Home in Your Arms by Charlotte O'Shay Published by Wild Rose Press Publication Date: October 12, 2020
Pages: 160
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After her sweetheart Joe dies in a road accident, twenty-four hours after he returns from Army service, grieving Karla Payne slams the door on love. Five years later, Karla's tavern business is booming, and she owns her home, but she knows forever love has no part in her future.
Headed to interview for his first civilian job, retired career Army 1st Sgt. Zane Blackthorne can't resist visiting his late buddy's beloved Vermont hometown. He also can't resist looking up Joe's sweetheart, Karla, who is an alluring mix of brains, beauty, and bravery. Loyalty to his brother-in-arms demands Zane fight his attraction to Karla. Besides, even if Karla wants him, she'll never love him.
Can Zane say goodbye to the woman he has no right to call his own?Even if his only true home is in her arms?
Cocktails and Books received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect our opinion of the book or the content of our review.
Is it possible for two lost souls to help each other heal and find love? Home in your Arms is a heartwarming story that explores that question. It is a touching and sweet story about Zane and Karla, two vulnerable people who deserve to be happy and loved. I savored every page of this small town romance. All the details and descriptions made me feel as though I was right there with them. The characters have layers and depth and I immediately connected with them. They had great dynamics between them and I loved all their interactions and the chemistry they shared.
Zane and Karla are not looking for love when they first meet. Zane doesn’t think he is worthy of love and Karla has given up on love and life since her fiance was killed by a hit and run driver. Karla broke my heart. She is tough yet fragile as she tries so hard to cover her broken heart from everyone. She works all the time in order to keep herself from thinking about how lonely and unhappy she is.
Zane has just retired from the military and is passing through the small town of Willow Springs. Zane is quiet and reserved, and not sure what to do with his life now that he is done with the military. He has no family or friends, he is completely alone in the world.
This was an emotional story with complex characters but it also had some fun and lightness to it. Karla is surrounded by caring people, although she does get frustrated with her protective brothers, nosy neighbor and her meddling mother. Willow Springs is a small, quaint town and the people who live there are friendly and in your business. I enjoyed reading Zane and Karla’s story. They deserve to be happy and I found them easy to relate to and I cared about them.
