Four and a half stars

The Road to Rose Bend is the first full novel in the Rose Bend series by the ever fabulous Naima Simone.

Sydney Collins is back in town. Rose Bend, to be exact. She's returned, newly single again and newly pregnant, wanting to reconcile with her family and the community she remembers from her own childhood. The first person she runs into is old friend and now widower and Rose Bend mayor Coltrane Dennison. Cole's had pretty crummy few years with the devastating losses, and while seeing Sydney again is an unexpected shot to the heart, he's not ready to deal with anything else.

Naima Simone's characters are beautifully drawn, and their emotions deeply felt and sweeping. The Road to Rose Bend will draw you in and tangle you up and roar through your heart. Sydney and Cole not only struggle with their own feelings and direction, but also work hard to find the right balance and footing with their families and their pasts in order to fully enjoy the present and move forward to a future of their choosing.

The Road to Rose Bend is sweet, hot, moving... it's everything you could want in a romance!

I love this author's words, and her characters are always spectacular, but some things here just didn't work as well for me as they usually do. 3.5 Stars.

Sydney Collins is back in Rose Bend after 8 years away. She's newly divorced, and newly pregnant, and she's come home to raise her daughter in the small town where she grew up. But, her parents aren't exactly thrilled with her choices, her ex thinks she's being selfish by moving away, and the town mean girl still clearly has it out for her after all these years. One bright spot is reconnecting with her best friend Leo, and Leo's amazing family, including her brother Cole.

Coltrane Dennison is a widower, who lost his wife, Tonia, and baby, Mateo, 2 years before. He's also the current mayor of Rose Bend. He was always friendly with Sydney, as his sister's best friend, but he and his wife had been together since they were kids. Now, he spends his days on his mayoral duties, working at his law firm, or working out to exhaustion. Anything to stay too busy to think about all he's lost. But Sydney is pregnant, and beautiful, and making him feel things he has no interest in ever feeling again, thank you very much. He's not ready to give up his grief, or the guilt he feels over the death of his family. But, when Sydney needs help, he's determined to step in and do what he can.

Cole and Sydney had a strong connection as friends, and their attraction to each other was apparent from the start. Cole has a servant's heart, which led him to be mayor, and leads him to do anything he can to help Sydney, short of giving her love. That, he doesn't have to spare. Watching Cole move through his grief over and over again every time he was reminded of Tonia & Mateo in regards to Sydney's pregnancy, was truly heartbreaking. He was really stuck, and wasn't really interested in trying to heal, as he considered his grief a way to still feel close to his family. Sydney just left a marriage where she felt as if she were disappearing, and where neither she, nor her wants and needs, were a priority. She knows she could never be #1 for Cole, and so there's no way she should get involved with him. She has to put her baby first now, and they both deserve to finally be first with someone.

The town and it's people were fully realized, and I loved getting to know everyone. I am, of course, excited for Cole's brother Wolf's book next! I mean, he's described as like a lumberjack Aquaman, so I'm obviously here for it! The town mean girl (and her sore loser, ex-mayor dad) were HORRIBLE, and Sydney's ex was no picnic either. But Cole's entire family, including his former in-laws, were all fantastic, and I look forward to learning more about each of them throughout the series. Sydney's parents had been through a lot after the death of Sydney's sister as a child, but they had a ton of making up to do with her, and I was glad to see steps towards that in the story.

There were a few things that didn't quite work for me here. I really loved Sydney and Cole as characters, but their connection was SO fraught, and it just mostly seemed painful for everyone. That's always an issue for me with dead ex (and especially dead ex + kid) stories. Cole really had to get out of his own way to figure out how to move on and be happy. Same with Sydney. I really think they could have benefitted from some counseling, both separately and together. They each had quite a bit of trauma to unpack and could clearly use some professional help. They both had friends and family who were there for them, but sometimes that just isn't enough. Also I didn't feel there was enough of a balance between the pain they went through, and the healing they were committed to by the end. I needed to see them together more at the end and what that would look like, to really believe in their chances as a couple. Especially with Sydney eventually giving birth, and how that might bring up major issues for Cole. So, I feel an epilogue would not have gone amiss. I assume we'll be seeing them as side characters in future stories, but they won't be the focus, so I don't imagine it will really fill that gap for me. I really cared for these characters and wanted the best for them, which is what's always great about Naima's stories. I almost think this story could have benefitted from not being first in a series, and all the extra world-building that entails. It would have left a little more space in the story to deal with some of the things I thought needed more time.

I will definitely be reading more in this series, as I'm in love with the characters, and the town. I'm hopeful that the issues I had here, many of which were inherent to it being a grieving widower's story, won't be present in future books.

