Amazon  |  Books2Read

Synopsis

Emma Taylor ran away from home in a cloud of dust, taking the pieces of her broken heart with her. Fifteen years later, she is back to care for her grieving father and to face the boy who once broke her heart.

Brazos Huntswell was dealt a bad hand. Life hasn’t turned out the way he envisioned it in high school. He’s a single father to a moody teenage girl and trying to make a go of the cattle ranch his father left him.

Trouble is brewing in the town of Cedar Lake, and people are turning up dead. Will Braz and Emma be able to weather the coming storm and take a chance on forever? Or will a ghost from the past destroy that chance… permanently.

Add to Goodreads

Review

3.5 stars

A sweet, small-town, almost-second-chance-romance with a bit of mystery and a whole lot of heart, this is the first book in Sadie Allen’s Cedar Lake series, and is a great introduction to this town and its characters.

Emma Taylor fell in love with her neighbour, Braz Huntswell, the moment she met him as a new-to-town 12 year old. She nursed her crush for years, finally making her move on graduation night only to get shot down in devastating fashion. Braz’s rejection, and the way he did it, scarred Emma deeply, changing the course of her life forever as she immediately packed up and left town to escape her heartbreak and humiliation. Emma has spent the last 15 years travelling the country, not putting down roots and keeping everyone at arm’s length in order to avoid getting hurt again, but the sudden death of her mother calls her home when her father fails to cope with his loss. Now back in her home town for the first time since she had her heart shattered, she is determined to look after her Dad and keep away from the man who damaged her so badly.

Braz has been through a rough 15 years. He had a hellish marriage until his wife left him when their daughter was only 2, and his baby girl is now all grown up and is a bratty 15 year old. He still lives on his family’s ranch, which he runs, working hard to provide for his family and create a future for himself and his girl. And then Emma Taylor comes back to town.

She was worth the risk. Life didn’t hand you many second chances, and I knew that, if I didn’t take advantage now, I would never be granted another opportunity to explore this thing that had started over fifteen years ago.

Braz knows that he did wrong by Emma, but he had reasons for doing what he did, though he has no idea how badly it affected he. He sees her reappearance as his chance to right the wrongs of the past and finally get a chance at something he always wanted, and he wastes no time in letting her know that.

“All I’m asking for is a chance. We won’t know anything until we try. We didn’t get that chance fifteen years ago, and we’ve both suffered for it.”

This is a really fast-moving reconciliation, and Braz is one intense alpha! He wants his chance with Emma and there’s no way he’s letting her go. There’s a bit of a minefield for them to navigate as they open up about the past and unveil the secrets, misunderstandings and truths about what happened between them so long ago and in their lives in the years since. Emma is still so hurt and Braz has a battle on his hands, but he pushes her forward, and is prepared to do whatever he needs to do to make it up to her.

“I want more with you, Emma. I know you don’t trust me, and I’m beginning to understand why, but I really want to earn it. I’m going to prove myself, and when we take things further, it’s not going to be casual. This is forever, Red.”

But their personal reconnection is only part of their battle, with Braz’s daughter, Skylar, in a world of trouble and causing problems, not everybody in town is happy with Emma’s return and Braz suddenly being off the market, and then a series of violent attacks rocks their peaceful little town, causing all kinds of heartbreak and mayhem. There’s a feeling of mystery and suspense to it, and I really enjoyed watching it all play out.

But, of course, my focus was purely on the love story, which is really sweet. Braz and Emma have great chemistry, and Braz’s take-charge attitude was lots of fun as he held absolutely nothing back from Emma.

“You know, babe, I like this attitude you’ve developed. Every time you open your mouth to say something snotty, it just makes my dick hard.”

But after their reunion stated off in such thorough detail, it felt a bit like the relationship stuff fizzled out a bit in the second half of the book and I had some issues with the pacing of it all.

“I’m not going to let you run from me again. You’re going to stay and fight, even if who you’re fighting is me. I’m not letting you go. God wouldn’t bring you back into my life just to take you away again. Whether you like it or not, I was made for you, too. Everything I am, every part of me, is yours. No more holding back, Emma.”

The story builds to its exciting climax, and the different parts of the book wind together really nicely to bring a happy, satisfying ending that left me with a big grin on my face.

Future books of the series are set up with Braz’s brother and his best friend both looking like they’re going to get books, and I’m looking forward to more from this series.

3.5 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Cedar Lake

Author Bio

Sadie Allen lives in Texas with her husband and three young children. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, catching up on her favorite shows, or chasing her family around the house.

Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Facebook  |  Facebook Group  |  Twitter

Website  |  Pinterest  |  Instagram  |  Newsletter