A Blogging Bibliophile

Wow, this book truly got me right in my cold jaded heart! I really didnt know much about the author or even this series going in, as I started on book 2. None of that mattered when it came to loving Deacon & Phoebe’s story!

Both of these two took noticed the other when they were in High School, but they didn’t really “know” each other, and as often happens with High School crushes, nothing came of it then. Fast forward to adulthood, Deacon has been in prison and is now just trying to get by, living a quiet and very solitary life. Phoebe is a bakery owner with a heart of gold, spreading goodness wherever she goes. Somehow, these two end up as neighbors and they both remember each other. Deacon has had a hard life, and his self esteem has pretty much been beaten into the ground, so he doesn’t think he is in any way deserving of the sunshine Phoebe tries to turn his way. Phoebe, on the other hand, feels that everyone deserves some good in their life and she devotes herself to trying to pull Deacon into her light. It isn’t until after an incident at her bakery that Deacon starts to slowly come out of his shell and start interacting with her.

These two had such amazing chemistry with each other in every way! Phoebe wants to be a united force with Deacon, but he wants to protect her from the ugly parts of his life – which means keeping secrets. They truly go through a lot together, and their love for one another is SO beautiful and evident. I loved that they had their well-deserved HEA. I was lucky enough to get an ALC of this book, and enjoy duet narration by Sean Masters and Emma Wilder. These are two of my absolute favorite narrators and they definitely became Deacon and Phoebe while narrating their characters.

Now that I have fallen in love with book 2, Im going to go back and read the first book in the series to catch up and fill in some of the nuances I missed. I am definitely now a Julia Wolf fan!