This is the first book in a series and I just received the second book to read. I liked the author very much and hope to read more of her in the future. ( )

Meredith's husband divorced her and blamed Nora Roberts novels as the reason. He said that the men in them were unrealistic and left Meredith with expectations that no one could ever hope to meet. Meanwhile, Meredith's family has asked her to come back home to Colorado to help them out with the family newspaper. While there she decides to write a story proving that there are men out there just like Nora said there would be. Throw in a mystery, a wacky sister and a grouchy grandfather and you've got a cute story. For those familiar with Nora Roberts work, there are a lot of references to various heroes of her novels which was fun to see and kind of made me think as there were a few I couldn't remember. All in all, it was a cute book, especially for free. ( )

Loved it. I want to find my own "Tanner". ( )

Meredith Hale is a divorced journalist living in NYC and trying to pick up the pieces of her life after splitting from her ex. The divorce brought her nice alimony but during the ordeal, Meredith lost her confidence. Her ex claims the main reason their marriage didn't work is because Meredith believed too much in "Nora Roberts Land," where love stories occur just like they do in Nora Roberts books, and her ex believed reality doesn't involve these happily ever afters. In trying to get her life back on track, Meredith returns to her hometown of Dare, Colorado to try and prove her ex wrong and find the one true love she's read about her whole life.

Honestly the main reason I came across this book is because I'm a fan of Nora Roberts and searched for her books through a few ebook listings. This book appeared in the search results and after reading the description, I thought to give it a try. After all, Nora Roberts herself gave her okay to use her name so what could go wrong?

There's a certain formula most of Roberts' work has that this novel essentially followed and I knew going in to expect that. Kudos to Ms. Ava Miles for writing a story that could've been written by the legendary NR herself! I also knew this was honoring Ms. Roberts' plethora of works and the constant references to nearly every novel penned by her as a homage were cute but eventually started to become cumbersome to me.

I had trouble with Meredith's character. Having never been through a divorce, I'm sure it can be very taxing mentally and emotionally, however I couldn't believe just how low her self-confidence was when she seemed to have a brilliant career as a journalist. Her personality just didn't jive with her line of work, especially given the fact that she's supposed to be very good at what she does.

Tanner was probably my favorite character. He had all the usual characteristics of a NR hero, and what I love about NR characters are they are mostly written as beautiful but still believably realistic. Tanner did not disappoint in that regard. He and Meredith definitely sizzled as a pair together, and I loved every moment he was featured in.

The rest of the characters were very well-written as strong and able to stand out on their own if necessary, and as this is a series, it looks like nearly all of them will get their chance (can't wait!). I did appreciate the few scenes peppered throughout to tease the next novel's storyline. It was nice to have the quick break from the main characters since it gave life to others featured in an interesting way.

Lastly, Meredith's ex as a villain was fun to hate but I couldn't understand how he comes to know so much, and how much he ends up getting away with. Sure, he's an investigative journalist/aspiring politician himself with a seemingly endless supply of resources but surely he couldn't be that good, right? The handling of his character left a little to be desired especially at the ending, when the buildup for a much different resolution was already paved.

Overall I enjoyed the read because it didn't end up being as predictable as some of Nora Roberts' stories end up, which was refreshing. The story picks up in the middle of the book and really plays out nicely with the extra touch of drama and danger. The suspense really works alongside the romance here and I'm excited to see what happens next!
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The language is just...upsetting. I just couldn't persuade myself to finish. ( )