Travis – the follow-on from Archer’s Voice – is live!

Amazon  |  Paperback

 

---

---

Blurb

Travis Hale has it all. An important role as the sheriff of the idyllic town of Pelion, Maine. Looks that regularly and consistently make women fall at his feet. Two nephews and a niece he adores, and a family who’s mostly forgiven him after a series of unfortunate decisions years before. Perhaps his past is riddled with regrets and misguided choices, but his future looks bright and limitless.

Until the new guy in town crosses him in a way both shocking and indefensible.

A guy who, as it turns out, has a sister who may be equally as disastrous to Travis’s well-ordered plans, though in an altogether different manner. Not that there’s any real risk of him falling for the smoothie-making, birdseed-eating wild woman. She’s not even his type. A plant lady from California with a head of unruly curls and an equally messy past. More than that, she’s only in town for the summer, busy mooning over perfect-in-every-way Gage Buchanan.

And if Travis knows anything, it’s that he refuses to be second best. Ever again.

Haven Torres’s life fell apart. Or more to the point, it burned to the ground. At the time, it seemed like a solid idea to jump in her car, her brother a mostly-willing co-pilot, and embark on a cross-country adventure.

When they land jobs at an exclusive tennis and golf club in a picturesque lake town in Maine, Haven’s hopeful it might prove a summer to remember. Especially if she can catch the attention of the most eligible bachelor in town and her current crush. Even the kindest, most upstanding, perfect of men aren’t opposed to summer flings, right?

But when she meets the local sheriff—all swagger and arrogance—and learns of her brother’s scandalous misdeed, she knows that Pelion is just another town where their stay is best . . . short-lived. Still, she and Travis strike up an unlikely friendship and Haven sees that the gorgeous lawman isn’t only easy on the eyes, but he has . . . layers. Not that she’s going to peel any of them. He’s only her friend. A friend willing to scratch her back, if she scratches his.

It seems simple enough. She’ll help him make her brother sweat a little. And he’ll help her win over Gage. But before either Travis or Haven knows it, simple turns complicated, friendship gets flipped on its ear, passion faces down perfection, and they both discover that sometimes you have to lose it all to find exactly what you need.

 

Find Travis on GOODREADS

 

---

Review

5 stars!

I love, love, love this book! Mia Sheridan does light romcom… who knew? But still with all of the emotion that I have come to expect from Sheridan, in this beautiful story of family, forgiveness and redemption, and an absolutely gorgeous romance. These characters and their story completely stole my heart.

This book follows on from the incredible Archer’s Voice, where Travis appears as a side character. I would recommend reading Archer’s Voice before reading this one, as there is quite a lot of history for Travis’ character, and though it’s revisited in this book, it’s not in as much detail, and it would be horribly spoilery to read this one first.

Travis Hale was established as a mean, entitled a-hole in Archer’s Voice, and I was wary going into this one, but also very curious, because his past is devastating, and there was a hint of redemption for him at the end of Archer’s book. Well, within just a few pages of this book, my heart was aching for him. Seeing his story from his own perspective paints a whole different picture, and I could understand him, and I felt so much for him. This book is set eight years after the end of Archer’s Voice, so he’s had time to reflect on his life, and to learn and grow from his mistakes, and he’s a different person now – still in a lot of pain from his past, but not letting it hold him back, and he’s embraced his job as Chief of Police, and the new family connections and sense of community that he has found.

“It turns out, your heart is made of gold, even if it’s a bit tarnished.”

He’s also funny as all hell, and I loved being inside his head – especially when Haven Torres comes to town. Haven is everything Travis is not used to – she’s a wild, free, no-nonsense, nature-loving vegetarian with a sharp wit and a huge heart, and though she’s the complete opposite of the prom-queen-type girl he usually goes for, she’s about to knock his world on its head.

