Ryan has loved Mellie since they were in school When Mellie and her young son return to Teaberry Island he finds he still loves her but now the nerdy Ryan is a famous scientist. Young Alfie is a nerd too and kids at the new school are making him miserable. Mellie has hidden the fact that Alfie is Ryan's son and soon they need to work together to help the young boy survive. Will he be able to forgive her for keeping this secret.

The Forever Farmhouse is the first book in the Hometown Brothers series by Lee Tobin McClain and it is a great start to the series. Ryan Hastings came to Teaberry Island as a troubled youth and lived with foster parents, Wayne and Betty Raines. He fell in love with the girl next door, Mellie Anderson. He left her to go to college and had not returned until the funeral of Wayne Raines. Now a well known scientist, he gets a job working on the island so he could make sure Betty is doing okay. It doesn't take long for his feelings for Mellie to resurface. Mellie also loved Ryan and they had one wonderful night together before he left. When she found out she was pregnant, she married someone else and everyone assumed that her son Alfie was his, but Mellie and Wayne knew the truth. Alfie is an extremely bright boy who is teased and bullied. Ryan knows how he feels and steps in and gives him some extra support. What will happen when Ryan realized that Alfie is his son?

This was a good story about new beginnings, second chances, bullying, gifted children, secrets and lies. Wayne and Mellie thought they had good reasons for keeping the secret of Alfie's parentage, but lies and secrets always have a way to come back and bite you. I loved Alfie and felt bad for him. He wasn't accepted by the other kids and was lost and alone, causing him to make some mistakes that could have ended badly. The story is a bit predictable, but the story was sweet and I enjoyed being swept up in it. I am already looking forward to the next book in the series.

I really enjoyed this book! It was probably one of my favorites so far and I’ve read alot of her books.

Mellie, son Alfie, Ryan and Betty were the main characters and I loved getting to know each one and their personalities and struggles. Ryan was one of Betty and Wayne’s foster kids who had an extremely difficult childhood. Living on the Island with them changed him and made him into a successful scientist and man. Ryan struggles with feelings of self worth and belonging throughout the book but comes to realize that family and love can help heal him. Mellie and son Alfie become a big part of Ryan’s life and I liked seeing their relationship develop over the story. Betty is struggling as a new widow and finding her place in the world with finding a new normal and navigating thru her grief.

All of the characters were relatable with daily struggles and I liked how they worked together as family, neighbors, and friends to serve and help each other. Great characters, easy to read story line with clean romance and drama. Highly recommend this fun Hometown Brothers read!

I hope her future books will include Betty, Charlie, Cody and Luis because I’m not ready to say goodbye to those characters included in this story.

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Miellie and Ryan. They had known each other all their lives. They had a one night stand before Ryan left for college. Nellie became pregnant but didn’t tell Ryan. She had a son. Ten years later Ryan’s foster father died and his foster mother wasn’t doing good. He came home to check on her, he saw Mellie. They still had an attraction. He found out he was a father. Fell in love and got married.

THE FOREVER FARMHOUSE is the first book in the Hometown Brothers series by Lee Tobin McClain and it is a wonderful story of second chances. Ryan Hastings has returned to his foster home on Teaberry Island in the Chesapeake Bay after the funeral of his father Wayne Raines, to see how his foster mother, Betty is doing.

Ryan came to the island many years ago as a troubled boy and lived next door to Mellie. They were best friends for years until Ryan left the island. Before he left, Mellie and Ryan were intimate and Mellie’s heart breaks when Ryan leaves. Well, Mellie kept a big secret from everyone after that including Ryan. She has a son now, Alfie, and no one knows that his father is Ryan. THE FOREVER FARMHOUSE is a wonderful story that deals with some very tough issues. I loved every minute of it and can’t wait to continue with this heart tugging series. I was immediately swept up in this community, the lives and the loves of its residents… Truly, I can’t say enough good things about this wonderful story.

I totally enjoyed THE FOREVER FARMHOUSE and I wasn’t ready to stop reading when I finished the book. I just wanted to continue reading about these wonderful people. I’m going to try and be patient waiting for the next book in this series but I hope to return to Chesapeake very soon. Lee Tobin McClain is such a wonderful author and I love how her stories make it seem as if she is writing just for me. Ms. McClain really knows how to write about family drama, heartbreak, and forgiveness. I can not wait to read more by this wonderful and heart tugging author. You really should read it too. You won’t want to miss reading about these great characters. One of the things I like most about Lee Tobin McClain is she doesn’t just write romance, she writes about the whole community.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from JustRead Publicity Tours. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.

