He’s been patient; she’s been busy.Patience is running out.Melissa Oxford is a widow with a ranch, an orange grove, a goat-obsessed ten-year-old, and not enough time. She doesn’t have time to make friends. She doesn’t have time to stop and chat, and she definitely does not have time for a boyfriend.Which is fine, because Cary Nakamura is far from being a boy. Cary’s the man who helped Melissa … helped Melissa plant her trees. The friend who keeps offering advice, even when she’s is too stubborn to take it.
He’s also the man who kissed Melissa in broad daylight on a sidewalk in Metlin, California, smack in the face of God and everyone.
But while Melissa may spend a little too long dreaming about Cary from a distance, she knows the kind of passion he promises is more than she can handle.
She just doesn’t have the time.
But sometimes, no matter how busy you are, life makes you stop. It pulls you up short and makes you see things a little more clearly. Things like…
The people you can count on.
The dreams you keep pushing away.
And the passion that can’t be denied.
GRIT is a stand-alone, friends-to-lovers romance in the Love Stories on 7th and Main series by Elizabeth Hunter, author of INK.
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Anything by Elizabeth Hunter is a great read!
A delightful slow burn, friends-to-lovers romance set in the heart of California with a silver fox hero and a kick-ass heroine. I absolutely adore this book. Plus, it has goats. Goats make everything better.
Amazing storytelling and beautiful, complex characters makes this one of my favorite reads this year. It was so good I read it straight through! The character development is spectacular and you know exactly who these folks are and what they stand for. I absolutely loved this story full of emotional ups and downs as a young widowed mother, full of spit and vinegar, is determined to keep her generational family ranch solvent and progressive while raising a precocious pre-teen daughter. And what a marvel young Abby is as the “goat queen”. Such a great character! And mother Melissa is equally wonderful along with a great supporting cast of family and friends. Now to the swoon-worthy man hunk Cary. As an older man and lifelong neighbor of Melissa’s, as well as friend to her late husband, he is so supportive and patient with both mother and daughter. He is smitten with Missy but it takes awhile for her to get on board with the change in their relationship status from friends to friends and lovers. Melissa is a fabulously strong and capable heroine. The sizzling chemistry and friendship connection between Cary and Missy is undeniable and so sexy. The banter, arguments and conversations between these two are superb and at times funny and other times raw and heartbreaking. Cary’s support is such a vital element to Melissa as she grapples with her devious in-laws while trying to maintain a relationship with them for Abby’s sake. There are so many teachable moments and fantastic elements to this story along with just enough humor to counter the heavier aspects of single parenthood, relationship changes, financially problems, family matters and quasi-political issues dealing with proposed development in this mostly ranch/farm community. One of my favorite parts was the endearing relationship between Cary and Abby. Beautiful emotions and words! The small town feel and ranching/farming setting was exceptional. This is my first story in the series and I can’t wait to catch up on the ones I missed because this on is outstanding! I voluntarily reviewed an ARC.
Sighhhhh… did I mention sighhhhh? I so want a Cary in my life. His kisses reminds me of a line from a great 80’s movie..”did he have strong lips?” (PRETTY IN PINK). I feel like Cary would have strong lips and then some! These two prove love is worth the wait.
Wonderful friends-to-lovers, second chance, slow burn, small town romance.
I can’t express how much I loved this friends-to-lovers, second chance, slow burn, small town romance. Now I am agonizing over how to write a review that does justice to this book without reverting to platitudes or publishing industry phrases like “riveting”, “heartwarming”, and “feelgood romance”, although it is of course all of that.
