Half Moon Hill - Toni Blake (Avon - May 2013)

Series: Destiny (Book 6)

You never know what destiny has in store . . .

A rugged loner and ex-biker-gang member, Duke Dawson is looking for some peace and quiet while recovering from an accident. But when Anna Romo comes wandering through his woods and into his cabin, she completely rocks his world. The last thing he expected or wanted was to find himself hungering after a woman whose eyes held hurt even deeper than his own . . .

Running from a troubled past, Anna is building a new life in Destiny. When she first meets Duke, she's terrified -- but something about him calls to her very soul. The hard-bodied rebel is soon helping her turn her new home into a bed and breakfast, and close quarters quickly lead them into her bed. Their passion is palpable, but can she convince a man who has turned his back on life to take the biggest leap of faith of all and fall in love?

Lovely conclusion to the series, and an incredibly emotional read along with it. We first met Anna in Willow Springs, when she returned to Destiny after being kidnapped as a child. While it was great to see her reunited with her family, she wasn't a very likable person. It's a few months later and she has bought a big old house that she's renovating and turning into a bed and breakfast. She's trying to get her life back together. Duke made a brief appearance in Lucky's book Whisper Falls, but then disappeared again. He's back, dealing with his own life's upheavals and hiding out in an old cabin near Anna's house.

I loved getting to know more about Anna. Her life had been turned upside down when she discovered that she had been kidnapped as a kid and raised by someone else. Not having grown up in Destiny, her return has been difficult. She doesn't have the roots and connection that everyone else has and it makes her feel a little lost. The house she is fixing up is a little outside of town and gives her the space she needs to adjust to her new life, while being close enough for her to feel part of it if she wants to. She's very independent and resists asking her brothers for help with the house. When she first finds Duke living in her woods she is frightened by him, but once she knows who he is the fear goes away. She sees in him the same kind of unhappiness she feels,  and also an attraction that can't be denied.

Duke has been hiding out from his memories and his friends. After an accident that injured him and killed a friend, all he wants is some peace and quiet. Instead, he finds Anna invading his thoughts and giving some purpose to his life. He offers to help her with the repairs to the outside of her house, as long as she doesn't tell anyone he's there. He's also really attracted to her, but she's his best friend's sister and he's not so sure getting involved with her would be a good idea.

As they work on the house together, Anna and Duke develop a closeness they've not felt with anyone else. Their attraction to each other really takes off, and they agree to a "light and fun" time together. It isn't long before Anna sees that there's more to Duke than the bad boy biker, and she wants more than he seems willing to give. Duke would love to stay around, but with the things he's done in the past and his current frame of mind, he feels that he can't give her what she needs. I loved his conversation with himself at the end as he finally realized that Anna was all he needed to be whole again.

I enjoyed catching up with some of the other characters. There was plenty going on and not all of it was good, but it was realistic. I also liked the secondary story with the diary of the former owner of the house. There was an interesting twist involving it at the end.

Willow Springs - Toni Blake (Avon - July 2012)

Series: Destiny (Book 5)

THIS LOVESICK MATCHMAKER HAS FINALLY MET HER MATCH...

Amy Bright might be the best matchmaker in Destiny, Ohio, but she's desperately shy when it comes to her own love life -- and helpless when it comes to Logan Whitaker, with whom she's head-over-heels in love. So Amy decides to become Logan's secret admirer, sending him sensual love letters steamy enough to unseal their own envelopes.

After a tragedy on the job, firefighter Logan is battling demons. Thank goodness Amy is there for him. But when a woman from Logan's past resurfaces right as some anonymous letters send Logan's pulse hammering, suddenly he doesn't know what he needs. One smoking-hot kiss could change everything . . . but will it ruin a one-of-a-kind friendship, or show Logan and Amy that they've already found everything they need, right here in Destiny?

Very good book.  Logan and Amy have been friends all their lives.  When Logan loses two friends during a fire he starts to question everything about his life.  He's in the middle of terrible depression, not caring about anything, when Amy shows up to try to snap him out of it.  When she gives him a hug of comfort, he kisses her, and suddenly nothing is the way it was before.

