From USA Today bestselling author Adriana Locke comes a witty romance about first love and second chances. This is a standalone, small-town, blue-collar love story.

 

 

Kindle Ebook  |  Paperback |  Audio

Free in Kindle Unlimited

If you own the ebook, you can add the Audible narration for just $1.99.

Narrated by the talented Aiden Snow and Summer Morton, this audio will rock your socks!

 

---

---

Synopsis

After being burned by her dream job in New York City, sports journalist Neely Kimber suddenly finds herself jobless and paying a long-overdue visit to her hometown in Tennessee. Her plan? Relax, reset, and head back up the corporate ladder. There’s just one unexpected step. Neely’s back in Dogwood Lane for barely a day when she sees the man she ran from nine years ago: the bad boy next door who was her first kiss, her first love, and her first heartbreak.

Devoted single dad Dane Madden knows he hurt Neely in the worst way. He’s got a lot to make up for. And as passionate as their reconnection is, it’s a lot to hope for. Having her back in his arms feels so right. But falling in love all over again with a woman who wants to live a world away is bound to go so wrong.

What’s it going to take for Neely to give him—and Dogwood Lane—just one more chance?

 

 

---

Review

4.5 sweetly emotional second-chance stars!

I love this book! An emotional, gorgeously sweet and chemistry-filled second-chance-romance, it’s a really strong start to a series that I can’t wait to explore further.

Neely has just been royally shafted for a promotion at work and in well-earned outrage, quit the job she has worked so hard for. Feeling lost and without purpose, she leaves NYC to return to her small home town in Tennessee for a break from her life. It’s a place she hasn’t been to in ten years since her heart was shattered by her first love, and though she’s happy to be reunited with her mother and her childhood friends, she knows that it’s only a matter of time before she is reunited with the cause of all of her heartache – Dane.

That reunion comes a whole lot sooner than she was expecting, and holy hell, from the first moment, the chemistry is insane! Dane is now a single father but he clearly never moved on from Neely, and though Neely is still hurt, she can’t help the way she reacts to him either. But the two of them have a messed up past. The true extent of everything that happened between them is revealed slowly, and given that it all ended so badly, there’s a lot for them to work through.

I broke her heart. I broke her heart in the worst way I could, and the fact she didn’t tell me to fuck right off is more than I really deserve. It’s more than I would’ve given me.

But despite all of that, and the pain that they are both clearly in, I had a feeling of excitement about the two of them from the very beginning, and I read with a sense of blissful anticipation of all that is to come.

“You hadn’t forgotten about me,” he says. “If you had, you wouldn’t be reacting like this.”
“Like what?”
“Like you know just how good it is between us.”
“It was good between us,” I admit. “Was being the key term.”
“I have a feeling it would be even better these days.”

It’s a gorgeous reconnection that is sweet and emotional with an underlying intensity, and I loved their slow development from pain and anger to forgiveness, acceptance, understanding and love. The feelings they had for each other never really went away, and it doesn’t take long for everything to resurface, and I loved watching it happen.

Along the way, we get to meet a fantastic bunch of side characters. Neely and Dane’s friends are a hilarious bunch, and I’m so excited to read more about Matt, Penn, Grace and Claire in future books. And Dane’s daughter, Mia, is an absolute scene stealer! I love her sass and her huge heart, and the relationship she has with her Dad is just gorgeous.

“Do we have garlic bread?” Mia asks, surveying the kitchen.
“Do I ever make spaghetti without garlic bread?”
She eyes me. “When you forget to buy it. But I’m not judging you because I can’t feed myself.”

But even with all that is happening between them, and all that they are feeling, Neely is only in town for a short visit. And just as she starts to recognise all that she’s left behind and the life she could possibly have, she is given the opportunity of a lifetime back in New York. Will Dane be enough to convince her to stay? Where does her heart truly lie? There are some truly heartwrenching scenes as they figure it all out, and I couldn’t put my kindle down, desperate to see what was going to happen.

“I know you love us, Neely. I know you love us as much as we love you.”

This book seems to have some mixed reviews, with people unable to move past their breakup. I’m not judging anybody’s opinions or experiences, but here are my thoughts on the subject – I’m never a fan of the whole ‘I broke up with you for your own good’ storyline, and there are other factors which lead to Neely and Dane’s break up becoming a major clusterfuck. Dane messed up in an epic way, changing both his and Neely’s lives forever. Was it unforgiveable? For me, no, but it was pretty damn close.

It was bad, and I could completely understand Neely’s pain and why she fled and stayed away for so long, and I actually wouldn’t blame her for avoiding him forever. But I could understand Dane’s reasoning and how things snowballed the way they did – especially with them both only being teenagers. And I could understand Dane’s feelings on his past – he’s so incredibly sorry for how much he hurt Neely, but he can’t regret the actions which gave him his daughter. It’s a messed up situation, but it shows the connection between the two of them that they are able to move on from their past and forge a new way forward.

Life is not about what happens to you, but how you react to it.

I loved this book, and was hooked from start to finish. I would have liked to have seen more of them actually together and experiencing a relationship as adults – especially considering the depth of their feelings and the major life decisions which hang on their brief time together. But I thought their reconnection was just gorgeous, and can’t wait to continue on with the series.