CONTENT WARNING for past deaths, including death of a mother and baby in childbirth, childhood cancer death of a sibling, and accidental death of parents.

3.5 Stars

The Road to Rose Bend features a wonderful romance about second chances that is more angsty than the cover implies.

Sydney Collins left her hometown of Rose Bend eight years ago and swore she'd never go back. But now, newly divorced and pregnant, Sydney is looking for a place to raise her child and call home. The last thing she was looking for was an attraction to Rose Bend's widower mayor, Coltrane Dennison. After losing his wife and son, Cole has thrown everything he has into being mayor. Despite his attraction to Sydney, he'll never let go of his grief which is the last connection he has to his family. But when Sydney's ex threatens to take her child, the pair find themselves entering into the most unlikely of bargains.

Sydney was always considered the black sheep of her family and after losing her sister at such a young age, she drifted further from her parents. Sydney lost herself in her marriage and returning home is one of the first things she's done for herself in a long time. I admired Sydney's strength and her willingness to do what's right for her despite pressure from her ex or family. Cole lost his wife and son two years before the start of the story. In that time he has struggled to work through his grief and tends to avoid situations that remind him of the past. Instead he works to an excessive degree to try and keep himself too busy to think of his loss. Cole's pain is tremendous and incredibly hard to read about which I was not expecting going into this book as the cover implies a much lighter tone.

Sydney and Cole's relationship starts out as friendship with an attraction that neither of them wants to act on. I liked getting to see the two become friends again after years apart and I found their friendship to be one of my favorite aspects of their relationship. After the threat from Sydney's ex, the two enter into a relationship believing they're doing so without love being on the table which is a trope I enjoy. Sydney and Cole's physical relationship is incredibly well done with a number of very steamy scenes throughout. Ultimately the only thing I disliked about the story was due to my dislike of pregnancy in romances. I initially picked up this book without reading the description which is my fault, so I was unaware going in that Sydney was pregnant and how large a role it would play in the story. But as my dislike is a personal preference when it comes to books, it shouldn't be an issue for anyone who doesn't share that dislike.

Overall The Road to Rose Bend was a fantastic read that I mostly enjoyed. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who doesn't mind pregnancy in their romances as outside of that I truly did enjoy the book.

I was fortunate enough to receive a review copy of The Road to Rose Bend by Naima Simone from Netgalley (although I actually listened to the finished copy via Hoopla). The short version of this review is that I was extremely invested in this story and managed to squeeze in time for a full 11 hour audiobook (there’s also a short story) into one day (admittedly I listen at double speed), which is very rare. But, the ending was much too abrupt and I am left with being like WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? And that’s not just because we exit the book before a major life event happens, it’s also because we really don’t get to see Sydney and Coltrane together after the big gesture. So, do I want to believe that of course they work it out and there’s an HEA? Yes, absolutely. But I’m barely persuaded about an HFN because this book is angsty, without enough time after the conflict to breathe.

Let me back up though and tell you what this book is about. Sydney returns to Rose Bend pregnant with her ex-husband’s child. She left town about eight years ago and it was a couldn’t wait to get away type of situation. Her older sister died when she was young and her parents have, in Sydney’s eyes, always resented her for her sister’s death. So Sydney isn’t exactly anticipating the warmest of welcomes. But the first person she actually encounters is her childhood best friend’s older brother, Coltrane. They run into one another at a church because Coltrane has just been visiting the graves of his wife and son. There is a lot of grief going on in this book. There is also the fact that Coltrane does not know how to handle the fact that Sydney makes his body come alive. He has feelings and he’s a good person, but he also doesn’t quite know how to not shut down emotionally when things get hard.

I feel like I’m making it sound like I didn’t enjoy this book, which is not true! I actually really liked both characters and just wanted to wrap them in bubble wrap. But there were things about it that just didn’t quite make sense and I couldn’t convince my brain to turn itself off enough to fully immerse myself into the book and forget logic. It never helps me when one of the characters is a lawyer and I disagree with their legal advice either. But, as always, Naima Simone is a brilliant writer and she’s particularly excellent at the sexy times. Despite Coltrane’s insistence on using “baby girl” as his preferred term of endearment, I thought the sexy times were top notch.

