My review will be forthcoming and found over at Library Journal.

Liz Talley's Come Home to Me takes readers to a small town in South Carolina where a young woman returns to face her past. Back in high school Summer Valentine was unsure of herself, but one thing she knew for sure is that Rhett Bryan hung the moon. Years later Rhett is a big Hollywood talk-show host and Summer is bringing her 14 year old son to Moonlight to spend time with his father, Hunter McCroy.

Summer, Hunter, and Rhett have tangled pasts that come unraveled when they meet again in their hometown. Summer can't let go of the anger caused by Hunter and his parents' mistreatment of her when she discovered she was pregnant. Her whole life course changed after one night and left her a single mom with a struggling music career in Nashville. Hunter almost made it to the big leagues, but an injury and downward spiral into addiction landed him back home and learning how to be a father after years of not acknowledging his son. Then, there's the golden boy Rhett. His charm and determination took him to the height of success in Hollywood, but a tragic accident sends him running to Moonlight to remember who he is.

Liz Talley takes three complex characters and seamlessly weaves their paths together. I wasn't sure what kind of story I was getting into when I read the blurb, but when I finished I knew for sure that Come Home to Me is veers into new territory for me. It's more than a second chance love or girl gets a chance with her high school crush story. It delves into very serious topics like distracted driving and date rape. Keeping those topics in mind, the outcome of the story was not what I would have expected but it felt like the story came full circle. The characters are beautifully flawed, and when they're honest with themselves they learn to be better people for themselves and as an example for others. I loved the flashbacks to their senior year because it was a wonderful contrast to their present. The changes from adolescence to adulthood was more obvious and added weight to the story.

Liz Talley easily transported me to Moonlight, South Carolina as her characters work out their lives and face the consequences of their mistakes. Come Home to Me is the perfect read for fans of Kerry Lonsdale!

An emotional journey for three adults who have returned to South Carolina for various reasons. All with issues to resolve and work through. Romance, rape, stardom, involuntary manslaughter, and more all add to the interesting tale.

contemporary romance follows two best friends in high school, Hunt McCroy and Rhett Bryan. They are both baseball stars, and high on the most popular list. Summer Valentine considers herself a “chubby nobody” and has had a crush on Rhett forever. Hunt is rich, cocky and selfish. But when a opportunity to go to the Senior Prom presents itself, she grabs it. Even though it’s with Hunt, they will be going with Rhett and his girlfriend. That decision changes her and Hunt’s life forever.

A clumsy, drunken sexual encounter after the prom, one Summer wanted no part of, and she finds herself pregnant. Hunt’s family made Summer and her family’s lives unbearable, but Summer is keeping her baby. She moves to Nashville, giving up her college dreams, and starts writing songs and singing at gigs. She does well, but her son David is growing up, has no real male influence, and has made some questionable friendships, Summer realizes she has to go home to Moonlight, S.C. Where Hunt is finally
wanting to get to know his son, 14 years too late.

Rhett went on to become a late night talk show host in Hollywood and is known for his very good looks and witty banter. But a terrible, heartbreaking accident makes him question the choices he has made in his life. He heads back to Moonlight for some down time and to see his grandfather, Grampy Pete. Totally shocked to literally run into Summer, and he doesn’t recognize her. Over the next couple months they renew their friendship, and find more. David and Rhett have a growing relationship as well. David is turning into a talented high school baseball player, and Hunt is ecstatic, but, can he keep from pushing David to the limit, as was done to him by his father?

The story switches back from high school to present, and gives a lot of insight into these characters. Hunt realizes there is more to being a father than baseball and good times when David makes a very poor decision that endangers his life. Falling in love with Summer was not Rhett’s plan, but she helped him confront his fear and depression and gave him his life back.

Thank you to Montlake Publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.
Pat Fordyce

Wow! This book had my emotions all over the place! These characters are so memorable I was still thinking about them days after finishing the book. They are flawed, resilient, and real. Their story shows how someone can change for the better. This story tackles some serious issues and the author did an excellent job of presenting them and dealing with them. Still with what could have been a very heavy story I walked away from it with a smile. Put this one on the must read list. I highly recommend it.

Summer Valentine has returned to Moonlight, South Carolina for the sake of her son David. She had left Moonlight a different person than how she has returned. No longer shy easy going naive young girl but a strong woman who has survived the nasty rumors of being an unwed mother. No longer the pushover who could be taken into anything, she was an intelligent and savvy woman who would do right by her son who wanted a relationship with his dad.

