It's been a minutes since I've read anything by Melanie Harlow, so I was looking forward to trying this new series because her novels are usually a delight. Harts Landing managed to address some heavier issues dealing with narcissism and the harm it can do while feeling like a lighter read. Mila and Everett are cute and undeniably going to end up together, despite Mila's hesitancy.
This novel read like the first one in a series: it introduces us to the town, many of the characters, and some of the conflicts we'll run into in future books.
Four friends made a promise to live one night like it was their last.
That night changed everything.
Ten years ago, Mila Ferguson left behind a devastating fire, a stolen kiss, and a shattered circle of friends in her hometown of Hart’s Landing. But when a crisis brings her back, Mila just wants to get in and get out, unscathed by her mother’s constant criticism and unseen by her former crush, Everett McKean.
Only … Everett is everywhere. The town’s attractive, beloved mayor has resisted settling down, but he’s never stopped wondering about Mila. Having her back in Hart’s Landing is the second chance he didn’t know he was waiting for—and he’s not about to waste it.
As Mila slowly opens her heart to Everett and begins to rebuild her fractured friendships, she wonders if coming home was exactly what she needed. But old wounds threaten to open again when questions emerge about what really happened the night Mila left. Who’s really responsible for the fire that destroyed the bakery? And will knowing the truth free Mila from the past, or ignite a blaze that burns down the future she’s trying to build?
People say you can never truly come home again, but sometimes coming home isn’t about where you’ve been. It’s about who you’re brave enough to become.
Sexy, heartfelt, and steeped in small-town charm, Hart’s Landing is a story of forgiveness, friendship, and finding the family who loves you no matter how far you wander.
Hideaway Heart continues the Cherry Tree Harbor series with Austin's brother, Xander, and the woman he's doing security for, Kelly Jo. If you read the first book, Runaway Heart, you definitely remember Xander-he knew exactly how to antagonize his brother with his big personality and his dares/bets. That big personality continues here. He's bossy and confident and stubborn which means he's met his match with Kelly, who is also bossy, confident, and stubborn.
Xander becomes Kelly's part time bodyguard (for her vacation-time off from being a country music star- in his area) when his friend (her brother) asks him to watch over her; she's had some unsavory people involved in her security and her brother wants her safe. Xander agrees, since her brother basically saved his life, with some major preconceptions about what kind of girl she is. He thinks she's going to be an entitled, shallow person and so he goes in with that expectation. Meanwhile, Kelly wants complete isolation and has rejected the idea of having security and feels suffocated and not listened to when Xander shows up anyway. To add insult to injury, she's not entitled or shallow and doesn't like being treated that way. So obviously, when they meet (that's a fun scene!), they are immediately rubbing each other the wrong way.
As they get to know each other, level heads appear and then we get to see them for who they are. They're both bossy and stubborn and confident and under all of that bravado, vulnerable and hopeful romantics. They both want a partner who loves them for who they are, who support their various dreams and endeavors, and who can be trusted to be faithful and true. This is not a case of opposites attract but like recognizing like. What starts as one passionate night that maybe shouldn't have happened blossoms into a deep and abiding love. They become true partners and friends.
Hideaway Heart features all of the things we love about Melanie Harlow: hilarious banter and inner monologues, sweet romance with a side of steam. With more siblings to fall in love, I'm looking forward to the next books in the Cherry Tree Harbor series.
She's a country music star trying to escape the spotlight. He's the scorching hot bodyguard she doesn't want on her vacation. And there's only one bed.
Hideaway Heart by Melanie Harlow is now live!
All I wanted was a break—two weeks off from being Pixie Hart, country music sensation, and fourteen days of peace, privacy, and solitude as plain old Kelly Jo Sullivan.
But thanks to some overzealous paparazzi, my family refuses to let me go anywhere alone, and I’m stuck sharing this tiny cabin with a tall, dark, and bearded bodyguard.
And guess what? There’s only one bed.
Well, he can couch it.
Xander Buckley might be hotter than a stolen blow torch, and I get that he’s a former Navy SEAL and all, but the man gives new meaning to the words overbearing, overprotective, bossy alpha male. I can’t even post a photo on social media without him warning me it’s not safe, or take a morning jog without him following behind.
But he’s made it clear that what he says goes, and if I don’t like it, I can kiss my vacation goodbye.
Instead, I end up kissing him.
