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Handle with Care

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Handle with Care is the third book in Harte’s Veteran Movers series, this time featuring Evan cousin to Reid and Cash (books 1 and 2, respectively). This felt like a very different book versus theirs, notably the lack of intense angst on Evan’s part.

Evan’s just not the moody, broody type like his cousins. On the other hand, Kenzie angsts more than enough for both of them. Kenzie’s been badly burned before, and the experience hurt her younger brother as well. As a package deal, Kenzie and Daniel can be a bit overwhelming for someone who isn’t strong enough. Evan is more than strong enough, if only Kenzie could see it.

With Kenzie’s posse and Daniel, there were plenty of secondary characters to get invested in and for new books. Rachel (and Will) and Lilah (and Hector?) better be getting their own books. Funny, sassy, sweet, and tough by turns, they helped keep Kenzie’s angsting from turning the book maudlin.

The only time I had issues with characterization or pacing was the time of the “big misunderstand” portion of the book. Evan acts completely out of character. That said, it got better fairly quickly.

Alongside Evan’s struggles with Kenzie are his family’s struggles with how to handle Smith and the difficulty of what it means to be family. This is a struggle explored heavily in Cash’s book and likely to be explored further in Smith’s book (assuming he gets one). I certainly hope he does get a book. He’s transformed from a straight up jerk into a vulnerable and hurting man.

The potential in this book is huge and I can’t wait to see how Harte uses it all in future books.

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Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get into this. Even though the characters were interesting and funny, it just didn’t hold my attention. Maybe I’ll revisit it in the future but for now it’s a pass.

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Handle with Care is the third book in the Veteran Movers series. Each book can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading them in order since the main characters are featured in each book.

Handle with Care features Evan Griffith, an accountant who co-owns a moving company with his cousins, and Kenzie, a graphic designer currently raising her teenage brother. The two meet when Evan is moving one of Kenzie's friends and her brother steals his phone.

I absolutely loved Evan. He is the perfect book boyfriend. I found Kenzie really relatable - even when I didn't agree with her decisions. Kenzie's friends were hilarious and I was happy that the cast from the first two books was featured in this third book. I definitely recommend this book and this series. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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This is a relatively laid back romance with plenty of heart and lots of friends and family. It’s the type of story to read when you want something fun, something real, and something with just a tiny bit of angst.

Kenzie’s heart was broken by the perfect man. He was everything she wanted and loved. But when he just packed up and left, he not only broke her, he broke her brother as well. Now she’s afraid to trust all the goodness that is Evan. How can she trust that he won’t one day do the same thing?

Evan was an interesting hero. He cried, he laughed, he stumbled when trying to say the right thing, he often made the wrong decision but when he fell in love with Kenzie, he fell all the way. Although he wasn’t an alpha hero, he was so very real.

This is a lengthier book, and a bit slow in parts due to a lack of drama driving the story, but the secondary characters filled the holes and brought a smile to my face repeatedly. The angst is due to the push and pull from first both Kenzie and Evan and then eventually all Kenzie as she struggles with allowing another man into her life and her heart.

While the chemistry was definitely present during their first meeting, there were times that it didn’t feel intense enough for me. However, the smexy scenes themselves were hot. The power exchange between this couple fluctuated from one to the other and allowed me to see different sides to each of these characters.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, written with characters that are realistic and fun.

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Evan is helping in Vets on the Go (moving company), while his cousin gets better. During one job he meets Kenzie, who is guardian to her teenager brother, Daniel.
The story was great. Loved Evan and Daniel, Kenzie too her friends are awesome.

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I was already loving the cast of characters that we've gotten to know in books 1 and 2, and then the author gave us another fun group through the heroine. I love the camaraderie and the way they all band together as family, even if they aren't all by blood.

Evan could have been a boring character if this book was just focused on him and Kenzie. It was the side characters that really brought out the other side of him. His best characteristics was how much he took care of everyone around him. He was loyal, honorable and really sweet. I especially enjoyed how he bonded with Kenzie's little brother.