Amy has been known as the town matchmaker, having an amazing ability to see when two people belong together.  Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to be able to do the same for herself.  She's gone on a few dates, but no one has had that zing that makes her want to continue, until that amazing kiss with Logan.  Suddenly she realizes that it's been Logan all along, but she hasn't got the courage to let him know. His obvious dismay at having kissed her isn't helping anything. Amy is very shy and has zero confidence in herself as a woman.  The only way she can let him know of her interest is by sending him anonymous letters. It doesn't help that the long missing, and very beautiful, Anna Romo has returned to Destiny and Logan is visibly smitten.

Logan is haunted by the two deaths during a fire he was fighting.  He hasn't been able to go back to work as a firefighter since it happened, and spends his days in a fog. The only thing keeping him going is his friendship with Amy, who has always been there for him. When he loses his head one day and kisses her, he is horrified by what he has done. Logan has never had a successful relationship with a woman, and the thought of this kiss ruining his friendship with Amy scares him so he backs off, even though he can't forget it.  Anna's reappearance in Destiny throws him off too.  He remembers how she followed him around when they were kids, and she makes her interest in him now quite clear.  He thinks she is just what he needs but also finds himself reluctant to get truly involved with her. He blames it on being her brother's best friend, but realizes that isn't the whole story.

The whole romance between Amy and Logan is full of ups and downs.  Amy's self confidence is nonexistent when it come to male/female relationships. She doesn't think she's at all pretty and when she compares herself to Anna she feels even worse. I liked the way her friends tried to show her that she had nothing to worry about, but it was an uphill battle.  Now that she has accepted that she's in love with Logan she's even more bummed about his fascination with Anna.  I loved seeing her finally get up the courage to tell him that she wrote the notes, and what happened afterwards was great.  But she's still having problems with Logan seeing her as more than a friend, or now a friend with benefits. She and Logan start spending time together as more than friends, but she's still fighting for his attention when Anna is around.  She does finally start to gain confidence in herself as a woman and realizes that she deserves better than what she is getting from Logan. I loved seeing her stand up to him and let him know how she felt. I loved the way that she knew Logan so well, but she tended to be a bit of a nag when it came to him going back to being a firefighter.  She had some trouble backing off about that, and it was one of the things that put a strain on their relationship.  Her insecurities about Anna also led her to being rather mean at a party, which wasn't at all like her. I loved seeing her stand up for her own needs, even though it hurt her to do it. There was so much emotion in this section that I went through several tissues.

There were quite a few places where I really wanted to either shake Logan or hit him with a baseball bat.  I completely understood his problems with getting over the tragedy.  There is no timetable for grief and he had a lot to work through. I thought that Amy could have been more understanding about that. When he had that moment where he kissed Amy, it was quite a wake up call for him. Suddenly he was looking at her differently and it really freaked him out, so he tried to ignore it.  Having Anna show up in Destiny gave him the distraction he thought he needed. But as much as he kept telling himself that he really wanted to go out with her, he found it very easy to find reasons not to - everything from his friendship with her brother to his own unsettled life. He didn't want to admit to himself that the reason was his feelings for Amy.  His constant waffling back and forth drove me nuts, and when he allowed Anna to hijack him at the fair I didn't blame Amy for walking off at all. Logan knew he was being an idiot but he couldn't seem to stop himself. When Amy gave him that last lecture about what he should be doing he lost it with her, even though he knew she was right. He was stunned at her ending everything with him, including their friendship, and found himself questioning everything. I liked seeing him finally start dealing with his grief and moving toward getting his life back on track.  His "ah ha" moment was fantastic and made a great ending.

The character of Anna was pretty complex. Her arrival back in Destiny was great as it got the entire Romo family back together. But as a person, I found her pretty obnoxious. I understood her conflict as she is dealing with the fact that her entire life has been a lie. She's overwhelmed by her reception, but she also seemed to be kind of snotty with the way she held herself back. She also appeared to look down on the entire town. I didn't care at all for her pursuit of Logan, as it didn't seem to matter to her if he was truly interested in her. Her actions at the fair were particularly obnoxious. I understood her frustration with Mike's attitude and treatment of her, but having it out with him on his wedding day was just plain mean and selfish. She seemed to be changing by the end, so hopefully that will continue in the next book.

