Overall Rating: 4 (sXe)

Quick & Dirty summary: Lorenda Lawson knows all about sexy-alpha types. She married one and was ignored for years as her husband choose his band of brothers over her and their two kids. After his death, Lorenda put together a tidy life, and while she’s barely holding on by a thread, at least one of her dreams is set to come true. However, when someone threatens her, her sexy brother-in-law, and her husband’s identical twin, drives up on his motorcycle just in time to save the day. But Lorenda is done with men who can’t commit, even if she can’t help but melt when she’s in his arms.

There is a lot going on in this novel and while there is a hint of romantic suspense, it is very much focused on the redemption of troublemaker Mitchell Lawson. I like the overlay of romantic suspense, since I enjoy the thrill of it all, but it wasn’t really a mystery who was behind the threats to Lorenda. Instead, the threat acted as a catalyst for feelings and characters to be revealed. I thought this was really effective and Shelly Alexander did a good job of having the personalities of Mitchell and Lorenda come out through action, rather than just dialogue.

While many romance novels have Navy SEALs and/or military men as the star heroes, I liked that this novel focused on Mitchell’s history as a young boy and teenager, rather than trauma sustained during the war. PTSD is a very serious illness, but everyone has a past and a history before they joined the military. Mitchell’s character development wasn’t so much development as it was character revelations. He was always a great guy, it’s just a matter of whether anyone saw that in him. This crux creates a deeper relationship between Mitchell and Lorenda.

As with all series, it was fun to catch up with character from previous novels. But the major surprise for this novel was the town of Red River Valley seemed to be a character all its own that is more villain than on the good guy’s side. While I’ve only read two of the four books in this series, Red River Valley doesn’t come across as that great of a place to live. Sure the characters say they love living there, but in general it doesn’t seem like the larger population is all that nice. This is surprising, and in some ways refreshing, because most romance novels have a kind of idyllic feel when they are set in small towns.

Is it worth buying? (Kindle $3.99)
Yes. This is a well-written novel with a lot of subtly to it. Plus, you can get it for free if you have Kindle Unlimited, which is always worth it!

It's In His Arms is the fourth book in the Red River Valley series, and the first I have read by this author. I absolutely loved this book! I will definitely be reading more from this author, in fact, I may just have to go back to the beginning and read the entire series.

I'm always a fan of an alpha male, and Mitchel Lawson is certainly one of those. A decorated war veteran, Mitch has come back to Red River to make amends with his past. He has a reputation for being a bad boy, and the town doesn't forget.
Lorenda Lawson, mother of two boys, widow to Cam Lawson - Mitch's twin brother, has her life all planned out. She has worked hard to keep Cam's memory alive, and even though their marriage was not a happy one, she has held up the pretenses that it was - for the sake of her boys.

This is a story about forgiveness, hidden truths, deceit, and above all else, love. Both Mitch and Lorenda take risks to protect each other. Their bond runs deep, even if they can't admit it to themselves. 

The small town mentality plays a large part in this story too. People are quick to judge Mitch on his past, and even though he has served his country, they find it hard to see past the things he got up to in his younger days. In saying that though, we also get to see how the town can band together to help one another when it's needed.

I look forward to reading more in this series, and seeing where everything all started. Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

I had not read the other books in this series but I thoroughly enjoyed this one and did not feel like I was missing anything. The characters are charming,  and while the story was predictable at times I did enjoy reading it. I would rate it 3 stars, only because I didn't find myself getting lost in it and unable to put it down.

Another fantastic read by Shelly Alexander that I cannot recommend enough.

I have enjoyed this book greatly.would recommend reading it

I have given it 4 stars.

I didn't think anything could rival Miranda and Talmadge's story but this definitely rivaled it. Mitchell and Lorenda's slow burn romance was bittersweet. It's In His Arms was a roller coaster of feelings and Shelly Alexander's writing style once again had me hooked from the very beginning and routing for the couple from the start. They were just so perfect, together they were on fire.

I think the author has managed to captured the smaller details absolutely perfectly and I found this story to be a thoroughly enjoyable romantic read. It was sweet and charming with just enough of a dangerous edge to keep you turning the pages to see how the story pans out.

It is book four in a series but it can be read as a standalone. The cover of this book is a little unassuming but the saying "never judge a book by it's cover" has never been more fitting. If you like a decent slow burn romance with a happy ever after, this is definitely for you.

Since this was the 4th book in the series - I had a hard time catching up per say.  It was kind of cheesy in parts.  Too much about growing up as a kid that I felt was just filler , nothing substantial.

This was a sweet yet passionate book in the Red River Valley Series (you CAN read as standalone, but I recommend reading the previous book as you do see previous characters. I really liked Lorena as a character, as she suffered a devastating loss and was trying to rebuild her life for her family. Mitchell was also a very likable character, as he was both strong and protective of his sister in law and his nephews. I also really enjoyed the suspense element to this book as well - it kept things interesting!

This book is about lost love, making amends and protecting family. Lorenda Lawson aka Sparky, was left widowed when her hubby Cam refused to leave the military life for good.  She raised her two sons without the father but had family to help. 

In comes bad boy Mitchell Lawson. Cam's twin brother and Sparky's brother in law.  Lorenda gets attacked just as Mitchell comes to town. He is destined to protect her and his Nephews. Things seem to escalated quickly. Sparky and the kids were in danger and the town blamed the once bad boy of the town. Now as a decorated veteran with multi medals Mitchell comes back to make amends with his sick father upon his mom's request.

