Jensen Grayson has truly loved one woman. Even after a short-lived marriage, the ghost of the girl he once knew has plagued his adulthood. Now, a single father, Jensen’s world revolves around his son, Max, and his landscape business. Until one day, he’s contracted for a job at the house he’s always avoided.Rockland Falls was the only place that felt like home. Pulled from the life she knew at … knew at eighteen, Kathryn Elliott was forced to leave it all behind, including the boy she loved. Now, she’s returning home to pick up the pieces of her chaotic life and find her happiness once more.
Will Jensen and Kathryn be able to look past the years’ worth of hurt to forge a future? When exposed secrets wreak havoc on their new life, can they move past the lies if they revolve around their own families?
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Love and Landscape is the third book in the Rockland Falls series by the very talented, Lacey Black. It can be read as standalone but I highly recommend reading the series since it’s amazing! Two of the Grayson sisters have found love and now it’s the brothers’ turn. Jensen is up first…hot single dad alert!
Twelve years. It’s been twelve years since Kathryn Elliott’s family left Rockland Falls in the middle of the night without looking back. Twelve years since Jensen’s heart was broken by the only girl he ever truly loved. Twelve years since Kathryn’s heart was left behind in the small town. Now, she was back home. In the mansion where she fell in love with a boy. A mansion that needed work. A mansion that has brought that boy back to it. Except he wasn’t a boy anymore, he was a grown man who still makes her weak in the knees.
Jensen couldn’t believe she was there. His Kate. Inside the home he was landscaping. He had been avoiding the Elliott home since she left. It wasn’t hard. It was gated. It was not in town and nobody lived there. Until now. He thought if he took this job it would help him move on from his past. Even throughout his marriage, Kate still had a piece of his heart and now she was here. But for how long? Was she here to fix up the home to sell it? Was she here to let go of their past as well? Was she married and had a family of her own? He knew he should just walk away after what she did but he couldn’t take the steps. Their connection was still there. And it was deep.
Jensen and Kate’s relationship beautiful and complicated. The sexual tension was there. The banter was there. The fun was there. What wasn’t was answers. Why did her family leave? Why didn’t see ever look back? Why didn’t he try to find her? Before they can move on together or separately, these questions needed to be answered. It’s not easy. But it’s worth it.
I can’t really say more than that. I can say that I loved it. The characters. The mansion. The family. Just Max is the cherry on top. He is one adorable little man. And if you have been following this series or the Summer Sisters then you will be happy to know that you will see Emma and Orval! My favorite grandparents of all time.
Overall…I fucking loved it! Second chance is one of my favorite sub-genres. Lacey is one of my favorite authors. Together, it’s one amazing story. I can’t wait for the next book. I have been waiting for Samuel to fall. Oh…it’s going to be soooo good!
Quotes:
“Can I keep it? Like a pirate?” Max asks, turning wide eyes to the woman beside him. I’m just about to open my mouth and tell him it’s not appropriate, when Kate says, “Of course, you can, Just Max. All good pirates get to keep their booty.”
“She’s not much of a ride-taker.” He laughs right in my face though, and whispers, “Looks like she enjoyed the hell out of the ride.”
“What’s up?” I ask, glancing between their smiling, knowing faces. “Orvie, it must be Take Your Erection to Work Day,” Emma states bluntly, an ornery smirk on her wrinkled face.
Love & Landscape is the third book in the Rockland Falls series from Lacey Black and it’s a WINNER!!! I loved every single thing about Jensen and Kathryn’s second shot at love! It’s CHOCK FULL of allllll the feels that I’ve come to expect from Ms. Black (and a visit from those hilariously inappropriate grandparents from the Summer Sisters series, Emma and Orval, that brought the tears of laughter…AND some “I can’t believe Emma just said that!” moments) I simply can’t get enough of this series and I can’t WAIT for the next installment!
Like I said, this is Jensen and Kathryn’s second-chance love story and it did NOT disappoint! The shocking discovery of just WHY things went sideways the first time around, had me cursing up a storm and shaking my fist at a few of these characters….uhhhhhmmmm, I can’t be the ONLY one that does that, right?! RIGHT???!!! Anyway, I fell head-over-heels in love with Jensen and Max, his adorable son from his ill-fated first marriage, and Kathryn. who is strong and feisty (except when it comes to her Mother, who is one of those characters that you love to hate!) The chemistry and sexual tension between Jensen and Kate is off-the-charts HAWT!!! Put it all together and you have a heart-and-soul satisfying love story that is UN-PUT-DOWN-ABLE!!!