I was really excited about this story as second chance is one of my favorite romance tropes. There is a substantial (12 year) age gap between the hero and heroine in this book. So, even though they grew up on neighboring ranches/farms the timing just wasn’t right for them. As a teenager Melissa had a huge crush on Cary to which he was kind of oblivious. Years later, when he did finally notice her, she was engaged to another man and Cary put his feelings for her away. But then tragedy struck, which left Melissa widowed at a young age, with a small child to raise and ranch to run basically on her own, taking up all of her time and energy. So she hasn’t even thought about dating in ages. But through all this time Cary has been there as a friend and confidant, listening to her troubles, supporting her, advising her and sometimes running interference for her. Lately Melissa has been noticing him as a man more and more and then during the heat of an argument Cary kisses her and that kiss changes everything…
I loved the two main protagonists (and the fact that the hero is a Japanese American). There is also a great cast of supporting characters, from the two moms, Joan and Rumi and Melissa’s daughter, “goat queen” Abby, who is pretty perceptive for her age, a couple of wicked in-laws, to the friends and town originals we have met in previous books.
But once again, the real stars of the story are the imaginary communities of Oakville and Metlin and the landscapes that surround them; I can practically see the rolling hills, the wildflowers dotting Jordan Valley and smell Cary’s orange and citrus groves. They remind me of other great literary towns, like Margaret Laurence’s Manawaka or Narayan’s Malgudi.
The town also plays an important role from a narrative point of view: it’s questions of how to raise enough revenue to sustain the civic responsibilities (in this case keeping open the school) and how to deal with outside interests that want to develop the community for their own reasons, which move the plot forward. It addresses the complex problems that towns in rural America are faced with in how to rejuvenate their communities in such a way as to allow sustainable growth without sacrificing their traditions and way of life and without destroying the very environment that is the source of their income. I have sort of highlighted this aspect of the story, but it is definitively there, but more as a sub-text that underlies Cary and Melissa’s personal stories, and Elizabeth Hunter of course understands to weave the different strands together seamlessly.
Sweet second chance romance with meaning and depth!
Elizabeth Hunter never fails. The Love Stories on 7th and Main just keep getting better and better. This one is the best! Real, raw and such a slow burn.
I loved Grit! Missy and Cary are perfect together. Throw in an adorable daughter, some goats and oranges, a quirky town and the story just works!! Each book that I read in this series just makes me want to move to Metlin/Oakville more and more. Once again Elizabeth Hunter wrote a book I could not put down.
Elizabeth Hunter is a new author to me and knows how to build anticipation and keep you wanting more. Friends-to-lovers is my one of my favorite tropes and how it is written in Grit, is exactly how it should be done. You will fall in love with these characters and be so invested in their story that is true to it’s name.
What I didn’t know is that this is a series and these two must have been in the previous books as side characters, so I do recommend reading the series from the start. This is Melissa’s story and she’s a widow with a ten year old, who’s running a ranch by herself. Which makes her life very busy and she doesn’t have time for anything else.
Cary owns the farm next to Melissa’s ranch, but they’ve known each other since she was a kid, he’s watched her grow up and get married. He was also there when Melissa had a tragedy in her life. But with a growing attraction, what’s a man to do when he can no longer keep it to himself.
The relationship was definitely a slow burner that took place over the years. But there are worries for Melissa if they were to pursue this relationship. This book will keep you wanting to know more, and asking yourself if Cary can convince Melissa to give in her to urges or not.
There a few side stories that ties into their romance but it all comes together beautifully.
Absolutely recommend this book.
ARC generously given by SocialbutterlyPr and the author.
Overall Rating: +
An oft-quoted bible verse, 1 Corinthians 13 begins, “Love is patient; love is kind…” If you need to know anything about Elizabeth Hunter’s newest offering, Grit: A Love Story on 7th and Main, know that patience and kindness go a LONG way to the hero getting his happy ending with the heroine. It also doesn’t hurt that she’s physically attracted to him but denying her feelings. Simply put, Grit is a slow-burn romance of friends becoming lovers in a beautiful story of overcoming the odds.