In spite of her anger over the past and Hunter’s continued defense of his actions towards Summer, she is willing to put that aside to see if Hunt really wants to establish a relationship with his son. Hunt was at one time a big time baseball player but his illustrious career has faded, and yet his wealth and privilege still keeps him protected from the mistakes of his past.

Another person from Summer’s past has also returned to Moonlight –Rhett Bryan, the Golden Boy from Hollywood, who has come home to find some healing after a tragic accident that took the life of a child. Finding Summer home and rekindling their friendship Summer is not sure she could handle having her heart broke again when she knows he will be returning to California.

There is a lot of painful history between all three of these high school friends and while it is nice to see Rhett kind of re-connecting with Summer, there is a whole lot of hurt and unresolved feelings that all has to come out before there can be any type of happy ending.

Bottom line: A great story with high emotional content and wonderful characterizations.

Marilyn Rondeau

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book that I have read by this author. I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like this book as I started reading it and the chapters started flipping back and forth between the past and present. The story won me over as the guys started realizing their mistakes and went out of their way to offer sincere apologies. The ending was great and I would love to get a sequel to find out how Rhett and Summer handle the distance issue and if she makes it big in music.

Ms Talley always astounds me with her story telling. I love her characters because they aren’t perfect, have flaws, make mistakes, and throughout the story learn about themselves and make a change. I think she sucks you in so well because her characters are real and what happens to them or happened to them in the past could have happened to you.

Now some people will read this book and think that Summer is a coward and a doormat, due to her choices about what happened to her. This story touches on a very touchy topic in today’s world and every incident isn’t black and white. I don’t feel Summer was a coward, I feel that she is a realist and a survivor. The situation effects more then just the victim long term and Summer had and has the courage to overcome some aspects for the sake of her son.

Hunt is a complicated person and even though he is the villain, he takes a step back and really evaluates his life and is so heartfelt in his path to redemption. You want to hate him, but you just can’t. His character is written so well.

Rhett in a way is more lost then Hunt. He too lost his way and was blind to his faults and path in life. The golden boy who never had to deal with anything bad, disappointing, or felt failure; had to face all of it with one swoop. He was very condescending to Summer at times and very self righteous in some ways. He too tended to turn it around.

A great story of growing up facing reality facing your faults and mistakes and turning your life into something worth living.

Received an advance copy from the publisher through NetGalley. Thank you!

I was absolutely captivated in this gorgeous book it certainly had everything you ask for in a romance and I was drawn in and couldn’t put it down.
I’ve found a new book boyfriend in Rhett he ticks all the boxes in a lead and to be honest I think I’ve fell in love with moonlight and all the people who live there....it screams sequel...pretty please xx

All opinions stated in this review are my own and are based on an advanced copy that I requested.

This book has both on-screen sex and cursing, including f-bombs. If those things will cause you to leave a bad review, you might want to skip this one. There should be a trigger warning for this book. I understand that the warning would be a major spoiler, but it is important to warn readers with certain sensitivities. ***MAJOR BUT IMPORTANT SPOILERS TO END OF PARAGRAPH*** This book has a scene that graphically describes a date rape which could be highly triggering for some readers. Although I know that this is a spoiler, I was very surprised that this was not warned for in the blurb as it is graphic and detailed and most definitely rape. If you're triggered by described sexual assault, PLEASE be aware of your own self-care when reading this book. I wish that I had been warned that it was graphically described because I would have skipped this book.

Without getting into spoilery specifics, a lot of dramatic/traumatic things happen in this book. Although it isn't a dark, depressing book, this is also not a light-hearted romance novel. If you're looking for light and fluffy romance, this is not that book.

Some of this story is told via flashbacks and alternating time lines. While that can sometimes be really confusing, Ms. Talley does a really great job of labeling every chapter clearly so you know what timeline you're reading. Even if two consecutive chapters were set in the “present day” setting, they are labeled clearly so there is no question about what year you're reading. I don't typically care for books loaded with flashbacks, but that style actually worked really well in this story. To be honest, if the book had been told with all of the “2003” parts first and the “big reveal” had happened earlier in the book, this would have been a DNF for me, but by that time I was so invested in Summer and David that I finished the book despite my annoyance at how that was handled. (trying to be vague to avoid spoilers)

I loved Summer and David and they were the only thing that kept me reading this book. Summer was an amazing character who was strong, solid, and an amazing mother. I had nothing but a truck load of respect for her from the start but especially to the finish. She could so easily have been bitter and full of hate, but she took her pain and made herself so much stronger than any of the bad things that happened to her. Her capacity for love and forgiveness was amazing and something this world needs more of. She didn't blindly forgive and she wasn't naive, she just didn't let hate control her. Rhett I struggled with. (SPOILERS TO END OF PARAGRAPH) I'm still not at all sold on his commitment to Summer despite their alleged happily ever after. I wanted him to chase her, to do something show her that he was sorry and that he not only loved her but was worthy of her love, but instead he insulted her and treated her horribly and then made her chase him. It was really disappointing that once again Summer had to be the one to put herself out there while Rhett got to just be his rich, spoiled, shiny self.

