After a bitter divorce had left him jaded and cynical, Leo Drake thought he was done. To him, love and happiness were myths. Then the shy, sweet, coffee shop owner looked up at him with those big gray eyes and beautiful smile, and he was done for.Danika Parrish had been the nerdy girl growing up. The girl who sat in her window, watching the boy across the street, and secretly longing for the day … for the day when he might notice her. When that day finally came, she was convinced all her dreams had come true. But after giving her everything she’d ever hoped for, he’d ripped it all away with a handful of words.
Leo’s made a lot of mistakes in his life, but the one he regrets most is hurting Danika. For the first time in his life, he knows what it feels like to love someone, to truly be happy, and he’ll do whatever it takes to win her back. He’s determined to prove to her that he’s worth a second chance. That he’s the forever she’s been waiting all her life for.
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Waiting For Forever is the eighth book in the Hope Valley series.
Dani was a great leading lady. She was beautiful and sweet and such a genuinely good person. She lived across the street from Leo when she was younger, and had been in love with him since she was seven years old. Dani watched from afar as he dated, got married, moved away and had children. Now he’s back, divorced and those old feelings have returned. Maybe, just maybe, Dani’s dream of being with Leo will come true.
Overall, Leo was a great guy. He was a wonderful dad to two great kids and he took his job as a police officer very seriously. He had a big heart and was extremely protective of those he cared about. Because of his ex-wife, his temper was oftentimes fast which caused him to overreact and make the biggest mistake of his life. I give him credit, Leo owned up to it and the man worked hard to make things right.
Dani and Leo were the perfect couple. I absolutely adored Hardin and Macie. They were such wonderful kids, which apparently all came from their dad because their mom was a piece. The scenes with Dani, Hardin and Macie were some of my favorites and I loved that they were able to form such strong bonds.
I can’t wait to get Leo’s partner Micah’s book next. I have a feeling the women he ends up with will bring him to his knees.
Ah, Leo and Danika…such an amazing story!! Danika is such a sweetheart and watching her go from loving Leo from afar to falling in love with her dream man is so swoony! Jessica Prince is a one click author for me, and Dani and Leo are perfect examples of why! Love, love, love it!!!!
4 stars . Good book. Worth reading again one day.
Danika had crushed on Leo Drake since she was a kid, he never really looked her way because he was involved with the popular girl in school and Danika was the gawky nerdy girl who was a target for bullying by said popular girl. Years later Danika is the proud owner of muffin top bakery and has found herself and has caught the eye of Leo Drake.
After a disastrous marriage, Leo is done with his ex. The only good thing out of his marriage is his two kids who he loves to pieces. He has been trying to ask Danika out for awhile but for reasons unknown to him she doesn’t seem interested. However once he realizes she had no clue he makes his interest known, but he wants to keep their new found relationship quiet until he figures out where they are heading. An ex who wont give up is determined to ruin what they are building, the question is will Leo let it?
This was fantastic. It is one of those books you finish and then want to restart because you were so swept away. I loved the characters in this one and wanted more. Leo is pure alpha male and I loved the way he was with Danika. Danika is that girl you can relate to from high school, it made me reminisce. Excellent read.
How do I even begin to explain what this series means to me?!
The small town love story get me every time!
I adore the idea of unrequited love from a young age and I love the slow burn of a love that goes ignored or unnoticed.
I love losing myself in the pages full of history and character growth that stems from something so innocent and pure.
Danika and Leo were full of surprises – as much as Leo annoyed me with his ignorance of the girl who lived across the street from him, nothing makes my heart beat faster than a little bit of “look what you missed out on” as the characters get older.
Not to say Leo was any less deserving of the affection that Danika still felt for him, and he was completely believable in his remorse at not having noticed her when they were younger, which all just added to the beauty of the love between these two.
This book grabbed my attention from the get go and I couldn’t recommend this series or this author more!!!!!!
Get ready to head back to Hope Valley for an epic small-town romance
I have loved every book in the Hope Valley series (along with the spin off, Redemption series) and I have to say that Waiting For Forever, book 8, has to be one of my favorites. This book has three of my favorite themes/tropes, a single father, unrequited love and small town romance.