Melissa “Missy” and Cary have been friends for years. Missy is a widow whose husband, Calvin, dies tragically in a car accident. Left with a ranch in Oakville to tend and a baby to raise, as any strong woman does, she finds some inner strength, help from her family and friends, and she makes a determined effort to keep and make productive her family ranch. In the periphery, Cary offers help when she decides to take a portion of her ranch and turn them into citrus groves, as a way to find another dependable money stream. Cary is an expert in this area, and he provides her the counsel and friendship necessary to survive the impending years.
Cary liked Missy before she married her husband, Calvin, but their timing simply didn’t work. Instead, he befriended her husband until his death. At that point, he offered Missy support, which eventually grew into strong feelings of attraction. As the story begins, both Missy and Cary are fighting their attraction, Missy more than Cary. Cary wants a future with her, but Missy is intent on staying the course. Her life is complicated with her daughter and the maintenance on the ranch. For much of the story, she doesn’t see where Cary fits into her life romantically even though she is attracted to him. Other outside influences also wreak havoc on their coupling. Much of the story asks the question: “can life-long friends find love together?” Even more, can a strong independent woman lay down her strength to live in the strength of a man again, especially after tragedy? These are the questions that Elizabeth Hunter answers beautifully in Grit.
This was my first book by Elizabeth Hunter. When I began promoting her in my blog, on my Facebook page, and on my Instagram account, suddenly everyone expressed their love for her stories. With that as background, I dived into her story. When I finally surfaced at its ending, these were my general impressions:
Her style is quite beautiful. Her ability to create pictures of the characters and environment is strong. You can “see” what she is offering in her book, and you feel as though you are walking with the characters through their stories.
Hunter methodically builds the burn between Cary and Missy. There were times when I wanted to reach through the book and shake Missy. Her ability to keep Cary at arm’s length was supernatural. It was also frustrating at times. As a hero, Cary is everything you want in a man: strong, adept, caring, kind, and, above all, oh so patient. He sees Missy in her independence and fear. He recognizes that she has to control the situation until he gets her into bed. There, his strength is fortified in her willingness to submit to him. She recognizes his talent there and allows him to guide her. It’s this push and pull of their relationship that draws you through their story, especially when Missy’s stubbornness acts to derail the inroads of their coupling. Quite frankly, Cary is a godsend.
I love that this romance is set in my home state of California. While I don’t live in the area where this is set, I am familiar with it, and I felt connected to the state’s character in the story. It felt like a little bit of me is in it.
To off-set the tension of the romantic relationship, Hunter balances it with a community issue. For one, it allows Cary and Missy to act as a united front against the “bad” land developers. This helps develop their eventual partnership especially when Missy gets in the way of her self, almost torpedoing her burgeoning relationship with Cary. Offering this other storyline provides some balance to the romance.
There is another ancillary story here: living life after a spouse’s death and balancing the relationship with your former in-laws. Since Missy and Calvin had a daughter, Abby, Missy is left to raise her with her own set of values. However, this is complicated by Calvin’s parents as their values are contrary to Missy’s, so much so that Hunter develops this storyline throughout the book and allows the granddaughter to eventually be the voice of reason, finding a place of reconciliation for Missy and her in-laws. It also helps develop further love for Cary as a character since he is the voice of wisdom to Abby to help create this reconciliation of sorts for her mother and her grandparents.
Even in the midst of burden and trauma, there is a gentleness to Hunter’s story-telling. Yes, her characters in Grit endure much to find their happily-ever-after, but the story is nuanced and easy. I’d have to say that she puts quite a bit of space in her story-telling. Why is that important you might ask? It would have been easy to place so many working components of a story into the romance and overwhelm your reader. Instead, what Hunter crafts for her readers in Grit is a story of finally acknowledging the need for love and its power in your life when you think your own strength and power is enough to get you through. Cary and Missy’s story is a quiet reminder that patience and kindness go a long way to finding the depth of love.
