3.5

Small town, second chance romance with a high school rival cowboy who's now all grown up.

This was a very sweet romance with Grace returning home to her family and trying to avoid her ex-boyfriend, Reed. She didn't think she'd bump into him whilst back at home but it's not many chapters before they collide. Reed is a very understanding and patient hero, he doesn't get grumpy at anything Grace does or says. Grace can be a bit of a princess since she's become a big-city girl but she starts to settle back into her small-town roots.

It was lovely seeing side characters from different books and all the family get-togethers. It had a real homely and fun feel to it.

I love a good small town novel. This book did not disappoint! Two high school sweethearts parted ways and found their way home. Though they were living in different worlds as adults they found their way back together and realized that they just couldn’t live without each other in their lives.

Grace (Gracie) was a small town girl, who is now a well known New York playwright, staying busy and rarely returning home. Now home to help with a screenwriting class, Gracie is hit with memories and confliction with who she really is.
Throughout Reed's life, he has been through the emotional wringer; his father abandons him, his first love leaves their hometown, and his near fiance cheats on him with his business partner. Returning home to care for his uncle and take up his business, Reed can't help but feel his connection to his roots.
Grace and Reed went to opposing high schools, at a time when rivalries were a big deal, so they kept their relationship a secret. With big dreams of leaving her small town, Grace left her home and Reed but "the heart never forgets a first love".
From the moment of their reconnection, their connection is undeniable!
Whenever you start a Melissa Foster tale, you'll hate any moment you have to put your book down to return to your own life. Another favourite couple added to my Foster list.

*An advance copy of this book was provided to me for review purposes only, at my request, all opinions expressed are my own*

2nd chance ; return to hometown
Grace & Reed dated secretly as teens. He was the quarterback for the rival football team in the next twin. They broke up when she left for New York.
Really love angst. The big misunderstanding is cleared up very early on.
Solid town. Fun family.

I waited too long with this book sitting on my tbr forever and now, I’m regretting not picking it up sooner!

This book is by far one of the best second chance romances I’ve ever read, is everything I look for in this trope. The angst, the love, the sexy banter, the heat and chemistry. I loved everything about Reed and Grace, their story was sweet and full of hope! I’m picking up the next book right now!

This book was… fine for me. The writing was fine, the story flowed, but nothing about it really held my attention or made me feel like I’ll be thinking about this book beyond finishing it. Embracing Her Heart follows Grace, the eldest of the Montgomery children, back in her hometown of Oak Falls, Virginia. Grace has spent the last few years making a name for herself as a producer in New York City, but now that she’s back home for a few weeks to teach a screenplay writing class, her world’s been turned upside down. Because she’s not the only person back in town. Reed Cross, her secret high school sweetheart, is also back. Reed always said that he’d never leave Oak Falls, which was the major reason he and Grace broke up after high school. She had big dreams, but he wanted to stay where he was. Until he didn’t. Reed didn’t plan on coming back to Oak Falls either, but sometimes when you catch your girlfriend in bed with your business partner and your uncle has a heart attack and needs help with his business, coming home just feels like the right choice. They’ve been apart for years, but now that they’re serendipitously back in each other’s lives, Grace and Reed can’t help but fall into their old relationship all over again.

I think the biggest issue I had with this book was that I didn’t like Grace. At all. I felt like she spent most of the book bemoaning all the reasons she didn’t like New York City and her job there, but then also completely ripping apart all the things that made her hometown quaint and a good escape from the struggles of the city. Grace seemed to absolutely despise everything about Oak Falls, from the small town gossip to the clothes even to her family at times. She was so utterly dismissive of her sisters, chalking them up to just their stereotypes and what they were like when they were younger and then being shocked when they were more than that. And after a while, I started to find that grating.

And while Reed was fine, he also didn’t really suck me in and make me root for them as a couple. If anything, there were certain instances before they were back together where I found him too pushy and forceful when it came to inserting himself into Grace’s temporary life back home. And because they got together so early in the book and I wasn’t particularly invested in their relationship, I felt like there wasn’t enough tension or conflict, so most of the middle of the novel dragged on, describing moments in their relationship but not really winning me over about their love. I felt like most of the conflict stemmed from Grace not permanently being in Oak Falls (which seemed to have an easy fix) and that once upon a time, their relationship was secret, so Grace had all this guilt over lying (also an easy fix and ultimately something that felt like a non-issue). Once there was more drama, like Reed’s long absent father showing back up, I felt like the plot got a tiny bit more interesting, but overall, the book was fine, but it lacked any sort of “wow” factor for me.

*5 Stars*

As with all of the Melissa Foster books I have read so far, I loved this one, and I loved the characters. Set in Gracie and Reed's small town home, these two reconnect after a decade apart. This is one second chance romance I thoroughly enjoyed.

Their connection was still their from the moment they meet back up, and I also liked that fact that Reed pushed for an honest discussion about their past right away. I truly loved watching these two get to relearn each other and for Gracie to come to love her small home town again.

Lots of fun secondary characters in this one as well, and I can't wait to read more about those guys in the future. A nice and easy read, and I definitely recommend.


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