One wrong move, and she meets a guy with all the right ones… the best way to start the day, but it might be the type of shake-up she needs.
Male dancer Derek Grant has goals, and nothing is going to get in the way of achieving them. As a graduate student and the sole caretaker of his ailing father, he hasn’t much time for relationships. Then Talia crashes into his life. Sweet, pretty—and so buttoned-up that he can’t wait to help her cut loose.
For Derek, falling in love was a beautiful accident waiting to happen. And it might be exactly what Talia needs—if she’s willing to let go of the past and embrace every surprise Derek has to offer.
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This book had all the feels. It deals with some heavy topics in a touching way without being too fluffy either. I laughed out loud at times at the interactions between Talia and her siblings. I can’t wait to see who Piper ends up with. This is another addictive series . I can’t wait to read Ben and Aurelia’ s book now
Love Like Ours was amazingly simplistic and yet it managed to attack me right in the feels! Trust Melissa Foster to find a way to create a story that is low on angst and dramatics and high in romance and emotions. The perfect mix!
Talia Dalton lives in a box of her own creation. She has a comfort zone and despite the best efforts of her friends and family, she doesn’t veer from it. That is until a near accident tilts her world on its axis, upsetting the delicate balance she’s strived for her whole life. Because the most beautiful man she’s ever seen, although he’s so far out of her box as she can get, may just be the one to giver the love of a lifetime.
Derek Grant is a man on a mission. He’s managing a juggling act in order to achieve his goals and he’s got no time for a relationship. But when he’s almost hit by a car, he realizes his life has room for more. Talia is everything he could ever want in a woman and just maybe his life can include some much needed love.
Whenever I’m looking for some sweet romance, I know I’ll find just that with a story by Melissa Foster. She creates such wholesome characters with enviable ideas about love, life, family and expectations. Her heroes are always swoon-worthy and Derek was enough to make any woman sweat and faint. She also gives us spunky heroines that more than deserve the happy ending in store for them. Talia was intelligent, openhearted, giving, and family-oriented. Her ideals served as the perfect complement to those of Derek. They were such a perfect match and I’m so glad their story wasn’t full of unnecessary pain or turmoil. It was so easy to visualize the man on the cover of this book as Derek. The description was so accurate and made me want to run my hands through his hair too!
If you’re a fan of stories that are full of humor, family, friends, romance, heat, good times and feel goods – Love Like Ours is worthy of that one-click!
I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads, so here is my review.
This is the third book in the Sugar Lake series and all about Talia, the oldest of the Dalton siblings. She is a college professor and thinks her life is fine just as it is. But her sisters will not settle for fine. They want to see Talia happy and in a relationship that might lead to love. Or maybe for her to let her hair down a little. But Talia has to keep control and guard her heart. She will not let any man hurt her again. While on the way to school one day and talking to her sisters and being distracted from driving, she almost runs over a man. A very gorgeous and sexy man with bedroom blue eyes and he seems to have stirred something inside of her.
Derek Grant can’t believe that a woman almost ran him over, she wasn’t even paying attention. When she got out of the can, he did notice she was very sexy even in her rattled state. As he hurried to his class, he can’t stop thinking about her. After his class and on the way out of the building he hears a familiar voice, the woman who almost ran him over and she is a professor. So he sits down and listens to her for the rest of the class. Funny how he attends a class that he isn’t even enrolled in just to be near her.
Talia and Derek hit it off because they are two peas in a pod. They are made for each other and their story is a perfect mix of funny, sweet, sexy , loving, heartbreaking and forever. And don’t forget that Talia still has to put up with her crazy family and their meddling and her Mom and her love potions.
I love this series and I think this is my favorite couple so far. If you are looking for the perfect mix of emotional reading, then you need to read this series or better yet any series by Melissa Foster. She will have you glued to every page until the end and leave you smiling. I never read the synopsis of any of Melissa’s book, I know I will want to read them when they come up in the review group. So get something to drink and enjoy the ride with Talia and Derek, I loved it and I hope you do too.
**Wicked Reads Review Team**
Well …. She did it again. OUTSTANDING!
