Mia DeAngelis knew it was time to make a change. Wanting to provide a better life for herself and her ten-year-old nephew, Ben, she took a chance and moved to the small town of Compass Cove. Now, the college librarian is adapting to a new job, a new town, and living with her feisty seventy-eight-year-old grandmother. Mia is determined to make it all work, hoping the coastal hamlet gives both her … her and Ben the sense of community, family and belonging they both want so much.
Adam Miller, a retired NFL quarterback, has come back to Compass Cove to start over after an injury puts an end to his high-octane life. Settling into the small town routine proves to be a challenge, but his job coaching at Jennings College gives him a sense of purpose, while keeping him connected to the game he loves.
There couldn’t be two people more different, yet the minute they meet, friends and family have no doubt they belong together. Now if Mia and Adam can only get out or their own way and embrace a little home town magic, they can find the happy ever after they both crave…
“A warm and lovely comfort read that will make you fall in love–not only with Mia and Adam, the endearing leads, but with the town of Comfort Cove!” — Virginia Kantra, New York Times Best Selling Author
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I was enjoying the book, but stopped reading when it became sexual.
loved it!
Very heartfelt storyline.
Liked the sort. Mia and Ben are awesome and she is a wonderful person to give up her life to take care of her nephew like that. Loved that Adam treated them as a package and cared for Ben. But also helped to make sure Ben got what he needed. Didn’t like the minor drama with Noah. Yea Adam made a mistake and shouldn’t have stood her up but Noah was like a detour she seemed to not even want. Only to prove a point. Glad how it worked out. Her mother is horrible even with losing her daughter she shouldn’t have treated mia like that.
Loved it from the beginning to end
A more real look at a relationship, the ups and downs. Lots of family, but not so much you get confused. Really enjoyed the story.
Am still trying to get through it. Mia character is too perfect to be true
When single mom meets a tough jock, you expect the sparks to fly. For Mia and Adam, it was more than romance. She’s a librarian trying to raise her nephew on her own. Coach Adam helps her nephew stay out of trouble and the pair find they have other connections in the small town of Compass Cove. Very well written with lovable characters, Then Came You, is a new favorite of mine.
This book is one of the best books I have read in a loooooong time. The story line was original and great. The characters were so real, I felt as if I knew them. My new favorite author!
I liked this book and the main characters. I especially liked the interaction between Ben and Adam. It was sweet, I just craved a more dramatic ending, I’m not a big fan of building tension for the finally diffused in a sentence or two.
I enjoyed the story. I love a happy ending!
I did thing a bit backwards and read book two before I read this one. That’s okay it worked out just fine. This book is set in the fictional town of Compass Cove. In the front of each book we hear about the history of the town (so be sure to read the prologue) because it will make something later in the book. In this book we get to know Mia and Ben and later Coach Miller or Adam. Mia is raising her nephew Ben after the death of her sister Sara when he was a baby. That is the least of her worries. Seems she has a wicked, nasty, foul mouthed mother who does nothing but cut her down every chance she gets. Thank heavens she is not around her in physical being is all I can say and her Nona or grandmother is the opposite in spirit. Then we have coach Adam Miller…ex footballer who is now the head football coach of the university. He starts being by befriending Ben and later well let’s say this book has lots of ups and downs and twists and turns. As many as the compass has in itself. It is a wonderful well written book and will blend so seamlessly into the next book.
Favorite Quotes:
Their first game was three days away, and the offensive line had more holes than a cheap hooker’s panties.
Mia, you’re a knockout. Women spend thousands of dollars to have boobs like those… If I were twenty years younger, I’d go buy myself a pair.
By the end of the evening, he’d decided they’d go as Hamlet and Ophelia, which disturbed her more than a little since Ophelia’s story didn’t end so well.
Ellen was still going. She was like the Energizer Bunny of bitches.
My Review:
The ever-clever Jeannie Moon started this story with a soupcon of mystical and romantic folklore about a coastal small town and the oddly behaving compass for which it was named; all of which I found sweet, captivating, soul pleasing, creative, and totally charming. I enjoyed this delightful and engaging story start to finish and I adored the endearing characters of Adam and Mia so much that I wanted to befriend them; I would even eat cookies and do tea with their grandmothers. Laced with family drama, amusing observations, and a few bits of steamy sensuality; the storyline was entertaining and relatable with heart-squeezes, exposed secrets, and unexpected twists along the way. I am already eager for a return trip.
