Sometimes it takes an outsider to force us to see who we are. The real struggle is accepting what we learn.For Beverly Townsen, nothing could be closer to the truth. Virtually a shut-in, Beverly has pulled backfrom Green Valley’s community, preferring the isolation of her farmhouse and her daily routine ofviewing home improvement television shows. When the opportunity arises for her own home… for her own home
improvement and a personal re-assessment, she’s not so excited about the reality of real life versus DIY
programs.
Jedd Flemming understands physical pain and personal loss, but it’s never stopped him from bucking
forward in life. A former military man and rodeo star, his life as a nomad comes to an end with false
accusations and a family matter back in the Valley. It’s been a long journey to find his way home and
once there, there’s nothing he wants more than to reclaim what he’s lost…and maybe the elusive female
reclusive who holds a sliver of his past.
With an unprecedented proposition, Beverly finds a stranger living in her barn, raising horses on
borrowed pastures, and plowing his way into her vacant heart. Old hurts linger, but sometimes love in
deed is louder than words.
‘Love in Deed’ is a full-length contemporary romance, can be read as a standalone, and is book #6 in the Green Valley Libary series, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe.
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The queen of the over 40 romance has done it again!! Ms. Dunbar gives us vintage gals hope that just because you’re over 40, you can still get swoony, you can still get romanced and you can still get earthshaking smexy times!
This is the story of Jedd and Beverly.
This is more than just a love story, this more than just a romance, this story is about hope, redemption and forgiveness. There are twists and turns in this story, a bit of mystery you might say that is going to keep you riveted until the very end.
My heart broke for Beverly, her trials and tribulations, her insecurities and the thick, hard, brittle and downright mean shell covered her bruised and broken heart. She didn’t feel worthy and fell into a dark place.
Jedd is just an amazing character. He has had some setbacks in his past that has made him stronger, more resilient and tries to find his home, his roots, his new lease on life. When he comes into Beverly’s world, his positive outlook shone a bright light into Beverly’s darkness.
I am so enjoying all the stories based in Green Valley, this is just another jewel in the crown of Ms. Dunbar and Smartypants Romance!
Wow, gimme more, please!
With every book I’m more amazed by this author. Everything she writes is so real and mind blowing. All of her books have these amazing characters and beautiful HEA’s. I can’t get enough.
Beverly and Jedd are both battered by life but they cope so differently. Beverly is broken and lost and Jedd is enthusiastic. She’s sure she has to stay alone for the rest of her life, he wants to settle down and built something new, something he loves and can share with someone. But while they are at different points in their lives they both can’t resist the temptation.
Beverly is insecure, reluctant but also a little bit argumentative at first but after she thaws she’s a spitfire and everything Jedd wants. But then they both have to face reality. There are secrets, misunderstandings and broken hearts.
Another heartbreaking story with a wonderful world building and a phenomenal ending!!
I wasn’t sure I was going to like this one at the beginning, but I stuck with it and ended up really enjoying it. I hated that Beverly was fine letting herself just be a cripple for MANY years after an accident. I did love that Jedd showing up at her door (with a prosthetic arm) was the beginning of her want to actually have a life again. Their attraction to each other growing as time passed and Beverly’s resurfacing into a sexual being was rewarding. Jedd’s patience with her and his willingness to always put her first was heartwarming.
The little mysteries going on in the book only added to a fun story and the narration of the audio book by Christ Brinkley and Beth Tucker was good. I did have a little problem with the variation in volumes of speech, but that could be a personal preference on my part.
Probably one of my all time favs. Love the growth in the MCs. Beautiful story.
This was an enjoyable read. The happy ever after was wonderful. Who new Beverly could be such a classy lady. It is always fun to go back to Green Valley and visit with old friends, I mean characters.
4.5 stars
Wow! This book was so amazing! The Green Valley Library series has been interesting–I’ve enjoyed some books and others I have not but Love in Deed is an exceptional book. This book can be a bit heavy as it relates to a heroine who was married to a man that verbally abused her and made her feel like sh!t so she is a rock on the inside and outside with many layers to peel. She is also handicapped as well…which in comes the hero, Jedd who is handicapped as well and let me tell you, I was not expecting this at all!!!
That is what made the book so magical. Dunbar was able to take two beautiful characters with disabilities and write a beautiful love story out of it. It’s very emotional but it’s also funny and makes you feel good at times as well. And don’t forgot, this is an over 40 romance which is one of my favorites so with that, you always get more mature couples which I also love.
Overall, I would highly recommend everyone read this and shame on my for waiting so long!
