4* Second Chance Love Stars

I really enjoyed this small town romance story. The characters are so likeable and you will fall in love with them all. This second chance at love between Neely and Dane is heartfelt and realistic. I was rooting for them all the way.

I highly recommend this well written and easy flowing love story with low angst and a bit of sexiness.

I am excited to read what Adrianna brings us next in the Dogwood Lane series as there are a few very interesting characters who needs their story told, especially Penn!

Many thanks to Montlake Romance and NetGalley for my copy to read and review.

Loved it! Tumbled is a fantastic second chance romance. It’s sweet and sexy and heartwarming. I’ve got to read more stories from Ms. Locke

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Tumble is the first in Locke's Dogwood Lane series. A small-town girl myself, I love the stories about returning to your roots. Neely and Lane's second-chance love story had me hooked from the beginning. Recommend for fans of Jennifer Probst or Jill Shalvis. I'm looking forward to more from this series.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I enjoyed it. It can be read as a standalone. However the author writes characters that you just want to know their story too. This story has second chances, forgiveness, humor, acceptance, and love. Neely runs away from heartache and someone's mistake. Then quits her job and goes home to think about what she wants in life. She runs into her ex which caused her to run in the first place. Now she has to make a descion, can she can forgive him or keep her heart broken and move on with the life she has in New York. Neely's heart knows what it wants she just has to listen and follow what her heart is telling her. As we follow this journey between Dane and Neely I think some parts were too easy and didn't get addressed to the full extent. You do get to see some growth in both characters and there is a happily ever after.

Tumble is a second-chance romance story in the rural town of Dogwood Lane. Neely has lived in NYC for years and returns home after leaving her job, where she is reunited with Dane, her former boyfriend. Their breakup had been bad, and with so much time lost, both characters need to learn to forgive in order to move on.

The romantic part of their reunion took longer than I expected, but after finding out what drove Neely away, I can't blame her for being hesitant. I also would not have been as forgiving as she was. The biggest hangup in present-day Dogwood is that Neely and Dane had was not talking to each other, and not being proactive enough to reach for what they care for the most. Every story needs its conflict, but I was disappointed in these two for their lack of agency (and very disappointed in Dane for what he did in the past, regardless of the result).

Neely and Dane weren't the most likeable characters in the story. Mia was really cute, and it introduced the gymnastics element that made the town quite unique. Neely's mom was fun, and I like that we see her change some throughout the story as well. Grace, who is Neely's best friend from NYC, seemed obnoxious with all of her phone-screaming and neediness. If she gets her own story, I hope her personality isn't as bad as it seemed here.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read full of conflict. The final chapters were great (that receptionist needs her own story for sure). The town has a lot of potential for a new series, and while this couple may not have really resonated with me, the setting did. The cover art was vibrant and attractive. I look forward to future stories in Dogwood Lane!

Good, not great. The backstory didn't work for me. And I don't feel it was ever explained/discussed in a way that it was resolved in my mind, or should have been resolved for Neeley either. Add to that my vague dislike of Neeley, and lukewarm feelings toward Dane, and I just wasn't that invested. I just wanted more out of this book.

This is a new to me author and book. I am regretting taking so long to finally read something from Adriana Locke because I LOVED this story.
Neely is back in her hometown after leaving 10 years ago when her boyfriend shattered her heart. What happens when she runs into him again? Will she be able to forgive him for everything?
I am a sucker for a second chance romance story and this one I devoured in one sitting. I know not everyone will be a fan of the past issues between Neely and Dane. This story was sweet, it had me swooning, getting teary eyed and just smiling.
Neely is strong, she is hard working and someone that I could easily connect with through the story. Dane, well for what he did to Neely I wanted to slap him across the face, but he does redeem himself and he is such a sweet Dad and you can feel the love his has for his daughter. Mia, Dane’s daughter, truly stole the story for me. I loved her. She brought so much happiness to the story.
I truly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more of this series and from this author in the future.

I loved Tumble. It was such a beautiful love story. Between Dane and Neely.
I could feel the emotion written into this book and visualise the characters. I like that about Tumble.

