Jessica's Wish

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Jessica's Wish is a great story about realizing that while love can be difficult at times, it is also the thing that can mean the most in life.

Jessica is the eleven year old daughter of Phil Martinson-Canton. She has Down syndrome and has lived her entire life without her mother, as she chose to walk away from Phil and her daughter when she was a tiny baby. Until now, Jessica hasn't seemed to be phased by not having a mother in her life, but she's gotten to an age where she does understand and she really wants a mother of her own. And, she's not afraid to make that known! Phil has always wanted to do what is best for his daughter, but while finding her a mother figure might be what is best, he's not sure he's willing to open them both up to going through the kind of hurt they could should another woman choose to come into their life and then leave.

Mallory O'Connell has been living in California for the past several years, but she's now returned to her hometown to help take care of her mother following a debilitating accident. When Mallory meets Jessica, the two hit it off immediately. They have drawing and painting in common and Mallory introduces Jess to the world of comics. Mallory also thinks Phil is pretty great, err hot, as well.

As Mallory and Phil grow closer, insecurities and fears from the past begin to rear their ugly head. Will these two be able to move past the hurt they both carry from earlier on in their lives to make a go of it or are they destined to let something that could be amazing pass them by?

Another great book by Marci Bolden and one that I think many will enjoy!

This book was so good. It hit so many emotions. Jessica was such a sweetheart and her dad was so protective of her. Mallory loved Jessica and was starting to love Phil. I was not happy with Phil for a pretty good section of the book, but I understood what he was going through. Kara and Harry are such good people and I liked Annie and Marcus too. All and all, I really enjoyed the book.

This book was absolutely breathtaking. It tells you the story of a world not everyone knows about and just grips your poor little heart and won’t let go. Ten stars!!!

As soon as I started reading, I became totally immersed in all that was happening in this touching and emotional Stonehill series drama. I fell in love with sweet and sensitive Jessica, an eleven-year-old with Down syndrome who desperately wants a mother, and enjoyed her dynamic with the other characters especially the unique bond she formed with Mallory O'Connell who shares her love of art and introduces her to the world of comics. It was so realistic, there were times I wanted to shake some sense into Jessica's dad, Phil.

This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys well-crafted, tender and emotional contemporary romance. I received an advance reader copy of Jessica's Wish from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my honest review. I also purchased a copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book and haven't read all of the other books in the series yet. The characters overlap, but it is not necessary to read them in order to enjoy them. I adored Jessica and just wanted to reach through my kindle and hug her. She's such a great girl! I also enjoyed Phil (mostly) and Mallory. They are perfect (well as perfect as anybody can be) for each other and fit together so well. I was extremely frustrated will Phil for awhile but could also understand where he was coming from as well. I could feel Mallory's confusion as she was trying to sort through her own feelings for Phil as well as they way he went from hot to cold. Marci's writing is wonderful. She makes it seem effortless to write such a sweet romance story with so many emotions and feelings that just bleed off of the pages.

Jessica's Wish by Marci Bolden is book four in the Stonehill Series. In some ways it might have been book two since book one is Jessica’s grandparents’ story. However, other events in the small town community had to happen first. With that said, I want to give a background on how I came to know this series so well.

A couple of years ago, I requested book 5 of the series from NetGalley. It was the first one that I read in the series. I fell in love with the Stonehill community and two families in particular. Then I read the first book, loved it so I bought the rest of the series from my favorite ebook site.

You might wonder what makes this series such a gem of a find.
For me, I loved the “this is real life” of the stories, the resilience of the characters, the honesty about the hardships and the believability of it all. I loved the style of the writing, the relationship building within the stories between the characters, both romantically and friendship relationships too.

I especially love in Jessica’s Wish that she is often the focus of the story, playing a major part. I also loved how Phil’s wisdom gave Mallory the comfort that she needed while her zest for life gave Phil the fun that his life needed. Most of all, I love how the story doubled in size from when I bought it to now. Literally the book I bought had seven chapters, this new marvelous. Revised. expanded version has sixteen chapters. Even better the epilogue did not change, making this a circular story that goes full circle, ending as it began with Jessica’s wish.

Did not realise that this was one of a series, but it was easy to read as a standalone. I enjoyed the story and the characters seemed real, pleased it had a happy ending.

The fourth installment of the Stonehill series starts the title of the book, a wish made by Phil's daughter, Jessica, for a mother. Jessica has grown up since the first book in the series; she is now eleven. She has never known her biological mother, who left them when she was a baby because the woman couldn't handle having a Down syndrome child.

If you read the first book in the Stonehill series, you are familiar with Phil and Jessica as well as with Phil's mother, Kara. Part of the enjoyment of this book came from seeing Kara and Harry's new life together as a married couple up close. They are deeply in love and are trying to care for an infant of a mother who has nearly abandoned her to them.

Mallory has come back to the area. While in San Diego, she couldn't stop thinking of her mother, Annie, and all that Marcus was doing to support her. So she quit her job and moved back so she could help her mother and the man whom she sees as a father figure. Mallory becomes reacquainted with Jessica and Phil, and soon Kara thinks that Mallory could be the perfect woman for Phil and a mothering influence for Jessica as she approaches her teen years.

What will Annie and Marcus think about Mallory's return to town? What about Mallory’s career? Will romantic sparks fly between Mallory and Phil? Will Jessica get her wish?

I enjoyed having a more in-depth story that focused on Phil. He was an interesting character in his mother's story (book one of the series), but you knew he had to have one, too, since he has such a complex backstory as well as a challenging present as a single father raising a special needs child. He and Mallory share similarities in their pasts; neither had a father in their life growing up. The characters are very supportive of each other, and Phil helps Mallory understand the difficulties she is having adjusting to the changes in her mother's life.

Phil's struggle about whether to trust another woman in his and Jessica's lives seems realistic, even if it is hard to read when you so want him just to wake up and realize what he'd be missing!

I liked that seeing Phil through Mallory's eyes gives us a completely different perspective of him than the first book where we only see Phil through his own thoughts and actions. Phil is a man who has struggled and continues to struggle with his relationship with his mother as he sees himself as being so different from her. At times when reading about him—both in this book and in the first one—I have felt frustrated with his lack of understanding and compassion for his mother, who did her best to raise him under challenging circumstances. But through Mallory's eyes, we can see that he has inherited compassion and kindness from his mother, whether he would own it or not!

As this book deals very closely with characters and events from books one and three of the series, I would not consider it to be a standalone book. But all the books in the series are incredible, so I would recommend them all anyway, whether needed for this story or not. Once again, Marcy Bolden has delivered a story that packs an emotional punch. These characters suffer and struggle in ways that are easy to understand and empathize with. I love the way this tight-knit group supports each other. I hope there is much more in store for the people in Stonehill.

This is a sweet, emotional, heartwarming and thrilling journey for two charters that find what could be forever when they were busy dealing with everything else life has given them lately. A very enjoyable read from beginning to end that is both entertaining and engaging. Great reading.

My first book by Marci Bolden, and I am so glad I read it. She has a way with words, I was swept right into the story. I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough. Well Done.