Always My Hero (Scallop Shores #5)

Bree Adams is tired of being the mousy librarian and makes a New Year’s resolution to put herself out there more. Everything is going according to plan until her first love, Ryan Pettridge, comes back to town and moves in next door with his adorable son. He broke her heart when he moved away years ago, just when she thought they might have found love together. But now he’s back and Bree has to face the painful secret she’s kept from him all this time. Can they fall in love again with so many unresolved issues still between them?

The author does a great job of setting a realistic scene in the small town of Scallop Shores and makes it easy to visualize each location. The secondary cast of characters, from the library board to the townspeople who frequent the hardware store, is well-drawn and provides a great framework for the main love story. Bree and Ryan both have deep scars from the past and the author pulls the reader in with the emotion the characters face as they try to resolve what happened, while juggling the new issues they have in the present.  At times, the characterization and pacing were uneven, but the root-worthy factor of this couple vs. the demons from the past that pop up, keep the story engaging and tension-filled. Bree and Ryan were denied their happy ending once, but readers will cheer as this couple reaches for the second chance they’ve been given.

Kate Campbell