Summer on Honeysuckle Ridge
Highland Falls
By Debbie Mason
ISBN13: 9781538716946
Author’s Website: authordebbiemason.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Summary:
Sparks fly between an L.A. career woman and a former Army Ranger in this delightful enemies-to-lovers romance from the USA Today bestselling queen of small-town love stories.
Welcome to Highland Falls, a small town where love is always in the air.
In just a few months Abby Everhart has gone from being a top LA media influencer to an unemployed divorcée living out of her car. So inheriting her great-aunt’s homestead comes at the perfect time. Abby heads to Highland Falls, North Carolina, to spruce up Honeysuckle Farm before putting it on the market for some much-needed cash. But instead of finding a charming getaway, she discovers a serious fixer-upper, complete with a leaky roof, overgrown yard, and a reclusive — albeit sexy — man living on the property.
Ex-Delta Force soldier Hunter MacKenzie has faced war and loss, but nothing has quite prepared him for an outgoing redhead who’s determined to turn his life upside down. Hunter doesn’t want to get involved with anyone, especially a city girl who plans to sell the only place he’s ever felt at home. But the sparks between them are undeniable. Spending time with Abby is easy. Convincing her to stay for good is another matter entirely.
Review:
Summer on Honeysuckle Ridge is the first book in the new series, Highland Falls, by Debbie Mason. I am sure I have said this before, but so that it is crystal clear – I love Ms. Mason’s writing! This new series is a wonderfully easy-to-read romance novel.
I found the depth and breadth of the main characters well developed. The characters are quirky, which in my mind makes them more realistic. Abby Everhart is a city girl… leaving the city behind (at least temporarily) to prepare her inheritance for a quick sale and return to LA where she belongs. Little does she know that her inheritance – Honeysuckle Farms – is in serious need of some TLC. She is also not aware that half the property has been left to Hunter MacKenzie – a hunky and curmudgeonly man who wants nothing less than to be left alone.
The story begins with city girl Abby, dressed as a city girl, being driven to her inheritance. Little does Abby know the true state of Honeysuckle Farm. Meanwhile, Hunter is also unaware that his “home” is also partly owned by a city gal. Boy was he in for a surprise.
This small town story is filled with wonderful characters (LOVED the men in kilts or Abby’s half-sisters) whom exemplify the true meaning of family (blood and otherwise), and that the small town folks of Highland Falls stand together.
I quite enjoyed Abby’s role as a social influencer to get the hype out about the Highland Games. Throughout the story, Abby came up with really unique and interesting ways for helping people in town achieve their goals. However, the path to success for Abby is frequently NOT easy… and at times the way some of her schemes worked out were chuckle worthy to say the least. If there ever was an accident prone individual – it was Abby. Abby with a big heart, who means well and really truly is a good person. Abby who was shafted by her ex-husband and lawyer.
Now Hunter MacKenzie is an interesting character. Very socially withdrawn, much to the consternation of his family. You can certainly gather from Hunter’s reaction to Abby on the property that interesting times are going to be had. And when he could not get her to leave immediately…you just knew it was going to be a heat filled roller coaster ride J. Hunter feels deeply, when he let’s himself open up…but that will take a lot for that to happen as his time in the military left him with some mighty big emotional wounds that he needs to deal with so that they can heal.
As Abby and Hunter get to know each other better, the heat most certainly begins to rise, but I think more importantly, the attraction goes to a deeper level without either of them realizing it has:
“He hadn’t missed her slip about them having a nice moment watching the deer together or the way she’d smiled up at him. Both her comment and that smile worried him. But more concerning (and disconcerting) than her reaction was his own. Instead of being ticked that he’d have to put up with her for at least another six weeks, he apparently was completely okay with it, because he’d had no reaction at all.”
Or when Hunter came to realize that Abby was a woman he could truly get involved with:
“She didn’t stop moving or talking or thinking or planning. She was…He settled on exhausting instead of a half dozen other adjectives that popped into his head. Some like adorable, fascinating, and sweet that had him questioning his own sanity again.”
Aside from the purely romantic side to the story (along with the hot men in kilts – did I mention them already?), we also are told of many town folks back story, which I feel adds to the complexity of each of the characters. Without wanting to spoil the read for you, just remember that not everyone is as they seem. And of course, this sets the reader up nicely for the continuation of this series.
Summer on Honeysuckle Ridge is what I have come to expect from a book by Debbie Mason, a wonderful piece of romantic fiction. I was fully engulfed in the storyline, loved the characters and their dog’s and had a lovely number of hours being entertained in a most enjoyable fashion. I would like to say – I think with the correct actors, this could make a very funny, romantic and heart-warming movie! Maybe even a series once the continuation of the series is written J I will wait with baited breath for the second installment of the Highland Falls series, Christmas on Reindeer Road.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
