actually learn about him I loved him. Wyatt goes through so much and has to be the rock for so many people. I loved his strength and how he handled himself with Cassidy.

“Because, Cassidy, I’ll lay you down beneath me right now and bury myself deep inside you until you can feel everything I feel for you. Until you know what it feels like to love someone with you whole soul, because I know you never have.”

Cassidy I really loved in the beginning. She was funny and a great friend to both Wyatt and Delilah. She has always been fighting her feelings for Wyatt and now she can’t ignore them anymore. She really pushes to see where their relationship could go and that is where my problems with her start. She pushed and pushed Wyatt to take a chance and she was ready to give everything she had in Harborside up for her parents. The way Cassidy pushes everyone and everything away in the middleish end really bothered me. The indecision killed me. I didn’t feel like it was fair even though she needed to go through some of that. Cassidy needed to realize she didn’t need her parent’s approval but the way she went about it bothered me.

“Once I’m inside you, there’s no going back. I’m yours, Cassidy, and I won’t be able to walk away.”

Even though I had some problems with the main characters I loved the side characters. I can’t wait to learn more about their stories. They all seem like they have interesting stories and backgrounds. The next books are going to be really great and I can’t wait. The writing was everything great about Melissa Foster. She took us on a journey with these characters through love and heartbreak. We got to grow with these characters as they became the adults they have always wanted. The story sucks us in and doesn’t let go. I have a feeling Harborside is going to really become a part of my favorite pile just like the Seaside crew.

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REVIEW: Crashing into Love (Love in Bloom: #20; The Bradens: #12) By, Melissa Foster

Fiona Steele has a great career, strong friendships, and a loving family. To an outsider, her life appears happy and fulfilling. But the one thing that’s missing is true love, and the only man Fiona wants is the one she can’t have, sinfully handsome and seductively intense Jake Braden—the man whose heart she broke, which she has regretted ever since.

As an LA stuntman, Jake Braden’s at the top of his game. He’s hired for all the best movies, hooks up with the hottest women, and lives an unencumbered lifestyle where his needs come first—and where he doesn’t have to examine his life too closely. Except when he visits his family in his close-knit hometown of Trusty, Colorado, where he spends his time avoiding Fiona—the only woman who knows who he really is.

When Fiona’s best friend is hired to act in Jake’s movie, Fiona jumps at the chance to try to win him back. There’s no denying the white-hot attraction burning between them. With every encounter, Fiona hopes Jake can’t resist falling back into the love they once shared. But her well-orchestrated rendezvous doesn’t go over well with the brooding heartthrob. Living in the fast lane is perfect for a guy who’s buried his emotions so damn deep he’s not sure he can remember how to feel—and he’s not sure he ever wants to.

Review

I love Melissa Foster and her Love in Bloom series. All of these men are sexy and alpha and the woman can keep up with them. Jake and Fiona were high school sweethearts that had their life planned out together. They spent two blissful years learning and falling in love before one decision took that all away. Fiona and Jake were always meant to be and now Fiona just has to prove that to Jake all over again.

“Until that summer afternoon, when that mouth he’d fallen in love with broke his heart for good.”

Fiona Steele has everything. She has a great job that she loves, friends that she hangs out with, and a house that is all hers. The only thing she doesn’t have is Jake Braden, right now he is the only thing that she needs. For years she has fought with herself about getting Jake back but always found a reason to wait. Now she is done waiting. She has set up a job on his next movie and with the week before she plans on cornering him when she can. I really liked Fiona Steele. She was strong when it came to Jake. When she was a teenager she had a weak moment, a moment of doubt, which made her real. Teenagers on the verge of changing their lives make those rash decisions. It was believable and real. While she had her doubts in LA she fought them and fought for him. She was funny and you could really feel her love for Jake, no matter how he treated her in the beginning.

“I found myself, but a piece was missing all along. The most importance piece. I’m not while without you, Jake. You’re my missing piece.”

Jake Braden met the love of his life in high school and just as fast she left him. And she didn’t just leave him, she broke him. Now he lives his life in the fast lane. He focuses on taking risks and taking a different women to bed every night. He also spends all of his time keeping memories of Fiona out of his head and avoiding her when he is home. When Fiona finally corners him he doesn’t know how to take it. She makes him feel again and he doesn’t know if he can handle it anymore. I wasn’t sure if I was going to actually like Jake in this book. I loved him in the other books but he really started out as an ass to Fiona. Which was understandable to a degree but I also think that he needed to be that way. He made a great character arc. He started off as a selfish bastard and completely did a 180. He was sweet and kind and completely loving to Fiona once he let himself feel again.

“You knew what I needed, and what I needed was you. I love you, Fiona, with every ounce of my being.”

Jake and Fiona’s love story was all about having the guts to trust and take a second chance. Fiona needs to be able to trust that Jake isn’t the person he portrays and Jake needs to let their love have a second chance. Even though there have been years between the time they have been together they are all the other person can think about.  No matter how many times Jake tries to force Fiona out of his mind he only managed to bury her. She has always been there even when he didn’t know it. I loved that Fiona and Jake have been holding on to each other for so long. Even when thought they had given up they never had.