To my shock, Hunt was a really intriguing character and even with all his flaws, I liked him far more than I liked Rhett. I suspected, but wasn't sure of, what his “sins” from the past were, but I was really surprised and impressed by how he eventually dealt with them. I liked the way that he protected David, and that even when he didn't know how to be a father because he'd never learned how to be one, he had tried his best. I also really liked that he learned from David – even if it was something he should have learned about decades before, he still figured it out and tried to make amends for his sin. He was flawed and incredibly imperfect, but by the end of the book he really was more redeemed than I ever dreamed he would be. His redemption was far more believable than Rhett's, to be honest. That says a lot about Ms. Talley's writing because this is one character I didn't expect to be redeemable.

This is a three and a half star read for me because Ms. Talley has tremendous writing skills and I look forward to reading more from her, but this book just wasn't for me.

Meet Summer Valentine – 33 years old: single mother of fourteen-year-old David who’s now back in South Carolina and is willing to put her dreams in the back of her mind to make her son her number one priority.

Meet Rhett Bryan – 34 years old: a Hollywood star who went to California at the age of eighteen. Now, even though the two Emmys he has at home are all he ever wanted, the death civil suit that he’s currently fighting sure is not. So going back to South Carolina seems to be the best solution right now.

Meet Hunt McCroy – 34 years old: father of fourteen-year-old David who spent most of his son’s life resenting him rather than loving him.

Fifteen years ago they were all friends attending the same high school until prom night changed it all!

At the time, Summer had a thing for Rhett but he had a girlfriend. So she ended up going to prom with the guy who got stood up just a few days before prom: Hunter. Hunter who, at the time, was Rhett’s best friend. So how did prom change that? Well, Summer and Rhett kissed but it was Hunt who she ended up in bed with. Consequence: Summer and Rhett were no longer friends and Summer was pregnant with Hunt’s baby!

Now, my thoughts on this: amazing. The storyline is pretty much what I told you already which is, alone, really good already. But this is a very character-driven book so a lot of the book’s amazingness comes from the characters. And so I’m not repeating myself I’ll just say this: they go through some heavy stuff like abuse, death and failed careers. So, does the reading get somewhat uncomfortable? I honestly don’t think so but as you can imagine, sometimes the story will tear at your heartstrings and you’ll probably feel like crying (speaking from experience obviously) because of those subjects. Also, you should know that the ultimate goal of this book, besides the obvious life lessons you will take from it, is the romance and not the drama!

Regarding the writing style, the book has a lot of throwbacks to their time in high school and some long descriptions. And although I’m usually not a big fan of long descriptions, I feel like here they were necessary because there are just things that can’t be passed on through dialogue, that being feelings! The story is told in three different POV and, in general, it flows nicely, the throwbacks fit perfectly in the middle of their current story and it is somewhat light amongst all the heartbreaking things you will read about! Also, as if this wasn’t wonderful enough already, Liz Talley created some portuguese characters with some portuguese words so, I’m sorry peeps, but this time you’ll be the ones using google translator [insert evil laugh]!

On a side note, just wanted to thank Montlake Romance for the book and give them a thumbs up for the title and cover of the book because they are actually related to the story (which is, surprisingly, a rarity nowadays if you haven’t noticed)!

All in all, I highly recommend this book (as if you couldn’t tell by the length of this review!).

I loved this book! It was all about coming home, for various reasons. It flipped back and forth between when the three main characters went to school together and now and worked perfectly.

Summer Valentine (love the name!) is the main character and he has recently come back home to Moonshine with her son, David, so he can get to know his Father more. Hunt is David's Father, although when Summer initially fell pregnant right after prom he didn't want to know and there was a very messy time between the families when Summer decided to keep the baby. Summer has now come back home as her son is 14 and wants to know his Father more, and as far as Summer is concerned she is willing to put the past behind her for the sake of her son, although it has taken her a long time to do it.

Rhett is a big shot talk show host who has had a life altering experience recently and come back home to Moonshine to reassess and take stock of his life a bit, out of the limelight for a while. Summer has always had a crush on Rhett, even when she was the dorky, chubby teen in school, and she still harbors feeling for him which grow as they renew their friendship.

