“The latest offering in the Darling, Vermont series is an emotionally poignant, can’t-put-it-down, opposites-attract tearjerker. A true treasure from page one to the beautiful, touching ending. Alward’s witty dialogue drives this powerful tale, but it’s her little boy costars and her paradoxical, damaged hero and heroine that make hearts sing and rule every page of this sweet and steamy love … steamy love story.” – RT Bookreviews Top Pick! on Someone to Love
SOME WISHES DO COME TRUE
Ethan Gallagher is a firefighter in Darling, Vermont, who followed tradition and pledged his love on the Kissing Bridge to ensure lifelong happiness. A few years later, he’s a widower with two rambunctious boys who no longer believes in magic. But even he has to admit that free-spirited Willow Dunaway fills him with wonder…and an attraction he cannot deny.
Willow’s come back to Darling a different girl than the one who left after high school. Overcoming her past and owning her own business has made her into a strong, independent woman. Single dad Ethan appeals to her in a way she didn’t expect, even though settling down is the last thing on her mind. But after fire destroys the local food bank, the town rallies, and a fling between Ethan and Willow leads to unintended consequences. Can they find a way out of their heartbreak to make a home in each other’s hearts?
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Favorite Quotes:
He blinked back tears, wondering at the odd sensation of grieving for his actual grief. Because the absence of heartbreak had to mean he was moving on. It was a sad, complicated feeling.
I can’t fix the whole world, Ethan. But maybe I can do something about my little corner of it. Imagine what would happen if we all did that? The world would be filled with happy little corners.
We can just be… In the moment. It’s really the only way to live. We can’t change the past, Ethan. And we can’t predict the future. But sitting in front of the fire with you is a very nice now to be in.
You give good advice. Except to yourself.
My Review:
Someone To Love picks up one month after Somebody Like You, with the same characters but featuring a different couple. Each book could stand alone, but honestly, you will want to read them both. I adored and was intrigued by Willow from the very first mention of her in the first book. I knew she was haunted by something troublesome and I was anxious to learn her secrets. I also admired her greatly and coveted her joy, self-ease, and serenity. I wanted to be Willow, but without the pesky painful past. Ethan took longer for me to warm up to, he was broody and snappish as he continued to be mired in grief, and he was a cranky bastard to my sweet Willow, but he could not totally repel her sweet charms and her sparkle prevailed. Ethan was lucky Willow was patient; I would have set his hair on fire. The storyline for Someone to Love was angsty, heart-squeezing, and full of feels. The writing was thoughtful, emotive, insightful, and relevant. My eyes stung and my throat closed up a few times, which is a testament to the high quality of Ms. Alward’s word skills. It is my fervent hope that she is currently locked away in her writing cave and pounding out book three… I’d like to think so anyway.
Someone to Love is the second book in Donna Alward’s Darling Vermont series. It’s a thoughtful, character- driven novel which touches upon the importance of family, the grieving process and the ability to make hard decisions. The novel features Café owner Willow Dunaway and widowed firefighter Ethan Gallagher. Their unlikely opposites attract love story drew me into this fabulously written novel.
Ethan and his late wife, Lisa, promised to love each other forever. The Gallagher’s picture perfect life ended when Lisa died of cancer leaving Ethan with two young sons to raise. The demands of raising two small children alone and working fulltime as a firefighter have brought Ethan to the breaking point. He is ill-tempered and rude to Willow when they sit next to each other at a Gallagher family dinner.
The couple finds common ground when the town’s food pantry is relocated in the storefront next to Willow’s café. Ethan and Willow try to fight their attraction but the physical pull is undeniable and a passionate relationship ensues. The author’s descriptive writing style shines in the novel. She does a fabulous job bringing Ethan’s children Ronan and Connor into the storyline. The two boys warm up to Willow immediately and I could hear Ronan say ‘Wil-low” and imagine Connor running after a soccer ball. Willow makes a choice which effects Ethan and the choice leads to a huge falling out between the couple.
The last few chapters were fast paced, exquisitely written— and kept me reading past my bedtime. I enjoyed how the author let Willow’s personal story unfold during the course of the novel and contrasted it with Ethan’s publically visual situation. I felt for Willow and came to understand Ethan as I read each page. The author stayed true to her characters Willow’s choice was heartfelt. Ethan’s reaction was pure Ethan; a boatload of angry words, finger pointing and denial. I preferred the open- ended conclusion to the novel as opposed to the traditional happily ever after ending that one might have expected. It was perfect! Looking forward to the next book in the series
To say that Ethan Gallagher has his hands full is an complete understatement, between being a single father to two rambunctious little boys and putting in long hours at the fire station he has little time for himself or much of anything else for that matter. Losing his wife unexpectedly has certainly taken it’s toll on the three of them, but little by little they are finding a way to meander through life and adjust to their new situation with the help of his family. The loss of his wife has left Ethan a hardened man, one who has completely lost his faith in love, and he has no desire to ever travel down that path again… but fate has other plans for him, now he just has to find the courage to embrace the one thing that scares him the most…love!
After her world was turned upside down Williow Dunaway decided it was time to make a change, so she moved back home to Darling in hopes of having the life she has dreamed of for some time now, and to hopefully put a little peace back into her life. She had no intentions of looking for love, but it unexpectedly finds her, in the form of a brooding handsome man with demons of his own, and little by little these two rediscover themselves and find love in the process. Now they just have to find a way to keep their demons at bay, and let their love for one another prevail…
This touching love story stirred my emotions, warmed my heart and renewed my faith in happily ever afters. From the moment I started it I found myself being pulled right back into lives of the folks from Darling, it feltas if I had never left them, and I have to say it turned out to be quite an enjoyable reunion. With each page I turned the more I became completely enraptured with Willow and Ethan’s story, their path to finding one another was certainly a bumpy one, but I think that is what made it have such a realistic quality, one that was easy to connect to and believe in. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this one, it’s been a while since I have read something that gave me the feels the way this one did, it definitely had me feeling the words!! I highly recommend you give this one a try, Ms. Alward’s endearing characters are sure to pull you into their world and make you feel right at home… and score a special place in your heart!