The ONLY thing that I didn’t like about this book? It ended FAAAAARRRR too soon! I wanted MORE!!! But I say that with every Lacey Black novel because they are so good, you don’t want them to end! This one is no exception and it’s a MUST READ as far as I’m concerned!
Let me start by saying I wish I could give this book more than five stars. I love that this was a second-chance at love story for high school sweethearts that were torn apart in the middle of the night when Kate’s family moved to New York with out a word to anyone, but, what I loved more is that each of the relationships felt real to me. I know moving on isn’t easy and there is usually a lot of bitterness and bickering but you always hope that the child isn’t used as a weapon between the parents and Ashley had tried to get Jensen back but she knew when she was defeated and thankfully didn’t get to nasty about it.
Kathryn “Kate” and Jensen have that once in a lifetime kind of love that you really never get over, they both tried to move on but neither was successful at it. Kate’s father recently passed away and left her their family home in Rockland Falls and she couldn’t get back there fast enough. The chemistry between Jensen and Kate could be felt immediately but what had me really pulling for them was the way Kate was with “Just Max.” Max is Jensen’s four year old son and let me tell you this little boy stole every scene he was in, he was just that adorable. Kate was amazing with him and for me, as a step-mom myself, was very important to see because there has to be a real connection between the two individuals that are your main focus in life because if there isn’t, well lets just say things probably wont work out to well.
Kate suffers from Panic Attacks and if you have ever had you know they are not fun, but you know what is fun Aunt Emma and Uncle Orvil that come to visit and stay with Kate for a few days. I swear I cannot get enough of these two!
This series will be coming to an end soon and I will be sad when that happens but first we have to see what happens with Samuel…will Freedom finally get him to admit his feelings for her? Or will someone new pop onto the scene and steal his heart? I can’t wait to see what happens.
I recommend this book to EVERYONE that enjoys Contemporary Romance, I would suggest reading the series in order since it follows a family and each of the siblings are in every book, although, the book highlights just one couple and can be read as a standalone if that is what you wish to do.
Happy Reading!!!
Love this new second chance romance from Lacey Black!
I received a review copy before release for an honest review.
This is a wonderful 2nd chance at love story between divorced Single dad, Jensen and almost divorced, Kate, who now owns the biggest mansion in town.
Kate hires him to do her landscaping and that’s when the fun starts. The two were in love when they were teens until one day Kate’s family makes her leave town and have no contact with the town ever again. Now Kate’s dad has died and left her his house and she comes back to town and is fixing up her house.
This was a wonderful story between two people who loved each other as teens and then were ripped apart by life. They are both divorced and they get their 2nd chance at love and the author did an amazing job in creating these characters.
The only downside to the story was Ashley, who is Jensen’s ex and she tries to cause a few issues because she knows what a great guy Jensen is. Max, the son is pretty awesome and I loved how he fell for Kate too.
This is book 3 in the series and while it easily stands alone I would read in the order of the books.
Love and Landscapes is the third title in the Rockland Falls series. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed each addition to this series, and Love and Landscapes was no exception. It was kind of weird to read a book about a character with the same name as myself as I’ve never come across the exact same spelling.
Jensen and Kathryn’s story is an emotional and heartwarming second chance romance. High school sweethearts torn apart as teens and miscommunications, pain, secrets and misunderstandings kept them apart.
Jensen is a single father who when he’s not busy running after a rambunctious four year old is running his landscaping business. He’s dedicated, driven and incredibly hard working.
Kathryn returns to Rockland Falls, hoping to find peace and happiness and in the process reconnects with her first love. She’s less vivacious than previous characters more reserved and happy with her own company. I found her to be very relatable.
This title is full of heat and humor, particularly from the cameo appearances of Emma and Orval.
I can’t wait to see the final Grayson sibling find his happy ever after!
It is official – I absolutely love second chance romance. The feeling you get when the MC’s finally fall into each other’s arms it just can’t be described.
