As the author says in her preface, this is a story about labels and how we sometimes let them define us. Mack has always been a ‘good girl’ but returning home fresh from a divorce, she’s determined to shed that image once and for all. She sets her sights on Danger Dan, her brothers’ best friend from high school. However, Danger Dan is now Sheriff Dan who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Can the former good girl turned bad and the former bad boy turned good shed their labels and meet somewhere in the middle? Well, that’s what Her Homecoming Wish is all about.

This is everything you want from a Harlequin romance. It’s not going to win a Pulitzer Prize for literature, but you don’t want that from every book you read. This is escapism at its best as you get to indulge yourself in a little world of romance for a few hours.

If you can’t tell, I really enjoyed this book. With a solid story which had good attention to detail and fun characters that you care about, there is more than enough to keep you entertained as you speed through the pages of Her Homecoming Wish. If you like you men strong, your women feisty and a good solid romance weaving them together in a touching story then you will enjoy this one.

In high school, Mackenzie was determined to be the one her parents never had to worry about. She wore off boys, parties, sneaking into her parents’ liquor store. Instead she remained focused on her grades and being the good daughter. Especially after her brother was in an accident, a dare accepted while drunk, that claimed the life of a friend. Especially after her mother fell ill.

Now divorced, Mack is back home helping her father run the store. Only this time she’s shed her goody two-shoes image. The first person she happens to run into? Her long ago crush, her brother’s best friend, now the town sheriff. Once labeled the ultimate good girl, Mack’s first night home she’s nearly arrested when Danny mistakenly assumes she’s breaking into the store.

If Danny is surprised at Mack’s image overhaul, she’s just as shocked at his. This law-abiding, stand up citizen was SO not the boy she grew up with. Sheriff Adams – Dan – is a total 180 from Daddy, from his allegiance to his badge to his absolute devotion to his little girl.

As a newbie to the world of Harlequin titles, I’m open to everything, so when I was asked to join the tour for Her Homecoming Wish, I readily accepted. I don’t have much to say about this one: it was an easy, quick read. Unfortunately it never gripped me as much as it seemed to want to. There’s a major sub plot dealing with an opioid crisis in town that Danny feels responsible for eradicating. I didn’t care about this part at all and found myself rolling my eyes and skimming by rather than biting my nails over the town’s safety.

Another thing that stood out was Danny’s daughter. One of the first times she’s mentioned Danny makes a point to stress how much of a tomboy his daughter is, going on about how she has the bumps and cuts and bruises to prove it. Then it’s never mentioned again. Instead, another sub plot deals with a fashion show and his daughter is asked to be in it. She loses. her. mind. over the show and the dresses she tries on – the sparklier the better. It was like there were two different girls in this book: Danny’s daughter and the one he talked about.

Overall, Her Homecoming Wish was a decent read while it lasted, but ultimately one I doubt I’ll ever revisit.

I very much enjoyed this book. It is a quick easy read that kept me reading. This story is so sweet and it is funny at parts.

Sure this book is predictable like most romance but it was still very good. Well written.

I give this 4 out of 5.

This book is a part of the Harlequin Special Edition series. I was given a copy from Harlequin and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Mackenzie Wallace hopes there’s still some bad boy lurking beneath single father Danny Adams’s upright exterior. Being the proverbial good girl left her brokenhearted and alone in the past. Now she’s back in town and wants excitement with her high school crush—not love. Dan knows their connection runs deep, despite Mackenzie’s protests. But will their new personas work together—especially when Dan’s secret is exposed?

Okay. I didn’t super love this one. I didn’t even really like it...but this book has an average of almost 4 stars on Goodreads, so don’t just take my word for it! To me, the characters didn’t seem genuine. It seemed like the dialogue was trying too hard. It felt really cheesy to me, and I rolled my eyes….A LOT. Have y’all been back to your hometowns years after graduating from high school? SPOILER ALERT-nobody is this cute or witty. Keep your handful of friends that you love and don’t try this at home. This book dragged on for me and I definitely felt like I was forcing myself to finish it. Not every book is a slam dunk for me. This one certainly wasn’t.

If you enjoy a fluffy romance book, definitely pick this one up. There are lots of great reviews for this book on Goodreads. I encourage you to take a look around and make your own choice. If you’re more like me or we have similar tastes, maybe skip this one.

🌟🌟/5 Stars

McNally never disappoints. She tells beautifully executed stories with compelling characters and in this case, the right dash of suspense to keep the pacing alive.

Her Homecoming Wish Jo McNally is the story of Dan Adams and Mackenzie 'Mack' Wallace.
Mackenzie has returned to Gallant Lake, her home town. Mackenzie was always the good girl, got married and moved away. But now she is divorced and was planning to return home when her father fell off a ladder so she had to escalate her plans. Dan was her brother's best friend and along with her brother a bad boy of the town. So her first meeting with him since coming back was sneaking into her dad's Liquor store for booze. Dan thought someone had broke into Carl's Liquor store so of course he went to investigate. There he found Mackenzie who doesn't seem to be following her good girl rules any longer. Mackenzie is so surprised that Danger Dan is now the Sheriff but one thing for sure he still clicks all her buttons.
This book had me from just the first pages. I couldn't put it down. Loved it!