***5 Stars***
I don’t typically read a book in a series out of order, even when it is noted that said book can be read as a complete stand-alone, and I rarely ever do it when it comes to a new to me author, but something about the description of Grit just…hooked me and had me NEEDING to meet these characters and experience their journey to their HEA and I was not disappointed in any way. It hit all the right buttons for me and has me looking forward to more from this author and world, as well as trying to figure out how to get the first two books in the series slotted into the TBR list so I can read them sooner rather than later.
I adored Cary and Melissa. Cary is a good, hard working, man who is content in his life. He loves the land, his family, his town and the life he leads. Melissa has been dealt a quite a few unexpected blows to her heart, but her love of her daughter and an inner strength that is made of titanium pushed her to pick herself up and find a way to live. She’s sweet, sassy and is in no way a push over.
Melissa and Cary’s journey to their HEA is a mixed bag of tropes ~ friends to lovers, single parent, second chance ~ and were woven together so well that it was so easy to get lost in them. The mutual respect and genuine adoration they had for each other, on all levels, made it easy to believe that they could have that elusive HEA. There are a few bumps in their road, though nothing was OTT angsty, they were all everyday, easy to understand concerns when it comes to being a single parent and not wanting to mess up a rock solid friendship.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing was engaging, pacing was good and the dual 3rd person POV done very well. The drama in the story was well done and didn’t overshadow the evolution of Cary, Melissa and Abby’s relationship. And speaking of Abby, I adored this girl. She brought all kinds of light and depth to the story. And as for the other characters ~ I adored Joan, Rumi, Stu, Leigh, Ox and Leigh and the various other members of the town that popped up every now and then.
~ Copy provided by Social Butterfly PR & voluntarily reviewed ~
Love everything Elizabeth Hunter writes!
You need to go to her site. . . You will devour every book!
I absolutely loved, Elizabeth Hunter’s latest novel, ‘Grit: A Love Story on 7th and Main!’ It is the third novel in the Ink series… and her stories only continue to get better. Cary, Melissa, and Abby, are all such brilliantly written characters. The complexity of their emotions, toward one another, are so dynamic and real; a reader can’t help but to be drawn into their story. Definitely another hit!
Grit is book 3 in this series and each book just keeps getting better and better! I love these characters and the story lines draw you in and keep you hooked from start to finish! In order to get the most out of this series I think it should be read in order, but this book is definitely able to stand on its own if this is your first time reading a book by this author.
Melissa is such a strong character and my heart broke for her and the struggles she has had to face since losing her husband in a car accident. Luckily, Cary, her husbands best friend, is there to support her in any way she needs.
As years go by the two become close and feelings begin to develop that Melissa is not ready for. However, Cary is ready for more and will do anything he can to show Melissa that she doesn’t have to spend the rest of her life alone.
When trouble comes knocking on the door of this small town, and threatens Melissa’s ranch Cary wants to be there to support her and help her through everything that is going on.
The chemistry between these characters is amazing! I love this story line and the writing is fabulous!
A must read book and series for sure!
By Alisa
Well, I dove into this book without reading the previous ones, this is a friends to lovers slow burn story, Cary and Melissa grew up together, they helped each other in their own way. I really loved the story I will be reading more in the future.
He would always be Calvin’s friend, and she’d always be Calvin’s widow.
Grit is a slow burning romance. It takes a while to get there due to Melissa’s resistance, but during that time you savor the budding friendship turn romance and enjoy as their personalities emerge. This story has all the feels. I really liked the small-town dynamic and the subtle messages of responsibility, hard work, family, community, trust, and love.
I have been a big fan of Elizabeth Hunter’s A Love Story On 7th and Main series and have been looking forward to Cary and Melissa’s story for SO long. I absolutely loved this so much as Cary was just Everything in this story. He was the perfect friend, confidant, neighbor and book hero. He was everything Melissa wanted but was so terrified to have. Gah!! I teared up countless times. This was such an amazing read!