Kenzie was a bit neurotic. She had a lot of fear after what the last guy did to her and her brother, and that got in the way. Despite that, I liked her. Her friends were awesome! I love crazy, quirky characters like her friends, Lila and Rachel. Even Rachel's boyfriend was a great addition to cast.

The more I read about Smith, the more I love that guy. I can't wait for his book. At least, I'm assuming he will get one. I hope we also get more of Hector and Lila. Actually, I would be pretty darn happy if we got a book on all the side characters.

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This is book 3 in the Veteran Movers series and while it can be read as a stand alone, I recommend reading the other books as well so you understand some of the things that are talked about. This one is about Evan Griffith and Kenzie Sykes. Evan is helping his cousin's out with the moving side of the business after one of them was hurt, and gets sent out to Kenzie's neighbor's to help her move into her boyfriends house. And there he meet's Kenzie and is instantly drawn to her. Even with both of their issues and hang ups, they both decide to try to have something together.

I really liked this book! Kenzie made me laugh from the start. From her interactions with her brother to how she is with her best friends. I loved her attitude and just how she approaches life in general. Evan is this sweet man who went through something horrific but is slowly moving back into real life. And I love how he is with not only Kenzie but her brother. And then you throw in how he is with his family and the things he will do for the people he cares about? He is this perfect man! The only reason I gave this one 4 stars instead of 5 was because it does start off slow, but once you get over that "hump"? I loved it! I am looking forward to the next one in this series! And I definitely need to know more Smith!

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Firstly I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher Sourcebooks Casablanca for the given opportunity to review this book.
Secondly I can say I ltruly loved this witty, interesting story. Altough I must admit in the beginning I was quite irritated with all the names and relation statuses. I honestly got into the story at about 25 percent but then I was smitten. I couldn´t stop to read and I was honestly glad I stuck to reading. Both main characters carried the loads of their pasts but fortunately could jump over their own shadows and started to see things in a different light again. And in the end even a great surprise awaits the reader, which totally spiced the story.
Anyway I can only recommend this amazing read :)

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3 1/2 stars. I really like this series but with this book, unfortunately I had a hard time with Kenzie, the heroine. I do like this storyline though and I love our hero Evan, but found Kenzie to be a little too unwilling and stuck in her past relationship issues to see what she had right in front of her. I feel it just took her way too long to get there. But I do like them as a couple when she is on board and when they do finally get all the way there. That being said there are some awesome scenes in this book and some great witty conversation going on with this crazy friend group that had me laughing out loud. Kenzie's brother Daniel is great and I love the way despite what is happening between him and Kenzie, Evan takes special care of Daniel. I really like Smith and look forward to more about him in a future book!

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Author Marie Harte strikes again with “Handle with Care,” the third book in her wildly successful “Veteran Movers” series,

The series is about a trio of military veterans who banded together to put up a moving company to create jobs for veterans like them. With their great service and a heroic act that landed them on the six o’clock news and social media channels made “Veteran Movers” a go-to local move company in the Seattle area.

Books 1 and 2 follow brothers Reid and Cash Griffith, respectively. Book 3 – “Handle with Care” is Evan Griffith’s story, who was Reid and Cash’s cousin, but Evan was more of a brother than a cousin due to their closeness.

An accountant by trade, Evan is the money man in Veterans Movers. Because Evan found his accounting job too stressful, he decided to join his cousins in the company which he was 1/3 owner. He just wanted a slower pace, but then he met Kenzie Sykes in one of the moves the company did. As it turned out, Kenzie turned Evan’s life upside down and he found himself busier than ever.

“Handle with Care” is a romantic comedy at its core. The love affair between Evan and Kenzie has so many laugh out loud funny moments thanks to the supporting cast of characters that include Reid, Cash and the employees of Veteran Movers.

Yet, “Handle with Care” also tugs at your heartstrings. Evan, like many Americans today is taking care of an aging parent while Kenzie is the “parent” to a much younger brother.

Between their jobs and their families, it was hard for Evan and Kenzie to find time to get together. But, somehow, they did. Then something unthinkable touched their lives and their fledgling love falters.

