I have loved the Ardent Springs book and the characters have been so much fun to get to know. Abby hasn't always been the easiest to like but definitely easy to sympathise with up to this point, and I liked that getting to know her in her own story wasn't about the grief for her lost husband but instead about moving on in her life. Another theme that Osburn often has in her books that is present throughout is that while this is certainly a love story about Abby and Justin, it is also a story about how Abby moves on with her life in general and finds her own direction. The entire story is uplifting and hopeful while still humorous and romantic along the way. This could be read as a standalone, but would probably be better read after the other books in the series, but I recommend them all to anyone who is looking for books about hope and strong women who overcome obstacles to find happiness for themselves.

This is book #5 in the Ardent Springs series. You do not have to read the others to follow along.

Abby is a widower and just going through life doing what she knows, not taking any chances. When there happens to be a fire at her house, the boy she used to babysit, Justin, comes along as he is a volunteer firefighter. Boy, did Justin grow up.

Justin is back in town after getting fired from his job and ending his engagement. He has always had a thing for Abby and intends to pursue it.

The relationship from friends to lovers was a slow burn with this book but was completely enjoyable. All in all, it was a good book.

Wow, I just love Terri Osburn’s down-to-earth characters and intriguing plots. The Last in Love is another awesome read. Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for allowing me to read this book in advance of publication.

Since the death of her husband, Abby Williams has just been going through the motions of living life. When she became a nurse, she wanted to help sick people, but the everyday duties have lost their appeal. She craves a career that will use her creative heart, but not until she’s laid off due to budget cuts, does she realize it.

When a kitchen fire brings Justin Donovan into her life, she’s amazed at the attraction she feels for this man who is five years younger than she. She watched him when she was a teenager, so surely nothing can come of the spark between them.

Justin has always felt attraction to Abby since he was eighteen, but she had married, so he tried to move on. When the fire opens up possibilities, he blazes in. He’s not going to let this chance pass him by.

Can Justin convince Abby that the five years are unimportant, or will she deny what she feels and pass up on a chance for a forever kind of love?

I became enmeshed with these characters from the first page and remained so until the last. The pacing is excellent and kept me involved throughout the book. The plot is great, the characters are engaging. I love how Ms. Osburn develops her characters. This is definitely a character-driven novel. Her characters are real and so believable. They are flawed and do and react as someone in real life would to events that unfold in their lives.

Abby is an endearing character. I could feel her emotions as if they were my own. I loved her kind heart. She is a loyal friend and a great sister. She loves her mother and is not afraid to let anyone know how she feels. I enjoyed her internal struggle to accept that it’s okay to be older than Justin.

I loved Justin’s character from the first page to the last. His determination to convince her to give him a chance touched my heart in a big way. What I thoroughly enjoyed about Justin was his wonderfully flawed character. He experiences emotions that anyone in his situation would feel.

Bottom-line, this is a feel-good story with great characters and an interesting plot. I’m so glad I found Ms. Osburn’s books and can’t wait for her next one. I just love Ardent Springs and the wonderful characters in this small-town USA creation of the author’s imagination. Happy reading!

Abigail hasn't been happy with her life for a long time after losing her husband in a roadside bomb in the war two years ago. All her friends are married or about to get married and, although she’s happy for them, she can’t help feeling miserable giving that luck hasn’t been on her side lately. She even burns her kitchen while trying to bake. But then luck actually knocks on her door as a charming fireman comes to help. She can’t even recognize him after so many years but the man standing right in front of her with concern in his eyes is the one who she used do babysit. And she can’t believe the way that boy turned into such a fine man.

Justin Donovan just lost his job along with his fiancé after a big fiasco with his best friend. After that disaster, Chicago doesn’t feel like home anymore and he decides to go back to Ardent Springs. Things are still the same since he left his hometown except that now, the woman he always wanted is a free woman. A widow. But free nonetheless.

But things are not as simples as that seeing as he won’t open up to her about his reasons to live Chicago and she won’t ignore the way people talk about the fact that she’s dating a man five years younger than her.

Will their second chance end up like the first one?

Abigail was pretty worried about what people would say about her so I expected a big fight on Justin’s part in order to get her. But that actually didn’t happen which was a really disappointing. A couple of dates go them together and so I thought that the book’s appealing ended then and there.

But then they started having problems while together and that’s when I understood why a big fight in the beginning wasn’t necessary since they had to fight a lot harder to keep the relationship alive. A lot of problems are thrown at their way so it really isn’t an easy relationship.

There’s nothing in particular that I can say I didn’t like about the book but at the same time I wasn’t blown away by it. The story was good. There’s a lot of secondary characters that are featured in the rest of the series I think. He’s super sweet with her since she’s a little insecure after going two years without dating. I loved that (even though after some time but still) Abigail didn’t let her mother’s opinion dictate her life, specially, who she could date or couldn’t.

Overall I loved the book. I will probably take a look on the other books of the series since I liked some of the secondary characters.

