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He never expected to return to his hometown, but now he can’t leave her behind again. Dr. Dalton Hart left his small Southern beach town fifteen years ago to become a Navy SEAL. Now he’s back, and Sandy Point is buzzing over his return. He thought he came home to help his family, but his oldest brother will barely speak to him and his childhood friend is trying to avoid him. Worse, if he wants to stay, he’ll have to face the secret that’s haunted him ever since he left. Brooke Garcia can’t believe this ripped, blue-eyed SEAL is back in her life or that she’s stuck working with him. She’s no stranger to smooth-talking hometown heroes—she married one, and he broke her heart. Now a single mom, she doesn’t have time to indulge in walks down memory lane. Brooke never forgave Dalton for the way he left town without even saying good-bye, and she’s not interested in making amends. But soul mates have a way of finding you…even when you’re not ready. A small-town reunion romance.
Publication Year: 2025
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While there is a lot to like about this story, there were also things that didn’t sit right. I’ll start with the good. The overall premise is a good one. I liked both Dalton and Brooke, and even Brooke’s son Max. (Kids don’t always work well in books, but Max does.) I may not have felt flames leaping off the page between this couple, but there was a connection. They brought each other a sort of peace, and I loved that. Overall, the romance in this story is spot on. This story could work well for you if you are a fan of low-stakes that feel like high-stakes. The reason Dalton left town and never came back isn’t something I felt was as big of a deal as he made it out to be. I kept thinking there must be more to it, but there’s not. That didn’t bother me. What bothered me was the wishy-washy way Dalton’s intentions were handled. At the beginning of the book, it seems as if he’s back in town to stay. Why else would he permanently leave his job and give up his house? Throughout the story it seemed Dalton would act like he was there temporarily with one person, and question why nobody trusted him to stick around with another person. It was confusing and made me think it wasn’t intentional but a mistake missed in editing. As the reader, I felt I couldn’t trust Dalton, yet I didn’t feel this was supposed to be the case. I’m a stickler for timeline issues because my brain latches onto them, and there are a few slips in this book. I’m sure that’s not something everyone would notice, but it stood out more because of the issues of Dalton staying or going, so I felt it was worth mentioning. The setting of this story and the set-up of future stories kept me engaged and piqued my curiosity enough that I will most likely read the next book. Plus, it left me with an overall happy and contented feeling. That’s always a wonderful thing. **I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.**