Author: Kate Carley
Release Date: February 26, 2018
Publisher: Self-published
Series: The Crawford Falls Series
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Page Count: 265
Kelly’s back.
How can
two simple words make Dylan Bronstad’s heart
ache and sing at the same time?
Even
seven years ago, Kelly Anne Leeson had possessed that power. Back then, all
Dylan wanted to do was drink and make love to her. Really, it was no wonder she’d climbed out of his bed and walked
out of his life, leaving him with nothing but a nasty hangover and the lonely
memories of their time together.
Today,
Dylan’s life is on track. He’s sober with the support of his family and his
tight-knit group of friends. But Kelly could derail all he’s worked to
accomplish. Unfortunately, he can’t seem to stay away from her.
Lured
by the offer of her dream job, Kelly returns home to Crawford Falls and the
friends she’d abandoned a lifetime ago. Mending those broken relationships will
require some honest answers and a fair amount of forgiveness.
But
facing Dylan will take a lot more—like maybe a suit of armor to protect her
battle-weary heart and the secret she fears she’ll never be able to keep.
While
Kelly searches for a way to maintain the safe life she’s created for her son, Dylan works to remind her of the
relationship they once had.
Just as
they rekindle their relationship, secrets and half-truths threaten to destroy
everything.
My thoughts:
Helping Her Remember is the first book in a new series set in the fictional town of Crawford Falls. In the foreword, the author stated that this series will start with the Bronstad siblings. Dylan has a large group of friends and after reading about them, I hope they get their own stories. This one is Dylan and Kelly's story.
I did ultimately enjoy the book. It has one of my favorite tropes but it also has one of my least favorite tropes. I love second chance stories, but I really don't enjoy hidden baby stories. No excuse is ever good enough for me to keep a child away from his or her parent. I can kind of understand Kelly's motivation, but a few simple questions about Dylan asked of her mother could have cleared up a lot. But ultimately, Kelly and Dylan's second chance was a fun read. Their relationship was easy and it was fun watching Dylan win Kelly back.
The aspect of the book that I was happy to see was the author's treatment of Dylan's alcoholism and recovery. Sometimes in stories, it is mentioned once and never brought up again. But here, Dylan still struggles four years into his sobriety. We are able to see his struggle and the ways he deals with it by going to meetings and using his support system. It made his situation more real to me.
This is a solid first in a series. The characters were enjoyable and I look forward to reading the rest of their stories.
HELPING HER REMEMBER Excerpt
Copyright
© 2018 Kate Carley
“Isn’t that your
turn?” she asked, huffing embarrassingly loud when they passed the county road
and made their way up a fairly steep incline.
“I’m running you
home.”
“Don’t need to. I’m
a big girl, you know?” Kelly could feel his lazy perusal from her head down to her toes and back again.
She was sweaty and gross, and he was checking her out. Unbelievable.
“Mmm. Yes, I know,”
he said.
They ran in silence
the rest of the way, because it was just
too damn hard for her to talk. And he knew it. When they reached the top of the
hill and turned onto her street, he said, “Let’s cool down.” They slowed their
pace to a casual walk. “I never get to run with anyone. That was nice.”
“But you cut your
run short for me. And it’s obvious, you’re in far better shape than I am, given
that you can actually talk and run at the
same time.”
Dylan just laughed
at her comment, clasping his hand with hers, lacing their fingers together. “Go
out with me, Kelly Anne. I’ve missed you, and I really
want to get to know you again.”
The feel of his
hand in hers and that sweet invitation sent a familiar surge of excitement
through her. Kelly’s heart squeezed and
her stomach did that little flip-flop rollercoaster thing again. As always, her
body seemed to respond so naturally to Dylan’s attention. Or perhaps foolishly
was a more appropriate definition of her response. While he apparently had warm
memories of their time together, to her their relationship had been like
watching an incredible firework display—spectacular, bright, loud—and then
she’d been plunged into a dark, silent night all alone.
Kelly came to a
stop near the side of her mom’s house and turned to face him, sucking in a deep
breath and trying to ignore the nice hum of arousal playing through her body.
“Jesse’s your best friend, right?” She didn’t wait,
because she knew the answer. “Do you hold his hand like this when the two of
you are together?” Classic Dylan reaction. He burst into laughter and then
released her hand to give her a brief hug. When he stepped back, he wore that
expression that generally got him exactly
what he wanted. Kelly sighed and shook her head. “No, Dylan. I’m not interested
in dating.”
Dylan moved in
closer, tilting her chin up with one finger so she’d be forced to meet his
eyes. Why did he insist on touching her like that? It did crazy things to her
brain, not to mention the fact that it all but melted her resolve. “You’re
kidding me. Come on, Kelly Anne. We were great together. Why not try it again?”
Because I know my heart will never survive.
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About Kate Carley:
How Kate Carley went from majoring in mathematics and
computer science in college to writing steamy contemporary romance still
remains a mystery. She broke out into the indie publishing scene in 2015 with
her debut novel, Challenged, a 2017 RONE award winner. Two more books completed
her romantic suspense trilogy, Changing Krysset. With three published works
under her belt, Kate is excited to launch her new contemporary romance series.
Just like her first novels, the Crawford Falls series is set in a small town in
Kate’s home state of Minnesota. When Kate isn’t busy at her desk writing,
you’ll find her dreaming up new characters and plotting perfect ways to make
their lives miserable before giving them their happily ever after.
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