Thank you Netgalley and Montakle Romance for the book.

A wonderfully sweet and sexy romance. This is the 5th book in the Ardent Springs series but easily read standalone. Abby and Justin are such a cute couple although it takes Abby some time to come around. Justin had a serious crush on Abby when they where younger. Back then the 5 year age difference seemed huge now not so much. As far as Justin is concerned his being younger than Abby shouldn't make any difference and he's determined to get her to see things his way. Abby has been hiding away from life for 2 years now after her husband died whiled deployed. Now she can't understand why Justin has set his sights on her. She use to babysit him for cripes sake. Yet slowly but surely Justin draws her out and has her living again.

A great read and one I highly recommend.

Not my favorite--kind of tired formula used. All the small town HEA connections are getting old--or is it me?!

A solid book. Loved the twists and turns of this book. For whatever reason, book didn't flow as well as the others in the series.

This is the fifth book in the Ardent Springs series, but it completely stands alone. The characters and circumstances from the first books are described well enough that you don't have to have read the others to enjoy this story. There is both cursing (including a couple of f-words) and on-screen sex in this one, so if those aren't your thing, you might want to skip this one.

Abby's character has always been intriguing to me as a side character in the previous books. She was kind of there meddling and being around the others as they coupled off and lived happily ever after, but she wasn't a focal point, so it was nice to finally get to know her story and her character. I actually identified pretty closely with her as she tried very hard to cope with watching everyone around her pair off after her own love story ended tragically. I also very much appreciated the way that Ms. Osburn handled Abby's ex and his death. So often military men are painted in a poor light in order to make the main female character sympathetic, but Ms. Osburn didn't do that, which was awesome.

Justin was a good guy, but he was a little...intense. He doggedly pursued Abby as if she were still the 20-something girl that he knew a decade before, despite the fact that he himself had obviously changed over their time apart. While his intense devotion to her was incredibly sweet, it was also a teensy bit awkward because he was so determined to make her his completely, while not wanting to open up to her at all. The grand gesture was perfect and exactly what I had hoped it would be. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get any follow up with his life. We know what Abby's future holds, but what was Justin going to do with his life? Did he keep doing what he and Abby had started? Did he go back to being a fat cat swinging deals? Does he pump gas now? If this was mentioned I missed it.

The biggest surprise in this one was the Becky Winkle tease. Is Ms. Winkle getting her own story, or was that just a way to soften the town's bad girl? Either way, it was intriguing and I kind of liked it.

While this book doesn't have the emotional impact of the book before it, it was a nice addition to the Ardent Springs collection and a good read as a standalone. If you like reading a story about two really likable characters who both deserve their happily ever after getting together, you should give this one a read.

I requested and was very generously granted an ARC of this book via NetGalley. I was under no obligation to write this review, I did so because I enjoyed the book.

Contemporary Romance

Life has given Abby a whole truckload of lemons. She lost her husband, is alone and lonely while all her friends have found love, she’s lost her job and to top it all off her kitchen has been gutted after a fire. Things just aren’t going well.

Justin has returned to Ardent Springs after a development he was involved with went south and he was left holding the can. He’s just killing time in Ardent Springs and working as a volunteer firefighter. When he attends Abby’s kitchen fire he suddenly sees his second chance. He left Ardent Springs years earlier after Abby chose someone else. This time he’s determined to be the one she chooses.

There is something special about Contemporary Romance. Alfred Hitchcock once quipped that, “A good story is life with all the boring bits taken out.” He was right and for me that’s the attraction of CR. It’s not about explosions, bigger and badder villains, or finding the most gruesome ways to kill someone. It’s life. An idealised version of life but life none-the-less.

And The Last in Love is all of that. It’s a good story, well told. It’s positive and life affirming. It’s everything I want from CR and truthfully it’s everything I want from reading. Returning to Alfred Hitchcock he also said, “A good movie isn’t a slice of life, it’s a slice of cake”, and that’s this book. It’s a giant slice of the best cake ever made.

This was a great follow up to the rest of the books in the series. You can't help but to pull for Abby after everything she's been through. A cute story.

Another lovely visit to Ardent Springs.

Can a tragedy and a mistake lead to a happily ever after?

Abigail is going through the motions 2 years after losing her husband. Justin is regrouping after his life took an unexpected turn.

Faulty wiring leads to a spark between Abigail & Justin. Can they both allow it to develop to something deeper or will their personal demons and preconceived ideas get in the way.

I really enjoyed reading this. It can be read as a stand alone however it is a lovely series and you will get some spoilers if you read them out of order so I recommend starting at the beginning if you haven't read the others.

Older Woman, Younger Man. Our heroine was a lot more worried about the 5 year age difference with the hero than I was about my 11 year age difference with my now husband. Every time it was mentioned, I was "that's not that much!" I'm glad she finally changed her mind because...a sexy fireman?! Yes, please! I quite enjoyed this story and am glad the land development and the relationship story all worked out in the end.