I think what I liked best about this story is that both Derek and Talia had growth journeys of their own intertwined with their romance journey. For me, that always makes for the best stories because that’s life. We are always evolving and growing, or at least we should be, but sometimes we hit a bit of snag and them someone comes along to unsnag us. LOL, I hope that makes sense to you guys. I’m pretty much trying to say that Derek and Talia were perfect for each other at the perfect time and Melissa Foster once again blew it out of the water.
Sidenote: Alzheimer’s disease is not something I know about because I’ve read about it in books. I have lived Derek’s life. There are no words that I can think of right at this moment that could describe what the disease will put a person and their loved ones thru. Decisions you wouldn’t even think possible will be made. Lives will halt. Priorities will shift. … Melissa Foster got it right. Well done!
How the hell am I reading my first Melissa Foster’s book just now?
Where was I before, like seriously???
Sometimes I read a book and just know that I will love the author’s other works too. In Love Like Ours I loved everything – the writing, the pace, the characters.
Talia is a professor at the university. She replaces her friend on the job, she loves her family and she is protective of the people she loves.
Derek is a student who works as a bartender and male dancer because the money helps him with providing for him and his father. He knows what he wants, he is a man with plans and knows how to achieve his goals. He is stubborn but in a good way. I loved his honesty when talking with Talia. He didn’t beat around the bush but he told her how things were. I also love how much he cared for Talia and how romantic he was (true relationship goals here, people)
While I did love that the characters actually talked to each other (maybe for the first time in a while), I missed more drama. But overall, it was a heartwarming story about family, friends and love, which I recommend.
I really hope her other books are just as amazing as this one.
4 stars.
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Love Like Ours by Melissa Foster
Sugar Lake #3
Delightful from beginning to end! Piper and Derek meet when she is distracted and nearly hits him while she is driving. They meet again when he attends her class and though her perceptions of him are off-target at first glance she soon realizes that this man who on the surface seems all wrong for her is truly the man for her.
Piper has a big loving family that provides her with love and warmth and a lot of goodhearted teasing. She is the quietest of the group and yet perhaps the anchor. Derek is an only child predominately raised by a loving and wonderful father – a father he is losing a little bit more of every day. As the main caretaker of his father he is loving, kind, patient, caring and giving AND he brings those same attributes to his relationship with Piper…along with some sizzle and steam and charm and so much more.
Watching Piper and Derek grow together as a couple was a delight. Hearing about the cartoon sketches drawn by Derek and his father to commemorate life events was charming and made me want to look over his shoulder as he was drawing. Wondering who will get their story told next left me eager to read the next book in this series although this is the first I have read in the series so far. AND did you know that the cartoons in this book are actually collected together in another one so perhaps I will get to look over Derek’s shoulder after all!
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
BLURB
4.5 Stars for Love Like Ours by Melissa Foster, this is book 3 in the Sugar Lake Series and It was great to catch up with the Dalton family and read Talia and Derek’s story. This book captivated me it took over my life and I couldn’t put it down it’s not just a love story it’s a book that covers Alzheimer’s and it’s written beautifully and with compassion.
The Dalton family are determined to find a man for Talia to settle down with so her potion mad mum mixes a love potion concoction which she chucks all over Talia’s car and whilst Talia is trying to get rid of the smell by opening all the windows whilst driving she nearly runs over the most gorgeous man she has ever seen ( maybe Love potions work after all). Derek is a man who is on a mission he looks after his father who has Alzheimer’s whilst holding down various jobs in order to convert his family home into a community day care for ailing adults. An instant attraction for Talia and Derek but will one of Derek’s jobs send Talia running in the opposite direction…….
This author touched on a subject most would run from and she did it with compassion, a love story like no other once again aperfect addition to the great Sugar Lake Series.
Love Like Ours by Melissa Foster took me by surprise! I read this sensitive, emotional romance featuring college professor Talia Dalton and graduate student Derek Grant, in one afternoon. I adored Talia and Derek’s seemingly opposites attract romance, the importance of family and Mrs. Dalton’s magic love potion.
Professor Talia Dalton took one look at Derek Grant’s long hair, two- day stubble, bracelets and rings and assumes he’s not her type. She’s intrigued and turned on when she watches him dance but, runs out of the bar before his performance ends.
