This is the second book of Ms Helm’s series titled A Mile High Romance. These are stories about a group of friends whose youth was less than ideal to the point that each one of them is still struggling with that childhood and their dysfunctional upbringing.
In this one our main characters are Sam Goodall, who blames himself for the death of a loved one and has basically become a hermit not only physically but also emotionally. The other main character is Hayley Winthrop who has gone to Gracely, Colorado looking for something she feels is missing in her emotionally. And maybe meeting her half-brothers.
It was interesting to see how these two , pushed each other and in doing so , helped each other overcome their obstacles and the walls they had constructed around their hearts and emotions.
A well written story with interesting main and secondary characters.
I was gifted this copy by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

Sam and Hayley are a dynamic couple in Nicole Helm's latest Mile High story. Hayley is unsure of her place in this world but feels a connection to the mountain and the mountain man, Sam. Sam is stumbling through daily life without really living while he grieves for his sister. The two manage to become friends and help each other discover their place on the mountain.

I really enjoyed Mess with Me by Nicole Helm. It's a strong story with likable characters and a rich plot. The setting, as unique as it is, is picturesque and I would love to be on the trails with Sam myself! All of this put together makes this book a wonderful read. Now I have to go back and read the first one in the series because I have a feeling I am going to be as addicted to this series as I was to this book.

Hayley is just looking for a place to belong; Sam is looking for a place to escape. When they are thrown together in an unexpected way, sparks fly and they soon learn that they are better together not apart. A fun read that kept me smiling throughout!

I enjoyed book two way more than the first one. Both Sam and Hayley are in a difficult place of their lives. Together they open up, where they are unable to with others. They get to know each other before starting any kind of relationship. Isn't that the way it should be?

Another tortured, wounded hero written by talented author Nicole Helm. Sam is a great character: a bearded and hairy yeti, a “socially inept hermit”, who “grunts more than speaks actual words”, a “hard-edged man with a sad past”.
I would have liked his transformation, basically due to the heroine’s love, to be less straightforward and a bit more complex, even though his time of penance lasted for too long.
The heroine’s behavior was a bit too juvenile sometimes, but she was a good counterpoint to the hero and I liked their relationship. Her wariness of her half-brothers really grated on my nerves.
I loved returning to Gracely and the beautiful Colorado landscape and meeting again Brandon, Lilly, Will and Skeet and I’m eager for the next story with Will/Tory – I’m curious about this quite unfriendly heroine.

Totally enjoyed "Mess with Me" by Nicole Helm. I definitely have found a new writer to follow. An exceptionally written romance with a good plot.

Mess With Me is the second book in the Mile High Romance series written by author Nicole Helm. I definitely will look for the third book. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books-Zebra for the advance copy.

I’m a tad conflicted about ‘Mess With Me’, the second book in Nicole Helm’s Mile High Adventures series.

Sam Goodall, the tortured hero was mouthwateringly enticing—the circumstances that made him that way drew me like a moth to flame rather than his yeti-like appearance—which meant that the story started off well. But then it sagged in the middle when the plot seemed to be more of the same from the start: Hayley Winthrop gaining some courage to test out her newfound independence on the unwitting Sam, who in turn, gets drawn out from his cold shell of self-recriminating isolation because of her, all through their training sessions. In essence, there was too much to-and-fro without the sense of anything very significant happening, despite Sam’s intriguing backstory drawing me in from the start.

Hayley was one of those heroines who had me rooting for her at the beginning, only for this sentiment to fizzle out when I just didn't see her in a better place by the end of the book. In fact, it was harder to like her by the end of it; there was this passive-aggressive vibe in her that rubbed me the wrong way, though her uncertainty and hesitance were understandable in the beginning before it got annoying in the middle. I did understand—sort of—her familial conflict and her need to please people, though her assertion of her own independence vacillated between feeling timidly guilty and then lashing out too often that I just got fed up with her.

I only perked up when Helm introduced the conflict for the next book through the character of Tori, who spiced the dynamics up between the Evans brothers a little more and finally took the focus off Hayley’s self-pity, irrational behaviour and her constant musings about her inability to fit in as the ‘outsider’. Which clearly means that I’m cautiously optimistic for Tori’s story and those years of unresolved history with Will that is bound to explode in their faces. I just hope that it’ll be a ride that would be worth it.

Sam and Hayley's love story was fun, although it stalls a bit with his issues and I kept wanting to push him a little. A lot of questions I had, especially on why Hayley was the way she was, were answered when she finally confronted her mother. This is the second in the series, and truely enjoyed it, and highly recommend this book and author. Looking forward to the next one in the series, although Will and Tori seem like an unlikely pair. Guess that is what will make it fun.

Intriguing story of how emotionally damaged people can come together and repair their inner child despite the complicated and painful past. Sam and Hayley manage to navigate the rough terrain of the mountains and also what seems the insurmountable obstacles of their lives. Their willingness to change and open themselves up to others becomes their salvation.