This is a Women's Fiction/Romance, and this is the first book in the Hometown Brothers series. I found this was a really slow moving book, and I also felt it kept repeating the same things over and over. The characters I found to be good. I just wanted more from this book. I found the ending to be a good ending for the book, and I enjoyed it. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Harlequin) or author (Lee Tobin McClain) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

This was a nice second chance romance filled with broken people. Ryan Hastings was a product of child abuse who finally found a home on Teaberry Island with Betty and Wayne. Mellie Anderson was the girl next door who had issues of her own taking care of her father and younger sisters when her mother left. They had a brief romance before fear of relationships sent him running from the island.

Ten years have passed. Betty is now a widow who is suffering from depression after the death of her husband. Ryan is a well-known scientist who wants to help out his foster mother and save the Chesapeake Bay. Mellie runs the local grocery store and keeps busy caring for her genius ten-year-old son Alfie who is Ryan's son.

With Ryan back on the island for some time now, Mellie is conflicted. She knows she ought to tell Ryan that she had his baby. But as he was leaving, he told her that he never wanted children and Wayne counseled her that he didn't think Ryan would ever be able to get over his childhood trauma and form a lasting non-abusive relationship.

There was a very emotional story. The characters traveled from fear and anger and had to deal with their own uncertainties about each other and themselves. I liked the relationship that grew between Alfie and Ryan. I also thought the progression of Ryan and Mellie's relationship was very realistic.

Fans of second chance romances will enjoy this sweet romance.

Ryan and Mellie were next door neighbors and best friends growing up. As an abused child in the foster care system, Mellie became his lifeline, but when they had sex for the first time he was overwhelmed with emotions and left the small island he called home.

Flash ahead 10 years and Ryan's returned to the island to help his foster mother get back on her feet after the death of her husband 6 months prior. Mellie, a widower, still lives next door with her 10 year old son. Past feelings are ignited but Ryan has convinced himself, based on childhood emotional and physical abuse, he's not worthy of her love.

But Mellie has her own secret and as their time together grows her secret is revealed. How they deal with it makes for an interesting read. You'll be rooting for Mellie and Ryan just as I was.

I received an ARC from Net Galley and the publisher. I'm voluntarily submitting this review as my own honest opinion. I can't wait for book 2 in the series; Cody and Taylor's story!

Small town romance
Rekindled relationship
Family
Second chances
Secrets
Forgiveness
Lots of other issues going on within the story.
Well written story.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

THE FOREVER FARMHOUSE – Lee Tobin McClain
Hometown Brothers, Book 1
HQN
ISBN: 978-1-335-42742-7
September 6, 2022
Contemporary Romance

Teaberry Island – Present Day

Ryan Hastings and his two foster brothers left Teaberry Island behind once they became adults, but they still care for their recently widowed foster mother, Betty. It is Ryan who arrives unannounced to check on Betty after not hearing from her for a while. It’s nighttime when he arrives, and Betty doesn’t answer the door. However, the next-door neighbor, Mellie Anderson, comes over and informs him that Betty is likely sleeping. She invites him to spend the night on her sofa in her house. To Ryan’s surprise, Mellie has a young son. He quickly realizes that Betty needs more than a visit from him to help her. Ryan soon is making plans to stay on Teaberry Island for a few weeks.

Mellie and Ryan were one-time lovers, and he isn’t aware that he is the father of her son Alfie. The reason she didn’t tell him was that Ryan’s foster father warned her that Ryan likely wouldn’t be a good father due to his awful upbringing by his real mother. Realizing that Ryan plans to stay around for a few weeks has Mellie fearing that he will learn the truth. But both Ryan and Alfie are more than a lot like in looks. Both are highly intelligent. It shouldn’t take much for Ryan to figure out he’s Alfie’s father, but he doesn’t have a clue.