An enjoyable read that will touch your heart. You will fall in love with Evan the same way you did with Reid and Cash Griffith. There will be times when you would want to shake Kenzie and tell her to “stop and smell the roses.” Even then, she will be one of your favorite characters.

“Handle with Care” is Rated M for Mature due to some adult situations and sexual content.

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I had a great time reading Handle with Care. It was a sweet romance, with both main characters battling their own pasts. It also incorporates tons of humor that kept me laughing the whole time.

Evan, a former Marine, is finally becoming a full-time partner in his cousins moving company instead of just handling the accounting behind the scenes. Only now he also is filling in for his injured cousin on the physical side of some moves. While helping out on her friend’s move, he meets Kenzie and it is love at first sight. Through a series of coincidences, they meet a few more times before they decide to get to know each other better. Kenzie is a graphic designer with great friends. She’s also guardian of her 13 year old brother Daniel. Dating is tough with a child in tow, and her past boyfriend couldn’t deal with the fact that they were a package deal.

Soon Evan is helping Daniel make the school soccer team and hanging out with Kenzie’s tight knit group. Both Kenzie and Evan have to deal with their own baggage before they can find their happily ever after.

This book was a joy to read. The all characters are realistic and well drawn; like Evan, I wished I could hang out with Kenzie’s friends too. I liked the romantic relationship touches, but it was the sense of humor in all the characters that made this book impossible to put down.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Will be posted at Romance Reviews Today in late Aug/early Sept. http://romrevtoday.com/

HANDLE WITH CARE – Marie Harte
Veteran Movers, Book 3
Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 978-1492670506
August 27, 2019

Seattle, Washington – Present Day

One day Evan Griffith is helping his cousins at their business, Veteran Movers, when he encounters a group of sassy women. One in particular, Kenzie Sykes, intrigues him. Kenzie is singlehandedly raising her teenage brother and hasn’t been in a relationship since her last boyfriend suddenly walked out on her. One can understand why she’s apprehensive about dating again, especially with her first priority being her brother. Yet, sparks fly between Evan and Kenzie, and with a little push from their friends (and Kenzie’s brother), they finally end up connecting. Evan is also approaching a relationship with her slowly, because he is still haunted by the death of his fiancée from cancer. Can two people still recovering from painful relationships in the past find a way to fall in love?

Kenzie and Evan are clearly attracted to each other, but they approach anything resembling a relationship between them with trepidation. Kenzie was with her ex for a long time and thought they’d be together forever. Then he inexplicably walked out on her, telling her that he could no longer have a third wheel in their relationship. But her brother is part of the package. Evan got off to a rocky start with Kenzie’s brother at first, but they soon develop a friendship that is helped along by some mutual interests, like playing soccer. At first, Kenzie and Evan keep their friends around them as a buffer, but they then agree to see one another alone, which leads to sex. They think that it’s only great sex between them, which later on leads to the realization that they have feelings for each other.

HANDLE WITH CARE is the third (and presumably last) book in the Veteran Movers series about some military vets who get together to form a company as movers in Seattle. Evan is a veteran, but left that all behind to go into accounting. After working for a big firm in Seattle, he finally felt burned out and quit. He freelances on the side now, along with doing the financials for Veteran Movers. He offers to help Kenzie get her financial paperwork in order, which leads to them working together. Even as they connect, there are hiccups in their relationship due to their fears of being hurt again. Will they finally tear down the barriers they’ve erected to find a happily-ever-after? A sexy, fun romance between a couple falling in love after experiencing heartbreak. Don’t miss the enjoyable HANDLE WITH CARE.

Patti Fischer

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While filling in for his cousin at their moving company Evan meets Kenzie. Pretty much Evan is too perfect and Kenzie is too whiney and I didn't care about their relationship as much as I should have. There were two things in this book that I did really enjoy though and that is the relationship between Evan and Daniel (Kenzie's 13yo brother that she raised) and that we got to learn a bit more about Smith (Evan's not so secret cousin)

