Waiting for Willa

Wow I loved this book. Heartbreak and love all rolled into on. Alex is one awesome kid. Will is am amazing mom. Max is one caring and loving man. This was a great read thank you Kristen for another great book.

Another great read from Kristen Proby! I love second chance romances, and this one was so poignant due to the history between Max and Willa.

Max and Cary were best friends growing up, and things got interesting when Willa was added to the mix as they got older. She and Max were inseparable as high school sweethearts, but where Max had big dreams of getting out of Cunningham Falls, Willa loved her hometown and just wanted to raise a family there. Max foolishly left with the belief that he would come back later and find her waiting for him. Unfortunately for him, she ended up growing closer to Cary, marrying him and getting pregnant. Then tragedy struck- Max came home to visit, he went skiing with Cary, and one wrong decision by Cary led to his death. Willa blamed Max and he once again left town to spare her the pain of seeing him every day.

Nine years later, Max is back for his brother’s wedding. He hasn’t left Cunningham Falls completely, but when he is back he tries to avoid Willa as much as possible to avoid causing her pain. He has never gotten over her, but he is willing to stay away if it helps her. On his annual pilgrimage to Cary’s grave, he is surprised when Willa arrives before he leaves- and that she seems to have forgiven him for going skiing with Cary that day even if he still hasn’t entirely forgiven himself for not stopping him from showboating. But they try to get past the awkwardness of the past decade, and it is clear they still have feelings for each other.

I just adored Alex, Willa’s son! He is a genuinely good kid who adds both comic relief and poignancy to the story as he looks to Max as a father figure while trying to learn more about the father he never knew. Max and Willa heat up the pages even as they both struggle with guilt over her moving on from Cary despite the time that has passed since his death. Cary makes his presence and feelings known in little ways from the beyond though. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and definitely recommend it!

I love the world Kristen weaves. Bravo!

Ah, back to Montana for Willa. I just love the way Kristen writes and this book is no exception. Willa lost her husband while pregnant with their son and has stayed single for eight years. Her first love, and best friend to her husband comes back to Cunningham Falls after becoming very successful. This book was just a feel good book, I just love how Kristen was able to make you feel what happened to Willa and how she can overcome her fears to move on and let her heart love again.

Reviewed by: Paige R.

Awesome second chance romance. Max and Willa have to learn how to embrace their past. There is not a lot of angst in the book, which I enjoy. The reader can just relax and follow along as Max and Willa go along on their journey. This is part of a series, but I think it’s ok if you read it as a stand-alone. Although, you should give the other books a try. Dual point of view. No cliffhanger.

I love an emotional second chance romance with loads of heat and heart and I can’t wait to fall in love with Max!

As soon as Kristen Proby introduced her readers to Max Hull and Willa Monroe, I wanted to know everything about their lives, and I needed to understand what happened to turn these childhood sweethearts into enemies. It’s clear that these two characters share a long history, but without their perspectives, the only thing I could ascertain is that whatever occurred to send them in opposite directions was something that redefined their lives, fracturing any connection they once shared, and ultimately destroying any chance these two had at rebuilding a love that was lost when Max left Cunningham Falls to pursue his dreams.

In Waiting for Willa, Proby finally tells Max and Willa’s story – their past, their present, and hopefully, their future. As soon as readers are made aware of what went down between them at two extremely pivotal times in their lives, everything becomes clear…all the pieces come together to illustrate why Willa is a single mom of an 8 year old and why Max has kept his distance from not only Willa but his hometown as well – the place where his family lives and their roots are planted.

I can’t imagine the depth of Willa’s pain and grief due to a series of events that she had no control over. But somehow, she persevered, and she’s finally at a place to forgive and move forward, despite how difficult it has been for her. Proby does a fantastic job of illustrating who Willa is at her core and how deeply she loves and how willingly she sacrifices for those who mean everything to her. I understand her hesitancy when Max comes back to Cunningham Falls; stirring up the past causes overwhelming emotions, but it’s more than clear as Willa and Max spend more and more time together, just how close these two once were and how strong their feelings were for each other. They have a ease with each other…a bond that was built on a foundation of love and commitment and while there a fair amount of cracks in that foundation, the chasms could be repaired, at the right time and with the right amount of patience and hope.

It’s amazing all that Max has accomplished at his age; he’s extremely intelligent and hard working, which are two qualities that will not only allow him to continue to grow professionally but will also give him a second chance to make things right with the love of his life, the one girl who got away – Willa.

I loved so many things about this story – the camaraderie among previous main characters and Willa and Max; the insight into past heroes and heroines’ happily-right-nows; Willa and Max’s backstory; Max’s relationship with Willa’s son, Alex. All plot lines that occur in Waiting for Willa merge together so flawlessly and create such a vivid and complex tale that is romantic, emotional, and heartfelt. Because Proby constructs multifaceted characters and provides a comprehensive and concrete look into their lives, nothing feels up in the air at the end because all of the loose ends have been explored and brought full circle.

Kristen Proby’s Big Sky’s series has all of the qualities that I’ve come to love about contemporary romance, and because Cunningham Falls is a small community, it’s so easy to feel like a part of their family, hoping each and every one of them find the love and hope they need.

4.5 Poison Apples

OMGoodness – don’t you get feels just from the cover! It’s a tear-jerker with laughs and a sassy single mom. The swoon factor is where it’s at! Go read it and love it!

Absolutely blown away!!

Kristen Proby totally nails small town romance!

I was not prepared the the slew of emotions that would be rolling through me when I read this book. From the prologue all the way to the last sentence of the epilogue…. my heart was right there in Cunningham Falls. Kristen Proby has a way with her words that not only pull you in and make you emotionally invested… you are there. Literally in the same room as Max and Willa!

Romance was there the whole time! Max is seriously swoon and Alex is a freaking hilarious 8 year old.

In typical Kristen Proby fashion…. you will see family member from previous book and it is freaking awesome! Double bonus… we see those King men again!

I would give this book 10 if I could!! I see myself rereading this one very soon!

Kristen Proby is a new author to me, and when I read the blurb for Waiting For Willa, I knew I had to have this book in my hands. This second chance romance story, is one with a lot of emotions involved. Waiting For Willa was filled with compassion, longing, loss, and loads of chemistry, there was never a dull moment, even if a child wasn’t in the picture. Being a dual pov, we get to see what Willa and Max’s thought process’ were, and the reasons they did/do the things that were done. This story flowed very well, and the writing was easy to process.

Willa is a single mom to Alex. She is on go all day long with raising him and running her business, she doesn’t have time for much else. She is very personable. She isn’t ashamed of being a mother, and makes jokes about her body after her son was born, which shows how her character was. She isn’t a city girl, but a rather simple woman that loves living in the small town she was born and raised in.

Max left his little sleepy town after high school, to make something of him self, and make something of himself he did. Now he has more money than he knows what to do with, and the smarts like Einstein. He doesn’t have the personality as someone with his credentials, but one that lives a blue collar life. He is passionate, giving, loyal, and just so dang good.

Once upon a time high school sweethearts Willa and Max thought they would be forever, but their forever came and went, or so they thought. When Max makes friends with Willa’s son Alex and starts showing his face a little more, will old feelings rush back in for Willa? Or will Willa’s new found life remain the same?

I really did enjoy this story, so I DO RECOMMEND IT!

*Reviewed for Reviews From the Heart