4.5 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

Dogwood Lane

 

 

---

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Tumble, 2x winners will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card thanks to Adriana Locke!

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

The Escapist Book Blog is not responsible for this giveaway

 

---

Excerpt

Splat!

The sound of the hammer crushing my thumb—swung with more force than was necessary, to boot—ricochets across the front lawn. The tool falls from my hand, striking against the sawhorse, and flips into the soft grass with a gentle thud.

“Son of a…!” My hand shakes, the top of my thumb threatening to explode. I tilt my head to the sky and try to find some peace in the clouds.

I come up empty. “Matt!” I call to my younger brother. “I’m taking ten.”

He nods from halfway up the ladder leaned against the side of the house.

Wrapping my good hand around my thumb, I head toward my truck. Sounds of construction ring out behind me. It’s usually music to my ears, the lifeblood of the Madden name. But each cut of a sawblade, buzz of a power drill, and swing of a hammer feels like a distraction this morning. I have a throbbing thumb to show for it.

Beads of sweat cluster along my forehead. I remove my hat with my good hand and run the back of my forearm along my brow.

“Damn it.” Everything feels sticky. Mildly irritating. And the progress on the project that usually energizes me has failed me epically this morning. I just don’t want to be here. Not that I have a better place to be. Quite frankly, I have a lot of places I shouldn’t be, and with Neely, or thinking about Neely, is one of them.

I would’ve recognized her anywhere. Same gray eyes that glimmer like she’s about to tell you a secret. Full lips that spread into a smile so infectious you can’t help but feel your own mouth following suit. The hint of floral perfume, the golden hair that may as well be silk, and the aura about her that’s just as strong as the day she left Dogwood Lane and me—it’s all the same. It’s like time forgot to age her. She somehow has become more beautiful, sexier, stronger.

The world hates me. I’ve postulated this for a long time, but it’s obvious today.

The tailgate of my truck lowers. Scooping a handful of ice from the cooler in the bed into a bandanna, I wrap it around my injured digit. The relief lasts only a few moments.

“What are you doing down here?” Penn rests his forearms over the side of the truck, the tattoos carved in his skin like mini masterpieces on full display. He eyes my makeshift bandage. “What happened to you?”

“Hammer,” I groan, adjusting the ice.

“That’s interesting.”

“How you figure?”

“Never knew you to hit yourself with a hammer before. I find that interesting.”

“If that’s interesting, you need a hobby. Or you could work like I’m paying you to do . . .”

“I have a hobby, thank you, and you should’ve seen her last night,” he says, smacking his lips together. “Lord Almighty, she’s a—”

“Penn.”

“Yeah?”

The tip of my finger sticks out of the bandanna. It’s bright red and hot to the touch despite the ice packed around it. “All your escapades really sound the same at this point.”

“Is that jealousy I hear?” He cups his hand to his ear. “I thought so. Not my fault you’re in a dry spell.”

Leaning against the truck, I look at him. “Jealousy isn’t how I’d describe it. But if that makes ya feel good, go for it.”

“My hobby makes me feel good.” He moves his lips around, like he’s fighting the next words trying to pop out. He does this when he knows he shouldn’t say something but can’t quite convince himself not to. “From the looks of you, I’d say you’re more than jealous. I’d say you’re . . . tempted.”

My tongue presses on the roof of my mouth. “Tempted to what?”

He leans against the truck, too, the gold St. Christopher’s medal he’s worn since elementary school clamoring against the side. The corners of his lips nearly touch the corners of his eyes. He knows.

“Word travels fast, huh?” I say, prodding around to see if my guess is right.

He slow blinks. Twice.

“What?” I ask.

“That’s all you have to say about Neely being back in town? ‘Word travels fast.’ What’s wrong with you?”

We don’t have time for that conversation.

I sigh. “What do you want me to say?”

“I’d love to have been a fly on the wall for that little run-in.” Penn snickers. “Did you stutter around like I imagine? Or did you not manage to say an entire sentence?”

Working my jaw back and forth, I point a finger his way. “You better stop while you’re ahead.”

He reads me correctly, and his animation drops a notch. “Really, though. How’d it go? But before you answer that, let me toss out there that I heard sparks were flying all over the diner so hot Claire had to call the fire department.”

I shake my head. “Shut up.”

“Just telling you what I heard.”

“The firemen were there to order food, you idiot.”

He thinks he’s onto something. There’s a glee in his face that means only one thing: it’s going to be a long day around here.

“So, what happened?” he asks, resting his arms over the truck bed.

“You know, sometimes I think you should’ve been a girl with all the gossiping you do.”

“This isn’t gossip,” he contends. “This is Neely-freaking-Kimber, man. Every memory I have of my entire adolescence has her in it. She bailed me out of jail when I was too scared to call my dad and you and Matt were passed out on moonshine. Remember that?”

My chuckle is so hard, it causes my thumb to throb. “I forgot about that. She was pissed.”

“Neely came through, though. God, I miss her.”

Those last words echo through my mind.

I have shoved her out of my head for the last few years. Took over Dad’s business, took care of my business. Trudged forward without her because that was the only choice I had. I hardly even think about her anymore unless someone brings her up in conversation.

So why do I itch to crawl into the truck and hunt her down?