Brokenhearted by Cate Ashwood

18689359Title:  Brokenhearted

Series:  Hope Cove book #1

Author:  Cate Ashwood

Genre:   Contemporary Romance

Length:  Novel (210 pages)

Publisher:  Dreamspinner Press (November 8th 2013)

Heat Level:  Moderate

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts

Blurb:   Hope Cove: Book One

Oliver Parrish has been alone in the world since he was born. So when Sheriff Owen “Mack” Macklin shows up on his doorstep to deliver the news that Oliver’s sister has died, he’s beyond surprised. Still, Oliver returns with Mack to Hope Cove, Maine, hoping to get to know the sister he never knew he had. As he tries to snap these new elements into his solitary life, he’s not sure how they might fit.

His life is shaken up further as he falls in love with the irresistible town of Hope Cove, and with Mack, its equally irresistible sheriff. But when he receives devastating news about his sister’s cause of death, Oliver doesn’t know whether to stay and fight for love and a good life, or cut his losses and run.

Product Link:  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4358

Reviewer:   Tams

Review:  Oliver Parrish is a formidable chef. He feels most at home and calm when he’s in the kitchen. An orphan that was tossed from foster home to foster home when he was younger was under the impression that he had no family. The tall, handsome stranger he finds sleeping on his doorstep one morning changes everything.

Owen Macklin, Mack for short, is the town sheriff in Hope Cove, Maine. His best friend died recently and to honor her memory, Mack has set out to find her brother, the brother she never knew. Mack makes Oliver a proposition. An open-ended ticket for Oliver to accompany him back to Maine to appreciate the memory of the sister he never knew.

Day by day Oliver learns more about Maggie, and Mack. From the plane ride to the bakery his sister owned to the journals she chronicled her life in, Oliver meets Maggie. At the same time, a growing mutual attraction between the orphan and the sheriff is brewing. The harder Oliver falls for Mack, the more he wants to stay in Hope Cove, and he starts making plans to do just that. Then a stunning revelation during Maggie’s autopsy uncovers a dangerous disease. A disease that is hereditary. Just when Oliver found his place in life, a place where he’s wanted and loved, he faces the risk of losing everything… literally.

This book made me laugh, cry, and swoon! Mack is a big, badass alpha male but just every now and then, he needs to be the one that follows. And Oliver is the perfect leader, just every now and then. The balance between these two characters was amazing and evident. Where one pushed, the other pulled and Ashwood conveyed that give and take perfectly throughout the story. I think my favorite aspect of this story was Maggie’s journals. She and Oliver never got to meet before she died, but she left behind dozens of journals that chronicled her life and it allowed him a glimpse into her mind. The journal entry where she talked about finding out she had a brother and how happy she was, to imagine Oliver reading that, I was full on snot slinging crying. Just beautiful!

This is Ashwood’s third book and all three are a must read for fans of the genre. She can really nail the sexy and passionate side of a relationship. The way her characters play off of each other’s emotions, and love each other so thoroughly is a wonderful thing. I definitely recommend you read not just this book, but also all her books. I’m quite excited that this is the first in a series. I’m hoping for something for Declan, the deputy, in the next installment. We shall see!

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through MM Good Book Reviews*

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