Whisper Falls - Toni Blake (Avon - Jan 2011)

Series: Destiny (Book 3)

Tessa Sheridan came crawling back to her quaint hometown of Destiny after her big-city interior design career crumbled. Now not only must she struggle to make ends meet, but she has to contend with a biker next door and the roar of Harleys shattering the serenity of her cabin in the woods by Whisper Falls.

Worse still, her sexy, bad boy neighbor makes her feel breathless and weak -- and shy, petite Tessa knows what a major mistake it would be to get involved with someone so . . . dangerous.

They say that former teen rebel Lucky Romo has a dark, secret past -- that he's trouble with a capital "T." Still, Tessa feels all tingly when she sees how well he fills out a pair of tight jeans. And when Lucky invites her into his world, she knows the intense heat sparking between them could lead her somewhere wild and wonderful . . . and, yes, dangerous!

A story of second chances and never giving up.  Tessa has come home to Destiny after a long illness wrecked her career.  Now she's working in the local bookstore as she tries to restart her interior design business.  When the cat she's caring for gets away from her, she meets her new next door neighbor Lucky Romo.  He's big, tattooed and scary, but she also sees something different in him.  She senses a loneliness that matches hers, and an attraction that isn't one sided.

Lucky is the long lost little brother of Mike Romo from the previous book Sugar Creek.  When their little sister disappeared years ago, Mike became obsessed with following rules because of his guilty feelings.  Lucky went the other way, acting out in an effort to get the attention of his grieving parents.  His actions got worse until he left town after graduation.  He hasn't been in contact with his family since then.  He got involved in a biker gang for five years before he walked away from that mess.  For the last ten years he's been trying to turn his life around with his own business and staying on the right side of the law. He's returned to Destiny to take control of a new part of his life, though he hasn't faced his family yet. His encounter with Tessa finds him attracted to her, even though she's nothing like the women he usually goes after.  He sees her as a good girl, and with his past feels he's no good for her and tries to stay away.

I loved both Tessa and Lucky.  Tessa is tired of feeling like her life is passing her by because of her illness.  She is determined to do something to shake it up.  Making friends with her scary new neighbor is a good start.  Lucky is determined to keep it just as friends in spite of his intense attraction.  I loved seeing the way that they developed their friendship first.  Lucky hires Tessa to decorate his house and is amazed by how quickly she seems to understand who he is, inside and out. He fights his attraction to her very hard, but realizing that she's just as interested makes it almost impossible.  There are some really funny encounters between the two of them that show the battle raging in him.  Tessa is really curious about Lucky's past and what it is that has him fighting so hard against the sparks between them. I loved the way that she actually listened to him when he finally opened up to her and didn't judge him.  Her acceptance of him as he was went a long way toward changing his life. I loved the scene in the biker bar when Tessa goes to see him there.  She really puts herself out there to show him just how much she wants him. Tessa is a really independent woman who hates that her disease occasionally makes her dependent on other people.  She doesn't like to have anyone around when she's sick, but doesn't have any choice with Lucky.  He refuses to leave her alone.  His care for and of her is so sweet and shows just how great a guy he really is.  

The romance between them is sweet and hot and looks on track for an easy HEA until part of Lucky's past shows up in Destiny.  Suddenly Lucky is worried that his old life has put his family and Tessa in a great amount of danger.  At this point Tessa fears that Lucky will never be able to put those things behind him and live a normal life.  She's not sure she can deal with it all and pulls away, making both herself and Lucky miserable.  I loved seeing the way that Lucky decides their love is worth fighting for and what he does to show her.

I also enjoyed seeing the way that Lucky slowly becomes part of his town again.  The biggest thing he has to face is getting back in touch with his brother and his parents.  I loved seeing him finally able to explain to his parents why he did the things he did back when he was a kid, and how they understood what he had gone through and their part of it all.  His brother Mike was another problem all together.  I liked him in the previous book, especially after Rachel started softening him up a little.  But in a good chunk of this one he was a really judgmental asshole to Lucky and I wanted to smack him.  He redeemed himself, but I wasn't sure it was going to happen until then.

