Though I missed book one of this series, I read and loved book 2, Tracking Love. When the opportunity arise to read this one, I jumped on it. I am so very glad I did.
This is the story of Zoe and Drake. A touching story about two individuals whose life has been intertwined since birth. One has loved the other romantically since she was 16 . The other fell in love with her best friend. When tragedy strikes their friendship strengths but the lose is constantly felt.
The plot is well developed and you will love both Zoe and Drake. She is tough on the outside, but tender and insecure on the inside. She puts everyone first and forgets Zoe. Drake is an old soul who displays emotions and is willing to take chances if it means finding happiness again. No matter if it’s long term or short term.
Special thanks to the author, Ms Moran, for the manner in which she presents the effects Alzheimer’s Disease has not only on the patient but on their loved ones. Heartbreaking, but she did an excellent job.
As well as the way she shows us a family with an autistic child. Hard on everyone but in both cases, loving these individuals does make a difference. I can see Hailey , the young child, thriving. Only a talented author with a great deal of sensibilities can do such an outstanding job. For that, again, thank you , Ms Moran.
I will miss this series but hope the author treats us soon to more wonderful stories.
I was gifted this book by Netgalley and the publisher. the opinions expressed are solely my own.

Fun, sweet and sexy story is why I loved this book. Nice easy flow to the story and interesting characters makes this a great read. Plus the chemistry between the main characters was amazing and if your looking for a book to sweep you away for a couple of hours then don't wait pick up your copy now. Would recommend

Zoe Hornsby has a pet grooming business inside her friend Drakes vet clinic. She is responsible for the care of her Mother who has early onset dementia. Back in high school Zoe had a crush on Drake but her best friend Heather, unaware of her crush, asked Drake out to prom and the rest is history. Drake and Heather ended up happily married until Heather died of cancer 4 years ago. Drake is just now surfacing from his grief and ready to move on with his life. Zoe is right there in front of him but they both feel they would be betraying Heather if they acknowledged their growing attraction.

This was a very good romance. I loved watching the romance between Zoe and Drake develop. Zoe is insecure in some ways but covers it up with flirtation and funny zingers. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgally in exchange for my review. I read the first book in this series, PuppyLove, so I was excited to have the chance to review another of Kelly Moran's stories in the series. The series revolves around brothers who run a veterinarian clinic in a small town and the women they love. In this story we meet Drake O'Grady. Drake lost his wife to cancer, and isn't ready to get back into the dating world. He often spends his nights on the phone with his wife's best friend, Zoe Hornsby, a dog groomer at his clinic-and his wife's best friend. Although they share a common grief and a place to work, what Drake doesn't know is that Zoe has had feelings for him since high school. Zoe is conflicted because Drake is her best friend's husband and she doesn't want to care for him as much as she does.

Kelly Moran is a great new writer. She paints beautiful pictures of small town life and the characters who live there. There are not a lot of twists, but the characters are well developed and believable. This was a great book and I look forward to reading more in the series.

Wow! I recently discovered Kelly Moran's books, and I have a new author in my top 5. What an emotional book! Zoe is a delightful character, full of quirks and strength. Drake is a quiet soul, trying to figure out how to move on after his wife's death. Both are afraid of the feelings they are realizing they have for each other, but both know the other one deserves a chance at happiness. The trick for Zoe is to realize that she deserves that happiness as well. Add in her mother with dementia, and nothing is easy. But with strength, perseverance, and love, as well as the well-meaning actions of the Battleaxes (who are determined to be matchmakers), they slowly find their way. Lots of ups and downs, laughter and tears. A wonderful read!

4.5 stars

New Tricks is Drake (the oldest O'Grady brother) and Zoe's story. I've been (im)patiently waiting for this one. All of the bread crumbs given in previous books by the author promised a quite emotional read. With Zoe being both Drake's and Heather's -- his deceased wife -- best friend, it's a friends-to-lovers with a side of guilt kind of situation. I want to know how Kelly Moran tackled that.

Well, guess what this book is another winner for me; it's totally right up my alley.

