As legal guardian of her nephews for a year and a half now, you’d think Allison would have this kid-raising thing figured out. Nope. She’s yet to gain access to the secret internal lie detector other parents seem to have, and is still losing the battle against the mysterious teen boy odors marinating in their room. Did she mention they’re twins? As in double the trouble (thank goodness for … for forgiving town sheriff). Really, she’s just out of her depth here.
To be fair though, this wasn’t meant to be a solo mission. Nooo. She was supposed to have had a co-pilot to help out from day one. Kade McKnight, real life action hero hunk extraordinaire, would’ve been the perfect male authority figure for the boys…had he not vanished off the face of the planet.
Well, it appears his holy-hotness has returneth. And now that Kade’s on her doorstep here to stay, Ali isn’t sure whether to hug him or slug him.
She’s leaning toward both…
After a year and a half away from the beautiful honey-colored eyes he’d always loved having stare up at him, Kade finds himself smiling for the first time in months. Sweet Allison Walsh. Still a sight for sore eyes.
Leaving town the way he did had been for the best then, truly. Having survived a childhood he wouldn’t wish on his meanest MMA opponent, there’s no way he could’ve been a good co-legal guardian. So, he’d set up financial support to help Ali the only way he could while he got his life in order. But, judging by her spitting mad glare, clearly, that had been far from enough.
Guess his road to redemption is going to be a tough one. Good. He deserves it. And Ali deserves to be the one to dish out his penance. That said, the very last thing Kade expects now that he’s back to help with the co-parenting load is for Ali to start dating again. As in other men–men that aren’t him.
Nope, not happening. Not on his watch…
Stand-alone Whisper Lake romance, complete with HEA–and plenty of heat and heart along the way!
Author’s Note: Return to You was previously published as Whisper of Love
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Melanie Shawn absolutely BLEW IT OUT OF THE WATER with Whisper of Love!! I fell in love with Ali and Kade and honestly cannot say enough good things about them!
Both Ali and Kade have suffered a great loss. They both have to deal with it, but Kade runs off when Ali needs him most. Can he prove to her that he isn’t the man she thinks he is? Can he make things right?
As usual, this book had absolutely everything you could want in a romance, and was a fantastic start to the new series. Cannot wait for the next one!
The second chance love stories are so bittersweet because there usually are hurt feelings at the background, but there is also that amazing hope of love conquering it all, and that is what brings so much joy and jubilee into the stories and to the lives and minds of the readers. I absolutely LOVE it when the hero comes back to town, with his feelings already developed towards the heroine, his intent clear, he is willing to do the hard work to win her heart again, and he is willing to grovel if that is required to be together with the love of his life. And Kade, oh my word, he does it all, he is all that, and so so much more.
It is not often that I am so connected to the characters and to the story that I would be in tears from the very start of the story, but Ali and the boys had me sobbing for them. I was a mess for the first three chapters, wishing I could just step in with a six pack of Half Baked, give Ali a big hug and help her around the house.
Ali is resilient, strong, fun, sarcastic, protective, loving, kind-hearted soul, and I admired her and her spunk so much, even though right at the beginning it was missing a bit because life had given her trouble and sorrow with a pallet full instead of a spoon full.
Kade had had his own troubles in life. He had grown up close to Ali and her brother, they shared the same story of parental alcohol abuse and neglect. His life and career at the MMA had taken a downhill spiral, he had failed with his responsibility, but he was here, he was sober, and he wanted to change his life, and be everything Ali would allow him to be to her and to the boys.
Ali and Kade have chemistry between them that is hotter than words can tell. They get each other, they understand each other, they know each other, and they are just perfect for each other. I loved the honesty, the openness, the palpable emotions streaming between them.
The secondary characters in the new spin-off series, the twins, Jess, Ethan, they all contributed to the story and I can already tell, this is going to be another hit series from the author. It is not a secret that I’m in love with the stories Melanie Shawn writes, the romance always has me smiling, sighing, and swooning. The characters speak straight to my heart, they have me laughing, and in tears, the friendships are dear and deep, there’s just so many feelings, and deep emotions involved, along with the hottest love scenes you can pen out, and yes, it is not just sex, it is always loving, and there are feelings involved, and those scenes are intricate part of the plot developing.
What an amazingly emotional and entertaining start to the new series. Ali and Kade won my heart over from the very first scene, and I kept rooting for them to find the way to their HEA all through the tale. There were tears, there were smiles, there were deep, profound emotions, there were mistakes, and loss, and loving, and life, and I loved every moment of the story, wishing I could have lingered a little while longer as I can’t wait for the next installment of the series…
An unputdownable, poignant story that I finished in one sitting
~ Five Spoons
Heartwarming, sweetly sexy, emotionally engaging and feel good childhood friends to so much more romantic journey filled with heartbreak, laughter, passion and family.
Allison Walsh is a sweet, sassy and struggling single woman on the edge raising her twin nephews after losing her only brother. Kade Jameson McKnight is sexy, charming and a retired MMA fighter that grew up with Ali and her brother. He is back in town and things heat up between them even after Kade’s unexpected disappearing act a year and a half ago. Could not get enough of this fun and entertaining adventure, looking forward to more Whisper Lake visits.
This story. Wow!!! Such an emotional, healing, fun, sexy read!!
My heart hurt for Ali. She’s been through the wringer, and she just keeps going. She isn’t catty about it. She’s strong, but also has a vulnerable side, especially when it comes to Kade. Kade has demons in his past he’s trying to heal from. I was so happy to see how he stepped up, and in, when he got his crap together and saw how much stress life was putting on Ali. Add in two teenage boys, and they’ve got their challenges ahead of them.
The story was fantastic, and I loved meeting all these characters and can’t wait for the next story in this series!!! It’s definitely a must read!!