Sugar Creek - Toni Blake (Avon - May 2010)

Series: Destiny (Book 2)

WELCOME TO DESTINY, OHIO -- WHERE TWO FAMILIES HAVE BEEN AT ODDS AS LONG AS ANYONE CAN REMEMBER.

Rachel Farris returned to her childhood home with one mission in mind: get Mike Romo out of her family's apple orchard business and out of their lives. But hard-nosed and totally hot Mike, who happens to be the law in Destiny, is convinced the Farris clan stole the land from his family fifty years ago and he's not backing down. Even when shapely trouble shows up in a pair of designer blue jeans. However, neither the hunky cop nor the sexy prodigal hometown girl can anticipate the electricity that heats things up whenever they're together -- adding new sizzle to an ongoing feud that's raged for generations, and soon putting both their hearts at risk.

Good book. Rachel has come back to Destiny to help her grandmother with this year's apple harvest.  When she arrives she finds out that Mike Romo wants to buy the orchard from her grandmother.  The same Mike Romo whose family claims that the Farrises stole the orchard from them years ago.  Also the same Mike Romo who gave Rachel a ticket for speeding on her way into town.  There is a lot of antagonism between the two of them, but not all the sparks are angry.  

I really enjoyed both Rachel and Mike.  Rachel has taken a leave of absence from her job to go help Edna, even though her job is in jeopardy from downsizing.  She loves her job and living in Chicago, but she feels it's her turn to pitch in.  She's not really looking forward to spending a couple weeks in Destiny as she'd been only too happy to get out of the small town years before.  Getting pulled over for speeding on the way into town did not make it any better, even worse when she found out he was a member of the Romo family.  It didn't stop her from noticing how hot he was, but she sure wasn't going to do anything about it.

Mike is known as something of a hard ass around town because he is intent on upholding the law.  He really hates speeders and pulling Rachel over for doing considerably more than the speed limit felt good.  Finding out she was a member of the family that had stolen his family's land was just icing on the cake.  He didn't like the fact that his body didn't seem to care about that.

I loved the interactions between these two.  They started out completely antagonistic, seeming to delight in giving each other a hard time, though never in a hateful way.  It isn't too long before they admit to themselves that while they may not like each other, there is something going on.  When they get stuck working together at a community event, those sparks suddenly burst into flame, surprising both of them.  The next thing they know they're spending time together and discovering that maybe they don't dislike each other as much as they'd thought. But Rachel has no plans to stay in Destiny and Mike doesn't do any kind of emotional commitment, so they decide that perhaps just enjoying some strings free sex would be fine.

Rachel has some issues stemming from her family's fiscal irresponsibility, causing her to be pretty intent on making sure that she has a good job that pays well.  She does this partly to make sure that she can be there for family members who may need her help.  But the more time she spends in Destiny, the more she starts to enjoy herself.  It surprises her when the occasional thought of staying crosses her mind, but her fears won't let her consider it for long, not even when she starts to develop feelings for Mike.  I really enjoyed seeing her start to relax and get into her time on the farm.  I also loved the way that her relationships with her friends get stronger and she realizes how much she'll miss them when she leaves.  But the biggest thing is how much she comes to care for Mike.  I loved seeing the way that she doesn't let him get away with grumpiness around her, but she is also sensitive to the reasons he is the way he is.  

Mike's issues with getting people to obey the law stem from a tragedy in his past that changed his entire life.  That same tragedy has caused him to be completely resistant to letting anyone get emotionally close to him.  Staying in complete control of his emotions means he doesn't put his heart at risk.  It frustrates him that he can't seem to retain that control around Rachel.  He is surprised when he finds himself opening up to her about what had happened to change him, because he doesn't talk about it with anyone.  It also scares him because he can see that he's starting to care far more than he is comfortable with.  He would like her stay in Destiny, but since she has made it clear that she's leaving he doesn't want to open himself up to the pain of being rejected.

There was a lot of humor throughout the book that made it fun to read.  Rachel's grandmother Edna was a whole lot of fun.  She doesn't pull any punches when she talks to Rachel and some of the things she says are hysterical.  I love some of her comments about Mike's physical attributes and the advice she gives to Rachel.  I also enjoyed the story of her relationship with Mike's grandfather and the cause of the feud between the two families.