Their next conversation sets the tone for the novel:
“That’s what I do, not who I am.” He took a step back and said, “I misjudged you. I thought you saw beyond societal expectations and generalizations. I guess I was wrong.”
I loved that Derek wasn’t what Talia assumed; Talia was challenged to see Derek through her eyes and her experiences with him. Through conversations with Derek, she learns he is finishing up his Master’s degree in health administration; his father has early onset Alzheimer’s and he left a lucrative accounting career to care for his dad. Derek has a part time job bartending and dancing at a local bar. Dancing—yes dancing. His dancing is both a source of income for him and a source of discomfort for Talia.
Talia’s friendship and ensuing romance with Derek unfolds perfectly. Derek encourages Talia to step outside her comfort zone-they enjoying walking in the park, meeting his friends for dinner and a ski weekend. Talia understands that Derek has given up his dreams to care for his father and that being a caregiver is a 24/7 job. She encourages Derek to take time for himself- to give himself a well-deserved break.
The caregiving piece of this story and how it affects a person and their family resonated with me. One of the most touching scenes in the novel occurs when Derek and Talia visit an assisted living center. Derek’s struggle with caring for his father and trying to have a normal, healthy relationship with Talia is genuine and relatable. I could hear the struggle and frustration in his words as he tried to explain his feelings about his father to Talia. Talia asks him a very important question which told me that she loved Derek with all of her heart.
.Acceptance, assumption and secret keeping are three powerful themes that Melissa Foster includes in Love Like Ours. The strength of Talia and Derek’s relationship is tested throughout the novel. I loved reading how the couple learned to communicate honestly and face their issues together. The couple’s struggles with work family and their relationship are real. The conclusion to the novel was perfect and I can’t wait to catch up with them in the next Sugar lake book!
The characters and the themes from Love Like Ours made a huge impression on me. Caretakers are truly unselfish people—they put their loved one first each and every time. Kudos for Melissa Foster for bringing the role of a caretaker to light in a sensitive, honest manner. Love Like Ours wasn’t what I expected—it was SO MUCH BETTER!
I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have always been a big fan of Melissa Foster’s books and this new book in the Sugar Lake series did not disappoint!!! I had read the first book in the series and I own but haven’t read the second book. I did not have any problem reading them out of order.
Talia is such a lucky woman! Derek is like a diamond in the rough. Guys who are that caring and charismatic are few and far between. I’m glad that he finally realized how his choice of job effects those that live him. I’m eager to read more about them and I hope that they get their own spin-off series that tells all about their adult daycare adventures!
I can’t wait to see the artwork in the companion booklet Loving Talia.
Another amazing read by Melissa Foster. Talia is an introvert that was scarred by a college romance and closed herself off to the opposite sex. Then fate or maybe moms love potions get involved and as they say the rest is history. While talking on the phone with her sisters and mother Talia almost runs into Derek with her car! Luckily all is well and no one got hurt. Fast forward to later in the day and Derek hears Talias voice as she teaches a class and is drawn towards her. Throughout the book you learn of some of what Derek has had to do to care for his father who has Alzheimer’s. As someone who cares for a family member with Alzheimer’s its very difficult. Melissa did an amazing job showing how not only how it affects the person with it but the family’s as well. I laughed with the Dalton’s, love those girls! The depth of the characters is amazing and how the Dalton’s adopt the Grants is amazing. Love this book!
This whole series is fantastic! Fun, sexy and definitely will need tissues! Derek and Talia are an unusual couple on paper but when you meet your soulmate, none of that matters!
Steamy, sexy and oh so romantic!
Love Like Ours (Sugar Lake #3) by Melissa Foster…..Please tell me I can give this book more than 5 stars….Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for letting me preview this book. Talia and Derek’s story hit so close to home for me… My husband and I were caretakers for my Aunt Thelma who had Alzheimer’s. This book brought back so many memories…happy and sad and heartwarming. This book has all the feels the happy, funny, sad, heartfelt, with some steamy sex and a HEA. I can’t wait for the next Sugar Lake book.
“Just knowing I can turn you on with words turns me on.”
Confession, it was the cover that got my attention. And once I read the synopsis I couldn’t resist finally reading my first Melissa Foster book. Of course, now that I have, I’m asking myself what took me so long? I loved Love Like Ours.