I found myself charmed by this one from the first page. Abby was relate able in her wallowing, happy for her friends, but feeling a bit sorry for herself and what she lost. The fire was a big wake up call in more than one way.

I found myself laughing from the start when Abby kept saying how the 5 year age difference was such a big thing. Yes it would have been when she was his babysitter, but now when he was 28 and she 33, it was nothing. I was glad when she succumbed to Justin's charms and started dating him. Both seemed to be adrift in their lives at a crossroads where anything was possible if only they had the guts to try. Their work on the town square was good, it gave them a chance to get to know each other and do physical labor to shut down their minds.

I didn't like how Justin didn't want to talk about his past, you knew it would come to bite him in the butt, I just didn't expect things to blow up as much as they did. It didn't help that Justin let his past in, that even by just talking it screwed him up.

The grand gesture that Justin made was the right thing to do in so many ways.

This is the 5th book in the Ardent Springs series and possible the last since the last of close friends all have their HEA. In this title Coopers(his story was #3rd in the series) sister Abby(Abigail) has been alone for two years after her husband Kyle passed while in the military. Justin has moved back home recently after his job in Chicago fell through and his fiancee cheated on him. Justin has always had a thing for Abigail since she use to be his babysitter when he was younger. Justin makes his move to Abigail only to be told by her his too young(shes five years older) and she keeps reminding him she was his babysitter. As time goes on he wears her down they not only started dating but get into landscape business together. Title can be read as a stand alone great addition to the series. Reviews can be found on goodreads and amazon.

This is the fifth book in this series and it is still going strong.I have read all the previous books and while the first one in the series is my all-time favorite,I have to say that Ms Osburn is a truly prolific and entertaining writer.I had no premeditated plans to finish this book in one sitting ,but it was enthralling enough to keep me thinking "just one more chapter" until I found it was 2 am and the story was over.The book centers around the older woman/younger man theme and while this is not new, the back story was less common.Justin the young man had been in love with Abby when he was a teenager but nothing developed and they both moved on with their separate lives.Abby is now widowed and Justin has reappeared in her life, only to realize that his feelings for her were only sublimated.We read about the push/pull of their relationship, the perceived barriers, the betrayal, the predictable separation and ultimate resolution of the issues that marred the relationship.There was laughter, anguish,frustration,tears,self-flagellation and jubilation peppered throughout the book and this array of emotions kept me anchored to these characters.This book also brought us brief glimpses of the happenings in the lives of the main characters in previous books, providing a deeper connection to the series.This book proves that love can be greater that our most prized possession and that no sacrifice is too great when love is the reward, always have, always will.
My review is made possible by this ARC from Netgalley .

The last in love is sweet love story between former Justin and hi babysitter Abby. It is another great book in the series with great interesting story and great characters. Both Justin and Abby are likable and great persons. Abby lives like a shell and with Justin back again in her life everything starts falling apart. And like a domino effect everything changes for Abby. Of course she is scared but Justin is there for her to catch her fall. They both make mistakes but in the end it all falls together as it should.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

Full review to be published online at the end of May.

THE LAST IN LOVE is a second chance at love story between Abby and the slightly younger Justin. Abby lost her husband two years ago while he was on deployment, and Justin has just moved back to the area. He has had a romantic interest in Abby for a long time; missing out on his chance to express his interest years before. But he is younger than her so she worries.

Justin still carries a torch for his first ever crush, his babysitter Abby Williams; despite her being five years older than him. After being fired from his job and breaking up with his cheating fiancee,; Justin volunteers at the local fire department while figuring out what to do next in his life.

While these two have a strong chemistry, Justin chooses to pursue while Abby attempts to flee. Feeling she is too old for him, Abby is dealing with a new loss and feels she just can't take on the stress of dating such a younger man.

THE LAST IN LOVE is a sweet, heartwarming story; and a very nice addition to Terri Osburn's engaging “Ardent Springs” series.

Sweet Justin. Returning home to Ardent Springs after years away, Justin still carries a torch for his first ever crush- his babysitter Abby Williams, five years his senior. Having been fired from his job and gotten rid of a cheating fiancee, Justin volunteers at the local fire department while figuring out what to do next in his life.

Abby lost her husband in war and now her kitchen is on fire. Who is the hunky fireman who is as smoldering as the fire? Why of course it would be little Justin Donovan all grown up.

While these two have a strong chemistry, Justin chooses to pursue while Abby attempts to flee. Feeling she is too old for him, Abby is dealing with a new loss and feels she just can't take on the stress, attention of dating such a younger man.

Loved having Cooper and Haliegh back in this story. Sweet read.

This is a good series and this latest book is an excellent addition to it.
Abby and Justin. Abby has lost her husband two years ago and Justin has moved back to the area and he has had a romantic interest in Abby for years, missing out on his chance to express his interest years before. But he is younger than her so she worries.
Its a sweet story, well written.