I absolutely loved this story! L.B. Dunbar wrote the heart back into Beverly, a character previously glimpsed in a few books as being bitter, cold and a recluse. All those things were true to a degree, but learning the why and seeing her blossom was everything! Gah! When Jedd Fleming shows up on Beverly’s porch things get really interesting because it’s then we see Bev start to try and come back to life. Jedd and Beverly have flaws, have secrets, have wished and dreams. Watching them both dance around the other before giving in to desire was a delight. Throw in all the added layers to this story and I didn’t want it to end!! And now I want more of Jedd’s friends and to know Scotia’s story and to see what’s next from Dunbar in Green Valley!
3.5 Stars!
After having read Love in Due Time last year I couldn’t wait for another Green Valley Library book from Ms.Dunbar! This story pulled me in from the very beginning and I needed to know more! I enjoyed it!
From beginning to end, Beverly and Jedd’s journey brought out my emotions. It wasn’t easy and I enjoyed that kind of realness. I really liked the fact that these two characters made feel so many different things throughout reading.
I just struggled a bit a times when it came to connecting with them.
With Love In Deed, Ms.Dunbar has created a great read! I’m looking forward to her next book!
*I volunteered to read and review a copy of this book from Smartypants Romance / the author*
I really enjoyed seeing a glimpse of Beverly in past books, and I was very excited to finally read her story. Jedd is a cowboy hunk to rival any. Their chemistry is palpable.
I am hoping there will soon be a book about Hannah and Grizz and/or Hank.
Love in Deed is a novel of second chances (but not how you think), starting over, forgiveness, redemption, and finding one’s self.
My heart broke for Beverly. When we are introduced to her in Love in Due Time, she is so cold and mean. I couldn’t imagine feeling anything more for her. Even for most of Love in Deed, she is bitter and hostile.
To learn her story? To see inside her? So much heartache, guilt, and brokenness of spirit. And though her past does not excuse her present actions, we see that she is able to redefine herself and grow into a better person.
Jedd is a man who has come home with a plan. That plan goes right out the window when he meets Bev. He sees past her rough and callous exterior to the woman hiding beneath.
Theirs is not an easy road. And it is one that is paved with secrets, hidden truths, and lies by omission.
Love in Deed is an emotional, and sometimes heavy read, making it much more difficult to get through in comparison to Love in Due Time. But it is definitely another good addition to the Green Valley series.
I felt this story to the bottom of my soul.
There’s so much to appreciate and be in wonder of, I don’t think I know how to review …..
I don’t even know where to begin with this story. Do I tell you about Beverly’s spirit so torn and dejected she is walking her life path with no purpose or thought? Maybe I tell you about Beverly’s submission to live in the shadows, immobile and listless. That sounds dreadful doesn’t it?! Well, it happened. Until … Jedd Flemming 🙂 But Jedd didn’t come along baggage free and that’s what eventually buried this story deep in my soul. Their shared connection of a darken past lit their path into the future! Even when this story loomed with despair, it was hopeful. My God was it hopeful!
GAH, I love reading anything by this author because I feel it every time. Her writing of mature characters is something I can relate to very easily and her stories make me feel powerful and hopeful for the future. Everyone always wants to write about the 30something billionaire, or better yet, the 30something Beverly, but this Beverly and her path is not a common storyline. That alone makes me #oneclick this author every time. And also because she is ridiculously good with the words!
Favorite Quotes:
This is the hashtag-me-too era, buddy… You can’t just reach out and touch someone.
I’d believed all kinds of things about Howard. He’d love me forever. He’d make it good for me. He’d take care of us. An iron skillet of reality upside the head had finally made me see the light and realize Howard’s true nature. He loved women—all kinds of women—just not the one labeled his wife.
I called her Bee as I was leaving because the name is fitting. Her tongue stings like the pesky pollinator.
The glare I give my daughter could melt a candle without a wick.
I think it’s about to get as ugly as starved cannibals finding prey…
“Men are all hot air.” “Howard was hot air,” Jedd retorts. “I’m just hot.” Shaking my head, I can’t help the smile growing on my lips. He’s ridiculous but not wrong.
Her laugh is a lyric calling to me like a siren to a sailor.
My Review:
More Smartypants Green Valley? Why yes, thank you – bring it on! I always cross my fingers with anticipation yet approach with trepidation when I read this author as while I have enjoyed most of her books, heavy angst is just not my jam and her writing tends to be chockablock full of interpersonal conflicts and inner turmoil. And while this book was no exception to that standard, it wasn’t as arduous to endure as the storylines and issues were highly relevant and the writing was engaging with well-crafted and enticing storylines laced with clever spikes of humor and a slow-burning attraction that occasional sizzled and seemed destined to spark into an inferno.
