Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: Wild Iris Ridge by RaeAnne Thayne

Welcome to my tour stop for Wild Iris Ridge by RaeAnne Thayne. This is an adult contemporary romance published by Harlequin. The tour runs July 21-31 with reviews, author interviews and guest posts. Be sure to check out the Tour Page & Schedule.

Wild Iris Ridge by RaeAnne Thayne

Release: July 2014

Imprint: Harlequin HQN

ISBN: 978-0-373-77859-1

Pages: 352

A big-city, high-powered advertising executive and a small-town firefighter learn that no matter where you started or what you’ve lost, if you open your heart, you can find joy and love again. WILD IRIS RIDGE is the latest book inUSA TODAY bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne’s charming Hope’s Crossing series.

Synopsis:  Lucy Drake and Brendan Caine have only one thing in common…  And it’s likely to tear them apart. Because it was Brendan’s late wife, Jessie—and Lucy’s best friend—who’d brought them together in the first place. And since Jessie’s passing, Brendan’s been distracted by his two little ones…and the memory of an explosive kiss with Lucy years before his marriage. Still, he’ll steer clear of her. She’s always been trouble with a capital T.  Lucy couldn’t wait to shed her small-town roots for the big city. But now that she’s back in Hope’s Crossing to take care of the Queen Anne home her late aunt has left her, she figures seeing Brendan Caine again is no big deal. After all, she’d managed to resist the handsome fire chief once before, but clearly the embers of their attraction are still smoldering….  (publisher)

My take:  Wild Iris Ridge is the follow-up book to Christmas in Snowflake Canyon (the first book I read in the Hope’s Crossing series). It centers around Brendan,one of the Caine boys, and Lucy, the girl he had a brief but memorable history with – before he married her cousin. I promise, it’s not confusing when you read the book ;-). I enjoyed their story and understood their reluctance to start anything more than a friendship even when they both realized they had strong feelings for each other. RaeAnne Thayne paced the story perfectly. I also enjoyed the not-too-sacharine scenes with Brendan’s children. I loved that Lucy introduced young Faith to Anne of Green Gables. As Lucy, Brendan and his kids are working through their story Brendan’s dad has a storyline of his own. Even though I’ve only read one other book in the series I can tell Dermot’s story has been a part of most, if not all, of the previous books. Lucy’s step-sister Crystal also figures into the book. Lucy is able to do for Crystal what her great-aunt did for Lucy years earlier – she gave her a place to call home and be loved. This is a nice series and I’m looking forward to catching up with the first five books. Recommended to fans of small town contemporary romance and RaeAnne Thayne.  4 stars

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | The Book Depository

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About the author:

USA TODAY bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne loves words. This led her to a fifteen-year career in journalism as a newspaper reporter and editor. But through it all, she dreamed of writing the kind of stories she loved best, romance, and has since published more than 40 titles. RaeAnne finds inspiration in the rugged northern Utah mountains, where she lives with her hero of a husband and their children. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website, RaeAnneThayne.com and Facebook.

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And now for the giveaway:

Please click here to go to giveaway page.

Good luck!

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