Haven has been on the road with her brother, Easton, for two years. They have been moving from town to town, never stopping, never settling, just trying to escape the ghosts of their past and find some peace along the way. And now, they have arrived in the small town of Pelion, only intending to stay for a few months.

Travis and Haven very quickly find themselves unexpectedly all up in each other’s lives, and their quick banter and teasing is lots of fun. Their friendship is easy and natural, as is their growing attraction, and the chemistry between them absolutely sizzles. I could feel everything between these two, even before either of them actually make a move, and I lapped up every moment of them together. And when they finally give into it… holy hot damn! The connection is electric, and so intense, and it soon becomes clear that their ‘just friends’ arrangement is way more than either of them were expecting it to be.

What I did know—suddenly and unmistakably—was that she was capable of shattering my heart. And if she was going to, all I could do was let her.

Travis is known for being a bit of a playboy around town, and though he has been in relationships before, they’ve all been fairly superficial. He’s never really let anybody in, and has subsequently lived a somewhat detached life. So watching him with Haven is absolutely gorgeous! To his utmost surprise, he quickly finds himself getting completely lost in all that is Haven, drowning in her, in his feelings for her, and in their wildly passionate connection. It’s beautiful to see, and I was in a world of swoon watching him fall so hard.

“You didn’t mean to involve your heart I know. But you did. We both did. And one of us has to be brave and say it. One of us has to be the first to lay their heart on the line,” he finished, gaze beseeching.
… “Give us a chance, Haven.”

I love these characters! I can’t put in to words all of the emotion that I was feeling for them, but these two were everything! Smart, funny, witty and sweet, both of them carrying so much hurt from their pasts, but also so strong in striving forward and still embracing life. And together, they are an absolute force of nature. Their connection is easy and natural, yet so, so powerful. Every moment between them is meaningful, even when they are playing or joking around. The intensity when they come together is a reflection of that, and their emotional bond underpins it all, and I loved watching it all unfold for them.

“Oh, I’ll date you, Haven from California. I’m going to date the hell out of you. No one will have been dated harder…”

The romance unfolds alongside Travis and Haven’s personal journeys to deal with the pain of their pasts and finally start to move forward in their lives. The different storylines are interwoven and beautifully written, and I felt so much for both of them as they fought so hard to find their happy. There are so many moments that bring the big feels, and none got to me more than Travis’ blind acceptance that he is always second best (heartbreaking!), and his regret over his actions in the past

“How do you know what to change, and what to hold on to?” I asked. Were there parts of me that were good and valuable, or did I scrap it all and start completely from scratch? And if that was the case, how in the hell did one go about doing that? Especially in a small town where stories became legend, and every buried secret eventually rose to the surface?

Watching him work through it all is so amazing, especially as he finally opens up to the people in his life. And the scene where Travis truly comes to terms with his past had me in tears. So much emotion, and God, I loved it! It was the healing that Travis (and I) needed, and it was just perfect.

As if all of that emotion isn’t enough, Haven is also dealing with her own set of issues, and her unexpected feelings for Travis become a trigger for her to finally deal with everything that she has been running from.

I deserved to have dreams.
And how would they ever come true if I wasn’t willing to stop, face my past, and then move on, unencumbered, into my future?

There is drama, and there is angst, but it all makes sense to the story, and it’s a part of both Travis and Haven dealing with their issues and figuring out what they want, finding their path in life, and then fighting to claim it.

Through their journeys, Travis and Haven find an unlikely ‘crew’ – a wonderful group of diverse and interesting characters that support and encourage them, and that made me laugh so many times with their antics. And, of course, there is Archer, Bree and their kids, and it is such a treat getting to catch up with them again, and see so much of them, and their relationship with Travis.

This is a book that I didn’t know I needed. I needed to see Travis get his happy ending, and his story is beautifully written – a funny, witty, sexy and intense romance with so many feels, and I loved it!

5 stars.

An Advanced Reader Copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

Pelion Lake

Check out our Mia Sheridan Author Spotlight for more amazing reads!