Same heart; different ways of love



I thoroughly appreciated the fact that while in the beginning Drake might be in conflict regarding his new-found feeling towards his best friend, but then he completely embraced it. Drake saw Zoe in both her strengths and vulnerabilities. The progress from seeing Zoe as his best friend to someone Drake loved a lot more was convincing; it helped that Zoe was in his life since forever. They had their own special moments, even when Heather was still alive.

In terms of pursuing this relationship, Zoe was the one holding back. Usually I'm easily annoyed with a heroine's tendency to run away from her possible happiness. In this case, though, I could understand why Zoe was reluctant. She had a lot on her plate. It was more than Drake being her dead best friend's husband, but there was another issue related to Zoe's mother having early onset dementia.

For me, Zoe's excuse rang true and it was heartbreaking to read. My heart went all out for her. I thought Zoe was an amazing character, and she might be my favorite heroine from this series. If I have an ounce of her beautiful heart, I'd probably be a better person.

Reading Drake and Zoe's relationship flourished was a delight. That grand romantic gesture by Drake made me all teary eyed *sigh*.

We met in an empty room.
Two broken souls among the fray.
Years and distance and regret between us,
And with one call, you stayed.



I wish there is one more chapter, an epilogue maybe, just so I can see everyone in their happily ever after

Redwood Ridge has been an excellent series read. I'm so happy that the author tweeted back to me back in July and said that there would be more books from Redwood Ridge (Jason the firefighter is next followed by Parker the sheriff!)

In hindsight, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to read two Kelly Moran books in a row - especially since I absolutely loved Benediction. LOVED IT. So when I discovered this story’s heroine is pretty much a carbon copy of the heroine from that book - and a lesser imitation, at that - I was bound to experience some disappointment.

Seriously, Zoe is pretty much a recycled Amy (the heroine in Benediction). They both loved a man most of their lives (we’re talking over 15 years) who were in love with their best friend, they both had less-than-ideal upbringings, they both hid their pain with biting wit and sarcasm, and they both had an artistic side they didn't think the hero appreciated (Amy was a photographer, Zoe a painter). And for whatever reason, I didn’t feel as sympathetic towards Zoe; didn’t care as much about Drake, either (even though he was a widower, having lost his wife to cancer)...

It felt like this book was written by a completely different author from the one who wrote the Covington Cove and Cattenach Ranch series - both of which I LOVED. Instead of compelling writing that focused on issues and feelings, this book succumbed to cliched descriptions of body parts and how affected the hero and heroine were by their hormones. And I was so disappointed (“more plot, less pecs” is my new mantra).

Another thing that bothered me about the writing: two thirds of the way into the book, things are still being explained to us, again (during a dinner, “Zoe played tic-tac-toe with Hailey, Avery’s daughter” - that's exactly what it says, and we were introduced to those characters way back at the beginning of the book...did the author think we'd forgotten, despite there being several interactions with those characters before?). There was a lot of repeated explaining, and I felt a little insulted as a reader.

I think what rubbed me wrong about this book is that it’s clearly supposed to be a light-hearted, more humorous book, whereas the previous books I’ve read by Kelly Moran were more serious. However, the humor in New Tricks often felt forced and contrived. The humor in her other books was witty and natural.

In contrast, the parts where this story delved into the serious issues Zoe and Drake dealt with were very good.

Zoe’s mother was diagnosed with early onset dementia and her mind deteriorated very quickly. As the main caretaker of her mother, Zoe dealt with very real, very serious issues - keeping her mother and herself safe, keeping up with her mother’s physical care, and guilt for eventually needing to have her mother placed into full-time care. When she learns this disease can be hereditary, it puts her desires for a family in jeopardy. She loves Drake and wants to have children with him, but he’s already lost a wife and doesn’t want to put him through possibly having to lose another one in a far more awful way. And what if there’s a chance she could pass the disease onto a child?

Drake and Zoe also had to deal with moving on after losing a wife and best friend. There’s always a time of confusion and guilt when the surviving spouse decides it’s time to move on. That Heather (Drake’s wife) was also Zoe’s best friend adds another layer of complexity to the relationship.

