Feels Like Home

I thoroughly enjoyed this second chance romance set in a lovely small country town in Australia, a tragedy spilt Zac and Cat twelve years before and he left the only place he had known as home and swore never to come back but the time is right and now he needs to make sure that Cat understands and accepts his apology, will she be able to forgive the mistakes that were made?

Rock star Zac Hart is the last person Cat was expecting to find in her cup- cake shop on this cool morning in Kurrajong Crossing, he ran away twelve years ago, he was her very best friend, he left her heart-broken and he destroyed so much. Maybe it is time to listen to him, the time has come to heal hurts, but the truth may hurt even more.

Zac ran and ran but never forgot his Kitty Cat, he has made it big in the music industry and when his mate James asks him to be best man at Kurrajong Crossing Zac decides it is time to confront Cat and make her listen to his apology, he wants no trouble but he may be fighting a whole town.

Zac’s welcome back to town is not a good one, but he is determined to go forward and be James’s best man and to convince Cat to listen and when she does the flood gates open and the love that they both hold and hide will grow even more, but there are a lot of hurdles and truths to get through before they find their much deserved HEA. I really loved both Cat and Zac both are strong and caring people and I was cheering them on. This is a well written and emotional story that is sure to please any romance reader with a love of a small town and rock star, I do highly recommend this one.

‘Feels Like Home‘ begins the ‘With Love, From Kurrajong Crossing‘ series with an emotional, second chance to get love right story that grabbed my attention and never let go until the end… and even then (although no cliffhanger) there are still questions in my mind that I’m certain will be addressed later in the series.

One tragic event has affected and changed so many lives. But not everything is known, not everyone has the entire story as to what happened – no one but Zac and he’s back home to be the best man for his foster brother’s wedding, and ask forgiveness from the only woman he’s ever loved. He knows the chances are slim, but he has to try. Cat’s world was destroyed in one instant, and she’s spent every moment since not understanding what happened or why Zac left without a word to her. Now he’s back in town asking the impossible… or is it? Knowing the absolute truth is the only way she could forgive him completely, and until those secrets are revealed Cat’s holding on to her emotions tight. What hasn’t changed over the years is the draw, the attraction, even the love Zac and Cat have for each other. Sometimes the only way to deal with past mistakes is to simply face them, speak them out loud and move on. The time has come for that to happen – and that discovery will once again change lives forever.

‘Feels Like Home‘ was an emotional journey that cuts deep in the heart. I understood the reasoning for the actions at the time, but so much more harm was done by not revealing what really happened about the accident. I think most readers can figure out a mystery within a story before the reveal, I know I often do but that doesn’t take anything away from the moment the truth comes out within the story. To say more would be to risk spoilers that I do not willingly or intentionally do – so, I’m going to simply say that I was caught up in this world from the beginning, was rooting for Zac and Cat to go beyond the past and onward to a future together, and found redemption for one person (but not yet, for another). I definitely want to know more and will pick up the next book in this series upon release. If you love a good love story that will capture your emotions – then pick up Cat and Zac’s story right now.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Tule Publishing. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

I always enjoy traveling to faraway places and nothing is as far from Texas as Kurrajong Crossing is. Author Dakota Harrison gives us a wonderful read that has both mystery as well as romance. This is the beginning of a series that I can not wait to see where all it leads too. This is a second chance story about Zac and Catherine. It left me wishing I could still hear (I am late life deaf) and wanting cupcakes.

I received this arc from Tule Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This was the first book I’ve read by Dakota Harrison. At the beginning I was a little confused about the backstory but as I read further, I was able to understand what had happened to the characters in their past. It was quite a tragic story.

We meet Zac and Catherine, aka Cat and learn that they had been best friends for years before Zac left town with everyone thinking the worst about him. Zac was a foster kid who ended up adopted along with James. There had been a car accident years earlier and Cat’s younger sister Holly was killed. It was learned that Holly was pregnant and since Zac was driving, it was believed that he was the baby’s father. He took full responsibility for everything at the time. Cat was devastated by her sister’s death and the fact she was in love with Zac who she believed had been with sister unbeknownst to her. She was also upset in that Zac never said goodbye to her. Zac was cleared of wrongdoing and left town to become a rockstar. However Holly’s family and most of the townsfolk still blames him for the events.