I wasn't expecting to get hooked in the first paragraph of Jo Connelly's new novel, 'Her Homecoming Wish' but that's exactly what happened.

A strong stable of characters, a palpable spark between Dan and Mackenzie, excellent timing on how they unfolded, and a tragic secret that you are literally on the edge of your seat knowing it will happen but dreading it; this had everything that makes a good romance from beginning to end.

I do wish that the attempts to be less of a good girl had been a bit less on the nose for bad behavior and that we hadn't been told that they were happening quite so much; what's wrong with being a good girl? I love my bad girls as much as I love the cozy knitting young old souls- I would love to see a youthful but over it good girl represented one of these days but this was one heck of an enjoyable read.

Nothing really new in this story. But a good feel time that was a very quick read. I had a fun time reading about Mackenzie trying to shed her good girl title and trying to bring Danny along for the ride. If you are looking for a quick story to give you all the feels then check this one out.

What a homecoming, I think we can all agree that high school had us believing we all need to amount to a lot in life and that it all would go as planned because well we planned. I love how this book right here shows us how all that planning might not lead you to a life you wanted or deserve.

Dan and Mack are great for each other, they had so much chemistry and sizzle. I really enjoyed seeing Mack discover what she really wanted in life and not what she came for. And Dan slowly melting his good guy persona and relaxing to be just Dan not Dan the sheriff not Dan the father but just Dan.

Something else I really appreciated about this book was The parenting aspect of it. We have Dan who is a single father and his ex-wife who is about to get remarried throughout the book we see that they decide to set differences aside and be a team in raising their daughter. And once Mac comes into the picture I feel like she has respect for them for putting their child before themselves. That we don’t really interact with the child much when we do get a few scenes with her I enjoy watching both our characters Danny and McKenzie trying not to allow their argument or their bad mood to ruin the daughters day.

This was a really good read I really enjoyed it and I highly recommend it.

Her Homecoming Wish by Jo McNally is a wonderful romance about embracing we we are despite what others want us to be! This is a gorgeous love story, one I was full invested in, and I love every single minute of it! Not only that, this is a story of second chances at love. Not necessarily TOGETHER but finding love again after bad times. I love a book where people are given second chances despite things standing in their ways so this book really satiated my needs. I highly recommend it!

Labels. Both good and bad. He has dropped his. She is trying to drop hers. When it comes to Mackenzie Wallace, she has spent a lifetime being good, close to perfect, in everything. Problem is, she never had any fun. Meanwhile, Danny Adams was the ultimate bad boy-turned Sheriff. He is also a single dad so he is as strict as he can be so that he can do as much as he can for the town, and his daughter.

Mack is out for fun, and she will do whatever is in her power to bring Danny along for the ride. She doesn't want the strict guy she now sees before her. Life is for the living and she is one of them and is definitely ready to go.

However, despite being opposites for the time being, sparks fly between Mack and Danny. I enjoyed both aspects of the book - as well as the scenes with Danny's daughter. It was rather hilarious at some of Mack's attempt to drop her goody two-shoes persona. It was rather hard at times watching Danny trying to balance his role as Sheriff, father, and a man drawn into a romantic entanglement. The conflicts in this book were strong and I loved how they were all smoothed out. Jo McNally did this in a convincing manner and this definitely made this book a winner.

Many thanks to Harlequin Special Edition and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Mackenzie Wallace has learned that being the quintessential good girl is completely overrated, she use to strive to always be good... but now she has a craving to be bad! She wants to be wild, free, and not follow all the rules down to the letter. And her brothers best friend Danny Adams seems like the perfect place to start, way back when he was the town's bad boy, and she is hoping he can teach her his wild ways.

But there is just one problem, he's now an officer and likes to follow the rules... and he isn't so sure that dating his best friends sister is a good idea.

The Homecoming Wish centers around a brokenhearted young lady that is tired of always doing the right thing, the safe thing. She wants to shed her good girl ways and dabble on the wrong side of right, but the man she has set her sights on to help her with that isn't the man he use to be. Watching Mackenzie embrace this new side of herself was inspiring at times, she pushed herself past old limits, became more daring and went after what she wanted. Even if it almost landed her in trouble with the law, aka Danny. These two were a wonderful pairing, both harboring some past hurts, both unsure of letting love in again, and both completely smitten with one another. I really enjoyed this one, it was sweet, emotional, rich with feels, and SO good on the ticker!! Highly recommend!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, via NetGalley request, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.

Mackenzie always striven to be the good person, the good sibling, the good wife but it all came crashing down and shes tired of being so good. Now shes back to her home town to help keep her fathers business afloat while he recovers from an injury and wants to have more fun with her life. Maybe even Danny her brothers bad boy best friend can help her out. Problem is hes an officer now with his own set of issues with his job and isn't sure he can deal with a personal and work life.