CWs (may contain spoilers): pregnancy, off page death in childbirth, still birth, death from cancer (childhood, off page), toxic relationships with parents, divorce, mean girls who are grown women, mentions of racism (challenged)

It felt like a great first half, and then the book fell off of a cliff.
The cover made me want to read this novel, and I thought I was getting a charming, small town romance with a bit of angst and longing. This book was... a lot more, that I wasn't ready to take on as I listened. Cole is hurting, Sydney is hurting, her parents are jerks, she ends up living at Cole's cottage, her exH is a bigger jerk than her parents.... and then it descends into a trope I don't like and didn't want to read.
A quick fix that's... dicey... to say the least. I don't...get it? And then in the last chapter everyone has these heartfelt reversals and everything is better.
The writing is GREAT. The plot itself was a disappointment. The cover is misleading, given the grave subject matter.

I love this authors books, but this storyline has really been an excellent read for me and is my favorite so far. The storyline and characters were so well developed to the point I felt the love, compassion, hurt and pain that the two main characters Sydney Collins and Coltrane Dennison we’re going through. When you feel like you are part of the storyline and can relate, you know the author has accomplished how they wanted you to enjoy their work.
I loved how the author showed that you can overcome life decisions, challenges, hurts, pain of loss and move on without having regrets. As I was reading I was on an emotional rollercoaster and I found myself talking and reacting to what was going on with the characters, especially Sydney’s mother and Sydney’s ex-husband with his controlling self.
This was a page-turner for me and I highly recommend this book to read. I look forward to reading more stories about the town and people of Rose Bend especially more about the Dennison family members storylines.
Cassandra H.
I voluntarily received a ARC from Netgalley and this review is of my honest opinion and thoughts.

4 1/2 STARS!

A heart-wrenchingly emotional journey of healing! Naima Simone brings on all the feels in the spicy first book in her Rose Bend series and I simply loved it! The ending was a tad abrupt and I wanted a little more there, but overall the emotional depth was spot on, the romance was steaming hot and the characters were so easy to like and cheer on. I'm looking forward to more of Rose Bend!

Sydney is impossible to dislike. She's reached the point in life where she's tired of living for someone else and she wants to be happy for a change. Her surprise pregnancy shook up her semi-friendly divorce, but coming home to Rose Bend seems like the way to go.

Cole is complex. One one side, he's obviously still buried in grief for his wife and son, but on the other side he's so ready to wrap his dirty talking body around this woman that makes him want to do wicked things to her every single time she is near. I loved his entire family!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a passionate romance that heals the wounds of hte past as a happily ever after rolls onto the scene one day at a time.

Oh. My. Feels!! I'm utterly broken. But I'm also completely happy. Not sure how that's possible, but Ms. Simone managed to do both in this beautifully written, heart-wrenching story!

Cole and Sydney were everything. Cole thought his heart was made of stone after his wife, Tania, and his son Mateo, died during Mateo's birth. And Sydney had felt like she was never first - especially after her dear sister died when Sydney was still very young.

When these to met again, there was definitely chemistry from the start. However, it seemed as if fate herself as against them. Sydney was divorced, but pregnant with her former husband's child. And Cole was still grieving for his wife and son. It really didn't feel like anything good could happen for either of them. Star crossed lovers, anyone? That's what I thought I would get.

Plus, don't get me started on Sydney's parents. I wanted to hit both of them at the back of the head more than once. Of course, I have no idea how it feels to lose a child. But at the same time, they did still have Sydney - and she felt like she should have either died along with her sister, or died instead of her. And that hadn't changed even after the time Sydney had been gone.

The Road to Rose Bend is a humongous emotional rollercoaster. My heart soared in some places, and plummeted so low in others it ached more than it has from a novel in a very, very long time. (And yes, I loved that.) Between tentative hope, sizzling hotness, friendship, love, fear, and some characters that only deserve the worst life can ever give them, I still have trouble sharing any kind of coherent thoughts of this.

Apart from maybe - run and get it! If your heart can take all the feels, you'll thank me later.

This book takes place in a diverse small town. It doesn't shy away from racial issues, but it also allows for the coexistence that can happen despite racial issues. The residents are allowed to be flawed, but they're still all real people, which this reviewer truly appreciated.

Sydney has made some choices recently and in some ways it feels like the first time she ever has. She left her husband, though pregnant with his child, and has moved back home to her small town to raise her baby in the environment she knows will be best for them. That being said, no one seems to approve of her choice, not her ex, and not her parents. But Sydney knows she made the right choice (at least she knows it most of the time) and is learning to stand strong.

That being said, it's a romance! Of course there's a handsome old crush who just so happens to be the town mayor with a sad romantic past. All the pent up desire that looked like it would read to a satisfying steamy scene was there. I am a little sad that I didn't get that far into the book. For my personal tastes, there was a little too much emotional trauma that kept erupting. Basically the characters kept hurting each other profoundly and for my own reading choices I wasn't able to push through that. I think the conclusion of the book was probably absolutely worth it, judging by the author's skill weaving the story.

