Kate Walker used to believe in true love and happily ever after. While her own love life may have left her brokenhearted, it hasn’t kept her from churning out made-for-TV romance movie screenplays…until a major career slump and a longing to do something meaningful send her running back to her hometown of Maple Valley.

Permanently sidelined by an injury, former NFL quarterback Colton Greene is temporarily hiding out in a friend’s hometown to avoid the media and the reminders of all he’s lost. Maple Valley seems like the perfect place to learn how to adjust to normal life. The only trouble is he’s never really done normal before.

While Kate plays things safe and Colton is all about big risks and grand gestures, they both get what it’s like to desperately need direction in life. An unexpected project gives them both a chance to jumpstart their new lives, but old wounds and new dreams are hard to ignore. Starting over wasn’t part of the plan, but could it be the best thing that’s ever happened to them?

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In my quest to find contemporary romance novels that I can’t put down, I asked for help and Melissa Tagg’s name came up. I knew nothing about her or her books, but I picked up this one (I think because it was the cheapest).

The recommendation did not disappoint. All I wanted was a book that I didn’t want to put down. What I got was a book that made me fall in love with the characters and setting, and eventually I ignored my work so I could finish the book. Not good for my deadlines, but it made me SO happy to find a book I could get lost in! If you enjoy small town stories with a sweet romantic storyline, I highly recommend this book. (I’ll definitely get book two in the series!)

(My ONLY complaint — the espresso machine!! I can’t believe NO ONE caught that mistake, but that did make me cringe.)