I really enjoyed this book. Mackenzie was pretty straight laced as it came and she was trying her best to be a "bad girl" or at least do more with her life. It was interesting seeing the things she tried doing to break out from her mold. Then theres also the point where shes kinda trying to get Danny to her way of thinking because he had a wild streak in the past and she wanted his help to doing more. I enjoyed seeing the romance between the two. But then there is Danny's side of things where he is stressed af there is so much going on in his work life that having a life other then his work life really isn't working out for him. It was tough seeing the pressure people around him were putting on him, there was things going on beyond his control and he was doing his best and you can see his struggle and sympathize with him. Overall this was a pretty good book i really enjoyed it.

Thanks goes to the publisher, via Net-Galley, for the opportunity to read and review Her Homecoming Wish by Jo McNally prior to publication. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.
This is the first book I’ve read by Jo McNally, and I enjoyed it. The characters are engaging, and the plot is interesting. The pacing is steady and works well for this story. Her Homecoming Wish is well written and had good character development.

MacKenzie Wallace is an endearing character with plenty of heart. She’s always been the good girl, but she’s ready to break out and have a fling with the guy she crushed on in high school. There’s a problem, being good is just part of who she is.

Dan Adams is a great hero. Now that he’s the sheriff of his hometown, he’s determined to make up for his reckless youthful indiscretions by putting his service above everything, except his daughter.

The romance between Mackie and Dan is sweet and fulfilling. While they both have to get rid of baggage from their past, once they do, they find their happy ending in a most fulfilling way. I believe they are perfect for each other.

If you like contemporary romances with plenty of heart and endearing characters, then you will enjoy Her Homecoming Wish as much as I did. I will certainly be looking for other stories set in Gallant Lake. Happy reading!

Her Homecoming Wish is a beautiful surprise of a novel, a small-town romance with a sense of humor drawn exquisitely from life.

Mackenzie (Mack) Wallace is living in flux.  Having left her marriage, cheating husband and home in the snooty town of Glenfadden, Connecticut, she’s returned to her home town of Gallant Lake and is living over her father’s liquor store while trying to figure out what do to next.  She sneaks downstairs one night to grab herself a bit of the bubbly – only to accidentally alert the authorities to an intruder! Fortunately, the cop who comes to arrest her happens to be someone she knows.

Sheriff Danny Adams has no idea what the heck Mack is doing walking around her dad’s liquor store at two in the morning, naked under her sweats, wearing hiking boots and trying to get drunk off of the inventory.  But he doesn’t shoot her by mistake, thankfully.

Times have changed since they were kids.  “Danger Danny” is now a lawman and a single dad co-parenting with his ex, and sweet, straitlaced Mack wants to go a little wild and break free after playing by the rules got her nothing but a failed marriage.

Joining the local Women in Charge group, Mack starts planning to modernize the liquor store as Danny deals with his daughter’s desire to model in a local fashion show. Danny and Mack start getting closer and closer.

But Danny is dealing with the possibility that Gallant Lake has become a substation supplier for opioid dealers and wrestling with a secret he cannot share; and Mack is discovering that people can be just as impossible about their liquor here as they are anywhere else in the world as she deals with her father’s announcement that he wants to retire - and and the news that he's moving in with the long-term girlfriend about whose existence Mack had no idea.

Now this is what I call slow-burn home-town romance with personality!  Her Homecoming Wish does such a fabulous job taking two imperfect people, putting them together and making them make sense as a unit – and making the reader fall in love with them along the way.

Danny is self-burdening, loving and a bit of a workaholic who has trouble balancing his job with both his relationships and his daughter.  He’s understandably tightly-wound and Mack is just the antidote to his attitude.

She, meanwhile, is flailing under the weight of the breakdown of her marriage and her father’s sudden retirement (and her brother’s unavailability in the wake of his recovery from addiction.)  Her life is about rebuilding bridges.

So is the romance – Mack and Danny communicate!  They actually speak to one another and comfort each other in the hard times.  That’s a near miracle in a romance novel!

I loved that Danny and his ex, Susanne, are still friends as they co-parent their daughter, and that Danny admires Susanne’s new fiancé, Samir, a Sudanese dermatologist whose job is rather less scary than Danny’s.  They act like real people who are friends but still get frustrated with each other. I liked Danny’s relationship with his best friend, Asher, and everything about the way he interacts with his ex and daughter Chloe.

Mack’s relationship with her dad and brother – and her dad’s new girlfriend – is rather more strained, but well handled and resolved, and I liked the social circle she forms in town.

The novel doesn’t have many flaws.  I think the action climax was only marginally necessary, but then again we get to see Mack claim her agency and kick butt in the name of saving Chloe’s life, and that’s awesome.

Otherwise, Her Homecoming Wish gets high marks for its wonderful, nearly flawless romance.

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