I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This book is a typical romance novel that I found to be predictable but the characters are so wonderful it did not matter.

A sweet low-key romance very character driven and part of a series that maybe a standalone but I like reading the whole series. An older sister gives up her own plans after the death of both parents to take care of her younger sister and carry on with her mothers bakery, she wants to keep it going for her sister. A fireman with family problems of his own they sure weren't looking for each other but they definitely found their future together.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

Starting Over at Blueberry Creek is a lovely story that does a fine job with one of my favorite tropes, that of friends-to-lovers. Luke Marini has become friends with his sexy new neighbor, Brenna McConnell. Brenna's sister has taken on a job as firefighter in Luke's station so they cross paths even more so than being neighbors. Now that her sister is an adult, as Brenna has had to raise her, Brenna is thinking about reapplying for college. Doing so means leaving her home in Blueberry Creek.

But considering the fact that Brenna is not too pleased with the dangerous job her sister, only eighteen years old, has taken on, Brenna now reconsiders leaving to go to college. Meanwhile Brenna and Luke have an undeniable attraction. This most certainly could get in the way if Brenna plans on leaving the place Luke calls home.

I found this story to be a sensitive one on so many levels. The relationship between sisters had to strike a delicate balance. Meanwhile, the romance took a nice turn and I was kept invested in the story because I was eager to see how Brenna would find a way to fulfill her dream about going back to school once she realized the depth of her feelings for Luke.

This book is the fourth book in the Sweetwater Springs series, and I have enjoyed each book. They are Christmas on Mistletoe Lane, Springtime at Hope Cottage and Snowfall on Cedar Trail, This delightful series continues with Sunshine on Silver Lake and Season of Joy, both set for release later this year.

Many thanks to Forever and NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

4 stars

Starting Over at Blueberry Creek is a beautifully written and entertaining read.
I enjoyed the storyline and I loved watching Luke & Brenna's relationship unfold and I was happy they got their happily ever after.

Overall, Starting Over at Blueberry Creek is a heartfelt read and a great addition to the Sweetwater Springs Series.

*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the advance copy.*

Starting Over at Blueberry Creek, has continued to draw me into the amazing characters of this touching and heartfelt series. The fourth book in the Sweetwater Springs Series continues to bring the residents of this small picturesque town together in both friendship and love. Taste of Heaven owner Brenna McConnell had to give up a lot to come home and raise her younger sister, Eve, after the death of their parents. Inheriting not only a younger sister but also a catering business, Brenna had to let her dreams fall to the wayside. Now that Eve has reached eighteen, Brenna is looking to fulfill her hearts desire of becoming a teacher. But will things be easy for Brenna? Handsome Blueberry Creek neighbor and firefighter, Luke Marini has never been an overly friendly person but Brenna believes baking him a "welcome to the neighborhood" treat will open him up, but he is determined to stay to himself and not get involved with his neighbors. But will the beautiful Brenna change his mind? I found myself laughing a lot with this wonderful book but also a few tears were shed. Author Annie Rains has yet again, worked her magic and written an amazing story that will have the reader enthralled from the beginning! I cannot get enough of this wonderful series! I received this ARC and this is my honest review, in my own words!

A cute and adorable romance that at times will have you smiling at the anticsof the characters even when their not trying to get into trouble.Anything i love about this series is how close it show family and friends in a small town. With that said i want to say thank you to Forever and NetGalley for letting me read and review it.

Sweet small town romance. Luke and Brianna have good chemistry. Brianna's relationship with her sister is emotional and trying.
Story evokes all kinds of emotions, happiness, sadness, and anger.
Great read

I love every time I get to revisit Sweetwater Springs, I just can't say enough about how happy I am when I read one of Annie Rains books. This is an awesome, happily ever after story with a friends to lovers storyline. Love the characters in the town that adds to the story. I enjoyed reading the bonus novella at the end of Starting over also. Cannot wait to read the next Sweetwater book.

A nice little story. An older sister sacrifices her life to keep her family bakery going while raising her younger sister. The sister Eve has only one ambition,to be a firefighter also something of a family tradition. Breanna keeps more than a close eye on her kid sister which results in tension and emotional confrontations. Enter an acting fire chief who happens to be her hot new neighbor and things get interesting. It takes awhile but with Eve stepping out of her shadow a new avenue opens for Breanna when she returns to college to finish her degree.

Heartwarming, fun, emotionally thrilling journey filled with engaging charters, witty dialog, heart racing twists and sweetly thrilling turns. Was a great read from beginning to end. Really enjoyed this journey!

I enjoyed Brenna and Luke’s story. It was an easy read with great characters including fire dog Max! The story did a good job conveying the angst both Luke and Brenna felt with their decisions. The description of the town and the area made me want to visit!

