Herons Landing: A Small-Town Romance

I feel like a second chance at love is harder emotionally when love has already come and gone. Regardless of it left, the person a story focuses on is weighed down with feelings that don't exist in other types of romance stories. Grief and guilt are usually at the forefront. Grief colors their life in darkness. Guilt pokes holes in their attempts to move forward/on. I believe that patience is needed when entering a relationship with someone who's dealing daily with these emotions, and that it takes an incredible person to help the other see that life isn't over and a happy future is still possible. Brianna's decision to leave Honeymoon Harbor years ago made sense, as did her decision to stay away after returning for Zoe's funeral. Her childhood friendship with Seth and Zoe was easy until she fell in love with Seth, only to watch him fall in love with Zoe. She cared about their happiness so she didn't get in their way, but it was a constant reminder of what she could not have with Seth anymore. Now she's home to build a future for herself, one that's focused on her own happiness instead of others, one that will hopefully include Seth. Seth has struggled with grief and guilt since Zoe died. Daily reminders keep him from moving forward with his life. The love and happiness he shared with Zoe were torn apart in a heartbeat, and dreams of a family were buried with her. Or were they? Brianna's return and proposal to work on her venture opens his eyes to the possibility of happiness and forever and love once again. But is it wrong? Their relationship was a bit reluctant at first, but it gained momentum as they spent time together. For Brianna, her feelings for Seth never diminished. For Seth, his feelings for Brianna shifted from friendship to more. The weight of his grief needed to be handled first or their relationship won't go anywhere. It's slow getting there but it was perfect for them. It wouldn't have made sense to rush right into love with all that baggage Seth carried. Underneath the emotional turmoil, this is a pretty cut and dry story. It's an easy read, a heartfelt romance about learning to move forward, letting go, and letting yourself be happy again. It's a learning experience for both Seth and Brianna. Zoe's memory hung between them but, for me, it wasn't like a barrier. It was bridge. The one thing they had in common was the one thing they needed to deal with together. They did and it turned out beautifully for them. Received from publisher for an honest review