Not really my cup of tea, not keen when the story is based on misunderstandings that are stretched over the whole story and I’m not a fan of keeping secrets or children being used, I know it happens and it’s life, but not what I was expecting in what I thought was a nice romantic read. I’m sure others will enjoy this but not for me.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This is an excellent book. The characters are well developed and realistic. Kristen had a hard time growing up and with a father in prison and mother who was irresponsible, she had to work hard and ignore the "trailer trash" comments in school.. As a senior she was in love with Tyler but once he went off to college, she did not hear from him until he returns to their home town 16 years later. Kristen has a son, Seth, who is a talented violin player. Their relationship is genuine and she provides for him, sacrificing her own needs. Tyler wishes to renew the friendship he had with Kristen but she is reluctant to get involved. Kristen's work ethic, motherly love, and friendship makes her special. There are twists and turns throughout the story, making this book fun and heartwarming to read.

This book started off well, but I soon found myself bogged down by the many issues it covered. This is no light romance. There is a lot of conflict, sorrow, tragedy, and secrets. I like my romances to have substance, but reading this story felt like work.

It's well written and a hood read if you're looking for a romance that tackles complex and deeply emotional issues.

Kristen McKay is the single mother of 16-year-old violin prodigy, Seth. She had a rocky past, but between hard work and determination, she's now the owner of a bookstore/cafe. Although she's built a happy and stable life, she still struggles financially and is extremely unhappy when former classmate, Tyler Kincaide, returns to their small town 17 years later. Kristen has an issue with Tyler, and he has no idea why. Fate throws the two of them together to work on a project that could bring their town economic growth, leading to both uncomfortable and charming interactions.

I picked up this book because I love the "enemies turned lovers" trope, but A Season to Love took it even further. Heflin divulges early on that Tyler is actually Seth's father, and Kristen is angry with him for not calling her back after their one night together. She assumes that he spurned her due to her upbringing in a trailer park, leading to the animosity that is directed toward him upon his return.

There were several underlying themes in this novel. First, I felt that Kristen placed a lot of emphasis on society and class (think: Pride and Prejudice, but in her head). She truly felt that she wasn't entirely worthy of her success due to her past. There was an emphasis on the importance of family, and of course, forgiveness. While I enjoyed this book, I felt that there a lot of different storylines crammed in. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I walked away not feeling excessively invested in any of the characters. I would have loved to witness more interactions between Tyler and Seth.

Although the end was predictable it didn't stop me enjoying the book and I would recommend it .Kristen had a hard childhood and was constantly bullied about where she lived. 17 years later she is the owner of a book shop/coffee shop and is up early baking for the shop and up late at night studying for qualifications.

Tyler returns to his home town after 17 years after suffering health issues and can't undearstand why Kristen shows such anger towards him. When they are thrown together to work on a project they have to deal with past issues. Kristen has to start forgiving Tyler and knows she must share a secret with him that will probably end their friendship.

This is the first book I have read by Rebecca Helfin but I loved her style of writing and will happily search out more of her books.

This story had great promise of being a really cute second chance romance. I could of truly loved it if Kristen didn’t drive me insane. We find out her secret from the beginning but it wasn’t revealed to Tyler until the 85% mark. I wanted to shake Kristen from the throughout this book but loved how sweet Tyler was.

Overall a easy simple read, but not one that’s memorable.

I thought this book was a fun read, cute but also held my attention. I enjoyed the characters but the story line was predictable from the beginning. When it came to not telling Tyler about Seth I did it see her side I felt bad for Tyler who just wanted a family and thought he could never have kids. I did not realize this was a series of books I do think I’ll read the others. I’d like to hear more about the other characters.

I really enjoyed this book! I felt the characters were real and were willing to work out their issues. Always love a good romance and this one didn't disappoint. The characters had both been through a lot, but found ways to forgive each other. This is how it is suppose to be instead of holding out anger and bitterness against each other.

I received this book as an Arc for my own opinions.
I'm not one to read a book about secret babies but I had a hard time not reading this book.
I was drawn in by the cover and excerpt that I read.
I love the depth of the characters. They both grew up a lot in this book and i feel like they found their way in a realistic every day situation instead of unbelievable like some books are.
I wa every surprised by this book and really enjoyed reading it.

This book was fantastic. Kristen has grown up being teased and challenged her whole life. While struggling with her self confidence she is also the owner of a coffee shop/book store. When the guy that he always loved came back into town, she was so mad at him and for a good reason. Tyler on the other hand has no clue why she is so mad at him. While battling cancer Tyler realized that life was too short and even though he won the battle of cancer h didnt get away Scott free.

This is a story about not letting bitterness and resentment define you. Both Tyler and Kristen have been through a lot. Kristen has struggled all her life through poverty, teenage pregnancy, and more. She is putting herself through school while starting a small business and supporting her son - all on her own. She literally has no support from her community and no family left. Tyler has survived cancer, again without a lot of support - because he lived far away from his family and his fiance left him shortly after he was diagnosed. He is working his way back to living and feeling confident in his own survival. He is also facing infertility and what that means for him.

What Tyler doesn't know is that he is the father of Kristen's son. He doesn't even remember that they had sex - he has alcohol induced amnesia (which Kristen doesn't know) and when Kristen tried to contact him later, he didn't get her messages (thanks for nothing college roommate). Kristen has been holding on to her resentment and anger at Tyler all this time. Her anger is understandable, but not contacting him or letting his family know really isn't. Kristen has reasons for not contacting Tyler's family as a way of getting in touch with him - but those reason look fairly weak in the long run.

Overall - much of the book focuses on the characters finding ways for forgive each other. Until they both realize that "resentment is like swallowing poison and waiting for the other person to die."

I will say that secret baby books are NOT my favorite trope (but I still keep reading them!!!). But this one is a good one - both Kristen and Tyler are very authentic and real. I particularly loved Kristen's son. Their situation was a really really tough one - and I think even though the book ends with a happily ever after, Kristen's actions will resonate through the rest of their lives.

I received this as an ARC but these opinions are all my own.

I tend to be picky about contemporary romance and not enjoy miscommunication as a long term plot point so YMMV. The Hero has returned to town after 16 years away after surviving cancer. The Heroine grew up on the wrong side of the tracts and stayed in town raising her child violin prodigy son. She hates the hero because she thinks he knows about their shared kid, but he was drinking the night the kid was conceived and apparently this gives him amnesia and his college roommate didn't give him her messages. She finds out about the amnesia thing fairly early in the book and semi forgives him, and they start a relationship with about 5 other subplots (that should have been expanded or dumped in my opinion). She still doesn't tell him he has a kid though, until like 85% of the way through the book his mom lets slip that the cancer treatment made him sterile and then she tells him and the kid. The kid by the way is 16, but is pretty much the most rational person in the whole book, and never really believable as a teenager or real person possibly because he doesn't get very much page time. Anyway Hero says I'll never forgive you for keeping this from me (she did think he knew for most of that time, but sure) and then like 10 pages later is like actually I want to marry you, and this will not be an issue we should deal with at all beyond a couple conversations with my mom and best friend. So for me the pacing is kind of a miss.