Dani has been in love with Leo since she was a child and to witness the heartbreak she goes through while watching Leo dating, then marrying and having children with the ultimate mean girl, broke my heart. But it is now over a decade later, the love she felt began to fade and she was moving on and she has done well for herself. She now owns the highly popular coffee/bakery shop in Hope Valley and is well loved by everyone. As for Leo, he has been back for about a year and he has finally figured out who he had married. His divorce was definitely bitter, but he is an amazing father, he does not let his feelings for his ex show in front of his kids (even though that is not the case with the ex). He finally realizes that he needs to find his happy and Dani may just be the person to show him the way.
I loved watching Leo pursuing Dani, especially with how much she had loved him from afar for so long. Dani was amazing with Leo’s two kids, Hardin and Macie. They did cause some trouble along the way and the way Leo reacted really ticked me off, but the resolution made it all worth it. I loved everything about this book and I can not wait for the next in this series (or even the Redemption series)!! Another 5-star read and I highly recommend it.
WAITING FOR FOREVER is book 8 in the “Hope Valley Series ” and can be read as a stand-alone. All previously written characters are perfectly reintroduced so you aren’t left guessing about who is who.
Hope Valley is a small town with lots of personalities and opinions. Danika owns the local bakery and is an amazing human being. Leo is a local cop and he is a stupid stupid man sometimes.
This book is a quick and easy read that i devoured on one sitting. I read this on KU and will be buying the paperback to add to my collection.
I really love this series, the men usually frustrate the heck out of me but in the end redeem themselves with some tough love from the women in their lives. Waiting for Forever is the 8th book in this series and I’ve been waiting for Danika’s book, I adored her in the other books, running the towns baker/coffee shop and being sweet as heck to the other ladies.
Waiting for Forever follow Danika, who runs the small town of Hope Valley’s coffee shop and who is also loved to pieces by the locals. She is sweet, nerdy and shy and also has a massive soft spot and crush for one of the local detectives Leo Drake. Growing up across the street from him and never really catching his eye was the norm for her as she watched her crush from the distance. Years later and a horrible divorce, Leos eye are wide open and feel that he’s missed out on the one women who truley could give him happiness, Danika.
Danika is part of the local girl posse from all the previous books, along with all the alpha men whom they all been paired with. The main reason I love this series is because it reminded me of the Rock Chicks from KAs series and I loved stories that have a strong sisterhood and support. Jessica Prince knows how to write some fun, funny and awesome moments between the ladies who always have each others backs. Danika is probably the sweetest most innocent out of the girls, she’s super nerdy and can make anything sweet and yummy without blinking an eye, I swear all the food she made sounded amazing.
Leo Drake is one of the Alpha men in town and detectives, good friends with all the other boys from the past book. He went through a bad divorce with his crazy ex who literally only cares about herself. She manipluative and usues her own kids to fight battles because she’s that horrible of a person. Leo is pretty much defeated becuase of his ex, he was also blind to the fact he’s always had a good women near him that could of been the ONE if he’d not been full of himself at a young age. Now an adult he sees Danika, though I feel a little upset by the fact it had to take one of Danika friends whom rejected him to open his eyes to her. Again these men seem to frustrate me. But he makes up for it, especially with his awesome father and his adorable kids. His family won me over completely and I loved every moment they had with Danika.
In the end there is lots of drama due to the fact Leo’s ex isnt having it with Danika being in Leo’s life. The bully memories from high school just gutted me, high school for many was not without its bullying. I loved te Danika stood up for herself as well as the town always has her back. The romance was smoking hot as always and I just love a good group of friends who stick together.
Danika and Leo made me want to cry so much a few times. Leo because he let his past poison his present long enough to destroy something great, and Danika because of all the pain she had to endure because of that past. But all was made right eventually and now I’m wishing for more. I’ll just have to wait to see what comes next.
Jessica Prince has quickly climbed up the ranks as one of the BEST small town romance authors! Waiting for Forever is a small town, single dad romance that has all the feels! Danika and Leo have chemistry, passion, and a friendship that makes me just melt. Toss in the single dad aspect and this story has it all! I’m absolutely in love with Hope Valley!
5 He Overwhelmed All of Her Senses Stars!!!
Imagine having a crush on the boy across the street for almost your entire life, but thinking that he’ll never see you the way you want him to….well this is Danika in this newest book in the Hope Valley series by Ms. Prince.