These are the things that make for a compelling book. Unfortunately, not enough time was spent on them.

The depth of my disappointment in this book is probably in direct proportion to (and a result of) my love for Kelly’s previous books I've read. The writing and characters weren’t bad, they just didn’t touch me the way I was expecting them to. Other readers may find this a delightful book. But personally, it failed to touch me at all. And you have no idea just how greatly it pains me to say that!

(this review will be published at Straight Shootin' Book Review during release week)

I am not a widow and I pray I never have to be one. However, having to be a widow at a young age, even if that is in your late 20’s early 30’s cannot be easy. I had a friend who became a widow and was left with two little ones. You hear stories of such here and there, but you can never put yourself in that situation. The thoughts can become too painful. Drake is in that situation.

Drake has been a widow for about 4 years now. His wife, Heather, passed away from ovarian cancer. They didn’t have any children, but the turmoil and life altering consequences have left scars on his heart. He is just now getting out of his rut. Barely. The main person that has helped him deal with the loss of Heather is her best friend Zoe.

Zoe and Heather were best friends forever. They were complete opposites, but balanced one another off well. Zoe has sacrificed so much of her own happiness for those she cares about, including her love for Drake. She is now sacrificing everything for her mother that has dementia – Alzheimer’s. It has gotten pretty bad at her house. She tries to take care of everything herself, but that is not always possible. Drake has been able to get through to Zoe’s mother and wants to help. Zoe just pushes him away. Drake has not a problem pushing back and making sure Zoe knows he isn’t going anywhere.

These two stubborn individuals realize that handling everything on their own isn’t going to always work out. They need each other to help pick up the pieces. Drake overcoming the death of his wife and Zoe trying to keep her life together, make these two the perfect opposites and complementary for each other.

With meddling aunts and moms, friends that have to put their two cents in, and their own passionate desires, these two opposite friends will succumb to their need for comfort and longing love towards one another.

I am going to tell you now. I loved this story. It was great. So many layers to these characters. They had real issues and obstacles to each overcome. They couldn’t just jump into a romantic relationship with one another, it had to be gradual and in their own time.

(Small Spoiler) Drake is amazing. He is patient, strong, and level headed. He is a mans man. Which makes him Oh, So desirable! I love that Zoe is confident in some parts of her life and other ones not so much. She tells Drake she doesn’t want to replace Heather, but she does want to have Drake’s heart. When Drake finally tells her how he feels he expresses and gives Zoe security of his love for both Heather and her. He expresses how he loves them each differently and equally. I loved it. It was one of my favorite scenes in the book. (End of Spoiler)

I highly recommend this story, you will not be upset. You will get your HEA and some nice steam to go with it.

I HIGHLY recommend!

4.5 Hearts

Technical stuff: This is book three in the Redwood Ridge series. While this book definitely stands alone and you don't have to read the other books in this series to appreciate this one, you really should because they're fabulous and because knowing Drake and Zoe's backgrounds only amplifies how gorgeous their relationship is. There is both cursing and on-screen sex in this one. If those things will cause you to leave a bad review, you should probably skip this one but it would be a shame because this book is beautiful.

I have to admit that just like with Tracking You, I was nervous about reading this book. I absolutely loved the first two books of this series and I was concerned that this book might not live up to the amazingness of those book, but Ms. Moran proved that she flat-out knows how to write a series that just keeps getting better and this book was *every single thing* that I wanted it to be. Drake and Zoe's story is so beautiful and so gut-wrenching that I didn't want to stop reading it to do real life things, I NEEDED to know what was going to happen with these two and I didn't care if dinner got made or the laundry got done when they were still in limbo.

Drake, much like his two brothers, is a strong and very sexy male character but he doesn't have to do all of the 'alpha' posturing/swaggering/acting like a jerk that is so bafflingly popular in romance novels these days to be sexy man – he showed he was a real man that by unashamedly caring about Zoe (and all of his people), by pursuing Zoe without hesitation despite the viable reasons that could have held him back, and by showing Zoe what true love does. Drake didn't need to belittle or control her in order to feel like a man, he was comfortable in his own skin and in his feelings for her and I LOVED that about him. And Zoe, to her credit, stayed true to herself despite the fact that she had so much chaos going on around her that it would have been easy for her to keep hiding herself and let her fear take over her life. I ugly cried my way through the scene where she flees her house (being vague to avoid spoilers) and felt my heart break as we learned about her life with her mother and about her tattoos.