I don’t even know how it happened—one minute we were at each other’s throats, the next we were at each other’s mercy. What’s even more shocking is how good we are together. He understands my need for freedom, and I understand his need for control.
But emotional trust doesn’t come easily to me. And we’re on two completely different paths.
Without question, I’d put my life in his hands.
Just don’t ask me to give him my heart.
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Meet Melanie
USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling author Melanie Harlow writes sweet, sexy, feel-good romance. She likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. If she's not writing or reading, she's probably at Orangetheory or watching Schitt's Creek again. She lifts her glass to readers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.
Surprising to no one, least of all me, I thoroughly enjoyed Melanie Harlow's latest novel, Runaway Love. It's a fast paced, fun (and funny), romance that I read in a blink of an eye. In Runaway Love we get the grumpiest grump, Austin, and the sweetest sunshine, Veronica in a single dad/nanny love story.
Austin has got to be one of the most stubborn men I've read in a while; he drove me absolutely bananas with his refusal to own up to his *real* feelings, stuffing them down or hiding them behind other things. And yet....I completely identified with him because I am very similar. I recognized his fears and stubbornness as annoying qualities that I have and while I wanted to throttle him, I also wanted to hug him.
Veronica, on the other hand, was open and kind and yearning for that sense of family and belonging that had been missing from her life for a while. I really liked her sense of self, her strength and persistence, and her overall joie de vivre.
Together these two were a hot mess and I loved every second of it--the chemistry they desperately tried to ignore, their easy banter, the way she called him out and he begrudgingly admitted it--it all just worked. I adored his family and their unsolicited advice, their easy acceptance of her, and their overall dynamic. While Veronica did have a few friends, this really felt like the story of Austin and his family, which I'm hoping against hope means that all of the sibs will get their own book.
All in all, a fantastic escape from the craziness of the world; and as always, I enjoyed it so much that I'm sad I'll have a while to wait for the next Melanie Harlow book, but wait patiently I will because her books are always worth it.
Runaway Love by Melanie Harlow is now live!
Yes, I'm a single dad who needs a nanny for the summer. But hire the stranded runaway bride who shows up on my doorstep in a wedding gown with no references, no skills, and no experience? No one is that desperate.
Except within twenty-four hours, down-on-her-luck Veronica Sutton manages to charm my kids, my family, and half the population of Cherry Tree Harbor into believing she's perfect for the job.
And for me.
It's not that I can't see the appeal-those baby blue eyes? The endless legs? That mouth made for trouble? But I've got enough on my plate, raising two kids on my own and keeping the family business alive. I don't have the time or the inclination to fall for an outspoken city girl.
So I should have kept my hands to myself.
Holding her in my arms was a big mistake. Even worse? Spending the night together. She ignites a possessive fire in me that I'm finding hard to snuff out.
But the most unforgivable? Growing attached to the sound of her laugh, the scent of her skin, and the way her body wraps around mine in the dark.
At the end of the summer, she'll be gone. And if I'm not careful, she might run away with my heart.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling author Melanie Harlow writes sweet, sexy, feel-good romance. She likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. If she's not writing or reading, she's probably at Orangetheory or watching Schitt's Creek again. She lifts her glass to readers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.
Look, I don't know what I can say about Drive Me Wild that much better writers and bloggers haven't already said so I'm going to write this for me as a way to keep track of all things Melanie Harlow that I've read.
Drive Me Wild is the first in the Bellamy Creek Series, and just like her other series, there are allusions and crossovers to characters in her other novels, which is something I happen to enjoy. This novel features Blair, a former debutante rich girl, and Griffen, current mechanic and struggling garage owner. She's a ray of sunshine and he's a grumpy carebear. She's striking out on her own to find herself and stand on her own two feet and he's trying to keep the family business open. They are the stereotypical opposites attract and it totally works. He gives her confidence and clarity and she shows him that needing people and opening up isn't always the worst thing ever. As they get to know each other, she manages to break down more and more of his walls as he builds her up. They have chemistry out the wazoo and seem to fit together like two puzzle pieces.
It's set in a small town where there are no such thing as secrets; everyone knows everyone and everything about each other. They support each other, rib each other, and look after each other, which all seems lovely, unless you're Griff who detests people in his business. The secondary characters are warm and fun and funny and help round out an already engaging romance. Between some of the elderly customers of Griff and his mom, sister, and friends, they all welcome Blair into town and soon she has the family she never knew she could have.