I fell in love with the cover and liked the blurb.
The book is well written but I assume I was expecting a more heart warming story with less drama.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Road to Rose Bend is filled with drama and angst! Naima Simone delivers her usual heat and wonderful dialogue, but adds an additional layer of emotion as she tackles some pretty heavy topics and emotional turmoil.

From their first meeting it was clear that Cole and Sydney were just what the other needed to help move forward with their lives. Cole is still dealing with his grief over losing his wife and child, so even though there were a few times I wanted to give him a proverbial smack and tell him to wake up and see what is front of him, it was easy to cut him a whole lot of slack knowing that he was still going through the grieving process. Sydney was fierce - she left her marriage because she did not want to settle for less than she deserves, and that didn’t change once she found out she was pregnant. She has her own issues to deal with, and although it took her a bit to let go of some of her childhood baggage, I did love that ultimately she got all she deserved.

There was a wonderful supporting cast of characters, many whom I suspect will get their own book (yeah!!!) And no one writes the mean, evil, selfish character better than Naima Simone, so you know there were a few of those thrown in to add to the angst and drama that Cole and Syndey had to go through.

Reflective of the times, this book also addressed some issues of race and bullying. I really liked the way that these topics were addressed, and I really loved the exchange between Cole and his adoptive mother.

This was another wonderful read from Naima Simone. I can’t say enough about her writing and the way she brings her characters to life.

In typical Harlequin fashion, this was a quick read that leaves you with a happy for now, but since this is just the first in the series I can only assume that we’ll get to see a bit more of Cole and Sydney as more books are released.

If you are looking for angst, drama, heat, and a whole lot of feels, then this is one you shouldn’t miss!

You might suspect, upon glancing at this rather bucolic cover, that this is a quiet, peaceful, drama-free romance…and you’d be wrong. This series starter introduces us to the town of Rose Bend, a charming little town nestled in the Berkshires that has all of the small-town coziness of a Hallmark Channel movie. But that’s really where the similarities end. Unlike the aforementioned Hallmark movies, this book is chock full of drama, sex, and painful backstories for both the male and female main characters.

One of the things I really appreciated about this book is the fact that each chapter had an alternating POV so as a reader, we were able to get inside both of these characters’ heads. This was especially helpful because both Sidney and Coltrane are messy, with incredibly painful pasts and having some insight into their thoughts was a good way to track their character growth.

Sidney is recently divorced and pregnant, the result of an ill-fated one-night stand with her ex-husband. I really liked that the divorce wasn’t because of some cheating drama or that he physically abused her. No, she married young and realizes as she grows into her identity that somehow, she’s lost who she is in the marriage. Stuck in a marriage that increasingly feels devoid of love, she divorces her husband and finding herself single and pregnant, returns to her hometown after a 8 year absence. She’s got a very difficult relationship with her parents, much of it related to her sister who died years ago from cancer. I really liked Sidney’s story although I will say that some of the resolution at the end felt a little too hasty to me. But more on that later.

Coltrane has an even more difficult and heartbreaking backstory. He unexpectedly lost his wife and baby in childbirth two years ago. After contemplating ending his life, he has thrown himself into his career, which includes a law practice and being the first Latino mayor of Rose Bend, in an effort to distract himself from the emotional trauma of his loss. Cole’s pain is a living, breathing thing, and watching him navigate his feelings of loss and guilt and try to balance it with his burgeoning feelings of lust and attraction for Sidney are done really, really well. One of the things I really loved about his particular storyline was also his relationship to his family. Unlike Sidney, who has a very shaky relationship with her parents, Cole’s family is tight knit, his siblings and adopted parents are a supportive force in his life and his late wife’s parents also continue to be a presence in his life. I loved the family aspect of this a lot because it was critical to Cole working through his pain and grief and learning to let go and love again.

If I have any complaints about the book, it has to do with the end of the book. It just really felt very abrupt to me after the dark moment. First of all, part of the dark moment involved Sidney’s ex husband and while I don’t want to give it all away, I will say that the resolution of that storyline felt very sudden and almost anticlimactic. Secondly, the big dark moment between Sidney and Cole also felt like it deserved more time on the page. 5 days had passed between their big fight and the grand gesture scene and overall, that felt really rushed to me. I do also think that this book would have benefitted greatly from an epilogue. Epilogues aren’t a must have for me but in this particular book, Cole spends much of the time trying to avoid falling in love, both with Sidney and her unborn baby, due to his personal losses. I think I would have liked to have seen a down the road scene where Cole finally has the family he was too scared to reach for. As this is a series starter, I do hope the next one in the series, which features Cole’s brother, gives us a glimpse into Sidney and Cole’s HEA.