I could seriously go on and on about how much I loved this book, but I don't want to spoil any of the beautiful things that happened in this book. I never write this in a review but all I can say is - JUST READ THIS BOOK. You won't be sorry.

If you love a book with two characters who belong together, who love hard and fight hard to make it work, you're going to love this book. I am so indescribably sad that this series is coming to an end. I wish there was another O'Brien sibling – or four – hiding in the woodwork so that we had more Redwood Ridge books to look forward to.

Although I received an ARC of this book, I was under no obligation to write this review or to pre-order this book. I both things because just writing this review and thinking back to the book gave me all the feels in the world and everyone should know how great it is.

This book packs a heavy emotional punch. The heroine, Zoe, is trying to deal with her beloved mother’s early-onset dementia. That’s just so painful to contemplate. Zoe is a feisty and fiery woman, but her life has taken a very depressing turn. The guy she had a crush on in high school, her life-time friend Drake, fell for Zoe’s best friend and married her. Then Heather died of ovarian cancer. Zoe is still Drake’s good friend and they have grieved together over Heather’s death. Add in that she works for him as a pet groomer at the veterinary office that Drake runs with his brothers and their wives.

Drake is finally ready to move on after his wife’s death and has realized that Zoe is the woman for him. But he has to overcome her fears and her desire to save him from the pain that a relationship with her could mean.

It’s all very depressing even though, I knew it was a romance novel and would end in a HEA. But the situation is so very sad. And Drake was just the greatest guy and Zoe was so likeable. If you don’t mind a romance novel that also touches on some heavy material, you’ll enjoy this story.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Drake likes to give his woman options, “the way I see it, we can do one of two things. Make out like teenagers as you suggested earlier, or go to sleep. I’m up for either but, given a choice, I take door number one.” Zoe knows how to drive her man wild, "she nipped his jaw, sucked on his neck. “I don’t care where you take me, just so long as you do it now.” When her hot tongue traced the shell of his ear , he about collapsed. Christ Almighty and all the angels..." I loved this book, I'm in love with this series, the loving characters and the small town.

Ready for a very sweet romance, one that shouldn’t have happened? Then New Tricks, the third book in Kelly Moran’s Redwood Ridge series is exactly the end of summer book for you. And for me.
Dr. Drake O’Grady is a veterinarian with a past. Unfortunately, it’s a very sad past with a wife who died from cancer four years ago. Drake hasn’t been able to let go of his love for Heather and exists in a purgatory of his own making. Heather never would have wanted Drake to be so sad for so long. As one of the town vets he is the surgeon in a veterinary practice shared with his brothers. The other person he sees regularly at work is the pet groomer Zoe, who has her own business tucked inside the vet clinic. I really thought more of the story would revolve around the animals and people at the vet clinic, but that’s not the case, although it’s not ignored. The story takes place in the hearts, minds, and souls of Drake and Zoe.
Zoe was the best friend of Drake’s late wife Heather. As such, she feels that Drake is hands-off for any kind of romance, although she has crushed on Drake since childhood. In fact, it was one tiny slip that led to Heather being Drake’s wife instead of Zoe, and because of her missed opportunity, Zoe can’t forget it. Zoe is also the full-time caretaker of her beloved mother, who is on the downward spiral of early onset Alzheimer’s.
With the passage of time comes the awakening of Drake’s desire to be fully human again and he begins to notice Zoe However, not only does Zoe respect the memory of Heather too much to become involved with Drake, she carries with her a huge secret fear, one that prevents her from becoming involved with Drake or anyone else. It is Drake’s job to take the covers off of the reason for Zoe’s fear as well as her token of the past. Oh, and the HEA at the end of this romance will grab your heart as no other romance ever has, squeezing until you gasp.
New Tricks is the amazing third book in the series but through the magic of Kelly Moran’s style of writing it can be read as a stand-alone story or as the next book in the lives of the O’Grady brothers. Either way, it’s a home run romance.