Drive Me Wild is the quintessential Melanie Harlow novel; it has great characters, great chemistry, and great dialogue which all add up to me wanting to read the rest of this series.
When Blair Beaufort literally crashes into Bellamy Creek wearing a ball gown and a tiara, I should have towed her car, said goodnight, and sent her packing.
I’m a mechanic, not a hotel manager.
I've got enough on my plate trying to keep my shop from going under, my overbearing mother off my back, and my baseball team in contention for the league championship. I don’t have time for a former debutante with zero street smarts and a cash flow problem, even if she is crazy beautiful.
Problem is, she’s stranded in my small town, and I’m hiding a protective streak underneath my broody exterior that runs deep. So I offer her a place to stay and keep my hands to myself.
For exactly one night.
If only she weren't so gorgeous. So funny. So eager to please. She’s a disaster behind the wheel, but she drives me wild without even trying--at work, at home, in the back of my truck . . . I can’t get enough of the way she makes me feel. But I know better than to think it can last.
She wants a fairy tale, and I’m no prince.
So when it comes time for her to leave, there’s nothing I can do but let her go.
TEMPT, an all-new steamy small town, one-night-stand, age gap romance featuring a plus-sized heroine and a hot single dad from USA Today and #1 Amazon Bestselling Author Melanie Harlow, is now available!
OUR REVIEW:
Dannnnng do I love this series or do I love this series? I cannot get enough of the interconnected stories and seeing some of my favorite characters...and meeting new characters to fall in love with. In Tempt I instantly loved Millie (I mean, I loved her when she was a little girl, so naturally I'd love her all grown up). I loved her passion and her spirit and her heart--Melanie Harlow made her so easy to love. I admired her restraint and her levelheadedness, in situations I know I'd find it hard to contain myself, and I loved her daring and bravery too. Zach was a little bit of a tougher nut to crack but it wasn't hard at all to fall in lust with him, instantly. The first scene he was in showed us his quiet strength and then his fiery passion. As the story progressed, his tougher exterior was easier to understand and it was sweet to see him fall for Millie and learn how to let go of his fear of losing and loss and open up to love and family.
How many times can I say love in this review? Probably too many, but I am writing this within minutes of finishing and I just have that HEA glow that won't let go. I loved every aspect of this novel from the characters and their flaws and fears, to the obstacles they had to work through (yes, even the obstacles!) and the happily ever after. I loved reading about characters who were so into each other that despite their better judgement they continued something because they simply could not stop. I loved how their friendship developed in parallel lines with their sexual relationship. Gahhh I just loved it all and hopefully this rambling lovefest has convinced you that you'll love it too.
You’ve heard the story about the wedding planner who falls for the groom? Well, this is the one where she falls for his father. And that groom? He’s my ex.
I didn’t realize who the gruff, gorgeous older man was the night he rescued me from a creep in a Manhattan hotel bar. All I knew was that a hot, bearded stranger with a protective streak showed up right when I needed a reminder that real gentlemen still exist.
(Although he left his manners behind after asking me up to his room.)
It was the hottest night of my life, but I never thought I’d see the former Navy SEAL again.
Imagine my surprise at the rehearsal dinner one week later, when my sexy one-night stand is introduced as the father of the groom. Even more surprising? That temptation we felt in New York was no fluke.
In public, we pretend there’s nothing between us.
In private, we can’t keep our hands off each other.
The situation is beyond complicated. Zach never even knew he’d fathered a child until recently, and he wants to earn his son’s trust and respect. As for me, I’m looking for a man who wants to start a family, and Zach has made it clear he’s not that man. He’s fifteen years older, newly divorced, and he lives across the country.
But no matter how many times we draw the line, we keep crossing it.
Nothing so wrong should ever feel so right.
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I was just lifting the glass to my lips when I noticed someone sitting around the curve of the bar to the left. He was broad through the chest and shoulders, wore a black dress shirt with the cuffs rolled up, and sat alone. His hair and beard were short and dark. Our eyes met and my body grew warm. His bone structure was beautiful—his face looked like it was chiseled from granite. He held my gaze for a moment then looked away, and I did as well, focusing on the first cold sips of my martini.
But in seconds, my eyes were drawn to him again, and I noticed the hand holding his glass—wide palm, long, solid fingers, thick wrist. I indulged in a brief and magnificent fantasy that involved those hands in my hair, his beard against my cheek, that brawny chest bare and warm above me. Was it hairy? I’d bet yes. He looked like a man’s man. My nipples tingled inside the bustier I wore beneath my dress.