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During his "real life," Evan Griffith is a high-paid accountant. At the moment, he's helping out with the company he co-owns with his cousins, working as a mover. The physicality is a plus. Also a plus? Meeting the cute gal whose roommate is moving out.
Evan is immediately attracted to Kenzie Sykes but she comes with a lot of baggage. Her physical baggage is her thirteen-year-old brother who she's raised for a long time (although the timing wasn't always consistent in my ARC.) And she's got emotional baggage from the last boyfriend who said he didn't mind that she had sole custody of her brother but then left them both. Now she's just going through her days, running her computer company (details are a little sketchy on this), and trying desperately not to be attracted to Evan. But first she falls into lust and then love (that pesky emotion ever-present in romance novels.) Will she be able to trust that he has her, and her brother's, best interests at heart?
In the main, this was a very good story: I cared about the characters; the overarching storyline connecting the series advanced nicely, and the writing flowed well. Until the end when a few things that had great set ups earlier in the story got chopped down to one sentence resolutions. I had to go back and re-read the last three chapters because I wondered what had happened.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out August 27th
Follows Smooth Moves
ARC kindly provided by SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

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The third entry in her Veteran Movers series, Marie Harte delivers a laugh out loud and heartwarming story. Told in dual POV, with the story occasionally told from Daniel’s viewpoint, readers will enjoy Harte’s trademark witty banter and engaging characters. Crazy, hilarious, and lovingly interfering friends and family are another staple of Harte’s novels and she does not disappoint; Kenzie’s friends are quirky, will make you laugh, and generally liven the story from the first page. The story moves at a somewhat frustratingly slow pace; Kenzie is so fearful of being hurt again that she takes hesitant steps in her relationship with Evan and for every step forward, seems to take two steps back. Even so, this only slightly detracts from what is otherwise an enjoyable read.

All in all, this was another satisfying read from one of my favorite authors.

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This third book in the series centers around Evan, the burnout accountant cousin that has left a prominent practice to help his cousins and start his own company .
Kenzie Sykes a website creator, has raised her little brother . They meet when Vets on the Go move one of Kenzie’s friends.
Both Evan and Kenzie have been hurt by love and while Evan is ready to love again, Kenzie is afraid to open her heart.
I found both Evan and Daniel, Kenzie’s brother, more likable characters than Kenzie, who was afraid to move forward.
I have to confess that though it was good, I liked more the previous stories. They were more engaging stories and felt this one was a little slow at times.
It wasn’t until the last 1/4 of the book that it picked up the pace. Still it was a good addition to the series.
I was entrusted a copy of this book. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

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This is the second book I've read in this series once again I say that if you don't want to read the others, I feel like you don't have to. Marie Harte once again gives a fun witty story full of hot romance. If you want an easy read for that hot summer day, look no further.

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This is part of a series and I wish I would have started with the first one! Book was funny and I'll be sure to pick up the others so I can get a more in depth look at what's all going on.

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This is the third book in this series. Although I have read the previous books you can read this as a standalone. This book is about Evan and Kenzie. I just loved them together. The chemistry between them was hot and very intense. From the moment we were introduced to Evan I fell in love with him. He was just so sweet and so real. Kenzie is very careful in what she does and feels because she is very afraid of getting hurt again. The story line is full of romance, heat and lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. I would highly recommend this book and this series. Thanks Net Galley. I voluntarily reviewed this book in exchange for an honest review.

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The third book in the series of the Veteran Movers and this one has Evan the cousin working since Cash was hurt in the last book. He meets Kenzie Sykes and her friends which one of them is moving. He also meets Kenzie brother which he does not know at first who takes his phone and then before giving it back changes ring tone and something else but that for you to find out. Really there is a lot to like about this book if you have read the other ones, if not this is a fun book. Kenzie friends really make this story move along. Also her brother Daniel has some interaction with Rafi who is Jordan’s brother from book number two, which was a nice touch. Here you have Evan trying to work things out with grumpy Smith and you find out a little more about him. You also have Evan dealing with his mother dating and being introduced to the man. Also for himself to take the chance with Kenzie and her with him. Both of them need to get past old, failed relationships that are explained. Overall I really liked this story and the beginning with all of the action reminded me of the first one with all of the action. Here though you are introduced to Kenzie friends and they are part of the story and they are funny and really add to the book. Very much worth the read.

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