As mentioned above, since this is my first title by this author, in spite of it being book three in the Sugar Lake series, I read it as a standalone. And let me tell you, I’ve been missing out. I especially love Talia’s family and need to go back and read the first two books about her sisters. I’m guessing there will be more focused on her remaining siblings and those will be awesome as well.
While I really enjoyed the sibling squabbles and found their witty banter highly entertaining, it was Derek that stole the show for me. Not only is he gorgeous and talented, making the most out of “—six inches of strategically placed material,” he’s got a huge heart.
Talia’s been burned by love and has closed off her heart. She has no interest in a relationship. She didn’t go looking for him, but she did almost run over him. And once she got a glimpse of his piercing blue eyes she couldn’t unsee him, even in her fantasies. Seeing him in her classroom was almost as surprising and unwelcome. That made him off-limits.
Derek woke up something that had been dormant in her life for a long time and he brought a lot of baggage with him. She knows it’s not a good idea, but tell that to her body that’s been awakened. He’s so far outside of her comfort zone but he makes her want to stretch it. Her sister accused her, “That’s not living, Tal. That’s hiding.” Is she ready to shake off her fears and take a chance on #TeamGrant?
This story touched my emotions in a big way, touching on a subject that I’d not been exposed to before. It was handled beautifully and made me feel more than I was prepared for. I’m looking forward to spending more time with this family in future installments. The line forms here…
The stage was set. The clues obvious. So why are these two fighting it tooth and nail? Foster shakes up the heart with sunshine, rain and the whole shebang. Love Like Ours is meant to be funny. The professor and the male dancer learn to look beyond the stereotype and follow their hearts. Each has more to offer than they present to the world. They just need a little help finding the courage to be vulnerable. Derek is a dreamer working his way through his reality. Talia is a realist, too afraid to dream. When sweet and naughty collide it’s sin city. Derek and Talia leave hearts with a warm, crazy feeling that looks alot like love.
This is the third of the Sugar Lake series by Melissa Foster that centers around the Dalton family. Talia Dalton is a reserved college professor. She was burned in college by a cheating jerk, so she is wary of relationships. While driving to work, she almost runs over Derek Grant. Derek is a man that wears many hats. Derek had been an accountant until his father developed early onset Alzheimer’s. He is now working as a bartender and male dancer, which makes more money and gives him flexibility to take care for his father. He is also going back to school to get his masters. He really doesn’t have time for a relationship, but he is smitten. I loved Derek. He was a great caregiver, helped Talia get out of her comfort zone, and a great friend. Talia went from a woman going through the motions to one who really lived life to the fullest. This is a delightful romance. I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley for my honest review.
Beautiful story
I love all of the books in these series. This story is filled with wonderful characters that you can’t help falling in love with. Once you start reading it’s hard to put it down.
This is so good!
I liked that once Tahlia was in she was all in. I had no problem with her not telling her family about Derek. I loved how Tahlia and her family were so supportive of Derek, Jonah, and Maria. I was also happy that Derek, although it was something he had to come to terms with, ultimately allowed the Daltons to be part of his support systrr.
This book had very little angst. Just what I needed during these times. I listed to and enjoyed the audio book. I thought the narration was good.
This book was sweet, sexy, and romantic. It was also about love, loyalty, honesty, owning who you are as a person, family, and friendship. I liked both books 2 and 3 better than book 1.
This author can take two people who can seem all wrong for each other and just make them written in the stars fun. Derek is almost run over by controlled personality Talia. His father has Alzheimer’s and Dereks life revolves around taking care of his dad. Talia really steps outside her comfort zone to be with Derek and that makes all the difference.
What did I like? I love that the author doesn’t just give you a silly romance but two characters that you can connect to with real life issues and drama. You watch them meet, have real life problems and solve them with camaraderie and family. It’s a touching yet moving story.
Would I buy or recommend? Yes, this author has a great bunch of series with covers that would love to sit on your bookshelf. She’s the type of author you can just binge read and laugh over her books.
Thoughts for the author? Loved this book, thanks for a copy. Great series!
A delightful romance low on angst. Derek was such a great guy and I loved how open Talia ended up being.