Hunt was David's Father and initially quite hard work, he wasn't a happy character and had been the golden boy at school, but had definitely grown up a bit and wanted to be a good Father to David. I didn't like him at first, but by the end of the book you could see that he was really trying to be a better, stronger person, and to stand up to his controlling Father, and you had to applaud him for that. He definitely mellowed as the book went on.

I absolutely loved Summer's character. She'd been through a really hard time when she fell pregnant and decided to keep the baby, but she worked through everything slowly over the years and really grew as a person. She was now a really strong, grounded, kind character dedicated to the wellbeing of her son. I was so glad she found happiness in the end, in both her career and personal life. The ending was so lovely! Very enjoyable book.

Come Home To Me – Liz Talley

I was fortunate to receive this novel as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.
Summer, Rhett and Hunt are three typical high school kids whose paths intertwine in this delightful tale of longing, turmoil, regret, self-discovery and love…

Rhett Butler has it all – king of the late night television in L.A., he has it all…money, fame, fortune…then in a single instant, tragedy ensues, causing him to question everything he knows. He grabs a flight back home to Moonlight, South Carolina in attempts to distance himself from events.

Summer Valentine, aspiring singer/songwriter, single mother to teenaged David, has returned home from Nashville to Moonlight, in hopes of allowing her son to cultivate a relationship with his father, Hunter McCroy.

Hunter McCroy was an up and coming baseball star, until injuries, addictions and bad decisions land him back home in Moonlight, working for his father, and attempting to cultivate a relationship with his son David.

Flash back to 2003…ahhh, those high school years, and the all important senior prom…

Summer is the proverbial high school nerd – a straight A student, she’s chubby, introverted, dresses down, and hopeful for a scholarship to continue her education, and is hopeful for a future as a singer/songwriter in Nashville. She has no plans to attend senior prom – no one has asked her.

Rhett Bryan is your typical high school jock, plays sports, great looking, dating the schools most popular girl Greyson, hands down the prom king, yet Rhett has a soft side. He’s nice to everyone. And Summer has crushed on him for years. After an unexpected calculus quiz, Rhett approaches Summer and asks for some tutoring assistance, which she willingly provides.

Hunter is yet another high school jock, strong pitcher, and Rhett’s best friend, who has dreams of making it to the big leagues. And he’s just been dumped by his girlfriend Molly, so now he needs a date for the prom. And Greyson feels that Summer would be the perfect substitute.

Summer has no plans to go to the prom. Engaged in a battle for the valedictorian title with head cheerleader Molly, she just plans to keep her head down and earn her grades. But, Rhett’s girlfriend has an idea. Lets makeover Summer and she can go to the prom with Hunt.

And so past and future collide as these three re-connect, and each of their stories is weaved through both present day and past events…
I absolutely LOVED this novel. I was sucked in from page one and left longing for more when the last page was turned. Liz Talley is an amazing storyteller, and I look forward to reading more of her work!

Come Home to Me is a beautiful story written by author Liz Talley. It's both sad and hopeful with mistakes and regrets between Summer q Hunt and Rhett. Grab your tissues. Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the advance copy.

Well written, enjoyable story about a Carolina boy who accomplished the American Dream of success, fame and wealth, and lost his way when confronted with tragedy. Some serious issues are interwoven in the plot.
Rhett, Summer and Hunt are complex characters. I liked both males, more in the beginning of the story than by the end, I even found Hunt a fascinating character and appreciated Rhett’s broken persona. But both of them turned out to be selfish and self-centered, each one in his own way: workaholic Rhett so focused on his career that he forgets the basic rules of kindness and honor, and Hunt… you’ll have to read the book.
Summer is a bit too good to be true, but I enjoyed watching her get her HEA.
I found that perhaps because of these serious themes and other things happening, as well as the shifts to the past plot line, the romance in the present day was a bit underdeveloped.

This is a book I simply loved. There is turmoil, regret, denial, hope, and hard won wisdom contained in the story of Rhett, Hunt and Summer. At times I wanted to cry at the unfairness and the ache it caused. There is such beauty in the writing that blends the past and the present into a heartfelt, believable, interwoven story.
It might appear that romance drives the story but the binding force is actually two mistakes that need to be rectified. One is the consequence of dire proportions, the other of long term ramifications. It is the struggles of Rhett and Hart and their profound influence by Summer that makes Come Home to Me the great read that it is.

I loved it this is a must read the story line was great kept me hooked throughout the whole book thank you