Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Good second chance romance that is full of love, family, hope, and fear. Cleo's best friend passed away, leaving her three boys to Cleo to raise. Unfortunately, the official paperwork didn't get done before Miranda died, putting the three boys in the custody of their drunken, abusive grandmother. Cleo wants to foster them, but has some strikes against her - mainly that she's had some trouble with the law and owns a bar. To get around the problem, she contacts fellow foster survivor and friend Judd to ask him to go on the record as their foster parent while she does the actual work.
Judd is stunned by Cleo's proposal. While he is empathetic to the boys' plight, having had a truly horrifying experience in the system, he's not ready to take on that responsibility. His memories sent him down a dark path, one he used alcohol to deal with. He's been sober for a year, but every day is a struggle and he doesn't think he can handle the extra stress.
The central theme of this book is getting the boys away from their grandmother and in a loving home. The relationship between Cleo and Judd takes a bit of a backseat, but is bolstered by their joint involvement in protecting the boys. Though I understood his reasons, I was disappointed in Judd's refusal. I thought that he was a lot stronger than he and others believed he was. I liked how oldest brother Kace stepped in to fill the breach and how the rest of the family also became part of the solution. I did like that Judd didn't avoid involvement. There are some heartbreaking scenes of him with the oldest boy, Beckham. Judd sees a lot of himself in Beckham and develops a pretty solid connection with him. The path to saving the boys does not run smoothly. The grandmother is a piece of work. She doesn't want the boys herself, she just wants to be sure that Cleo doesn't get them. There is also a social worker who has an agenda of her own and is not as impartial as she ought to be. I liked seeing the effect that the love of the whole Laramie family had on Beckham, Isaac, and Leo. However, there were still obstacles to overcome, including a chance that they would lose the boys completely. The scene at the end with the social worker was a nail-biter with an ending that had an unexpected twist to it.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Judd and Cleo. The chemistry between them dates back to when they were teenagers and both fostered with Buck. Even though they haven't seen much of each other in the intervening years, the pull between them is still strong. Judd doesn't do commitment, however, as he has so many issues he doesn't want to inflict on anyone else. As he and Cleo are thrown together more frequently, the more difficult it is to keep their hands off each other, until they finally give in. It's easy to see that their feelings for each other deepen, as each one becomes more concerned with how things affect the other one than in protecting themselves. I felt bad for Cleo, who kept apologizing to Judd for getting him involved, and for Judd, who felt guilty because he felt like he was letting her down. I felt like both of them needed a good shove to get them headed in the right direction. Those shoves came about in unexpected ways, making for a very satisfying ending.
The secondary characters added to the fun and feelings of the story. Beckham, Isaac, and Leo were the most important of these. The misery and pain they endured made my heart ache for them. Little Leo was adorable, and I loved seeing Isaac and his joy at helping Rosy in the kitchen. But my favorite brother was Beckham. He is so intent on protecting his brothers, even though it's clear that he's just as scared as they are. I liked the way that he connected with Judd and began to lose a little of his distrust of adults. I hope to see more of him in the upcoming books. Buck and Rosy were fantastic with their willingness to do whatever needed to help make a home for the boys. I still get a little creeped out by Rosy's taxidermy efforts. Billy the armadillo is still a presence, plus there's a funny scene involving some frogs. I also loved Judd's sponsor. She is quite a character, and I laughed out loud at her safe words and distraction objects. I liked seeing more of Judd's brothers, Kace and Nico, and can't wait to read their stories.
Judd is stunned by Cleo's proposal. While he is empathetic to the boys' plight, having had a truly horrifying experience in the system, he's not ready to take on that responsibility. His memories sent him down a dark path, one he used alcohol to deal with. He's been sober for a year, but every day is a struggle and he doesn't think he can handle the extra stress.
The central theme of this book is getting the boys away from their grandmother and in a loving home. The relationship between Cleo and Judd takes a bit of a backseat, but is bolstered by their joint involvement in protecting the boys. Though I understood his reasons, I was disappointed in Judd's refusal. I thought that he was a lot stronger than he and others believed he was. I liked how oldest brother Kace stepped in to fill the breach and how the rest of the family also became part of the solution. I did like that Judd didn't avoid involvement. There are some heartbreaking scenes of him with the oldest boy, Beckham. Judd sees a lot of himself in Beckham and develops a pretty solid connection with him. The path to saving the boys does not run smoothly. The grandmother is a piece of work. She doesn't want the boys herself, she just wants to be sure that Cleo doesn't get them. There is also a social worker who has an agenda of her own and is not as impartial as she ought to be. I liked seeing the effect that the love of the whole Laramie family had on Beckham, Isaac, and Leo. However, there were still obstacles to overcome, including a chance that they would lose the boys completely. The scene at the end with the social worker was a nail-biter with an ending that had an unexpected twist to it.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Judd and Cleo. The chemistry between them dates back to when they were teenagers and both fostered with Buck. Even though they haven't seen much of each other in the intervening years, the pull between them is still strong. Judd doesn't do commitment, however, as he has so many issues he doesn't want to inflict on anyone else. As he and Cleo are thrown together more frequently, the more difficult it is to keep their hands off each other, until they finally give in. It's easy to see that their feelings for each other deepen, as each one becomes more concerned with how things affect the other one than in protecting themselves. I felt bad for Cleo, who kept apologizing to Judd for getting him involved, and for Judd, who felt guilty because he felt like he was letting her down. I felt like both of them needed a good shove to get them headed in the right direction. Those shoves came about in unexpected ways, making for a very satisfying ending.
The secondary characters added to the fun and feelings of the story. Beckham, Isaac, and Leo were the most important of these. The misery and pain they endured made my heart ache for them. Little Leo was adorable, and I loved seeing Isaac and his joy at helping Rosy in the kitchen. But my favorite brother was Beckham. He is so intent on protecting his brothers, even though it's clear that he's just as scared as they are. I liked the way that he connected with Judd and began to lose a little of his distrust of adults. I hope to see more of him in the upcoming books. Buck and Rosy were fantastic with their willingness to do whatever needed to help make a home for the boys. I still get a little creeped out by Rosy's taxidermy efforts. Billy the armadillo is still a presence, plus there's a funny scene involving some frogs. I also loved Judd's sponsor. She is quite a character, and I laughed out loud at her safe words and distraction objects. I liked seeing more of Judd's brothers, Kace and Nico, and can't wait to read their stories.