Although, I will confess that for the first half of the book I had an ongoing and valiant struggle with the bitter and waspish character of Beverly as I found her rather horrid. Beverly had been dealt a bad hand and had become ill-tempered, snappish, and was wallowing in self-pity yet made no effort for improvement and was too prickly and proud to accept assistance. She was blatantly rude, leeching off her daughter, and just patently unpleasant. Beverly annoyed me greatly and was the type of person most people, me included; go out of their way to avoid. While he also had hidden motives, the character of Jedd was a saint in comparison. Yet despite all that, I was reluctant to put my Kindle down, I seem to be terminally bewitched by all things Green Valley.
This was another second chance romance/mature character story as with the first by this author in the series, Love in Due Time. It was the sister of the main character in that book, Naomi Winters. And like other books in the SmartyPants universe, Green Valley Chronicles we were lucky enough to get time with those other characters as well. I liked that this book’s timeline overlapped a bit with that one, so that we got to see some outside views of Naomi’s romance as well.
Beverly had it even rougher than Naomi did. While she’d been probably more of an outgoing younger woman, and tough in her own way at one time, she’d become bitter over an accident that she had when trying to confront her cheating ex-husband. And now she’s left having to use crutches, or a wheelchair even at times, in order to move around. Her daughter Hannah basically gives up her own life to come home and help her mother out, in a way continuing the vicious cycle that began when Beverly got pregnant and had her whole life thrown down a different road than maybe she’d planned.
We also got some time with Scotia Simmons, who I’m excited to see will be getting her own book soon, (even if my paperback copy said to turn the page for a preview and there wasn’t one!) Scotia being the other sibling in Naomi and Beverly’s family. I’m also hoping for a book for Beverly’s daughter Hannah and maybe a sexy sounding man named Grizzly.
The romance was sweet, slow burn with definitely instant physical attraction. But there was the whole thing that I wish Jedd hadn’t held out on his secret for so long, that he’d told her sooner to save Beverly from feeling used once again. And I felt so much for his brother Boone, and loved how Beverly handled that situation. I was also left wanting so badly to try some of this soap that she was making and selling!
My only disappointment, is the same one I had for the other book this time around in the Green Valley Public Library series, and the others in the Donner Bakery series, this had nothing to do with the library. In fact, only one scene, maybe, in the entire book? I get it. We’re getting family and connected stories, I just miss the library.
This is an emotional read. My heart bleeds for Beverly. Life has put her through the ringer and now she mostly just going through the motions of life. Then Jedd enters her life and it will never be the same. Jedd never expected Beverly to make him question everything when he made his plans, but she gives him the glimpse of a future he’s always wanted. I wanted to knock some sense into Beverly’s ex. He’s a nasty piece or work that karma needs to visit. One of my favorite parts of the book was watching Beverly find her spark for life again. Beverly and Jedd are inspiring characters. There is one character who is like Beverly’s guardian angel and that’s a part of the book that made my heart happy. This is a nice addition to the series!
Contemporary Romance
Sigh… This book was so amazing in many ways that I don’t know how to adequately portray my feelings into words. There is no doubt that L.B. Dunbar is an excellent writer. She’s wooed me with her words in the past and continues to do so with every release I read. Her characters are complex, yet so easy to connect with that you feel as if you are a part of them. The characters in this book have so many layers to them and watching them peel away was an experience for me. I adored it. This book CAN be light and funny, but it’s also raw and real. I don’t know how L.B. managed this but I give her two BIG thumbs up for it. I absolutely loved it to pieces.
This book is a must read. You can read it as a standalone novel in the series as well. There are a lot of books within the Smartypants romance que but can be read in any order you like. All books deal with different issues, characters, and tropes!
We got a glimpse of Beverly and Jedd in L.B. Dunbar’s Love in Due Time. I was wondering about Beverly how she became a recluse of sorts. She had a tough time with her ex and everything in between.
This felt longer in a way but it’s good that it developed Beverly’s character. We saw her change gradually from angry, hurt and sad to slowly opening up. Jedd I feel helped her with his patience. Of course there was also her daughter Hannah and their relationship how it changed.
Jedd had a past of his own. His reasons why he wanted to have a raise horses. It made their family history more intertwined. At first we only saw clues but as the story went on the connections revealed. This book was mainly about getting past bitterness and also self love and acceptance. The next book is about the eldest Winter sister should be just as meaty.
This was a very unexpected read that I loved so much.