Once more he caught me staring, and I realized too late that I was actually biting my lip.
Gawd.
The guy next to me whistled loudly and yelled at the bartender, “Hey! Can I get another round down here?”
The bartender, who was busy making other drinks, didn’t even look over. I didn’t blame him.
“The service is so shitty in this place,” he said. “You need a pair of tits to get any attention.” He glanced at my chest. “Yours are fantastic, by the way.”
Horrified, I picked up my glass and finished my drink in a couple swallows. I should have thrown it in his face, but it would have been a waste of a good martini. Setting the empty glass down, I reached into my bag for my credit card.
“Hey, don’t rush off.” The asshole leaned closer. He wore a white shirt and blue blazer, and he reeked of cologne. “We’re just getting to know each other.”
“Not interested,” I said, trying to catch the bartender’s eye so I could get my check and leave.
“Why not? I’m alone, you’re alone.” He covered my hand with his. That’s when I noticed he wore a wedding band.
I snatched my hand away and slid off my stool, putting it between us. “I’m not alone.”
“Oh no?” He laughed and glanced around. “Looks like it to me.”
I finally caught the bartender’s eye, and he came right over. “Can I get you something?”
“I’ll cash out,” I said quickly.
The bartender glanced at the asshole. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine, I was just waiting for someone, but he couldn’t make it, so I—”
“Sorry I’m late.” A hand circled my wrist.
Startled, I spun around and saw a black shirt. Wide shoulders. Dark eyes.
The hot stranger and I exchanged a look of understanding before he leaned in and kissed my cheek. His beard was softer than I’d imagined.
“Forgive me?” His voice, by contrast, was deep and gravelly.
“Of—of course,” I stammered, my heart pounding. I couldn’t stop staring—the guy was gorgeous. A little older than I’d thought—there was silver in his hair and beard—but those dark eyes, that deep voice, and the possessive grip on my wrist? The whole package made my knees go weak.
He looked over my head at the bartender. “She’s with me.”
“Dude, she’s not with you,” argued the jerk in the blazer. “You were over there by yourself a minute ago. I saw you.”
Dropping my wrist, the stranger turned to him and growled, “You should go.”
The jerk slid off his barstool and put one palm up. “Listen, I don’t want any trouble. I just thought—”
“It’s fuckin’ obvious what you thought.” The stranger’s words were laced with fury, but he kept his volume low. Somehow it was even scarier than if he’d yelled. “Now get the fuck out of here, and don’t even look in her direction as you walk out, or you’ll be trying to do it with two broken legs.”
The jerk stood up taller, like he might be thinking of protesting, but he looked like a gerbil facing off against a Doberman. Then he adjusted his lapels and moved toward the exit without even glancing my way.
The stranger watched him go with hooded, hawklike eyes before looking down at me again. “You okay?”
“Yes.” But I was struggling to catch my breath.
“Can I bring you two another round?” the bartender asked.
The stranger looked at me. “Would you like another drink?”
I took a breath, willing myself to be brave. “Only if you’ll stay and have one with me.”
He hesitated, rubbing one hand along his jaw. “Okay. Sure.”
“Another martini for the lady and a Glenlivet on the rocks, coming right up,” said the bartender.
I perched on my barstool again, crossing my legs. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“You’re welcome.” He sat down next to me. “I hope I didn’t insult you.”
“Insult me?”
“I didn’t mean to imply you couldn’t handle that jackass on your own.”
“Oh! Well, maybe I could have.” I laughed a little. “But I liked your way better.”
One side of his mouth twitched, setting off a thousand butterflies in my stomach.
“This round is on me,” I said as our drinks appeared.
He shook his head. “Not a chance.”
“But I’d like to repay you for standing up for me.”
“No payment necessary. Any gentleman would have done it.”
“Gentleman, huh?” I tilted my head and gave him a playful smile. I was a pretty good flirt when I wanted to be. “So you’re saying I’m safe with you?”
He didn’t answer right away, and I sat up a little taller in my seat. Slightly arched my back. But his eyes stayed put on mine. “You’re safe with me.”
About Melanie Harlow USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she's not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like Ted, Lasso, Schitt’s Creek, and Fleabag. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.
Melanie is the author of the BELLAMY CREEK series, the CLOVERLEIGH FARMS series, the ONE & ONLY series, AFTER WE FALL series, the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, and the FRENCHED series. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.