THE FOREVER FARMHOUSE is a sweet romance about a man returning to the island where he found salvation after growing up neglected by his mother. Ryan bonded with his fellow foster brothers, Cody and Luis, and they adored their foster parents. As such, they will do anything for Betty, and since Ryan was between jobs, he is the one who pays her the visit after none of the guys had heard from her. Seeing Mellie again—the woman who got away—stirs memories of their one-night stand. Though she is now widowed, it appears she is over him since she married and had a child within a year after he left. The renewal of their friendship is stilted at first, especially since she seems to keep Alfie away from him. Is it because of his checkered background growing up? If only Ryan can realize why. Surprisingly, even Betty didn’t put two and two together.

Alfie is Mellie’s world, and she will do whatever it takes to protect him—even from his father. Alfie is starting to have problems in school after he was advanced a couple of grades, and it is Ryan who eventually helps him adjust. Mellie realizes that she needs to tell Ryan the truth, and then hope for the best. No doubt he will be angry. But the more she puts it off, the harder it becomes to tell him the truth. Readers will be on tether hooks wondering when Mellie will get up the nerve to tell Ryan.

Don’t expect much romance and lovemaking in THE FOREVER FARMHOUSE. Mellie and Ryan only share a kiss or two. It is all about the emotion and the warmhearted people that are a part of Teaberry Island. Will our former lovebirds find their way back to each other? Find out the answer by grabbing a copy of THE FOREVER FARMHOUSE.

Patti Fischer

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pleasant book. I liked it, but I didn't love it.

There are some books that people familiar with the author could attribute to the author almost without looking at the cover. This is one of those. Like most Lee Tobin McLain books, this one is set in a small Chesapeake Bay town and features a close-knit group of family and friends, along with a delightful canine companion.

I loved the way Ryan was able to help is overly-intelligent son find his way in the world--takes one to know one and all that.

The Forever Farmhouse is the first in a series and I'm ready to read the rest. Grade: B

McClain has once again written a fantastic novel that deals with some hard subjects.
This book will keep you interested in it the whole way through with lots of surprises.
Great characters that I enjoyed in getting to know and I loved the setting of this novel.
I was happy to find this book. This author does a wonderful job in bringing her characters to life. I'm very glad that she doesn't make her characters perfect.
I loved Alfie! He's such a wonderful character. He quickly became my favorite.
He reminds me of my own son at that age. Brought back some fond memories of my son growing up. In my opinion he stole the show.
The cover of the book goes with the story inside perfectly. The house on the front is my picture perfect dream home!
Contemporary romance at its finest.
5 stars for a job well done! I highly recommend!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Forever Farmhouse by Lee Tobin McClain is book one in the Hometown Brothers series.
This was my first time ever reading a book by this author and she didn't disappoint either.

A stellar start to an exciting new series. I can't wait to read the rest of this series.
The Forever Farmhouse is a great way to start a series. McClain has introduced strong, believable characters and an interesting plot. The setting is beautiful and is used amazingly.
Beautifully told through flawed, complex, relatable characters, the strong emotions are a direct hit to the heart, making this a remarkable, unforgettable read that you won’t want to miss.

Now can I please The Bluebird Bakery and The Beach Reads Bookshop Please!

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

HQN,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Quick Summary: Rekindled love after a significant separation

My Review: The Forever Farmhouse by Lee Tobin McClain was a second chance romance. This story dealt with several heavy issues, such as childhood abuse, abandonment, unplanned pregnancy, death, mental health issues, and widowhood.

About the Main Characters:
R, a scientist with a troubled past, had an encounter with M, a kind and compassionate woman with a secret, when they were young. Because of his violent upbringing, R withdrew from M, leaving her devastated and alone. Soon, she harbored a secret that changed her life plans. After years passed, her secret was exposed. Just as the secret was revealed, so were their true feelings for each other.

Although the love story between R and M was the main focus of this novel, there were several other side stories that were presented. The side stories hinted at the lives of R's foster mother, his foster brothers, and some townsfolk.

My Final Say: This book featured an incredibly slow to low burn love story. It was all about rekindled love, the power of forgiveness, reconciliation, and family. It will appeal to those who desire a clean, issue-driven romance and for those who enjoy reading about a friends to partners match.

Rating: 2.75 to 3-/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A

Thank you the author, to the publisher, and to NetGalley, who provided access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own.

Ryan and Mellie make up a good story. I had trouble with the repetiveness of their problems and situation. It could have been closer to a short story.