Danika is a girl that is a nerd… I know this could sound mean, but she’s a self-admitted nerd and very shy and she’s been crushing on Leo since she was a little girl never thinking she’d have a chance with this man for so many reasons, one of which is his “mean girl” girlfriend that just made me want to slap her silly sometimes…but I digress…this story really hit home with me for so many reasons but mainly because I identified with Dani on many levels and I love how Ms. Prince didn’t shy away from some of the hurtful scenes in this book. She also did a phenomenal job of showing us how Leo and Danika become the couple they are after Leo’s divorce, which in and of itself, is a mess!!
Dani is a woman that cares so much for the others in Hope Valley and she’s constantly showing the love she has for her town and its residents in so many ways and when Leo finally sees this beautiful woman for who she is, I was so happy for Dani because it really is her dream come true.
But it’s not an easy road for these two because there are some in this town that don’t want either one of them be happy and getting the love they so richly deserve. They have a chemistry that they try to hide for as long as possible, but when they act on it, not only is it HOT, but it’s beautiful in the way they love on each other!
There’s also Leo’s kids Hardin and Macie that touched Dani in ways she wasn’t expecting. There are some truly heartfelt moments between Dani and these kids and I’m not ashamed to admit I cried a few times!
I love how this story isn’t easy and that the “gang” of Hope Valley is present in their lives because this is what I think small town living is all about and Ms. Prince has once again written a story that I’ll be reading again and again!!!
This was a great read! I was pulled into the story right from the start, and could hardly put it down! Leo and Danika were great together, and they had awesome chemistry. Leo was a good man, even though I wanted to smack him when he talked to Dani the way he did. Dani was sweet and shy, but the only thing I would have changed would have been for her to stand up for herself with Whitney a little better. Whitney was a vile human being, and I was happy to see her get what was coming to her in the end. Hardin and Macie were good secondary characters. They really did add a lot to the story. The ending was super sweet, and perfect for these 2.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.
Leo & Dani are so cute!! I fell in love with Leo & Dani from the start; leaving me unable to put this book down until I was finished!! Their romance was long awaited for Dani girl, but amazing nonetheless!! Leo was blind to the world after he got with Whitney, but teenage boys tend to be that way. When he is finally out of her claws he sees so much more, but a bit reserved in the romance area. His crazy ex adds more to their story, but make us readers sad for her. Leo’s kids are sad & just dealing with the divorce, but their pain & hurt add depth to this story. The relationship that Dani is able to build with Leo & his kids was perfect! She is exactly what these children need. The chemistry, the love, the strength shown of these characters is exactly why we love this author & her amazing writing abilities!!! She can craft a sweet romance with light angst, having us fall in love with her characters then have us read the story in one sitting. Way to go on another great read!!
I highly recommend this book & series!! Told in dual POV.
Jessica Prince is amazing! Danika and Leo are amazing! This book is amazing!
Small town romance at it’s finest is what Waiting for Forever is! Dani and Leo knew each other in high school- they ran in different circles but Dani always had a crush on him.
He got married, moved away and now is back in town and divorced. He has 2 teenagers who are his life. As Dani and Leo start to talk again- it is such a great story. It’s a story of family and being kind to everyone in the world. Hardin- Leo’s son- is not happy about the divorce, Leo’s ex is not a nice person and Hardin begins to see this about his mom- it is such a beautiful story. I loved how real this book was. How genuine and real Dani is, how she has great friends and family. I loved watching Leo grow as a man and dad. How he holds his kids accountable!
I wish I could give this book 10 stars! Thank you Jessica Prince for an amazing book!
I really, really, really want to move to Hope Valley! They have the sexiest men in that town and every woman that I meet I want to be friends with!
Jessica delivered another winner with Waiting for Forever! I loved everything about this story. From watching Leo finally notice that girl next door that crushed on him FOREVER! To watching sweet, shy Danika really come into her own.
And the relationship that both had with Leo’s kids… SIGH! The quickest way to my heart is if you are good with kids — and these two have dug themselves deep into my heart!
If you are a fan of small-town romances, you don’t want to miss this!
Waiting for Forever is the eighth book in Jessica’s Hope Valley series but can be read as a true standalone book.
