LukeThere’s no timeline for grief—at least that’s what the last five years have taught me. After losing my wife unexpectedly three months after our son was born, I threw myself into taking care of him and shutting out the world, including women. But when my mother gets hurt and can no longer care for Grayson while I work my new job, I’m forced to hire a nanny. Little did I know that hiring the … hiring the first woman I found attractive since my late wife would flip over my world and my heart as it learns to beat to the idea of someone new. The question is—will I be able to let my first love go to make room for this woman is who is reviving me one day at a time?
Rachel
I moved to Emerson Falls in search of a purpose, my old life leaving me feeling empty and unaccomplished. So when I fall head-over-heels for a little boy I end up babysitting on a whim, I’m shocked to know that his dad happens to need a nanny like yesterday. With a love of this boy and a need for a job, I take it, even though the way my heart flutters for my new boss should have been a warning sign I needed to listen to. Before I know it, I’m falling for a man that is not only off-limits, but is broken from the loss of his wife. I want him though, flaws and all. The question is—does he have room in his heart to love again and let me bring him back to life?
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Revived is book 4 in the Emerson Falls series, and I can’t get enough of the guys from Emerson Falls!!! Luke’s back story absolutely broke my heart!! Harlow James did an amazing job pulling you not only into this story but with the magic of her words making her readers feel every heart wrenching emotion that Luke went through! Rachel is the perfect fit for not only Luke but for Grayson as well!!! Filled with sexy and emotional scenes that you won’t be able to put down!!!
I knew Revived was going to be emotional after meeting Luke in previous books. His story of becoming a single Dad was heartbreaking. When another accident brings Rachel into his life he begins living his again. Rachel was perfect and patient for Luke and also knew when to stand up for her needs too. You can’t help but fall in love with Luke and I’m so happy he gets his HEA!
See you on the other side of the stars
Trust me when I say you will need a new box of tissues when you start this book. Harlow James has done it again, adding another amazing, heart wrenching, steamy story to the Emerson Falls series. Luke is a widower, raising his son with the help of his parents and friends. My heart ached for Luke throughout this story. I felt his pain and grief over losing his wife, the struggle he felt with deciding if moving on is the right thing to do. Since he lost his wife he never really had his chance to accept her death and really move on. Having Rachel in his life has brought back the man he used to be. Luke needs to determine what his feelings are for Rachel and if he will ever truly be able to move on. Rachel helps Luke open up and learn that it’s okay to love someone new, that your heart has room for more than one great love. There are also little signs he gets from his late wife that help him move on and accept a new life with someone else.
I was brought to tears time and time again while reading their story. One of my biggest fears is losing my husband and I think that Harlow did an outstanding job creating a story that reflects the fears of many people. To see that even in heartache there can be happiness if we just accept the happenings and live the life we were always meant to. Always keeping in mind that we will never forget those that have entered and left too soon.
PS. You will fall in love with Grayson. He is such an adorable little guy, who wants nothing more than to have a family. His love for Rachel is instant and their connection is incredible.
Harlow James is an astonishing writer, everything written by her is amazing and Revived is no exception! It is the fourth book in the Emerson Falls series and it certainly does not fall short of it predecessors. Luke’s heart wrenching backstory of losing a wife and having to care for their son, really got me in my feelings. Rachel, the nanny Luke hires, fits into their family like a found missing puzzle piece. Luke’s internal struggle with not catching feelings and then not realizing that he’s emotionally tripping straight into love for Rachel, is cute. The book was great! And I highly recommend it!!
4.5 stars
Luke was dealing with a lot-grieving widower, single parent, job changes-but meeting Rachel was the spark plug he didn’t know he needed to jump start his life. Luke tried to be methodical in how he tackled his attraction to Rachel, but his friends and family were having none of it. And his son, Grayson…the most adorably charming, extremely exuberant little boy ever…he really wasn’t keen on giving Rachel back. He wanted to keep her-leave it to the four year old to keep life simple, eh?
Revived was an emotional roller coaster! I teared up quite a bit reading this one, especially rooting for Luke to come out of his emotional coma and embrace the joys of living. Rachel was probably too perfect, but I didn’t care because she loved Luke and Grayson so much! Overall, Revived was wonderfully, emotion driven read.
I received an advance reader copy from the author and this is my honest review.
This book hit me smack dab in my feels. From beginning to end, Harlow James managed to evoke every type of emotion out of me while I was reading this one.
Luke lost his wife in a terrible accident 5 years ago. He’s still broken but pushing on in order to raise their child. He wasn’t looking for anything more than a nanny, but when he meets Rachel, all bets are off. Rachel is funny and has a heart of gold, and best of all she loves Luke’s son Grayson like he was her own. The one question Luke Keeps asking himself, does he have it in him to love again?
Rachel moved to Emerson Falls to be closer to one of her best friends, and to find what her purpose is. Her meeting with Luke and Grayson is anything but ordinary, but it turns into a job that she loves. She quickly falls in love with Grayson, and no matter how hard she tries, she’s falling for Luke too. The problem is Luke is locked up like a vault. Rachel can see a difference in the man she met to the man Luke is now, but is that enough?
Luke’s book is one I have been so excited to read, and Harlow James did not disappoint. Reading about the accident and what that did to Luke had me in tears, the ugly kind. This book is a rollercoaster of emotions, but it’s a beautiful story about a second chance at love. Harlow handled this sensitive topic in an amazing way. I feel like Luke and Rachel’s story played out in the best way possible. They are hands down my favorite Emerson Falls couple and the Emerson Falls series gets better than I could have imagined with every book that gets released!