Cary Nakamura has always had his eye on his beautiful neighbor and widow, Melissa Oxford Rhodes. She was a loving mother and hardworking neighbor and the woman he could not get out of his mind. But when years of friendship and comraderie turn into a slow burning cauldron of feelings between them, Cary is in the fight of his life trying to convince Melissa to give into their feelings.
GAH! This story was truly so fabulous. It was full of vibrant love and friendship. I am OBSESSED with Cary as he was loving, protective and SO patient. He knew Melissa was it for him and never gave up on her. This was such a delicious slow burn with an incredible tension between them that was palpable right off the pages. I loved their connection and how in-tune Cary was to both Melissa and her daughter. He was the quintessential alpha hero that I love: Kind, protective, alpha and determined to get the girl. He made me swoon with allll the feels. I loved this so much! Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula
I feel like I have so much to say about this book and at the same time I can’t think of a single word to properly describe how it made me feel. Cary and Melissa’s story just has so many feels packed into it. Loss and grief, beautiful love, frustration, adorable sweetness, the list goes on and on. The romance will sweep you off your feet, the drama will have you on the edge of your seat, Melissa’s smart and endlessly adorable daughter will have you laughing and steal your heart. There is just SO MUCH to love in this book.
I also found myself really loving the push and pull that existed between Cary and Melissa. That back and forth that was the build up to them finally letting their feelings out not only made their relationship that much more realistic it added a depth to them as individuals that really made me love them even more.
I didn’t think I could like another book in the 7th and Main series more than the first two, Ink and Hooked. The books were beautifully written with wonderful characters in a great setting. I was, however, incorrect. Grit, the third book, a stand-alone romance, blew me away. The friends-to-lovers romance filled the pages of Grit with love, passion, stubbornness, and well-written emotion.
Melissa and Cary are one of the best romantic couples I’ve read about. She’s strong, independent, and stubborn. He’s patient, kind, and understanding. They are very much in love but shadows of the past, as well as impending situations, cloud Melissa’s mind. The chemistry between Melissa and Cary sizzles in every scene but the romance is slow to build, the pacing perfect for the author to flesh out much needed side themes.
The character development and world building in Grit brings ranch life into focus for the reader. We see what makes Melissa and Cary tick (aside from each other, that is). Ranching is not easy and when you have the emotional baggage Melissa is carrying, along with insensitive, manipulative in-laws, you understand why she tries to deny her feelings. The story is realistic and I was able to visualize each moment in the book.
Elizabeth Hunter writes books that require emotional responses from the reader. You can’t read her books without feeling exactly what she is portraying. I went through an entire gamut of emotions reading Grit. I teared up, I laughed, I was angry; every emotion exactly as written. All of Elizabeth’s novels reach deep within my emotional center and manage to trigger reactionary responses. These types of books are my favorite. The emotions don’t have to always include tears; it is just the ability to invoke proper emotional responses to scenarios being played out.
After the loss of her husband, Melissa is focused on two things — their young daughter Abby and their ranch. When she wants to expand by adding citrus farming, she turns to Cary Nakamura, her neighbor, her husband’s friend, and even though they butt heads, Cary is someone she trusts.
Cary has a citrus farming operation next door to Melissa, and they’ve known each other for years. After Calvin’s death, he starts to have romantic feelings for Melissa, but she’s so focused on her daughter and the ranch operations she doesn’t really have time for him. So he sets a course to woo her. This is the best part of the book — the slow convincing that they could be good together.
There’s some conflict with Melissa’s in-laws as she struggles to keep them in Abby’s life while they try to manipulate Melissa and Abby to move to their ranch. Melissa is having none of it, but she still has to be nice because of Abby. But when a new land developer tries to change the entire image of their little town, Melissa senses her in-laws’s hand in the operation. The conflicts in Grit are of the low stakes variety in that they are resolved without much trouble as everyone comes to their senses.
Grit is a sweet contemporary romance. There isn’t a huge amount of conflict and perhaps the best part is Cary’s undying and unwavering love for Melissa and their journey toward happiness. It’s a quick read and the happily-ever-after left me feeling good.
