Blog Tour: Wild Iris Ridge (Hope's Crossing, #7) by RaeAnne Thayne
We are so thrilled to be a part of the blog tour for RaeAnne Thayne’s new book, Wild Iris Ridge, the 7th installment in her Hope’s Crossing series! Karla adores this series and couldn’t wait to get her hands on Wild Iris Ridge. You can check out her review along with the book blurb and a little info about RaeAnne Thayne. There is also a giveaway and two winners will get some great prizes! Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter to win.
A big-city, high-powered advertising executive and a small-town firefighter learn that no matter where you started or what you’ve lost, if you open your heart, you can find joy and love again. WILD IRIS RIDGE is the latest book inUSA TODAY bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne’s charming Hope’s Crossing series.
Lucy Drake and Brendan Caine have only one thing in common.And it's likely to tear them apart. Because it was Brendan's late wife, Jessie—and Lucy's best friend—who'd brought them together in the first place. And since Jesse's passing, Brendan's been distracted by his two little ones…and the memory of an explosive kiss with Lucy years before his marriage. Still, he'll steer clear of her. She's always been trouble with a capital T.
Lucy couldn't wait to shed her small-town roots for the big city. But now that she's back in Hope's Crossing to take care of the Queen Anne home her late aunt has left her, she figures seeing Brendan Caine again is no big deal. After all, she'd managed to resist the handsome fire chief once before, but clearly the embers of their attraction are still smoldering…
Goodreads //Amazon // B&N // IndieBound // The Book Depository
Karla’s Review
5 Stars!! Another wonderful installment in this heartwarming, engaging series! RaeAnne Thayne is an amazing talent and with every book I read from her she manages to touch my heart, and Wild Iris Ridge is no exception. The entire Hope’s Crossing series is something very special. It embodies the close-knit community feel, the importance of family, and the characters are relateable. The issues and circumstances they deal with could happen to anyone, anywhere.
In this case, Brendan, a widower is dealing with the tragic death of his wife Jess, as he tries to raise his 2 young children. Lucy, Jess’s cousin, best friend and godmother to his kids, stirs feelings in him that he doesn’t want, or know what to do with. It’s been 2 years since his beloved wife was lost to him, but he won’t allow himself to move on, and he especially doesn’t want to forward with Lucy.
Lucy is at a crossroads in her life and she’s goes back to the one place that was a constant in her life, Iris House in Hope’s Crossing. What she doesn’t expect to do when she gets there, is deal with the man who’s held a place in her heart for years, even though she won’t admit it to herself.
The author doesn’t add over the top drama, but allows the characters to work through their issues first before they move forward to forming a relationship. Brendan and Lucy both harbor some animosity toward each other, but they don’t let that get in the way of doing what’s best for the children, Faith and Carter. The kids were adorable, and they added some comic relief and heartfelt moments just by acting like kids with their funny comments, and innocent reactions to the situations going on around them. The element of family is one of the things I enjoy most about this series, and in this book it was a highlight. The entire Caine family was involved, including my favorite Dylan and I was happy that he had some major page time. He of all people knows about loss and it’s his insight and words of wisdom that has Brendan contemplating moving on with his life, particularly in the love department.
“I would never dare to equate losing an arm to losing your wife,” Dylan said quietly. “They’re not anywhere near the same level. But one of the things I’ve learned from working at A Warrior’s Hope is that whenever anybody has been through something hard—losing a spouse, losing a dream, losing an ability—there eventually comes a point when everyone comes to a cross- roads. Life rolls on, no matter what. Like a convoy of Humvees, you know? You can either be squashed beneath the treads or jump on and grab tight and enjoy the ride.”
God I love that man and I loved his book, Christmas in Snowflake Canyon; it’s my favorite in this series!
While there’s amazing chemistry between Brendan and Lucy, there is not descriptive sexual intimacy. An intense kiss, a touch here and there, but it’s a clean romance, something that’s pretty much prevalent throughout the series. The characters are charming and delightful and the story is so inspiring, that it’s not necessary and in my opinion sex scenes would detract from the overall story. RaeAnne Thayne makes sure that the peoples she’s writing about are in a good place before they can move on to the next step, but at that point the reader is easing their way out of the picture, so it’s left to the imagination. It’s the journey; the bumps in the road, the unexpected, resolving issues, and finding common ground, that drives the story and something this author has mastered!
Wild Iris Ridge, deals with a heart-wrenching issue, loss of spouse, and while there is sadness, there is also hope. It’s not a complicated read and isn’t filled with angst, it’s a well-thought out inspiring story that leaves the reader feeling good!
I can’t recommend Wild Iris Ridge and the Hope’s Crossing series enough, and I really hope that RaeAnne Thayne will bring us back to these delightful characters and their wonderful town in the future. This series has so much life left in it, and after all, there are still two Caine boys that need to find love, and I for one want to read their stories!
USA TODAY bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne loves words. This led her to a fifteen-year career in journalismas a newspaper reporter and editor. But through it all, she dreamed of writing the kind of stories she loved best, romance, and has since published more than 40 titles. RaeAnne finds inspiration in the rugged northern Utah mountains, where she lives with her hero of a husband and their children. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website,RaeAnneThayne.com.
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