Discover the power of family in this uplifting quartet by
New York Times bestselling author Maisey Yates, USA TODAY bestselling author
Caitlin Crews, Nicole Helm and Jackie Ashenden.
June Gable left each of her four granddaughters a
handwritten bequest -- to spend a season at her beloved farmhouse in Jasper
Creek, Oregon, before they sell it. These cousins were once as close as
sisters, but time and family betrayals have pushed them apart.
In spring, polished city girl Keira must find her country
roots -- and reconnect with an old flame. In the summer, tough tomboy JJ needs
to tap into her softer side while helping a single dad and his daughters.
Cheerful dreamer Lila has to help coordinate the town craft fair in autumn,
under the stern eye of the handsome cowboy she loved as a girl. And as winter
falls, headstrong, independent Bella must learn to ask for help from the one
man she believes she can never have.
The four cousins will have to confront secrets from the
past, deal with old wounds they'd rather hide, and tangle with their hardheaded
cowboys before they can find love, healing and the true meaning of family…
This was a terrific collection of stories about second
chances, self-discovery, and family. I loved seeing these four women overcome
past hurts and find their ways back to the love and friendship they used to
share.
Spring - Caitlin Crews
Keira and Remy
Keira is the first of June's granddaughters to arrive at
the old homestead. Her task is to help with the cattle, which after five years of
living in the city, will take some getting used to. Her partner in this
endeavor is Remy, the former love of her life. Their relationship fell apart
when he couldn't understand her need to move away for a while. It wasn't that
she didn't love him or want to marry him, but that she had to get away from her
parents and find out who she was without their influence. Remy was very cold to
her at first, but it wasn't long before the old attraction rekindled. However,
they are now older and better able to discuss the differences between them and
see where things went wrong before. There were two scenes I especially liked:
Remy being there to support Keira during her confrontations with her parents,
and Keira facing off with Remy's mother about the way his family has treated
him. I liked how they finally worked through their differences and were able to
move forward together.
Summer - Nicole Helm
JJ and Cade
Grandma June's request of JJ was that she watches two
little girls for the summer while their single dad does his work. JJ's parents
divorced when she was young, leaving her with her father and her mother taking
her little sister Lila. JJ's father was very anti-emotion and taught JJ to be
the same way. She has spent years hiding and burying her emotions while trying
to win her father's approval. Fulfilling her grandmother's request is the first
time she's gone against him. JJ feels very much out of her depth at first with
the two girls. I liked watching her relax with them, and begin to see
similarities between Ellie and Lora and herself and Lila. There were sparks
between Cade and JJ, but they tried to ignore them, as JJ wasn't planning to
stay. They developed a very sweet friendship before the sparks started to burn
out of control. I loved watching JJ learn to embrace her emotions and show them
to those she cares about. It was sweet to see how Cade helped her express those
emotions by not judging her when she did. The ending was terrific.
Fall - Maisey Yates
Lila and Everett
Fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants Lila was tagged to organize
and run the yearly Red Sled Festival, something she feels is way beyond her
capability. But that's okay because Grandma June has also asked neighbor
Everett to help Lila. This forces Lila to face the man she had a crush on as a
teenager, and who she made of fool of herself in front of at his engagement
party. But Bella is an eternal optimist who does her best to see the bright
side of everything, so she sucks it up and deals, only to discover that the
feelings she had for Everett never died. Everett is a very pragmatic man who
views everything with a jaundiced eye. The opposites attract development of
their relationship was an interesting one to watch. I especially enjoyed the
discussions of their different ways of looking at life and the effect on their
dreams of the future. It takes Everett a little longer to recognize his
feelings for Lila. I loved his big moment at the end. There was also a terrific
scene between Lila and JJ as they mended the rift caused by their parents' actions.
Winter - Jackie Ashenden
Bella and Noah
Bella was the missing cousin, the one who didn't come to
the funeral because no one knew where she was. The lawyers finally tracked her
down, just in time for her to have her season in Grandma June's house. The
timing was fortuitous for Bella, as she recently had her bank account cleaned
out, leaving her with nothing. She showed up at the house with little more than
the clothes on her back. Bella is very independent. Having grown up with a mother
who used men for whatever she wanted, then leaving them when something better
came along, Bella works hard at never asking for help. Her letter from June
tells her to fix up the house and sell it if she wants to, and not to be afraid
to ask for help. When Bella arrives at the house, she immediately runs into the
last person she wanted to see - her ex-stepbrother, Noah. Her mom was married
to Noah's dad the year Bella was thirteen. Bella had a massive crush on nineteen-year-old
Noah, who never seemed to notice her. Lila asked Noah to check on Bella. He
wasn't happy about it, as he had cut himself off from everyone. Years of taking
care of his drunk father had drained him, and he doesn't want anyone to need
him. But something about Bella draws him like a magnet. The development of the
relationship between them was a rocky one. There was intense chemistry, but
both of them feared getting too close. Noah fought it, but couldn't stop
himself from wanting to help her. There were some sweet scenes of the things he
did for her, things that showed he understood her. Bella was a bit lost at
first, having a hard time accepting his help. Though both fought against their
growing feelings, they also found it easy to talk to each other about stuff
they'd never told anyone else. I ached for Noah, who was afraid of becoming
addicted to Bella the way his dad was addicted to booze, and caused him to push
her away. I cried for Bella, who had finally let someone in, just to be
rejected. I loved the ending and the unexpected visitors who arrived at just
the right time to give Bella the support and kick in the pants that she needed.
Her and Noah's big moment at the end was deeply emotional and perfect for both
of them.
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