Danika and Leo captured my heart from the very beginning. I loved Dani, she was sassy when she needed to be and she was also incredibly sweet which was exactly what Leo and his kids needed. These 2 had my feels all over the place and the kids added so much more to my feeling throughout this book.
I’m hoping this isn’t our last visit to Hope Valley.
I could not put this book down! Probably my favourite of the series so far, I absolutely loved it. This is the series that just keeps on giving!
I received a free ARC copy of this book from the author prior to release and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I am a huge Jessica Prince fan and I love the Hope Valley series. Every single story in this series is fantastic but this story was the most romantic story of them all, maybe the most romantic one I have read this whole year.
This is the story of single dad, Leo who is dad to two great kids and is a cop in Hope Valley. He grew up in the town and left for College and a 15 year marriage to his high school sweetheart. Now he is divorced and is back in town.
Dani is a hometown girl who grew up and loves Hope Valley. She runs a bakery and is friends with Sage and Nona and the rest of the girls in town At age 7 she fell in love with the neighbor, Leo but he has never noticed her.
All this changes one night when Dani visits Leo’s dad with treats after dinner with her parents. From then on Leo falls pretty hard for her. But he has a nasty ex and two kids struggling with the divorce.
I loved this story so much. I loved how hard Leo has to work to get Dani to see he wants her. I did not love that they had this secret romance but I loved when it comes out that Dani makes Leo work hard to keep her heart. Dani was this absolutely amazing character with a sweet. kind heart but also one that made Leo work for her heart.
This is a fantastic series and if you like me have read every story, you will adore this one. I found it the most romantic of them all. If you are a new reader to the series, this book easily stands alone and you will adore it.
4.25 stars-WAITING FOR FOREVER is the eighth instalment in Jessica Prince’s contemporary, adult HOPE VALLEY erotic,romance series focusing on the town of Hope Valley. This is thirty-six year old, detective Leo Drake, and thirty four year old bakery owner Danika Parrish’s storyline. WAITING FOR FOREVER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous storylines is revealed where necessary.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Danika and Leo) WAITING FOR FOREVER follows the building romance and relationship between thirty-six year old, detective Leo Drake, and thirty four year old bakery owner Danika Parrish. Growing up Danika Parrish fell in love with her neighbour Leo Drake but high school proved that Danika was not part of the in-crowd, and Leo Drake knew nothing about our storyline heroine. Marrying his high school sweetheart, Leo moved away never to be heard from again. Fast forward to present day wherein Leo, now a divorced father of two, has moved back to Hope Valley following his father’s stroke. Frequent trips to the local bakery found Leo dreaming about the woman that caught his eye, a woman he no longer remembers but seems familiar, all the more. Enter bakery owner, and Leo’s former neighbor Danika Parrish, and the woman with whom Leo will fall in love. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Leo and Danika, and the potential fall-out as issues of trust and the small town rumor mill work overtime to destroy their burgeoning love.
Danika Parrish has lusted after Leo Drake for as long as she can remember but our heroine ran in different circles, and was often the target of high school bullies including Leo’s former wife. Growing up in Hope Valley gave our heroine a sense of purpose but Leo’s return brought with it memories from the past, a past Dani was hoping to forget. Leo Drake was never happy in his marriage, and a divorce and return to Hope Valley meant a new start for our story line hero. Meeting Dani Parrish gave Leo a hope for a new future but old habits die hard, as the rumor mill in Hope Valley have Leo questioning his relationship with Danika Parrish.
The relationship between Leo and Danika is one of immediate attraction but Leo does not remember Dani from years before. Bullied by Leo’s now ex-wife, Danika struggles with what was and what will never be, and the ongoing humiliation by said ex-wife, and obliviousness of our story line hero. Leo wants to keep their relationship a secret but prying eyes, miscommunication and issues of trust force our couple out into the open, exposing our heroine to ridicule and scorn. The $ex scenes are passionate and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including most of the previous story line couples. We are introduced to Dani’s parents; Leo’s children Hardin and Macie, his father Jed, and Leo’s ex-wife Whitney.
WAITING FOR FOREVER is a story of family and friendships; of bullies and humiliation; of love and pain; of heart break, forgiveness and happily ever after. The premise is emotional and inviting; the romance is sexy and spicy; the characters are energetic and fun.