Absolutely gorgeous! 5 stars!
Oh wow, I love this book! This is how a friends-to-lovers romance should be written! Sweet, swoony, sexy and emotional, super functional and beautifully romantic, I fell in mad love with these characters and their story, and I adored this book!
Cary and Melissa have appeared in earlier books in this series, with a bit of a flirtation hinted at, and I’ve been so excited to get their story and find out exactly what’s going on. Melissa is the older sister of Ox, from book #1, INK, and the character crossover is there, but it’s minimal, so this book can also easily standalone.
Melissa is a 34 year old widow with an adorably precocious 10-year-old daughter, and a ranch to run. Her life is insanely busy, and she has very little time for anything that isn’t related to her daughter, Abby, or her ranch, but she loves her life and is determined to go it alone and build a happy and successful life for her little family.
Cary is a 46 year old citrus grower who owns the farm next to Melissa. They’ve known each other since Melissa was a child, and he watched her grow up, watched her get married, became friends with her husband, and then he was there when her husband was killed six years previous. He has offered her help and advice throughout the years – though she’s usually been too stubborn to take it – and has been there for her whenever she’s needed him, as a good friend to her and her daughter. Cary has also been nursing a growing attraction to his friend, patiently waiting for the right time to push things further, and he’s getting tired of keeping it to himself.
His breath tickled the hair at her temple. “Talk to me.”
She shook her head.
“Then tell me to leave you alone.”
I can’t.
It’s an attraction that has had years to develop, and when Cary decides to make his move, he does it without holding back. He wants Melissa, he comes right out and tells her that, and then he balances the line of giving her time to come to terms with it, and gently pushing her forward. Melissa wants him too, but is not only too busy to even contemplate a relationship, but she’s understandably worried about their friendship and the impact on her daughter. It’s all very reasonable, and I could completely feel where she was coming from. But I also love the way Cary continued to push, and the slow burn as they go back and forth is absolutely delicious.
“We can’t do this.”
“Fuck that,” he growled. “We already are.”
One way or another, their self-control wasn’t going to hold out forever. Something was going to snap. He just hoped they were in a relatively secluded place when it happened.
It’s fun and exciting, and the anticipation builds beautifully! You can feel their want for each other, the teasing, the banter and the kisses had me reading with a massive grin on my face, and the flirting is just awesome!
“Why did you…?” She glanced at his chest. “Can you put a shirt on please?”
The night was warm and he was wearing a pair of basketball shorts and nothing else. Cary glanced down at his bare chest. “No.”
“You’re not going to put on a shirt?”
“It’s hot. Is my chest offending you?”
“It’s…distracting.”
“Then I’m definitely not going to put on a shirt.”
Cary has this quiet confidence about him that is absolutely irresistible! He’s the perfect mix of strong, protective alpha, sweet, patient and understanding friend, and hot, sexy lover. And as a sort-of-surrogate father to little Abby, he absolutely melted my heart! I love that he’s a bit of an older man (46 to Melissa’s 34), and that they have so much history between them. Their relationship is so well developed, and though they have their ups and downs as they figure everything out between them, it doesn’t feel angsty or overly dramatic, it’s realistic and real, and every moment between them is meaningful and sizzling with chemistry. I love the way everything changed for them, and the way Cary loves Melissa, had me a swooning madly!
There’s a side storyline featuring the small town where Cary and Melissa live, and a bit of family drama, but it all ties in beautifully to the love story. And the addition of Abby to the story is just gold! That little girl is absolutely adorable – funny, smart, and an absolutely scene stealer, and I love that she was such a huge part of Melissa and Cary’s lives.
This is such a great read! It’s all the reasons why I love Elizabeth Hunter’s writing, and her smart, fun, realistic, passionate and emotional romance. I loved every moment and finished this book hugging my kindle to my chest in a blissed-out romance high.
5 stars!