This is book one in the Jasper Falls Series and it’s an emotional roller coaster that will certainly pull on your heartstrings. This is Maggie O’Malley and Ryan Clooney story and honestly at times my heart broke for Maggie and what she has gone through in her life.
Two years ago Maggie lost her husband Nash in a car accident, it tore her apart and she never expected to love again because Nash was the man she shared all her firsts with and she knows it was going to take a special kind of man to tempt her into another relationship so could her new neighbour Ryan be that man…..
Ryan has just moved in next door and from the moment he meets Maggie he is drawn to her. This kind, caring man wasn’t looking for love but fate works in mysterious ways and as he gets to know Maggie he pushes her out of her comfort zone and gives her a new lease of life.

A strong 3,5 stars.

This book I did enjoyed reading and made me wanna read the other books in this series.
Lydia Michael made me plow this one fast because the story had me hooked almost from the beginning but I felt like something was missing but I can't put my finger on what was missing.

A widow, just living her life day by day, a grumpy quiet guy moved next door to the widow. While they aren't ready for any relationship, they are attracted to each other. They are likable and you just want to root for them to be together. Cute story.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Can you find love more than once? This heartfelt story delves into this subject and brings it to life. Loved it and highly recommended!!

This is a good book. The two main characters are Maggie and Ryan. Maggie is a widow and works at a big warehouse. Ryan works for his family lumberyard. They meet when Ryan buys the house next to Maggie. There is an instant attraction. They start dating. They have some problems come up but they work them out and fall in love.

I’m gonna be completely and a hundred percent honest, I can’t think of much to say about this one. I almost DNF’d. But I’m looking forward ti giving this author a second chance!

This was such a beautifully written story about love, loss, heartbreak, and learning to love again. There were times I laughed and times that I cried. I loved how real the characters were and found myself rooting for their happy ending. I would’ve liked just a tad more spice, but overall I enjoyed most everything about this book. I am definitely planning on reading the rest of this series because I couldn’t get enough of Ryan’s family.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Lydia Michaels for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.

okay hear me out. i really wanted to like this book. truly, i did. but alas, it did not work for me. i'm so sorry! but i'm so thankful to netgalley for allowing me to read it early!!!

Lydia Michaels is fast becoming one of my go to authors. She has a talent for writing characters that you can't help but fall in love with. This series is a spin off of the McCullogh family series.

Maggie was so beautifully written, a young widow we are taken on her journey through grief and her hesitancy at stepping back in to the world and her reluctance to even thinking of opening her heart up to love again.

Ryan is so considerate of Maggie and her feelings, he doesn't rush her but he is open about his feelings.

I loved this book and really liked getting to know the characters. This is a great read that really makes you feel.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ryan discover that his immediate neighbour, Maggie is recently widowed and lost in her grief and trying to live with her husband’s memory. He moves away from his extended family to put some distance between them. From the moment he met Maggie, he is attracted to her but he knows she is still holding on to her memories with her husband. He offered friendship to Maggie and soon he found out that the friendship starts to change between them.

A sad story about Maggie who buried herself in the past and at the same time pushed everyone away.  When Ryan approached her and offered her friendship, the last thing she expect is to fall in love again least of all to live again. I love Ryan so much for being so patience with Maggie and the care, love and support he gave her was heartwarming. It is a beautiful story yet painful to read for me.

Thank you to Bailey Brown Publishing, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

I don't usually go for books these days where I am likely to cry when reading it. I've been on a 2 year escapism jag that has served me well. When I do venture into more emotionally ravaging territory it's been a bit of an accident - not always unpleasant but not sought out. The synopsis of this book lays it out there from the beginning - hell, even the title of the book was a bit of a giveaway. I dived in anyway and I am so glad I did.

I haven't read anything by this author before, and this was the first book in a series published two years ago. Ryan moves in next door to Maggie, a reclusive young widow, and they strike up a friendship that eventually opens Maggie up to the possibility of life after losing her husband and Ryan up to possibility of finding someone who loves him.

There's plenty of moments when those of us who are familiar with grieving the loss of a loved one will find ourselves nodding along to Maggie's descriptions of her days before Ryan comes in and opens her heart up. Ryan is ... you guys, everyone wants a Ryan in their life. Let's just have a world of Ryan's in every shape, colour and background and the world would be a better place. Seriously.

Another reviewer gave this book a spice rating of 2 - I'd notch that up to 3 but I am a sucker for quality not quantity as far as sex goes in a book.

I loved the chemistry between Ryan and Maggie, and the slow build up of tension. It's realistic and it's sweet - at times a little frustrating, which is a good thing.

I also loved the other characters in the book. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

I only read 25% but I feel like I know basically all that happens and how it ends. To that point, everything is pretty much predictable. Although, the first interactions between the two main characters who are going to have a love story are full of cliché, which is what I think made me cease to read.