I adore this small town and look forward to each book. Brenna and Luke definitely have some chemistry here! I enjoyed seeing how Brenna made peace with the fact that her Mother’s dream wasn’t her own and that it was ok to let go and follow her heart.⁠ I enjoyed seeing Brenna and her sisters relationship grow as they found themselves acting more like sisters. I did feel like there may have been something missing from Luke's backstory but I'm not sure if I just missed the explanation or what. Overall I enjoyed the story and recommend it for a heartwarming read!

I love this small-town, heartwarming series and this book was just as sweet and satisfying as the rest.

Brenna and Luke are neighbors who went from wanting to do their best to resist each other, to a no strings attached relationship, to something more than either expected. The characters weren't overly complex and their interactions and backstories weren't really deep, but I liked that simple and light feel to their story. I found both main characters were likable and the chemistry was there between them.

If you enjoy charming, clean/closed door romance, Starting Over at Blueberry Creek may be a story you'd enjoy.


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**Complimentary copy for review provided by Forever Romance. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.**

Sometimes you just need to escape and relax, and thanks to Annie Rain's newest book I was able to just to that. Starting Over at Blueberry Creek is the 4th full length novel of her Sweetwater Springs series. I love getting the chance to travel back to this small town and seeing characters from the former books and especially meeting our newest leads. Breanna owns the local catering business that she inherited after her parents died. Luke is a firefighter who recently moved to Sweetwater Springs. They live next door to each other and after months of living there, Breanna finally goes over to introduce herself and bring Luke some baked goods to welcome him to the neighborhood. Their instant attraction is felt and after run-ins due to misdelievered mail and false fire alarms, they finally give in to that attraction. I really liked Luke and Breanna's relationship. They decided to not make it serious because Breanna had plans to go back to school out of town, so they just wanted to have fun... but of course those things don't always go as planned.

The conflicts they face felt real but not overwhelming. I really love when I can read a romance and know the overall conflict will be something that can be tied up neatly without a lot of drama. I think we all need that sometimes. Still, even though I know there will always be an HEA, Annie Rains still knows how to take me on a bit of a rollercoaster to get there. Her heroines are always smart, funny, and ambitious. And while they fall in love, they don't let that totally take them away from their dreams in life. It what makes me love this genre so much!

Bonus on this serious too is the adorable dog Max who belongs to Luke and is essentially an emotional support dog for the fire department. I love him very much and his own little backstory.

Hopefully you'll give this sweet book a chance, especially since it's the beginning of a new set of friends who will be finding their own love stories over her next few books. I can't wait to keep reading more stories from Sweetwater Springs!

Thanks to Forever Romance for sending me a free copy to review.

I've been reading Annie Rains books since she started writing them in 2015 and find she keeps getting better and better. Her romances are all sweet romances with all sex behind closed doors, very refreshing. I can't wait for the next book, which is coming out this summer. I'd love to move to Sweetwater Springs if I could.

Thank you Read Forever for my gifted review copy.
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This is the fourth book in Annie’s Sweetwater Springs series & gosh, I just love it!
💗
I think fans of VIRGIN RIVER will really fall in love with this series! The small-town feel combined with the realistic & kind people will have you googling if you can actually move to Sweetwater Springs. The more books I read in this series, the more I love it!
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You know if you’re reading Annie you get a memorable and sweet happy ever after. I just love that. Annie is the perfect author to read when you need an escape. This is one of my favorites of the series!
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

I was curious about who the romance would be centered around in Starting Over at Blueberry Creek. So, I was excited when I saw that it was going to be Brenna’s romance. I had been curious about her backstory, and of course, I wanted to see who her true love would be.

Now, I did like Starting Over at Blueberry Creek. I loved Brenna and Luke’s romance. I loved how they interacted. Heck, I even loved the dog. But, it was Eve and Ryan that almost killed the book for me. Let me explain why.

Eve was a brat. I get that she was a teenager, but she acted like she was a child for most of the book. Eve had zero sympathy for Brenna. She also acted like a child on the job. She wants to be a firefighter, yet on her first call, she runs into a burning building to save kittens. And after Luke told her not to? Oh, and let’s not forget that she was caught drinking underage by her boss. If you couldn’t tell, I didn’t like her.

Ryan is the other one who scenes almost killed the book. He had appeared in previous books, and I know his backstory. I felt terrible for him, and I was thrilled that he got a job. Ryan was one of the most immature, insubordinate secondary characters I have ever read (well, next to Eve). The things he did in this book would have gotten him fired in real life. I knew quite a few firefighters, and I can confidently say that the stuff Ryan pulled would have gotten him fired.

