Candy Apple Kisses by Amy Clipston

 

I just love the romance stores set in small towns. I love this one. Made me wish I could live in a place like Splendid Lake. Spendid Lake is the setting from a previous book by Amy Clipston but this is a stand alone book. I don't recall if the previous characters from Splendid Lake were mentioned in this book. In this book Emily has always been in love with Jake but they always remained in the best buddies category. Jake's family has an orchard business and when the orchard starts to decline because of a large scale competition m
oving in that undercuts their prices Jake calls on his best friend Emily to come help him out. Jake has had an of again and on again relationship with the beautiful Claire, currently an ex. Jake and Emily might have a chance to be more than friends if Claire doesn't get in the way. I could not put this book down. This author usually writes in the Amish romance genre but I really do like her contemporary romance stories. She is such a good writer that I might read some of her Amish novels.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher. All opions are my own.

More than Friends by Denise Hunter

 

Jenna Greene had to return to her hometown of Chincoteague, Virginia after she lost her job working at her boyfriend's dental office. He was humiliated after she rejected his very public proposal at a restaurant. I liked it that she rejected it outright and not give in. She showed her strength there. She returns to her hometown for rest for a couple of weeks before she resumes her unsuccessful job hunt. She finds that her mother had just returned from a cruise and found a boyfriend there. She is immediately suspicious of him and recruits her best friend Tyson Parker to check him out to see if he is legit. During this time of being together they find they are more than friends. Tyson is a salt-water cowboy, a volunteer fire fighter and helps with his parents B&B. It is is job as a fire fighter that bothers Jenna as she lost her father several years before as a fire fighter. I loved this developing romance between Jenna and Tyson. There are also enjoyable side stories involving a crazy woman who he dated a couple of times.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.