The Road to Rose Bend

Sweet story of friends to marriage of convenience to HEA Sydney and Cole have a long, intertwined history going far back into both their childhoods. He married his high school sweetheart, who later died in childbirth. She left their hometown behind and married Daniel, only to get divorced when she felt that her husband was the reason why she never developed drive to push for her career dreams. A one-night-stand with the ex-husband leaves her pregnant yet determined to make a life for herself, by herself, so she heads back to her hometown to start over. Losing his wife and child has left Cole deeply scarred and he honestly can't handle his attraction to a pregnant Sydney, nor is he ever again going to risk the kind of pain and heartbreak that love can lead to. Still, he can't seem to stay away, and when Sydney needs someone in her corner when her ex sues for custody of their as-yet-unborn child, Cole proposes the perfect solution - as long as they both understand that it's just friendship, with absolutely no possibility of romance. As this is a romance with a very satisfying HEA, these are famous last words, indeed. I love the chemistry that Sydney and Cole share, and she was so sweet and gentle with his heart while he tried to figure out what to do with all the unwelcome feelings. I was a left a little unsatisfied by her reasons for leaving her husband in the first place, as she seemed angry that he moved on with a woman who had the kind of career success she'd convinced herself she couldn't have while with Daniel. However, since the story is about her romance with her best friend's brother, we can forget the past with Daniel as easily as she does and wish her all the best in her future with Cole. Lots of wonderful secondary characters set in a charming small town gave this story depth with a nostalgic appeal. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

This was a beautifully written, emotional story centered around Sydney and Cole. Sydney returns to Rose Bend, pregnant and divorced. One of the first people she sees is Cole, lawyer, Mayor, and brother to Sydney’s childhood friend, Leontyne (Leo). Cole is attracted to Sydney but he feels guilty about it because he’s still grieving the loss of his wife and son, from two years ago. Sydney has mixed feelings about her parents with justification. I won’t leave any spoilers, but I highly recommend this amazing book and hope everyone will give it a read, so you can fall for all these wonderful characters like I did. Everyone should be lucky enough to have the kind of adoptive parents Cole does. I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

I cannot even express how unbelievably beautiful this book is! Sydney, of sweet and strong Sydney, she took my heart and she can gladly have it. So strong, so determined, so knocked down, set aside, and disregarded at every step for most of her life, yet, still hopeful, willing to live her best life, and giving with her heart and soul. Sydney is an empath, it is so clear, and even when her battery is empty, she gives what little she has for others. She is no pushover, she stands up for herself, but that she has learned to expect so little from others caused a physical ache in me. Cole was, quite simply, heartbreaking. His path to this point was overwhelming, and understandably so. His reactions were normal, expected, and not anything that I help against him. For Cole, coming to the realization of where he is in life, and where he is ready to go in life, is full of pain, remembrance, and love. He has been in self-survival mode so long, coming out of that is not easy, or even something he wants to do. For every bit of progress he thinks he makes, he has two setbacks. With the love and support of each other, their friends, their family, and unintentionally, those who do not support them, these two weave a tale with many tears, a few laughs, an undeniably attraction, and love that grows and has a life of its’ own, which is exactly how they needed and wanted it to do. Simply a stunning love story of overcoming loss and finding your path in life