An emotional story about finding love after the death of your significant other, this book often veered on the side of too painful. Maggie loved her first husband so much that she shut herself off from everyone, until Ryan moved next door. I appreciated her past love and her difficulty getting over her first love, making this a really bittersweet romance as the reader has to reconcile that Ryan is truly second best to Maggie, based on the fact that it took so long for her to move on. The guilt, sadness and enduring love was beautifully characterized and therefore, I felt a pained pity that she lost her love. But that aspect made the romance between Ryan and Maggie less than fulfilling for me. Loved seeing the other couples from this world though and as always, it was a well written story. 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this story.

This is an intensely emotional tale of loss, sorrow and the rediscovery of love.

Maggie O'Malley had her life laid out with the husband she loves. Then tragedy struck and turned her world upside down. She is drowning in her grief and despair..

Ryan Clooney loves his big messy family, but sometimes they're just too much to take. With his thirtieth birthday looming and most of his cousins paired off, the doting circle of family leaves him feeling lonesome and empty. Searching for a bit of piece, Ryan moves to other side of town. He is immediately intrigued by his new neighbor.

Maggie is resistant to the attempts at friendship made her new neighbor. She isn't sure she's ready to let anyone in. But Ryan is willing to be patient, to move slowly, because he feels something for the first time in a very long time. Now Maggie finds herself caught between a past she hasn't been able to let go and a future she desperately wants but is afraid to grab hold of..

The first several chapters of this story were very difficult to read. I found myself in tears more than once watching Maggie spiral downward until she hit rock bottom. I couldn't help feeling, at first, that Ryan was almost too patient, but every person experiences grief differently. Ryan's patience gave Maggie the time she needed to break away from the pain she carried like a shield and opened her eyes to the possibility of taking back the life she thought she'd lost. This story is a deeply moving journey from the depths of despair back to the light of new found hope spurred on by love.

For some reason, I wasn’t drawn to start this book. I kept putting it off, but boy was that a mistake. I clearly knew what was going to happen and where the story was going, but it did not take away from the book for one second. Grief is not the same for everyone, and sometimes I think society expects it to be. Lydia Michaels does an amazing job at showing how all-consuming and soul-crushing grief really can be. You don’t wake up one day and just decide you are healed, and even when you think you might be healing and finding happiness, grief can rear its’ ugly head again out of nowhere. This is a beautiful story of learning to find happiness and love again after you feel like you’ll never be able to find the sunshine again. Oh, and Ryan? Come. On. If everyone could only be so lucky to find someone to have the patience and support that that man gave. It was slightly slower than the books I’m used to rating a 5/5, but something about this one just touched my heart in a special place! Well done!

Do not read unless you have a box of Kleenex near you. She's a widower stuck in her grieving of her musician husband and is living in a fog. He's frustrated with being single but has resigned to staying that way till he moves in next door to Maggie the beautiful yet quiet woman. She's scared to stop mourning but slowly realizes she needs to move on and that can be the most painful and scary thing to do. I give this a soldi 3 stars.


************************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.***************************

Book one of the Japer Fall series and the first time reading a story from this author. Another genre that isn't in my book wheelhouse, but I gave a read. The story is a small romance story, and it is oh so sweet. The plot and characters are entertaining and interesting. The writing is so smooth that I didn't realize that was reading it so fast. That that takes talent. It was a sweet story that I would read after reading an intense thriller. Like a cleanse for the brain. A wonderful romance story.

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and Bailey Brown Publishing for this copy of this book and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Actual Rating: 4.5⭐

Set in a small town called Jasper Falls, this story is about loss, grief, love, family and friendship that will bring out all kinds of emotions. You'll laugh, smile and cry sobbing throughout the story (you will need to prepared a tissue box if you want to read this!)

Maggie has been through a lot, I could never imagine what I would do if I’d ever found myself in her position. I can feel all her sadness and despair to the point she broke down almost all part of herself and I can’t help but cry with her.

But, then she met Ryan and her life slowly started to shine again. Ryan is the most supportive, caring and patient character I’ve ever read. There are no words for him, he’s perfect with Maggie. He never pressured her to get things over with quickly and he never get jealous with her late husband.

I would have given this a full 5 star rating if it wasn’t for Ryan’s family. His family is soooo HUGE it’s like the whole town is his family, which can be confusing and overwhelming to remember them when they pop up in the middle of the story.
But, then I decided to just remember the important parts like Ryan’s parents and a couple more.

Overall, this is a remarkable touching friends-to-lovers story with a little bit of spicy scenes.
I couldn’t put it down even though it was hard to read with all the tears that keep flowing out of my eyes. It was definitely worth it and I recommend it to all romance lovers who wanted a good cry!

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Death, Grief (loss of loved one), car accident,

I received an advanced review copy for free through Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!

Can't wait to listen/read this entire series. So good! Enjoyed hearing character from the McCullough Mtn series intertwined.

My heart broke for Maggie and her unending grief but I adored Ryan and his persistent efforts to win her over.