Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Good friends to lovers story. Shayna and Noah have been best friends since they were children. Unbeknownst to him, Shayna has been in love with him for nearly as long. The book opens with a prologue where Noah is headed off to his first duty station as a Marine. He's been stood up by his long-time girlfriend, Annika, so Shayna is the one who takes him to the airport.
Seven years later, Noah is back home on emergency leave, thanks to the news that he is the father of a six-year-old little girl. Isabella has been chiefly cared for by her grandmother, May, as her mother is not a very responsible person. When May is injured in a fall, she asks Shayna to care for Isabella and tells her that Noah is the girl's father. Annika and her husband have disappeared, so Shayna is all that stands between Isabella and foster care.
I ached for Noah, who is floored by the idea that he's a father and angry that Annika kept him from knowing Isabella. His conversation with May is heartbreaking as he learns what happened. The first meeting between Noah and Isabella is sweet, even though she has no idea that he is her father. Even so, there is an instant connection between them. For his part, Noah feels an instant and overwhelming love for his daughter and knows his life will never be the same. That doesn't mean he isn't nervous around her and unsure of how to treat her.
I liked Shayna. She is intelligent, talented, and has a huge heart. For her to take in the daughter of the woman who held Noah's heart for so long shows how much she loves Noah. She also knows that Noah doesn't see her as anything other than a friend and has to decide if she will continue to hold out hope or put him behind her and move on. When her personal trainer asks her out, Shayna chooses to give him a chance.
I wanted to shake Noah for being so blind. Not only doesn't he see that Shayna loves him, but he also doesn't realize that he loves her. It isn't until he sees her going out with Blake and is jealous that he can see how much she means to him. Once that light goes on, he is determined to make her see they belong together. I enjoyed watching him pull out the stops to win her. Shayna hesitates to believe that Noah truly loves her and blames the upheaval in his life for making him think he does. I loved that he was persistent in making her understand his feelings. I loved their first actual date and his effort to make it memorable.
Just when things look good for them, Annika reappears in their lives. I didn't like what I knew of her from the early descriptions of her and her actions. However, I liked seeing that she's made significant changes in her life, admitting her mistakes and working to improve her life. Noah has a tough time forgiving her, and it becomes more complicated when Shayna begins putting distance between them. I liked how Noah confronted her about it, listened to Shayna's fears, and made sure that she knew that she was the one who had his heart.
Noah has some decisions to make about his future. Does he stay in the Marines and face long separations from Shayna and Isabella? Or does he get out and find something to do that will keep him in Montana? I loved the solution his commanding officer came up with and the huge difference it made to Noah and Shayna. There is a sweet bit at the end where they have plans to attend the Marine Corps Ball together, but something comes up, and it looks like Noah won't be back in Montana in time. However, he pulls off a fantastic surprise and makes that dream come true after all. The scene at the Ball is sweet and romantic and perfectly expresses his love.
There were several things I loved about this book. I adored Shayna's Christmas enthusiasm and joy in preparing her Christmas displays. I loved watching her involve Isabella and how it brought them closer. I liked Noah's realistic struggle with forgiving Annika and adjusting to being a father. My all-time favorite part was seeing Noah and Shayna at the Ball. As a Marine wife myself, I have been to the Washington, DC, Ball several times and can attest to the splendor of it. My only complaint about the book is that the word Marine was not capitalized as it should be. That is a frequent issue with Harlequin's editors and doesn't reflect on the story itself.
Seven years later, Noah is back home on emergency leave, thanks to the news that he is the father of a six-year-old little girl. Isabella has been chiefly cared for by her grandmother, May, as her mother is not a very responsible person. When May is injured in a fall, she asks Shayna to care for Isabella and tells her that Noah is the girl's father. Annika and her husband have disappeared, so Shayna is all that stands between Isabella and foster care.
I ached for Noah, who is floored by the idea that he's a father and angry that Annika kept him from knowing Isabella. His conversation with May is heartbreaking as he learns what happened. The first meeting between Noah and Isabella is sweet, even though she has no idea that he is her father. Even so, there is an instant connection between them. For his part, Noah feels an instant and overwhelming love for his daughter and knows his life will never be the same. That doesn't mean he isn't nervous around her and unsure of how to treat her.
I liked Shayna. She is intelligent, talented, and has a huge heart. For her to take in the daughter of the woman who held Noah's heart for so long shows how much she loves Noah. She also knows that Noah doesn't see her as anything other than a friend and has to decide if she will continue to hold out hope or put him behind her and move on. When her personal trainer asks her out, Shayna chooses to give him a chance.
I wanted to shake Noah for being so blind. Not only doesn't he see that Shayna loves him, but he also doesn't realize that he loves her. It isn't until he sees her going out with Blake and is jealous that he can see how much she means to him. Once that light goes on, he is determined to make her see they belong together. I enjoyed watching him pull out the stops to win her. Shayna hesitates to believe that Noah truly loves her and blames the upheaval in his life for making him think he does. I loved that he was persistent in making her understand his feelings. I loved their first actual date and his effort to make it memorable.
Just when things look good for them, Annika reappears in their lives. I didn't like what I knew of her from the early descriptions of her and her actions. However, I liked seeing that she's made significant changes in her life, admitting her mistakes and working to improve her life. Noah has a tough time forgiving her, and it becomes more complicated when Shayna begins putting distance between them. I liked how Noah confronted her about it, listened to Shayna's fears, and made sure that she knew that she was the one who had his heart.
Noah has some decisions to make about his future. Does he stay in the Marines and face long separations from Shayna and Isabella? Or does he get out and find something to do that will keep him in Montana? I loved the solution his commanding officer came up with and the huge difference it made to Noah and Shayna. There is a sweet bit at the end where they have plans to attend the Marine Corps Ball together, but something comes up, and it looks like Noah won't be back in Montana in time. However, he pulls off a fantastic surprise and makes that dream come true after all. The scene at the Ball is sweet and romantic and perfectly expresses his love.
There were several things I loved about this book. I adored Shayna's Christmas enthusiasm and joy in preparing her Christmas displays. I loved watching her involve Isabella and how it brought them closer. I liked Noah's realistic struggle with forgiving Annika and adjusting to being a father. My all-time favorite part was seeing Noah and Shayna at the Ball. As a Marine wife myself, I have been to the Washington, DC, Ball several times and can attest to the splendor of it. My only complaint about the book is that the word Marine was not capitalized as it should be. That is a frequent issue with Harlequin's editors and doesn't reflect on the story itself.
