A guilt-driven firefighter, a widowed mother, neither is ready for love, but love has other plans.Firefighter Lucas Bennett had the carefree life he’d always wanted until a deadly blaze took the life of his company mate and best friend. Blaming himself was easy but pulling himself from the tailspin of guilt proved to be much harder. The fog of sadness and guilt pushed him down a dangerous path … dangerous path until he nearly died fighting the beast. Forced to stop and reevaluate his life, he decided to make a change before it was too late.
A fire took almost everything from Sarah Robinson—her husband and her home—leaving her to raise their precious daughter alone. Everywhere she looked held memories of her husband, pouring salt on her ever-present wound. Unable to live any longer around the memories of her husband, she and her daughter moved to Oak Grove, far away from the grief of the past. All Sarah needed was the chance to start a new life for her and her daughter.
A car accident on a dark, rainy night put Lucas and Sarah on a collision course neither of them expected… with questions they’re not ready to answer. Can a single mother open her broken heart for a second chance at love? Will a broken firefighter risk his heart for what might be his only chance at forever? Are each of them willing to take one last risk to be together? His risk. Her reward. Together, they’ll mend each other’s broken hearts.
If you like small-town romance where the heroes are sexy and the women are strong, unlock One Last Risk to start your visit to Oak Grove, Pennsylvania and fall in love with Lucas and Sarah!
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Loved the story. So sad on so many fronts about both the losses of Lucas and Sarah. They were adorable together and he was so awesome with her daughter lily. Only one thing I didn’t like but won’t go too in-depth with spoilers. I didn’t like the major change he did in the end. He said he did it not just for her but for him but I don’t know it just didn’t sit right with me for some reason as this was a major thing that defined him. Idk. Just my opinion.
Great book
3.5 bumped to 4. One Last Risk is the first book in the Oak Grove series. It’s the second book that I’ve read by this author, the first being Chasing Dreams (book one in the Harper Family series). Ms. Stopper has a solid writing style, she is able to make the reader part of her story and engage them with her characters.
Lucas is haunted by the memory of his best friend and the part he thinks he played in Shane’s death. Sarah is stuck in the memory of her deceased husband and all of the “should’ve been if only.” They feel an instant attraction when they meet in the local coffee shop, but they don’t move things along right away. Their story moves at a good pace as each of them work through their issues and do what needs to be done. Are there relapses? You betcha, but they don’t become overly dramatic. Lucas and Sarah are good for one another, it just takes them a little while to realize how good.
If you’re in the mood for a fun, quick, and sweet romance then you’ll enjoy this one. The characters are engaging and well developed. The story is realistic without being overly dramatic. It’s emotional and will tug on some heartstrings, but it won’t drain you.
A touching story with wonderful characters. The characters are so easy to relate to, I want to read more of this series.
5 stars
I received a free/purchased copy of the Oak Grove Prequel Last Call by Nancy Stopper and this review was given freely.
Two individuals both with broken pasts meet for the first time in Oak Grove, Pennsylvania where they find healing in each other. The short story of motorcycle club member/Doctor Butch and former motorcycle mama Carla is a quickly escalating love at first sight erotic romance. The characters are complex, interesting and portray the concept of a strong protective love provided by a family by design rather than by a family by birth.
4 stars
I received a free copy of One Last Risk by Nancy Stopper and this review was given freely.
This first glance inspired romance is at times ironic, poignant, and sweet with a happy ending. The brother of JJ’s Bar and Grill, firefighter and paramedic Lucas, is haunted by the death of his partner. He is matched up with Mug ‘n Muffin’s” newest employee, single mom and accountant Sarah. The beginning is dramatic. The story is rocky as they both work through emotional conflicts with the help of their families and the caring town of Oak Grove. Peppered with vivid descriptions and realistic characters the novel is a little repetitive in voicing the main characters feelings but overall it is an excellent introduction to the Bennett men and second book in the series.
Great Story
Sarah & her daughter Lily moved to Oak Grove to start over after the loss of her husband a few years before to fire, she tried staying in Philadelphia but it was getting harder, her family understood. Lucas lost a good friend in a fire they were fighting and it was making him reckless. The first time they met was by accident at the bakery. But when he is made to do Paramedic duty for 60 days he rescued her. Now they have to see where it goes.
I quickly fell in love with Lucas and Sarah. Nancy does an excellent job channeling the feelings of both and putting their story into words.
I will admit it started a bit slow for me and the characters got on my nerves a time or two but overall it was a sweet, endearing read, light in a way despite the fact that it dealt quite a bit with the lose of a loved one. Definitely one click worthy.
The story was wonderfully written and the strong characters kept me glued to my kindle from the very first page! Sarah and Lucas were a very likeable couple and I really felt that they belonged together which kept me totally engaged until the very last page!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.
How do you begin a review on a book that had you laughing, crying, cheering, wondering, and droves of other emotions? Sarah has lost her husband in a fire. She moved with their daughter Lily to start anew. Lucas lost his best friend in a fire and suffers from survivor’s guilt and blames himself. In a chance meeting in a coffee shop, sparks fly immediately. Lucas is holding something back from Sarah and their relationship escalates before he has a chance to tell her. Is the truth going to get Lucas set free or will Sarah deal with the truth? Loved Lucas’ and Sarah’s story! There were many other characters introduced that will make for interesting stories. Nice, fast-paced read that will leave you ending with a sigh looking for the next book in the series.
What a wonderful, very touching story! This begins a series involving the Bennett family and their friends in small-town Oak Grove.
Sarah Robinson is a young widowed mother, whose husband was killed in an accidental fire. She’s moved from Philadelphia to Oak Grove with her daughter in the hopes of starting a new life away from the grief of the past.
Firefighter Lucas Bennett is a firefighter also trained as an EMT. Sarah meets Lucas when her car is hit by a drunk driver and he responds to the scene as an EMT. Their story begins from here.
Watching Sarah struggle with her emotions – sorrow for what she and her daughter, Lily, had lost, guilt over her new feelings for Lucas, etc. – was heartbreaking. But, she is determined to start a new life for herself and Lily. She loves her new home and the small town feel of Oak Grove. She’s trying very hard to move on with her life.
Lucas has struggles of his own (I don’t want to give anything away here!) which complicates his relationship with Sarah. But he falls in love with Sarah and Lily and wants a future with them.
This is the story of how two people fall in love – and how they deal with the reality of each others’ own life circumstances.
This is a great start to this series! I’m looking forward to reading the next Bennett’s story!
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book, however, this is my honest opinion.