I did like Brenna, and I thought that her character did a lot of growth throughout the book. She was a good person, and it showed. Not a lot of college-aged girls would willingly drop out of college to raise their pre-teen sisters. She dealt with Eve’s crap well, even though she wondered where she went wrong. By the end of the book, she was a better person for her experiences.

I liked Luke. His backstory was so tragic. I knew something was up when he glossed over the fire. But I wasn’t expecting what he revealed. I loved how close he was to his family too. I thought he was a great acting fire chief. I did think he was a little too lenient with Ryan and Eve. While I didn’t like his insecurities, I did like that the author chose to have him realistically handle them.

Luke and Brenna’s relationship was perfect. I liked that they were open and honest with each other from the beginning. I also liked that they both wanted to bring it to the next step. What I liked the most is that they talked through their issues like adults instead of acting like children. The only time they did that was when Eve was hurt, and even then, Brenna’s emotions were all over the place.

The sex scenes in Starting Over at Blueberry Creek were discreetly written. I liked that. Instead of getting graphic, the author let me imagine what was going on in bed. That didn’t take away from the story at all. Instead, it allowed me to focus on Brenna and Luke’s relationship.

I did figure that Brenna was going to go down the path she did with her job. I called it from the beginning. Not that it was a bad thing, I liked seeing her seesaw back and forth before doing what was right for her. Of course, what happened towards the end of that storyline was a given.

Starting Over at Blueberry Creek is the 4th book in the Sweetwater Springs series. You can read this as a stand-alone. But, I would read the previous three books. That way, you can understand the different friendships and everything else.

The end of Starting Over at Blueberry Creek was your typical HEA. I loved it. What I liked, even more, was that epilogue. Talk about making me cry!!! I also like that I think I know who the next book will feature.

With Luke a settling into a new position at the local firehouse in a new town, he’s not looking for love. Even less so with a neighbor, because if things go bad it could be an awkward every day, right? However, Brenna is in his path and soon in his heart.

Brenna isn’t looking for love either since she’s not planning on staying in town. She’s off to finish her degree after putting her schooling on hold to care for her sister since their parents were killed in a car crash. But her new neighbor Luke proves to be irresistible. However, Brenna’s not entirely happy with Luke when he hires her sister as the new firefighter. Since losing their parents, Brenna, can’t help the overprotective tendencies she feels. Something her younger sister does not appreciate. There’s some back and forth with Eve and Brenna and I really wanted to shake Eve a few times because she was sooo ungrateful. However, after getting Eve’s side of things, I could understand a little of her behavior, even if it was childish, in my opinion.

Luke and Brenna weren’t looking for love, but isn’t that when you usually find it? Sure, there were some obstacles, but I enjoyed the sweet and gradual, inevitable progression of their romance! The small-town of Sweetwater Springs sounded charming, and the story was filled with a fun cast of secondary characters.

STARTING OVER AT BLUEBERRY CREEK (Sweetwater Springs Book #4) by Annie Rains is another wonderful addition to the Sweetwater Springs contemporary romance series. Ms. Rains has written a friends-to-lovers story that pulled at every one of my heartstrings.

Brenna McConnell put her college education to become a teacher on hold to finish raising her younger sister, Eve when their parents are killed in an accident. Brenna takes over her mother’s catering business with her aunt and when her sister graduates from high school she fears her sister’s desire to become a firefighter like their father. Eve is headstrong and difficult with Brenna acting like a mother instead of the sister she misses which causes a rift between them.

Firefighter Luke Marini moves next door to the sisters to start over in a new town. He immediately notices the beautiful brunette next door, but one of the reasons he moved was to get away from his previous neighbor and have people not know about his past. Brenna welcomes her new neighbor even as he seems cold to her neighborly advances, but Luke is finding he cannot stay away from the temptation of the sweet Brenna.

Luke helps Brenna realize that her sister is an adult, even though she may not act like one at times and it is time for Brenna to work on realizing her own dreams. Brenna is used to sacrificing for others and she is finding it difficult to only think of herself, especially when wonderful firefighter may be her chance at a future that may be slightly different than what she always dreamed of.

I love Ms. Rain’s storytelling! It pulls me in to her small-town characters and lives effortlessly. Brenna and Luke both had so much going on emotionally, past and present and yet Ms. Rain’s writing makes you feel empathy and not sympathy. The growth and changes flow throughout the story, including Brenna and Eve’s relationship. Sometimes what we believe will make us happy, is not necessarily so and both of the main characters learn that and grow. All the secondary characters are fully fleshed out and the sex is all behind closed doors.

I love this book and all the Sweetwater Springs books and recommend them all! I want to thank Forever Books and Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC. It was very much my pleasure.