Aside from the rushed ending, I did enjoy this book a lot – the characters were endearing and the side characters were mostly all wonderful. And despite what the cover may indicate, the book also featured some high heat, which is pretty typical for a Naima Simone book. If you’re into small town romances with some sexy times and drama thrown in, this book would totally fit the bill.

This is a Women's Fiction/Romance, and the is the first book in the Rose Bend series. This romance is sexy and steamy at times, but it also has a great storyline with great developed characters. This book is told in the point of view of Sydney, and She is strong well woman with a great sense of humor. I really loved her character. Her character comes to right off the pages of the book. I did not want to put the book down because I really wanted to find out what was going to happen behind Sydney and Coltrane. Coltrane was a good guy that has had to life though losing his wife and child. This book was so well written, and the characters was everything. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Harlequin) or author (Naima Simone) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Judging by the cover I thought this was going to be a sweet, HEA book. Boy was I wrong! It was a Happily Ever After, but there were so many crude and crass descriptions even in the beginning that I started to skim and then eventually just flipped to the end. I try and skip over sex scenes and I must have skipped 15-20 pages at a time on my kindle. Sex is not romance, and romance is not crass language. I felt no connection or bond between the two main characters. And I thought there was waaaay too many F words.

A phenomenal romance. Heart-wrenching, well-written and with the emotional depth that leaves the reader feeling truly satisfied. This is going on my keeper shelf.

Simone still has a few surprises up her sleeves. For many years I've known her as the author of scintillating love stories that could set bookshelves on fire. The Road to Rose Bend proves to be so much more. Coltrane and Sydney play the heart like a fine tuned violin. The strings play a heartbreaking melody of love lost, emotions challenged and souls learning to heal. Simone exposes a pain that turns a beautiful rawness into an uplifting symphony of courage. The Road to Rose Bend is a heartache to remember.

Don't let the cover fool you, this is small town romance that is angsty and in my case will have you raging at one character in particular. My heart went out to Sydney and Coletrane for various reasons. The Road to this HEA is a long hard road, but it's definitely worth reading this book.

This is a romance, yes, but it's also a story of healing and reconciliation. Sydney's back home, much to her parents' dismay, having divorced her husband- and she's pregnant with his child. Cole is the older brother of her childhood BFF. Now the mayor of their small town, he's still grieving the death of his wife and child. She's trying to overcome her teenage reputation and cope with both her grief over the death of her sister and just her ex in general, which is more challenging than she expected. They build an adult relationship when Sydney moves into a house on his property. There are some serious issues here but the novel is focused on the positives. You know what's going to happen, don't you? That really doesn't matter because the characters are nicely drawn and believable and Simone is a good storyteller. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A nice read.

Let’s start with the good stuff – the characters are complex, complete and add levels of diversity and sameness to everyone’s day. And I loved the writing, even as I felt that some of the angst and issues were recurring far too often. Yes, grief (and both of our main characters had that in spades) and recovery are intensely personal and everyone moves through the process in their own time, but some of the moments were dragging for me.

But, we have Sydney, expecting things to be “rough” when she returns to her childhood home despite having long-standing kerfuffles with her family. And we have Cole who is still reeling from his own losses of wife and child. And loss is heavily featured here – with Sydney’s sister dying, Cole’s wife and child dying – and everyone still dealing with (or not) that trauma. In fact, it is the catalyst to much of Sydney’s problems with her own family, and when you add in her divorce from a truly despicable human, pregnant with his child, and truly trying to feel her own way through all the changes to come. We’ve got Cole who seems to be working harder than everyone to be ‘something for everyone’ without seeing that he’s got his own needs and issues that need to be dealt with. And we can add in other issues from recurring ‘side’ stories of a particularly annoying secondary character, a challenge to custody, a political campaign, the usual back and forth of a new relationship and ….

Suffice it to say, I kept reading to see where things would go and how they would end. I didn’t think that there were enough ‘solutions provided (when I closed the last page) to the multitude of issues, but the connections between all the characters did stand out. Cole and Sydney have an electric (and quite steamy) connection, and while I wanted more of an escape read than what this book provided, it did hold my interest although I had to put it down, frequently, because of the angst and issues. Others will LOVE this book and not find that the angst overwhelmed the romance and connections, but for me – the characters and how they are built combined with the writing made it a book to read and one I’d recommend to those who like their smaller town, coming home stories to have plenty of teeth on the way to the end.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aTC /” > <a> I am, Indeed</a>

DNF. I normally like Naima Simone's work, but the angst is just not working for me. The hero is so irritating and I don't feel like continuing to watch his redemption arc.