WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES
(Whiskey Creek #1)by Brenda Novak
Published August 2012 by Harlequin MIRA
Adult Romance - Kindle edition, 445p.
Gail's a PR expert with a-list clients, and Simon's a movie star with a bad reputation who needs to clean up his act to get custody of his son. When Gail returns to her hometown, Whiskey Creek, claiming Simon has her husband it's for a business deal, but then their feelings start to evolve beyond business.
MY THOUGHTS: With the fame aspect, this one's fun and different than your average small town romance, and it's nice to watch Gail return home.
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WHEN SNOW FALLS
(Whiskey Creek #2)by Brenda Novak
Published October 2012 by Harlequin MIRA
Adult Romance - Kindle edition, 446p.
Cheyenne grew up all over the place, staying in cheap motels with her mom and sister, until they settled in Whiskey Creek and she found a great group of friends. When her best friend, Eve, admits she has feelings for the mutual friend Cheyenne has been crushing on for years, Cheyenne finds herself making a new connection with Dylan. He's the eldest brother in a house full of town bad boys, and exactly the kind of guy she's sworn to avoid in pursuit of a stable life, or so she thinks. Dylan isn't nearly as unreliable or risky as she imagines and he's prepared to convince her.
MY THOUGHTS: Cheyenne & Dylan are one of my favorite Whiskey Creek couples & two of my favorite characters overall. She's triumphed over a hard childhood and a big shock, and he's a good guy inside what everyone assumes is a bad guy shell.
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WHEN SUMMER COMES
(Whiskey Creek #3)by Brenda Novak
Published January 2013 by Harlequin MIRA
Adult Romance - Kindle edition, 400p.
When Callie finds out she needs a liver transplant and isn't likely to get one before dying, she moves out to her late grandparents' farm to live in a place she's loved all her life. The farm hasn't been worked in years, though, so when it starts to look like it'll be too much labor for a woman with a serious illness, she considers moving back to town. Then one day when Levi, a drifter, shows up offering to work in exchange for a place to stay temporarily while he repairs his broken down motorcycle. He's got a mysterious past that he's not willing to share, and she finds herself enjoying his company more than she would've guessed. As the time for him to leave approaches, they find themselves wishing he could stay and she could have more time, and realize their wishes might be granted.
MY THOUGHTS: I hated that Callie wouldn't tell her friends and family about her illness, but loved her otherwise. I was rooting for Levi early on, even before the mysteries in his past were revealed, and loved them together.
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HOME TO WHISKEY CREEK
(Whiskey Creek #4)by Brenda Novak
Published July 2013 by Harlequin MIRA
Adult Romance - Kindle edition, 400p.
Adelaide returns to Whiskey Creek to help her grandma run the family restaurant. She left town years before after a horrific event at a party right after graduation and never wanted to come back and face those who hurt her. Noah's a good guy, but has a familiar face. His twin died the same night Adelaide wishes she could erase and seeing his matching face isn't easy at first. However, he's a kind and well-respected guy, and he's determined to find out what happened to Adelaide and see her through her troubles.
MY THOUGHTS: This one was a tough read because of the trauma Adelaide experienced and her treatment by some of the townspeople after her return. The whole story read much more seriously than any others in the series. I don't recommend automatically skipping it, but I do advise anyone wary of violent acts be mindful when deciding to read it or not.
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TAKE ME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
(Whiskey Creek #5)by Brenda Novak
Published October 2013 by Harlequin MIRA
Adult Romance - Kindle edition, 400p.
Sophia has lived in Whiskey Creek for years, but has found herself on the outside of the friends group she's longed to be a part of ever since breaking Ted's heart. He's part of the weekly coffee friends group and still hasn't forgiven her. When her husband, a powerful and abusive man, goes missing along with their money, she's left struggling to make ends meet to support her daughter. When Ted announces his need for an assistant, he's convinced to hire Sophia to help her out. Spending time together reignites old feelings and allows them to get to know each other as adults in a way he's avoided for years.
MY THOUGHTS: I enjoyed seeing long-suffering Sophia be more accepted by the friends, as I always felt like her exclusion in previous books seemed pretty high school/Mean Girls of them all. Ted has remained mostly a mystery in earlier books, outside of popping up at coffee dates and friend hangouts, so it was nice to get to know him better and understand his issue with Sophia. Plus, I'm always up for seeing a woman get away from an abusive husband, so I'd been waiting for Sophia's escape for a while, and I'm glad it happened.
Goodreads | Amazon
COME HOME TO ME (#6) came out recently... Click here for a full review!