Poor Neely; being thrown back into her home town where her one true love; Dane lived with his daughter. A daughter who was conceived by a betrayal. Neely’s fast love of Dane’s daughter Mia captures my heart, and the rest as they say; is history.
Great read.

I am a fan of Adriana Locke's books but unfortunately, this one just didn't do it for me. Without any spoilers, Dane's betrayal and treatment of Neely in the past was just not something I could see past. Positives though are that we meet loads of likeable secondary characters whose own books we will see in the future.

This story is a classic Adriana Locke story. It's small town romance with the cast of characters you expect to see in her books. It's about Neely, who decides to go back home to visit the small town that she grew up in after leaving her job in New York City. She runs into her high school boyfriend, Dane that she left 9 years earlier and the sparks fly. It's not all flowers and candy. They have a difficult past to maneuver.
Neely doesn't know when she will return to NYC so she just hangs out with some old friends and her mom. She used to be a gymnast, so she helps teach some classes at her old gym and is idolized by a bunch of adorable little girls.
This story is filled with nostalgia. It wrings your heart dry. It's a story of knowing when the time is right to change the destiny that you envisioned for yourself.

I’ll be honest, I was a little hesitant to read this book. I love second chance romances, but Dean was also a single dad and either authors can do those amazingly or they are cringeworthy. I am happy to report that Adriana Locke nailed it perfectly! I loved the chemistry and history between Dean and Neely. The nostalgic feeling of coming back home after so many years was conveyed perfectly. I felt the same feelings as Neely - how it feels familiar and yet different at the same time. To me Neely was such a great character; she was kind and smart and so forgiving. I also really liked Dean - I loved his outlook on life and try to be as real as possible to protect his daughter. There were moments in the book between Dean and his daughter that had me laughing out loud, but also moments that had me fighting back tears.
I loved the secondary characters and I hope that there are stories in the works for these characters! Penn, Matt, Claire, Hailey even Grace were all amazing secondary characters that fit into the story perfectly. If you’re looking for a great romance that offers an amazing second chance to characters that deserve to be together, then this is the book for you! **ARC provided by NetGalley and the Publisher. All opinions are my own**

This is another winner from Adriana Locke. When you read a Locke book, rest assured you are in for a good story. Characters like Dane and Neely are genuine and realistic. Their love is one that began as teens and they find their second chance. Supporting characters are always great and makes me, as a reader, excited for the next books in the series to after being given a taste. Locke can also paint a picture. She makes her settings memorable. You truly want to visit these p[aces, meet the community, and actively engage with it. Another thing that I really enjoy is how she doesn't shy away from writing children in her books. MIa and her friends fit right in and don't detract or feel like filler. They aren't a throwaway character or pregnancy that just doesn't go anywhere. They find their places in the book, and are part of the package.

As I do with every Adriana Locke book, I sit down and devour them. You can feel her voice in her books and if you know the author from her social media posts, you can know that it's all her in these words sharing parts of her self with her readers.

Tumble is a romance that fits in the small town, single parent, and second chance trope categories. It's the first book in Adriana Locke's new Dogwood Lane series and it had both elements that were satisfying and some that were less so.

Locke is great at world building. The fictional town of Dogwood Lane and the characters who live there are really given life. It feels like a place you could imagine to be real. A place you'd feel at home and welcome- like a small town from a Hallmark movie.

Unfortunately for me, that connection didn't translate to the relationship of focus; the romance lacked real feeling and depth. Dane and Neely's relationship is meant to be a love renewed, but I didn't find myself invested in their reignited passion. It fell sort of flat.

Seeing as this is a romance involving a single parent, I also like to take into account the third party's interactions and feelings towards the child. Neely was always very friendly with Mia, and she evenually spoke about her with words of love and affection, BUT I didn't FEEL that love, and that's an important part for me.

In the end, I did not 'tumble' or fall for Neely and Dane's story, but I did get hooked on Dogwood Lane. I'd still be very open and interested in reading any further novels in the series.