A mix of heart break, anticipation and racy bedroom scenes to keep the heart pumping and the blood boiling.

Zoe and Drake have been through enough. While they are successful in making an income through their love of animals, Zoe being a groomer working out of Drake’s vet clinic, everything else seems to have been a test. Zoe, living at home and doing everything she can to care for her Dementia ridden mother in her childhood home, is scared of many things but puts on a brave front.

Drake is the talk of the town for own as the mourn the love of his life’s passing, but is slowly waking up and feels like he is wanting all the wrong things – or people.

Moran is masterful at creating characters a reader easily connects with, situations that are both tragic and filled with hope and spinning it altogether to make for an intriguing read!

4☆
What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Snarky dialogue and laugh out loud scenes
Part of a series: A Redwood Ridge Romance
Standalone
HEA

I look forward to reading more from Kelly Moran.

I will post the link to my review on Amazon when the book goes live.

I absolutely loved this book. I read a lot, and this is likely my favorite book this year! This was my first book by Kelly Moran and will definitely not be my last (I must find them all and start my binge read)

This book is very well written. The story is unique. The characters are fantastic and well developed. This book has everything I want in a book. There is humor, friendship, love, and a bit of drama.

This second book in the Redwood Ridge series is just as delightful as can be, Zoe is busy with her pet grooming business and caring for her mother who suffers from a form of dementia. She thinks she is too busy to even consider dating, until the matchmakers in the small community set their eyes on her and her perfect man - the widower of her best friend. He's not interested in dating, and neither is she, but to keep the gossip from becoming overwhelming, they see each other once...............you can guess where that will lead.

I loved this story the best of the three brothers. Sorry it had to end because I could have kept reading. This had everything you could possibly want in a romance.

An emotional book on friends to lovers theme. It was a quick read. though I have not read the first two books in the series, it did not matter. Enjoyable with some angst

enjoyed the book. liked the couple, a good read.

The intensity of emotions and the build-up of a relationship is Kelly Moran’s trademark and by and large, her nuanced take on issues of unrequited feelings, grief and what it means to embark on something that has the tinge of the forbidden can break the hardest of hearts. ‘New Tricks’ turns the table on the grieving spouse unable to move on as Drake—who doesn’t fit into that category at all—is the active pursuer of a relationship and the one suddenly pining for a woman he’d never seen more than a friend until a while ago. That alone made him stand out as I enjoyed every moment of him going after what he wanted, then calling Zoe out on her running away.

I’m a little mixed about the pairing in question nonetheless, not just because I’m wary about friends-to-lovers but also because I found Drake a lot easier to like than Zoe, who frustrated me at times. I wasn’t entirely sold on her as a character who had the reputation of being the town's ‘good time’ (which came uncomfortably close to the equivalent of manwhore for me somehow, which I equally dislike) or her frequent use of near-antagonistic sarcasm as guilt prevented her from moving on with her dead best friend’s husband. While I could sympathise with the number of things on her plate and the way these duties weighed her down, I also didn’t like how volatile Zoe became when confronted with her own feelings that she couldn’t quite own up to in front of him, in contrast to Drake’s relatively easy admission that he didn’t know what to do with a burgeoning attraction. Using as many weak excuses that she could—including the ‘good time’ one—simply felt like a form of playing games that she didn’t want yet inexplicably did somehow. Yet Zoe was a multifaceted bundle of contradictions that made her a realistic character too, as was Drake whose grief was given a poignant sheen that I loved.

That said though, ‘New Tricks’ is definitely an emotional one, with some angst on the side thrown in for good measure. The ghost in the relationship isn’t entirely missing, but isn’t too much of an obstacle that it becomes the focus of the story and the sole reason for being the conflict of it. As I’ve always said, what rocks my boat doesn’t necessarily do the same for others and vice versa, and while this was an okay-type read for me, Moran is typically an author I come back to time and again.