Make sure you have your tissues ready for Luke and Rachel. I knew when Luke’s story came around I would be a ball of sap. Book 4 in the Emerson Falls series was exactly the book I needed the day I picked it up and read it. I needed a good, emotional cry and this book gave me all the feels. I love the chemistry that Rachel and Luke had instantly and throw in a cute kid like Grayson and you had me sold immediately. I love a book that has a cute kid in it.
I’m loving this series by Harlow James. Last book in the series is up next and I will sad to say goodbye to Emerson Falls and these characters I have fallen in love with.
I was first introduced to Harlow James with book one of the Emerson Falls series and have devoured every book since. I love small town romances that feature families and re-occurring characters and this book has it all. Lots of sweetness, sadness, laughs, character growth, and plenty of steam! In book four, Revived, we get to know Luke, a widower who is trying desperately to move on, but still grieves for his wife Hannah who passed away four years earlier when his son, Grayson, was a baby.
I so admire a hero who is sensitive and strong, and a devoted family man. Luke is a college professor and formerly worked in the sheriff’s department but left that post for personal reasons which are explained in the storyline. He is in need of a nanny for Grayson while he works, and literally bumps into Rachel one day at the park. He is drawn to her natural beauty and ease, and instinctively trusts his gut and his kid in her care.
Harlow writes with such depth and emotion and you truly feel for Luke and all he is going through—his guilt and feeling as if he is betraying his vows, and living in limbo with each day a repeat of the last with no intimacy or someone special to share his life with. I loved how close he was to his mom and sister, and her family, how they encouraged him, and how day-by-day, Rachel made him feel alive again. She was a steady, loving influence, and it was only a mater of time before he let down his guard and surrendered to what he was feeling.
Rachel was a heroine I admire. She was so patient and understanding of his situation, and was an outstanding caregiver to his son. She genuinely loved Grayson and grew to love his very hot and handsome dad too! And when these two did finally connect, their sizzling chemistry had the pages burning up!
Grayson is adorable, and I truly enjoyed reading his excitement, joy and appreciation of so many things, and his interactions with all of the characters. This book is all about second chances and finding love again, and surrendering to fate. Rachel was amazing and so deserving of love, and I am so glad she held on to her principles and followed her heart, even after he broke it.
Rachel was a class act, and I loved how she handled herself, and how giving and generous she was to both of them. I loved how they so easily blended to become a family, and how they committed to opening up to get to know each other on a deeper level. Their first real date had me swooning as our hero got his groove back!
It would be hard not to love Rachel, she was educated, well spoken, going back to school to become a teacher, kind, thoughtful, a wonderful friend, daughter and sister, and was so humble and selfless. She possessed such grace and never played games, and neither did Luke. He was always honest with his feelings, and how he was torn between his old life and wanting a future with her. So many tears!!
There wasn’t always smooth sailing for our H and h, but this slow burn was so worth it! Revived was so well written and hopeful, and the end filled my heart with pure happiness. I highly recommend!
This book was a masterpiece in emotional, heartbreaking, second chance romance. Luke lost his wife in a horrific car crash when his son was 3 months old. A piece of him understandably died that day with his wife. Five years later, his aging parents can longer care for Grayson full time while Luke works…enter Rachel. We met Rachel in Book 3, Captivated, as Piper’s best friend from New York. The meet cute with Rachel and Luke’s son Grayson gave me all the warm fuzzy feelings. She immediately falls for Grayson and Luke, following his gut, hires her to be his live in Nanny. Luke and Rachel are immediately drawn to each other, carefully navigating this scary new relationship. The way Harlow James writes Luke’s conflicted inner thoughts and guilt is so painful but also relatable. His conversations with is sister are also beautiful and honest. As Luke and Rachel’s love story unfolds, at the perfect pace I might add, both Luke and Rachel’s inner conflicts and struggles reach their tipping point when they realize how much they love each other but are unsure if they can move past Luke’s fear and apprehension. The scene where his wife gives him the sign that he CAN and SHOULD move on, broke my heart but also pieced it back together at the same time. Luke are Rachel were destined to be together and this painful, emotional, relatable, second chance love story is perfection. I loved everything about this book and these characters.
Harlow James writes incredible prologues and epilogues too. The ending to this beautiful story had me crying happy tears and the epilogue was pure perfection. This book is easily one of the best books I’ve read in 2020 and is one of those stories that will stay in the back of my mind because it was so powerfully emotional, relatable and perfect. Harlow’s writing and pacing of this story was perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing.
I was generously given an arc in exchange for an honest review!
h: Rachel
H: Luke
(Dual POVs)
Rachel follows her friend Piper out to Emerson Falls. When trying to apply for a credential program to be a teacher, Rachel is greeted by a little boy and his father. Luke is in a pickle, and is in need of someone to watch his son while he finishes teaching his last class.
This was hands down, my favorite from this series so far. Get ready to hear the word ‘Love’ a lot, because that’s how I feel about this book. It was beautiful and heart breaking at the same time. I loved Grayson! He was such an intelligent little boy. I appreciated that he wasn’t over the top, but he definitely played a subtle role in helping move things along between Luke and Rachel. He always said the perfect things!
Luke, ugh my heart broke for him. He has so much pain, and he’s never really gotten the chance to fully grieve since he had to care for his son who was only a few months old, when his wife passed away. I love that this author always includes characters who are struggling with serious issues, who are slowly learning to overcome their pain and fears.
Rachel was the sweetest, most selfless, caring person. She was so patient with both Luke and Grayson. I also loved her name, but I’m a little bias
Favorite quotes:
“Dick is everywhere, but chemistry isn’t.” -Jess
Because that’s what these past five years have felt like- like everyone was continuing to live their lives around me, and I was asleep. But now, I’m awake, revived, and breathing deeply, thanks to the woman moaning beneath me. -Luke