**Complimentary copy for review provided by Montlake Romance. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.**

Adriana Locke takes us on an emotional journey for Neely Kimber. In high school, she fell in love with Dane and only ever wanted him, but she also wanted to go to college away from her small southern town and have a high profile career. Things go south in their relationship as she heads off to college. She ends up in New York with a great job. Ten years later, she is shunned for the promotion she deserves and should have. She decides to quit her job and return to her hometown while she licks her wounds and cyber searches for a new job back in New York. She never really planned to come back to Tennessee and wants to avoid seeing Dane at all costs. Fate is not so kind and she runs into him on her first day home. Dane can't seem to stay away but Neely can't forgive or forget his betrayal. I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to anyone interested in a light read.
I'm giving this book 5 Stars because it has well developed characters, love, betrayal and redemption and is a good story that kept my attention.

A cute young love revisited in adult years story. Sometimes people have to grow up before they can work things out.

What a delightful surprise this turned out to be. I’ve been meaning to try out Adriana Locke for a while because I’ve heard good things, so I jumped at this opportunity at an early read. The blurb appealed with a second chance, small town romance and it delivered on that very well.

This book was a grower, it slowly simmered to a boil with a story that drew me in more over the pages. Dean grabbed my heart fairly quickly, I just knew there was more to the issue, I just didn’t know what. Mia was pretty likeable and Neely, like the story, grew on me. Neely was the one to return to her home town, down on her luck but a career and NY girl at heart. This book had a rich bunch of friends and family that made this read a little deeper than expected.

I did a fair bit of highlighting in this story and when I looked at what I’d highlighted, it was mostly Dean’s dialogue. He was written in such a belieavable way and the way he was trying to hold back on his affections just made me all heart eyes.

“She fit right back into that spot - her spot - in my life.”

This is an ideal escapism read with a small town theme and gorgeously romantic. I truly enjoyed Adriana Locke’s style of writing, it had just the right balance of the physical with far more focus on the emotional. I will be reading more from this author without a doubt and I’m looking forward to more from this particular series.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Wonderfully sweet story that will have you rooting for the characters even as the whole time you know that a happy ending is right around the corner. There is something very comforting about reading a story that you know where it will go but still feel invested and interested in the journey a long the way!

Has Dane Madden just overtook the Gibson Boys !?

Who isn't a sucker for a single dad Romance ? Along with a second chance love story (my favourite trope) together Adriana brings us another amazing story. She really does create the swooniest of men who steal your heart.

From the start I was hooked with this story and I loved Neely. Being totally honest I wanted to hate Dane (you'll see why when you read) but it just wasn't possible! This guy melts your heart and could have you eating from the palm of his hand.

The chemistry between these two is undeniable, the tension from the past only intensifies things and it's like these little sparks keep flickering just waiting to ignite enough to light the fire before the flames erupts the explosion !

It's definitely an emotional read, it's heart breaking and had me in a sobbing mess but the journey to repair their shattered hearts and mine is warm and loving and left me with butterflies in my stomach.

A story of betrayal and hurt that you feel so much it cuts you deep. Life choices and torn decisions. Do you follow you follow your heart and lose sight of your dreams. Are the risks we take worth the sacrifices we make!?

I'm a huge fan of Adriana and I love how we fall for not only the main character but how she always creates just as important secondary characters that become readers favourites too. They intrigue us and have us craving more of them. This new read is no different and there's more than you'll adore!

Another beautiful and captivating love story !

I love this second chance romance. I’m a huge fan of this author, I’m excited that I was given the chance to read this book. It’s very sweet to see that they got a chance of getting closure and moving on to what was meant to be.

Well, this is a hard review to write. I’m a fan of Adriana Locke, and have really liked her books in the past, but this one was a struggle. The writing was great, but I had a hard time liking the characters. This is a small town, second chance romance. I won’t give any spoilers but I’ll say that Dane broke her heart in a pretty unforgivable way in my eyes. As soon as that was revealed, I had a really hard time liking him. And I don’t like the way she apologized to him for something he did. After all of this takes place, I couldn’t get on board with their relationship. I really wished this one had worked for me, but unfortunately, it did not.

* ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.