Apart from the age of the characters, I was so surprised to read this story. It’s not an easy one, it’s full of angst and I loved it.
Beverly become more introverted than anyone in Green Valley , and with her health issues, she is almost invisible to everyone, but , one day, a man is making his way into her cold, lonely heart and here starts a painful but beautiful love story.
There’s always a second chance at life and love if you want to grab the opportunity.
Life hasn’t been kind to Beverly Townsen. Years under her husband’s thumb has left Beverly’s spirt in tatters. With the remnants of an accident leaving her body ‘broken’, Beverly prefers the isolation of her home to the prying eyes of the folks in town. With a daughter that rearranged her life to take care of Beverly and the farm, life is stretched to the limits financially. A hardship that the duo knows can only last so long. What Beverly wasn’t prepared for was a proposition that would come barreling through the front door like a cyclone.
With a love of horses and a former life as a rodeo star fueling his passion, Jedd Fleming was a force to be reckoned with. After years spent away from Green Valley, Jedd has made a plan for the future and can’t quite accomplish that without a little help from Beverly. In spite of Bev’s reservations, the income that Jedd is bringing to the farm can’t be ignored. Beverly may be prickly on the outside, but Jedd knows that deep down inside is the girl that caught his eye so long ago. Time isn’t on Jedd’s side. With so many secrets swirling in the past, Beverly and Jedd will find the farm will join their lives in more ways than one.
Love in Deed is definitely a standout in the Smartypants Romance collection. Beverly is prickly and cantankerous, and I knew her story would be anything but ordinary. L.B. Dunbar has created quite the story between Beverly and Jedd. Two damaged souls that find their lives might not be so different from one another. Pain and tragedy have a way of molding the future, and this duo will find that the path to the future might be easier traveled than either could have imagined.
There are a few dealings between the couple that I would have liked to have seen elaborated a bit more. In spite of that – I found Jedd and Beverly’s tale interesting and chaotic. A perfect match for the ups and downs of Green Valley. I will confess I am excited to see what is in store with Scotia’s book. I think she might give Tempest (Donner Bakery Series) a run for the money!!
This is another romance featuring older characters, which I don’t often read. Jedd and Beverly are both in their 40s and they’ve both had their struggles in life. Their experiences have hardened them both in different ways over the years. Their flaws compliment each other, and together they make a great team. Jedd is able to draw Beverly out of her protective shell, and she in turn calls him out on his BS. Beverly has been hardened by verbally abusive religious parents, a verbally abusive husband who cheated on her and abandoned her, and a car accident that left her physically disabled. Beverly is hard to like, but as you learn about her life and what she has endured you learn that she has been shaped by the expectations put on her and the events of her life. Some of those events were her fault, while others she had no control over. Enter Jedd, also formed by the events of his life but instead of turning in on himself, he left Green Valley to roam the world and see what he could find. Now he’s back to do what he loves and hopefully reclaim his former homestead and only Beverly stands in his way.
Their relationship was a little insta-lusty at first. They were both immediately attracted to each other with a lot of dirty talk and thoughts to go with it, but they are pretty mean to each other in the beginning. I say lust because their love is actually very slow to develop. Jedd takes his time with Beverly, knowing that she has been wronged in the past and that she needs time to learn to trust again and like the horses he works with, she will turn on him at any second if he makes the wrong move. The resolution with Beverly’s ex Howard felt a little rushed, but he was such a jerk I don’t mind that he didn’t get a lot of time on the page. There were also a few plot lines that I felt were either rushed or glossed over. I have a suspicion that we may get more info on the missing pieces in future books so I’m not overly concerned,
In the end this was a sweet romance giving each of the characters a chance at love and the lives they’ve always wanted. I really loved watching Beverly develop, I think her character while unlikable much of the time was presented as very realistic. What her character suffered is a very real problem with lasting effects. I think it was handled very well. You weren’t supposed to like her, you were supposed to suffer with her, and I did. I hurt when she hurt, and I’m happy for her that she found her way back to the world and that she found Jedd. By the end, she was a totally different person, and I really liked her and like the person she transformed into.
I am loving visiting Green Valley and L.B. Dunbar writes Beverly and Jedd’s story brilliantly. Beverly, we meet in Love in Due Time and boy does she have some heavy baggage but watching her break free from it all was amazing! Jedd is trying to get back to what he has always wanted but he didn’t expect it all to change for Beverly. I adore how sweet and patient Jedd is. And the strength Beverly finally gains. So many secondary characters I want to read about and of course I enjoyed the ones we already know. I finished this book with a huge grin on my face and I’ll be doing a re-read soon.
Review by Raychel