I’ve read other books by Ashley Hastings, but hadn’t read this one yet and I don’t know why I waited so long! When the story started I was not a fan of Darby, she truly was a doormat and would let anyone and everyone walk all over her, but as the story progressed I was so happy to see her grow and mature and really start to stand up for herself. I felt the like I was on a roller coaster with how I felt about Nathan. I’d go from loving him, to hating him, to loving him again.

Darby and Nathan’s relationship was fast paced, however, that isn’t the true mystery of the story. That is much more of a slow burn and when the truth finally came out I was truly shocked. I loved every minute of this book and I couldn’t put it down.

I love how easy it was to picture the plantation just based on the descriptions. I truly felt like I was in the story and watching from the shadows. I hope we get more and more of Darby and Nathan in future stories, because they are such likeable characters.

Jiffy Kate are a new to me authors and I was not disappointed.

Eventually everyone comes back to the Blue Bayou.

Maverick Kensington needs a break from his life when he stumbles upon a small historic hotel and its gorgeous owner. Carys Matthews is stunned when this man walks into her hotel, even more stunned with much this man is willing to help her.

Carys is such a loveable character. She is so down to earth and real. It is so easy to connect with her. She works hard at keeping the hotel running in memory of her family. Mav, well what else can you say about him? I was crushing on him from the very beginning.

The secondary characters in this story are also fantastic, which I find rare for a lot of stories. George and Mary are sweet and really like parental figures for Carys, CeCe and Shep are great friends and Jules may be my favorite, I mean, how can you not want to be his best friend and hang out with him?! Some of the things he said would have my dying of laughter.

This story is sweet, it is steamy, and it will make you laugh. I can’t wait to read more from Jiffy Kate in the future.

They boys of Jackson Harbor are back and this time its Brayden’s time shine.

Jackson Brew. The bar. The beer. And…oh, Lord…the BROTHERS.

Brayden is in New York on business when he meets with Molly and hires her to work for Jackson Brew, however, the two end up having a one night stand that Molly deems as a mistake.

Technically, this is a standalone story, but to understand the heartbreaking background of Molly I think it makes more sense to read the series from the start. When Molly was first introduced in the series I was not a fan of her, but the more that was revealed about her past the more I started to love her and this story truly made her one of my favorites. Brayden was always a mysterious, the workaholic Jackson brother, but after reading this story, he may be my favorite.

You’ll swoon over Brayden, feel the pain Molly feels and just fall even more in love with the Jackson brothers and their significant others.

I absolutely loved Lindsey and Matt’s story. It was such a sweet holiday romance.

Lindsey is in a support group for single parents, though she isn’t technically single. Her husband, Matt is a proud serviceman. Seeing how much love there is between these two after 2 children and ten years of marriage is beautiful.

This story is perfect for a quick holiday read that will give you so many feelings. It is beautiful, it is hot and it is full of so much love.

I'm not a fan of eggnog, but I think that Matt may have changed my whole view of it.

I don’t think there are enough words to describe how much I love Gray. He’s sexy, he is sweet and he is caring. He truly is a perfect man. He has been through so much, he was always the town outcast, but he didn’t let that define him. He worked hard and he proved everyone wrong, but Drew loved him no matter what.

Drew grew up with a mansion, but she wasn’t immune to tragedy. Her life wasn’t anywhere close to perfect, but she wanted to help people. She wanted to be there for her friends and family.
This story started out with the light-hearted romance feel, then almost made a 180-degree turn. I loved every single minute of Drew and Gray’s story, it wasn’t always easy for them and both struggle with the past, with the pain and with loss.

This story was one emotional roller coaster, but it is one that is worth riding to find out if Drew and Gray get their happily ever after.

I was intrigued by Em and her history with Michael and Zoe after the brief, lack of interaction at the end of The Road Home and I could not put this story down.

Em was a child prodigy when it came to playing the violin until one night completely changed her life and caused her to shut out her two best friends and flew the country to go live in Australia with her mother. Years later Em has returned back to Langley Park due to her fathers failing health and she needs to find out what happen on that fateful night. Will the truth of the past come out? Will Em be able to deal with what truly happened that night?

I can’t even begin to explain how much I loved this story. My heart broke for Em after what happened to her, but I’m glad that she was able to come back and face the past and get the answers she truly deserved. Michael is the best lawyer in town. Him and Em were born minutes apart and were always better together. I can’t get over my love for the two of them and everything they had to work through to be together. This story was a second chance at romance, but also there was so much mystery to it and that is what drew me into it.

This story is definitely a must read for anyone who loved The Road Home but also just a must read in general, it is so beautifully written and I adore all the characters. I can’t wait to return to Langley Park!

But by the time she knew lying was wrong, the lies had become such a part of her, such a part of her identity, she found it hard to piece out where the lie ended and the truth began.

Jenna Lewis has spent the last 14 years of her life running from her past, but it is her past that brings her home. Jenna has spent most of her life moving around and teaching, she never wanted to plant roots somewhere, especially so close to the place that holds a lot of her past. A past that she never truly recovered from. Will Jenna recover from the trauma of her childhood, will planet roots be able to help her feel whole again?

Holding on is believing that there’s a past; letting go is showing that there’s a future.

Ben Fisher, a single father, a childhood crush of Jenna and a broken man in his own right. He works hard and he does everything he can for his 6 year old daughter, Kate. Who doesn’t love a sexy, single father?

I absolutely loved this story. Jenna’s past and present are heartbreaking, but I found myself relating to her on some level. I can see a lot of myself in her. Ben’s past is also heartbreaking, but watching him and Jenna work together and try to heal each other is what makes this so beautiful.

The descriptions of Langley Park itself are absolutely beautiful. It truly feels like you are right there in the story with the characters. The secondary characters were also great and also lead to openings to future stories, which I truly hope we get in the future.

What can I say? I absolutely love Michael and Louisa and I was so excited for their story that I just jumped right into the story and devoured it in one sitting.

I really went up and down with how I felt about both Michael, Louisa and their relationship throughout the story. When it began I was totally in love with Mikey and slightly annoyed with Louisa. I mean, she has one of the hottest men on the planet and wants to keep him and their relationship hidden, while he wants to shout it from the rooftops! I get that she has some hang ups from her divorce and about her age, but Michael was just so sweet and understanding.

I kind of flipped half way through and hated both for a bit, especially Michael. I am not going to say why because I really don’t want to spoil anything, but you will know when it happens! This kind of continued for me throughout the story. I was cheering for them to be together the entire time. Michael is sweet, he is sexy, he loves Louisa like there is no tomorrow and even loves her kids.

I love that we got more of Cooper and Indy because they are just too adorable together. I can’t wait for Cory’s story next! Michael and Louisa’s story is a must read book of 2018!