This is a nice read. Love the lead characters. Total alpha male and sparky female. The love story is nice. I enjoy a good war veteran book with a HEA.

I loved this book. You have a widow who is dealing with raising her son alone and return of the identical twin of her deceased husband. This story is about the choices we make and the lasting effects it has on everyone around us. The interactions among the characters were interesting. You see the need for the kids to have a father in their lives and desire for a companion who understands and shares your dreams. I would read more from this author and series. 

I was offered this book from Netgalley.com and voluntered to write an honest review

I am becoming a Shelly Alexander fan and this is my second book by her in this series and I have enjoyed the Red River valley setting with its diverse characters and the sense of community she delivers to this small town. Even if it does seems a little dysfunctional at times.
This was a sweet second chances love story with humor and some frustration at times. Mitchell certainly didn't deserve the treatment he received at times by the townsfolk upon returning home but that in itself made this novel more creditable as people are quick to form opinions in real-life and make judgements accordingly as well. Lorenda's passion to start a music program in Red River seemed to blind her to some home town realities but when a string of fires broke out and Mitchell was implicated, she came to his defense and found herself risking her heart as well as her reputation. 
I was so eager to finish this to get to the bottom of things and was also rooting for a HEA for both of them.
Now I am looking forward to the other two books in this series that I haven't read yet.

Small town living brings with it a dynamics that's often times antiquated and small minded. Those limiting views drive the story and brought some frustrations with them. The author did a remarkable job of bringing out the small mindedness of the town that Mitchell grew up in and couldn't escape from, no matter what he'd done since leaving town. His saving grace was Lorenda, their story is heartwarming and endearing and really brought home for me what they endured to get to their HEA. 

Ms Alexander's writing was wonderful in the depth of her characters and the complexity of the obstacles they encountered...especially within the father/son dynamics. I'm glad I read this story, it left with a light hearted feeling after everything Mitchell and Lorenda went through. 

This book was provided by the Publisher and Netgalley, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Amazing Read that I could not put this book down and it took me all day and night to finish.

It's In His Arms is the 4th book in Red River Valley but can be read as a stand alone book (I did and I enjoyed it a lot).  

This book centers around Lorenda Lawson who is the widow of the town's golden boy.  She married her husband at a young age and was almost immediately pregnant.  Unfortunately, Cameron her husband changed a lot while he was away in the military and except for a few brief visits (one that resulted in the birth of her second son) he didn't come home much.  Lorenda never let anyone in the town know just how distant her husband was and that he didn't want to come home to her and the boys and then he died. 

Fast forward years later and Mitchell Lawson, Cameron's twin brother has returned home.  Mitch was the black sheep who was always in trouble as a teen.  He's a decorated Navy Seal who is trying to change his image in the town and repair his relationship with his father.  When Lorenda is mugged on his first day back he thinks there may be more to the situation and so moves into the garage apartment to keep her and her two sons safe.  It becomes evident early on that Mitchell and Lorenda don't see each other the same way they used to and there is a lot of chemistry and desire between the two of them.  However, someone else doesn't want Mitchell back and is willing to go to great lengths to get him out of town.

I really liked both Mitchell and Lorenda although some of Lorenda's actions towards the end of the book were a bit frustrating.  Her refusal to consider Mitchell's intuition of who could be causing all the problems didn't make a lot of sense to me and seemed to be an obvious way to add drama to the story when I think I would have preferred the fact that he was her brother in law and her dead husband's twin the issue that made her hesitate.  I haven't read any previous Red River Valley books so I didn't particularly care for the town.  The fact that most of the  town that held a grudge against a teen when he has obviously grown up and changed was off-putting to me.  I did love that Lorenda never doubted Mitchell's innocence and stood by him and I could understand her reluctance to get involved with him when considering her experience with his brother who didn't want to be tied to her and the boys and the small town they live in.  Mitchell was an amazing hero and I loved everything about him.  The fact that he loved his twin so much that he was willing to take all the blame, that he understood that he had been a troublemaker and needed to convince people he'd changed and his obvious feelings for Lorenda and her boys.  He was protective, caring, sweet and I loved how he was with both Lorenda and her sons.

The villain was obvious but I think it was intentionally written that way.  There were a lot of things going against Lorenda and Mitchell and I really enjoyed watching them overcome those odds and fighting for what they wanted.  It was a sweet love story with some heartbreaking family angst, great friendships and overall a tale of forgiveness, redemption and hope.  I will definitely go back and read the three prior books.

This was an excellent read.  It was full of strife but Mitchell and Lorenda over come it all.

Lorenda is a military widow.  Mitchell is Lorinda's husband's twin brother.  He was the town bad boy and is only back in town at his mother's request.

I recommend reading this book it has the gauntlet of emotions and is well worth the read.

Wow! I absolutely adored this book.
Romance, a bad guy and a mystery. Most of the things that I enjoy in a book. From the start to the end I loved this book and will now be following Shelly Alexander as one of my new favourite authors.

I had trouble getting this book to fully load, it struggled to turn pages and crashed the app I was using.  The book archived before I could download again. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Wow!  This was fantastic!  A widowed mother of two and the twin brother of her dead ex - sound interesting?  This book hooked me in from the first page. There was a bit of mystery and a sweet romance - I loved this book!  This is the first book I have read by this author but I can't wait to read more!  Highly recommend!