As the book begins, Zac is returning to his town for the first time since Holly’s death. James is getting married and he is the best man. He also plans to try to apologize to Cat for the past so he can leave with her having no more hard feelings. Cat owns a cupcake shop and Zac appears to try to talk to her. Cat’s father doesn’t want to see him or allow Cat to see him and tries to prevent it. Cat wrestles with her feelings toward Zac. The reader experiences with her the feelings and hopes she has had over the years as well as what she currently believes about Zac.

I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding the accident and how it is treated years later. Cat and Zac as well as the other characters are all very likable, including her father at the end. I liked reading about how the characters have matured in the years since Zac left. I look forward to book 2 in the series and also reading additional books by Dakota in the future.

Ms.Harrison is a new author to me one I will be reading more of in the near future,I love her writing style.I can’t wait for book 2 in the series.

Feels Like Home by Dakota Harrison
He’s the last person she ever wants to see again…
Zac Hartford swore he’d never return to sleepy Kurrajong Crossing, but after finally making it big in the music business there’s only one thing left on his mind—to ask for forgiveness from the only woman he’s ever loved. If that means stepping foot in the town that turned its back on him, so be it. He’s not there to cause trouble. He’ll simply find Cat, say his piece, and leave.
The last person Catherine Van Alden expects to see in her tiny cupcake shop is Zac—a man she hasn’t seen or spoken to since he destroyed her family and vanished all those years ago. Her desire to think the best of him hasn’t changed a bit, but he’s obviously keeping secrets and she can’t let him into her life again. Not without opening up a world of hurt and feelings best left behind.
When the truth is finally revealed, is Cat strong enough to go after the man she never stopped loving?
This is Catherine Van Alden and Zac Hartford’s story.
Seeing Zac Hart was never easy. He was everywhere. On TV, and all the radio stations.
Staring up from the magazine cover in front of her.
Cat blew on her cupped hands to warm fingers cooled by her early morning walk to work. She’d forgotten her gloves, hadn’t really needed to dig them out of her drawer yet. She’d quickly ducked into the newsagent to grab a copy of the local newspaper as she was running late, only to be blindsided by Zac’s face staring back at her.
Zac pushed his sunglasses higher on his nose and fought to keep his expression neutral.
Nausea swirled with nervousness, anger, and not a small amount of regret through him as he walked slowly toward the Lakewalk.
Twelve years. Plenty had changed in little Kurrajong Crossing, the enormous man-made lake not the biggest. The little creek had been dammed and made into a wide lake, the boardwalk he was on spanning one whole side, then down under the bridge that was still the main highway over the creek. Immaculate shopfronts sparkled, their lights left on for the tourists who had made the sad little town into the thriving sub-alpine holiday destination it now was.
I highly recommend reading.
Feels Like Home by Dakota Harrison is a 5 star book.
“I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.”
Dakota ‘s Books with Tule:
Feels Like Home
With Love, From Kurrajong Crossing
The Talk Around Town
With Love, From Kurrajong Crossing
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An Emotional Reunion

Twelve years ago, Zac’s life took a turn he never expected. It left his best friend’s sister dead and another boy disabled. But there was more to the story that had remained a secret all that time. Zac left town without even saying goodbye to those who knew him. He went on to make it big in the music industry, but he couldn’t forget Cat and refused to return home. He couldn’t face the people he let down.

Zac is finally back home, for his friend James’s wedding, and he has a few things to clear up with Cat, the only girl he had ever loved. Cat is reluctant at first but she soon learns lots of people she loved have been keeping secrets from her and needs to talk to Zac. The door has finally opened for Cat and Zac, but will they be able to find happiness when Cat is tied to Kurrajong Crossing where her family and bake shop are at and Zac is busy traveling the world entertaining millions of fans?

This book really swept me away. Zac and Cat instantly become a favorite book couple to me. I enjoyed learning about their past friendship and seeing how they reunited and took it a step further. The secret was huge and when it finally came out, it was like a relief, almost like they were real people in my life. All I wanted was for Cat and Zac to find happiness. The author did a great job creating characters with depth and emotion and kept the story entertaining from the very start to the very end. This is the first book in a series and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next one.

A fateful crash and two lives are torn apart forever until he resurfaces and things begin to unwind and rebuild.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.