Member Reviews
Thankful for this advanced copy, I really enjoyed this book. It's another enjoyable read from Marina Adair.
In the second book in the Sequoia Lake series, we pick up the story with Liv and her son Paxton. Liv played a small part in the first book, but you don't have to necessarily need to read the first book. This book will stand alone.
Being punished for missing an important test, Ford is a Rescue Expert sent to Sequoia Lake as a brief punishment. But Ford has been back to this Lake in the past and he has ties to Liv that she doesn't realize.
Widowed mom Liv has just been trying to survive and help her son get through his grief and ongoing social issues. Can she give into her attraction to Ford? Especially when he's only in town temporarily?
This was a cute story. A little predictable, but that's expected. It had a touching storyline. I enjoyed it! Can't wait for the next book in the series!
If you just read the plot summary that a single mother, escaping a tragedy, moves to a small town where she finds unexpected romance with a hunky guy, you’d think this was just like dozens of romance novels. But Marina Adair finds some ways to make this novel stand out.
The surprise is not very well hidden as we soon learn that the hero, Ford Jamison, a search and rescue operative in the Rockies was the one who found the husband of the heroine, Liv Preston, after he’d crashed his car in the mountains and died. Ford and his adorable K-9 partner, Bullseye, were able to rescue their three-year old son, but has been haunted by the decisions that he made on that fateful night. He feels responsible for Liv and her son and wants to help them, but fears telling her that he was the man on duty when her husband died.
Live was a truly admirable heroine. She is strong and is devoting herself to helping her little boy recover from the tragedy of seeing his father die and almost dying himself when he was only three years old. She’s moved to her former husband’s home town so that her son can experience the small-town atmosphere growing up. She’s working hard at her job as a nurse to get a new job to arrange hours so she can spend more time with her son. To do that she has to get more involved in the town’s activities.
If you enjoy Susan Mallery’s small-town romances, you’ll enjoy this novel. There are lots of similarities between the way these characters find love in a small town. There are humorous secondary characters in the town - though I have never met so many elderly women who will make explicit jokes about the sexual appeal of young men.
The romance that develops between Ford and Liv, almost despite themselves, is funny, romantic, and touching. You’ll enjoy following along with them.
I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
**Advanced reader copy provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
Every Little Kiss is the second installment in Marina Adair's Sequoia Lake series. This book is a great addition to the series and I enjoyed heading back to the small town and getting to catch up with some of the residents we met in the first book.
Olivia Preston has had a rough couple of years. She lost her husband to an accident that almost cost her the life of her son as well. Now six years old, Paxon is still learning to deal with his new normal following the harrowing ordeal he went through in the wilderness. At this point Liv knows that everything she is doing is for him and she'll stop at nothing to make him happy and to make him smile even though there are many times at this point she isn't sure what those things are. In an effort to help his recovery, Liv moved she and Paxon to Sequoia Lake where her late husband grew up, thinking that the close ties to his father might help her young boy.
Ford Jamison knows all about life and death situations. They are what he deals with day in and day out in his job as the head of the Reno K-9 search division, but when he can't face the latest certification test he needs to take, he is relegated to a desk job in Sequoia Lake to help them out. Going back to Sequoia Lake makes Ford face a promise that he made and it is one that is compounded when he meets Liv and is immediately attracted to her. He knows that getting involved with her would be the worst thing that he could do since his stay in Sequoia Lake is temporary and the last thing she needs is more upheaval in her life.
As the two work together on a town project, they begin to grow closer and fighting their growing attraction begins to become more and more difficult. Couple that with the fact that Ford's dog has become good buds with young Paxton and you have quite the tangled web. Will the promise from Ford's past cause problems with his budding relationship with Liv and will Liv be able to give herself permission to move on with her life as she knows her late husband would have wanted?
While this book was a little bit slow in the beginning and it took some time to connect with Liv especially, it was definitely worth it in the end. Once the book found it's groove, the relationship began to form and it grew organically and realistically. I liked that the relationship didn't seem rushed. I enjoyed this book quite a bit and I look forward to the next one in the series!
Full review to be published online in the late July review cycle.
EVERY LITTLE KISS is a gem of a story, despite the slow start. The story is beautifully real and wonderfully written. Liv is a widowed mother and RN in the emergency room. She is trying to mend her broken heart while raising a Paxton, a child who has suffered a severe trauma. Allowing her to slowly grow and learn to love again before the physical aspect takes over made this story so much more real and touching. Paxton has such a loving relationship with Liv, another aspect that resonated with believability. Life isn’t always easy, sweet, and fun when trying to love and help children through their hardships. This story shows both the depth of that love and the uncertainty any parent has when navigating the emotions and hurts of their children's fears. And then there is Ford Jamison, Liv’s sexy Search and Rescue neighbor, who charges into their lives along with his K-9 partner Bullseye.
EVERY LITTLE KISS a lovely read about redemption and second chances at love. This story is the second book in Marina Adair’s “Sequoia Lake” series. Recommend for fans of the author and those who enjoy sweet love stories that take time to grow.
I enjoy Ms. Adair's books, they always deal with more than one emotion, you have happiness, sadness, grief, and frustration, all rolled up into one book. We were previously introduced to Liz, in the last book, and I liked her, but in this book, she annoyed me, she was a little too stubborn, a little too independent, and I felt like she just thought that what she thought was always correct, it just bugged me. It just did not seem like the same sweet person from last book, but it could just have been me. Now we meet Ford, and god almighty, he sounded "hot", I really wanted a visual, I still loved my Ty and Harrison, from first book but he has been added to the ranks. He was sweet, true he kept a pretty secret, a bad one, and should have come clean, and in that I will give it to her, in just that aspect, but everything else, he was absolutely, the best, he deserved someone who noticed all he had to give and then some. Now don't get me wrong, I do know that Liz had a pretty rough time, and it could not have been easy for her, but the going back and forth, anyway, she did have her good points, she was a good person, great mom, great nurse, and her friends loved her. Anyway, hope next book is about Harrison and Grace.
Admittedly, I struggled with this book at the beginning. I wasn't sure I was going to like it. It took awhile to get a connection to Ford and Liv both. While the banter was funny it didn't connect you to the people and I got tired of all the dog drama. I know it was hinted at the beginning Ford's connection to Liv but I wish more focus was on that part or on Paxton because he really sucked you in to the story. Finally you are hooked in and it is an awesome read with the chemistry between Ford and Liv hot, the relationship building between Paxton and everyone. The sweet moments with Paxton and Liv that the reader knows no one else experiences are awesome. I really loved the ending! Altogether great read!
Fantastic story you can not put down! This author knows how to craft characters that leave you wanting more and more