Moon always does a fantastic job with her characters and the dynamics between them. With Then Came You it isn’t just the love story between Mia and Adam that caught my attention but the connection to their friends and family.
Mia and Ben are so sweet together and you can just feel the love she has for him as a son. She’s also got a wonderful grandmother who offers the support she needs to start building a great life in Compass Cover. What she doesn’t have is a great mother. And that negative relationship has done so much to color the way she sees herself that it causes a lot of the strain between her and Adam.
Not that Adam doesn’t screw up. He’s never had to really work at his relationships before Mia and he stumbles pretty much right out of the starting block. While he also has a wonderful, supportive family he has spent quite a few years being toadied to as a star athlete. The kind of people he “dated” didn’t require a lot of care and it shows. But luckily he’s got a mother and a grandmother who isn’t going to let him get away with it. He eventually gets his head on straight and is able to win Mia back (although she doesn’t make it easy for him).
Then Came You delivers on the feels and growth and humor and charm! Moon is a must read in contemporary romances for me.
*** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***
Then Came You by Jeannie Moon
Compass Cove #1
Great beginning to a small town romance series! Can’t wait for book two!
Mia has been the only true parent to her nephew, Ben, for years. She changed her career goals, gave up her envisioned future and eventually moved to Compass Cover believing that the smaller community would provide the right atmosphere for Ben to thrive in. She works on the college campus as a librarian, lives in her grandmother’s home, has and makes friends and truly comes into her own as the story unfolds. She is no pushover, wants what is best for her nephew and hopes to find true love…what the magical compass of the community refers to as one’s “true north”.
Coach Miller, Adam, retired from professional football after a bad accident that sidelined him. His life in the NFL was one of hedonism and left him rather blasé and at times clueless when relating to others. His family has always been there for him – even when he sometimes wonders if he has deserved them to be. His personal growth is gradual and at times painful. He has some moments where family or friends have to shake him into awareness that his actions might not have been the right ones in dealing with Mia.
Ben, after a fight with his aunt, runs off from the campus library and ends up on the football field. Adam has him call Mia and, expecting a dowdy stereotypical librarian, waits to pass Ben off when she arrives in his office. Mia is not as he expected, there is immediate chemistry and dating soon ensues. Adam, of course, manages to screw up but his charm and smile are not enough to easily get back into Mia’s good graces and that is surprising for him.
This is a story of family, community, truths revealed, finding one’s true worth and purpose and also is a charming romance. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end and look forward to finding out which of the wonderful characters introduced in book one will star in book two.
Thank you to NetGalley, Tule Publishing and Barclay Publicity for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
I loved, loved, loved Then Came You by Jeannie Moon, the first book in her new Compass Cove series. Once again she made me fall in love with her hero and heroine, Mia and Adam, not that it was difficult to do. These two characters grew so much during their journey of finding their “true north” and their true love. Mia gave up almost everything after her sister’s suicide in order to take care of her nephew, Ben. To give him a better life she moves to Compass Cove living with her grandmother after taking a job at Jennings College. Former NFL quarterback, Adam became Jennings College football coach after being injured in a car crash. Adam helps Ben adjust to his new town, giving him confidence and working on the athletic skills that were natural to Ben.
There is magic in the town of Compass Cove, magic that helps Mia grow more self-assured and Adam change his player ways. There is a definite chemistry and attraction between these two. This story played with my emotions, wondering if these two would find their happy, ever after. Also, there were a number of aspects in Mia’s relationship with her mother that resonated within me, being similar to me and my mother. I understood her pain and lack of self worth.
I totally loved reading this book and really had trouble putting this book down. Ms. Moon wrote a wonderful story, drawing me in and not letting go until I turned the last page. I highly recommend this book to other readers and cannot wait for the next book in this amazing series.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Jeannie Moon is a treasure. Far beyond the new beginnings and second chances lies not just a romance but a family. Mia, Ben and Adam are the key players, but it’s the secondary characters that steal the show. Mia’s mother is a piece of work. Self -centered, cold, cruel and needy. Her grandmother on the other hand sealed the deal for me. Fiesty, funny and unforgettable are just a few adjectives to describe the firecracker of an old lady. How can you not fall in love with such realistic people and such great writing? Then Came You is an enticing beginning to what I think will be an unforgettable series.