Against All Odds by Corinne Michaels is live!
Oh my heart, this is such a gorgeous read! A swoony second chance romance with a surprise pregnancy twist, it’s the third book in the Ember Falls series, and I loved it.
Amazon | Audio | Paperback pre-order
Audio is duet narration by Robert Hatchet & Andi Arndt
Blurb
When my ex-husband leaves me for the co-star in his movie, moving back to Ember Falls feels like my only option.
Everett Finnegan, my first love and the man I’ve never forgotten, is ready to welcome me with open arms…and an open bed.
But when I find out I’m pregnant with my ex’s baby, my entire world is upended.
My ex doesn’t want the baby, but I plan to rebuild my life as a single mother, and figure out how to handle all of this alone.
Except that I don’t seem to be alone—Everett always shows up for me.
I don’t expect him to get mixed up in all my drama—not when he has his own. And I wish he would listen to me when I say we have to stop whatever it is we’re doing.
But he wants me, the baby, and my heart.
So when I’m forced to return to California sooner than planned, I’m devastated.
Everett can’t leave Ember Falls, and I can’t stay.
Saying goodbye to him the first time was hard enough. This time, it just might break me.
Review
4 stars
Oh my heart, this is such a gorgeous read! A swoony second chance romance with a surprise pregnancy twist, it’s the third book in the Ember Falls series, and I loved it.
Everett and Violet met as teenagers when she spent summer holidays with her Grandmother in his small home town of Ember Falls. Year after year they spent their summers together and eventually fell in love, but their lives went in different directions. Fifteen years later, Everett is the vet in his home town, and Violet is in the middle of a divorce from her movie star husband. She’s desperate to escape LA and find some peace so she returns to her grandmother’s house, which has been left to her, and is surprised to find Everett still living next door.
From the moment these two see each other, you can see the emotion is still very much there. They’ve never forgotten about each other and as they start to spend time together, they quickly find all of those feelings coming back.
“I lost you fifteen years ago and I’m still not able to date anyone else.” … “You’re not a girl that someone could just walk away from.”
It’s easy and natural, and I loved watching these two fall back into each other. The chemistry is there, the flirting is fun, and the sexual tension is fantastic, and Everett doesn’t hold back when it comes to sharing his feelings.
“We’re not friends. We were never friends and we’re never going to be just friends.” He leans in, and I think he’s going to kiss me. I wait on bated breath, desperate for it, but he moves to my ear. “Call me whatever you want, Vi. Call me your lover, the man you want to forget, the man you pretend you don’t wait at windows for. Just don’t ever call me your fucking friend. We both know it’s a lie. We’re more, so much more.”
Emmett stole my heart as a man desperate to win back the love of his life. He is sweet, kind, thoughtful and romantic, so sexy and super swoony, and all the things that dreamy romance heroes are meant to be. I sat down to write this review and was going through my quotes, and they are all Everett’s swoony thoughts and declarations, and oh, how I loved it.
“I’ve been living in this version of purgatory since the day you left me. I’ve never moved on from you, Violet. Having you back in my life has made me feel free again. I waited for you, without even knowing I was doing it … There is nothing I fear about this relationship other than not being in it. So, let me shoulder the hard times and be by your side for the good. Let me have whatever days we can have together because I can’t go back to a world where I don’t have any.”
Their situation is complicated when Violet discovers that she’s pregnant by her ex-husband. Plot twist! Everett is pure perfection of course, but drama comes when they realise that Violet may not be able to stay in Ember Falls and our two lovers are faced with separation once again. It does get dramatic, but this book is angst-free with no third-act breakup, and I loved watching these two work through it all to get their happy ending.
The characters from previous books all appear, and I loved seeing them both support and tease Everett, and welcome Violet into the fold. This is a great bunch of characters with a fun dynamic, and sweet, sexy and easy romances. I’m loving this series.
4 stars.
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author for an honest review.
Ember Falls
All Too Well (#1) (Lachlan & Ainsley)
Review
Buy: Amazon
Here and Now (#2) (Miles & Penelope)
Review
Buy: Amazon
Meet Corinne
Corinne Michaels is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of romance novels. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love, and she enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak before finding a way to heal them through their struggles.
Corinne is a former Navy wife and happily married to the man of her dreams. She began her writing career after spending months away from her husband while he was deployed–reading and writing were her escapes from the loneliness. Corinne now lives in Virginia with her husband and is the emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving mom of two beautiful children.
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