“Because if I go in there, I’m going to carry you to the bedroom, remove these pesky clothes…” He fingered the collar of her t-shirt, making her pant like a puppy. “And bury myself so deep inside you that we’ll both forget what it was ever like to be with anyone else.”

Melissa Foster’s writing is always flawless and this story is no different. If you thought every story was the same with little variations you were wrong. Melissa Foster can bring out so many emotions in one story. While I might have hated Jake in the beginning I didn’t in the end. We got to see some of the other Bradens being Bradens . I can’t wait for more from Melissa.

“This was what he’s missed most, this closeness. This intimacy that he’d only ever found with Fiona. The desire to love and be loved.”

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REVIEW: Seaside Secrets (Love in Bloom #24; Seaside Summers #4) By, Melissa Foster

Tony Black is the hottest surfer on the planet. He travels the world throughout the year and spends his summers on Cape Cod with his friends, at the Seaside cottages in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. He’s got his choice of women, but Amy Maples is the one he wants. Fourteen years ago she was his for an entire summer, until a devastating accident changed everything, and what they had seemed like it had never existed—at least for her.

Amy Maples is as consistent as the day is long. She’s spent summers on Cape Cod forever, she always does the right thing, and she’s spent years trying to reclaim the heart of Tony Black, the only man she’s ever loved. She’s back for a summer of fun with her friends at Seaside, only this year she’s been offered the opportunity of a lifetime thousands of miles away, and she’s decided to try one last time to reconnect with Tony. But having a relationship with Tony means dealing with her past—and dealing with her past may knock her to her knees.

Review

I am so excited about this book. I think I have been waiting for this particular Seaside installment since the very first one. Amy and Tony have been some of my favorite characters since I started this series and I am really excited to see them get their HEA. This book was beautifully written just like all of the other books by Melissa Foster but this one was filled with so many more emotions that I am used to. It nearly ripped my heart out but I loved every second. Each characters always had their little things that they had to get through but Tony and Amy had past hurts and a lot of denial they had to get through. It made the HEA that much sweeter.

“He loved Bella, Caden, and the others goddamn it. What he felt for Amy was so much bigger than friendship, it threatened to stop his fucking heart.”

Amy Maples has been in love with Tony since she was six years old. They spent one summer together when they were eighteen and she has yet to feel anything close to it. Now she is going to try one last time to reclaim his love and his heart before she leaves Seaside for a new job. When the seduction doesn’t go as planned she plans to take the job in Australia. This job will take her away for two years, hopefully long enough to get over Tony. He has made his feelings very clear and now it is time to get over him once and for all.

“You’re everything to me, Amy. You’re the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing I think of before I fall asleep.”

Tony Black has been in love with Amy for as long as he can remember. When the summer before college ends in tragedy and Amy pushes him away he leaves more broken then he could ever imagine. Now he tries to love Amy from a far. He doesn’t want to risk losing her again or Amy tossing him aside so easily again. Never mind neither one of them has really dealt with what happened that summer. When Amy takes his advice and takes the job he has to wonder if he made the biggest mistake of his life.

“It’s our decision this time, Amy. There are no outside influences that can push us one way or the other. There’s only you and me and what could be.”

The first half of this book was so heart-wrenching I couldn’t help but be teary through it. I was literally holding my breath through every chapter in the first half. Reading Amy putting her heart on the line over and over again only to come to the conclusion that Tony no longer loves her hurt. A lot. But I also think adding Tony’s POV and seeing how much letting her go hurt him made it even worse. Melissa was able to create a story that stands completely on its own in the Love in Bloom overall series. The rawness and the heartbreak of their story makes this one of my favorite reads.

“I want to wrap you up and hold you tight.” He kissed the corners of her mouth. “I want to get to know every inch of your beautiful body again, until I know how it changes when you breathe.”

Tony and Amy have a lot of past to work through. Never mind what happened that summer but also the weight their parents left. Tony’s dad is gone but that doesn’t mean he didn’t play a part in Amy and Tony splitting up that summer. Amy’s overbearing father also had some part to play and their story was about coming to terms with everything that happened. All of the regrets and lost years and coming out the other side more in love then they ever were. We also get the lovable crazy girls and Jamie from the first three books. We get a very nice ending for the main group at Seaside that left all of the pain we saw in the beginning totally worth it.

“I know I told you to take the job with Duke, and I don’t want to stand in your way, but I want you with me, Amy. Every day, every night, every fucking minute of my life.”

While I have always appreciated Melissa’s drama free reading I loved how she mixed it up and I wouldn’t even call this drama. This wasn’t some angsty drama but an emotional reconnection. Melissa Foster has a writing style that pulls you into the story and wish you owned a condo on the cape alongside all of these Seaside friends. She created a stunning story that left me heartbroken in the beginning but completely sighing and smiling with happiness at the end. I cannot wait to read more from this series. I highly recommend Melissa Foster’s books. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!

“We’ve only been together a short while, but we’ve loved each other a lifetime. Yes, I’ll change everything for you.”

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