And boy did these two needed each other’s love. Both were terribly hurt when they were separated and you could feel the longing with each page I read. It was pain-full to read how much life was beating them down but then made made my heart squeeze with joy when the stars align and everything fell into place and they both got the HEA they deserved.
I can’t explain how much I love Lacey Black and her writing style. This one is another HIT for sure.
***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***
This is the 3rd book in this series and is Jensen and Kathryn’s story. These two were meant for each other, until circumstances forced Kathryn to leave town without a word. Now she is back in town freshly divorced, and ready to start her life over again. Jensen is a single dad to a little boy, with a high maintenance ex wife, and running his own landscape business, and he is hired to work on a house which has been empty for years. This is a beautifully written story which is emotional, pulls at the heart-strings, and with secrets, misunderstandings and a 2nd chance at love. I highly recommend for all readers.
Love and Landscapes was a fabulous second chance romance.
Highschool sweethearts and lovers, Jensen and Kate knew they were meant to be together forever. But, when Kate’s family packs up and moves to a different state in the middle of the night giving her no chance to say goodbye, their romance is ripped apart and both are left broken hearted and forced to move forward alone.
Both find new love that end in divorce. Jensen is left with the best thing that has ever happened to him, his four year old son, Max, and Kate is left to start living the life she wants for herself and not the one that others want for her.
Now that Kate is back, can they give their love a second chance, or is there too much past hurt left between them?
I love a second chance romance, and Kate and Jensen’s was wonderful! While they were both left with so much hurt, they stepped back into one another’s lives almost seamlessly . . . including Kate falling for Max almost as quickly as she fell for his father. It was beautiful, easy and magical!
Of course, past deceptions can’t always stay hidden, and when the truth comes out, it’s not what either Jensen or Kate expected. And, this drama added some spice (along with Emma and Orville visiting Rockland falls) to an otherwise sweet romance. 5 stars.
This book, while good, was probably one of my least favorites from Lacey Black. Jensen was amazing as usual for all of Laceys’ characters.
I felt that this book could have used a little more in-depth story telling – I felt that their story was just getting started and I feel we could have another book on Jensen and Kathryn and their story.
This book was well written, I loved the single dad aspect and I loved the second chance story this book is. What I didn’t like was it felt cut short, like just when we were really getting into the story it ended.
Unlike other Lacey Black books this one just didn’t pull me in as much as her other ones did and to be honest I felt more invested in Free and Samuel when they were in scenes because they have had much more character development and we already know them. I think that if Jensen was talked about much more in the previous stories we would have felt more connected to them.
I would read this book again and I am excited for her future books to see if we get more on Jensen and Kathryn…perhaps even a novella?
I can’t get enough of this series by Lacey! 5 stars for this!!
Meet Jensen, he’s just been hired to do the landscaping design on the big house that’s been abandoned for twelve years or so, the house where the love of his life used to live in. Someone’s taking it over and having it redone, he’s got so many memories here, he will do right by this design for sure.
Kathryn inherited her childhood home when he dad passed, she’s fixing it up, making it her own. As the memories flood in, she was really happy in this house, till one night, her mother told her they had to leave, in the middle of the night, and she left the love of her life behind.
When these two see each other for the first time after all these years, it’s like no time has passed at all. But are they the same people? And he’s got a son, Max, a mini version of Jensen, can they try again and make it work this time, after all they are older and in charge of their own lives now!
You will enjoy this one, and yes you get an appearance from the hysterical Orville & Emma, who will have you laughing out loud! Grab this one asap! Enjoy!
Book was amazing Lacey Black is an amazing author never disappoints
Lacey has done it again! I have been waiting for Jensen’s story! This is the third book in this series and I have to say it’s my favorite! I absolutely loved Kate, Jensen and Max. This was a single dad second chance book, two of my favorite tropes. Lacey has a way of drawing you in and wanting to know what’s next. I love that she also brings back the worlds greatest grandparents for a cameo. Emma is my hero so I loved we got to catch up with her.
Great story full of laughter, smiles and romance. The third book in the Rockland Falls series is Jensen turns to take center stage, this story is more of a second chance romance as Jensen and Kate were high school sweethearts until Kate’s’ family moved. For me Max Jensen’s son stole the book at times as he was so adorable.