Welcome back to The Sweet Spot. Heather Heyford gives us her second book in the Willamete Valley Romance series. Detective Alex Walker and Attorney Kerry O’Hearn are the most unlikely couple to find a happily-ever-after. But, after a lot of drama, they do. And I thoroughly enjoyed watching them come full circle. Him from hate to love and her from disinterest to love. Enjoy your visit to Willamette Valley where the most unlikely people seem to fall in love.

Detective Alex Walker had a huge chip on his shoulder. Leaving Portland behind for the quiet in Newberry, he was just thrilled to see the bane of his existence, the reason he left Portland, sitting in the bar stool right next to him. He just wants peace and quiet and he gets aggravation. Why does he hate her so much? He left his career because of her. He lost his partner because of her. But, he loves working here and won’t let her push him out. He has a boss that see’s through his gruff exterior to the man that he really is inside. Assigning him to teaching boxing at the Community Center, he has no choice but to interact with Kerry, especially when her daughter takes an interest in the program and waxes poetic about Coach Alex. But, it’s two little boys who truly steal his heart and gives his life meaning again. He also can’t be anything but intrigued with her beautiful mother. Walking that fine line between hate and love, he has to finally admit that he fell in love with her watching her work the trial that brought him down.

Kerry has her hands full. A failed marriage to a cop … a child out of wedlock with a police officer. Her track record with the police isn’t one that she’s proud off. Returning to Newberry was not something that she planned on but, it was too hard being a single mother in Portland. Taking her brother up on his offer to join his firm, she moves home along with her three children, one of which is very upset about the move. But, it’s the best for everyone in the long run. Until her heart starts calling out to the ruff and gruff police officer. She can’t trust another one not to hurt her but, the electricity between them is too much to ignore and she can’t forget those kisses. Now, her heart is again on the line and she’s not sure if she’ll survive losing this one.

I enjoyed First Comes Love but didn’t love it as much as I did The Sweet Spot. There was a lot going on with both of these characters. They would come together, go apart and then come together. I loved that the story also revolved around the children and that we really saw the vulnerable side of Alex when he was fighting for them. I enjoyed the flow of the story, how everything came together. I also loved that this was an older couple with flaws that they worked through and found what they both needed in their lives. Heather Heyford did a nice job of bringing The Sweet Spot into the story but I would have loved to catch up with Hank and Jamie. I am looking forward to Right All Along.

Detective Alex Walker has had enough of city life, especially after the case he testified in went belly-up. Now, he's determined to finish his career in the small town of Willamette Valley. However, it seems the attorney who won the case he testified at lives in the small town and it isn't easy to avoid her. Yet, soon Alex finds himself going out of his way to spend time with Kerry O'Hearn. But when a case he's working becomes rather personal to Alex, will Alex walk away from his shot at happy ever after or will Kerry help him fight to win this time around?

It's been a little while since I've read a book by Ms. Heyford, but I'm glad I got to read this story because I absolutely enjoyed Alex and Kerry and the secondary characters in Kerry's children and family. They're supportive and I loved that they gave Alex a chance, even though Kerry has been let down enough times by men making her promises they never keep. Will Alex prove to be the guy she needs and deserves?

As for the dialogue, it was intense due to the main characters back stories and their shared past that has them on opposite sides of the law with Alex determined to put away the bad guys while Kerry's job is to defend them. However, I liked how they made things work, even though it isn't easy since there are tough decisions to be made by the pair when it comes to a case. Moreover, I really liked both the main characters, as Kerry is a good mom, resilient and I liked that she took a chance on Alex, even though she's been hurt before and wants to concentrate on her children and being there for them more. While the hero, he's empathetic, good as his job, confident and I liked how the growing bond he shares with the heroine's kids. I also liked how willing he was to go above and beyond the course of his duty as a police officer because there are people in the world that need someone to fight for them.

Overall, Ms. Heyford has delivered a really good read in this book where the chemistry is slow building, but had me loving how the chemistry gets stronger between this pair since Alex sees Kerry as the enemy in the beginning; and the ending had me worried because of what happens, but had me loving the hero's dedication to his job and his determination to make things right with Kerry and her children. How could he possibly walk away when they've come to mean so much to them? I would recommend First Comes Love by Heather Heyford, if you enjoy the enemy to lovers trope or books by authors Sandra Owens, Jill Sanders, Roxanne St. Claire and Olivia Miles.

3.5 Stars

I love romances about older couples. There’s a simplicity to them - despite the complications life often brings - that I find endearing and enjoyable. Right up until the ending, First Comes Love was a delightful, humorous, well written story.

Alex is a 40 year old police detective. After twenty years in the big city, he’s fled to a small town in Oregon for a quieter, slower pace of life. Having grown up with parents that were neglectful at best, and a failed 5 minute long marriage, he’s accepted his life as a loner.

Kerry is a 38 year old lawyer and single mom of three girls, ages 13, 11 and 2. She’s had a successful career as a defense attorney, but her love life has been a mess. Twice she’s gotten involved with a police officer, and both times it went badly. Now she’s back in her small Oregon hometown, living in her parent’s old house, and working at her brother’s law firm.

Alex and Kerry get off to a rocky start, trading derogatory lawyer and police jokes at the local bar. But then Alex gets roped into helping with a boxing program at the local community center, and Kerry’s oldest daughter decides to participate. From there, Alex finds himself smitten with the three girls, and Kerry decides to forget about her “never date a police officer ever again” moratorium to give Alex a chance.

Watching two middle-aged people learn how to adjust to having a special person (or people, in Alex’s case) in their life was refreshing. Alex never thought he’d get to have a family, and Kerry had a hard time letting go of the tightly controlled reigns she had to have on her life. There were some minor missteps, but completely realistic and relatable for what they were going through. There was no angst, no drama, and I was loving it!

Then, things fall apart, and Alex doesn’t handle it well. No surprise there, because up until now (92 percent), this story had been a sweet, angst-free, mostly conflict-free story about two people falling in love and blending their lives. But I really disliked how the whole conflict was dealt with. Alex abandons Kerry and the girls, knowing her history and how she gave him a chance and opened up her life and that of her children’s, but when he comes back there’s nary an apology or grand gesture. I’m not sure who to be pissed off at - Alex for being an ass, or Kerry for letting him back into her life so easily.

I was completely loving this book, but the ending basically ruined it for me. I hate it when that happens!

Worth noting...the synopsis is a bit off. Alex isn’t “committed to his family” because he doesn’t have one, and the case that Kerry “skewered” was ten years ago - not his last case that sent him running to the small town. Actually, if I go back and read the synopsis, not much of it is accurate at all.

Another thing I feel like mentioning is that I was impressed with this author’s explanation about how authors can’t possibly only write what they know, so thank goodness for Google and people who can give her stories authenticity (it really bugs me when a story has something incorrect in it when a quick Google search could have avoided the error). I think it’s worth noting that more than once she referred to the two-year-old daughter’s toothless grin. Which is a bit of a research fail on her part. Unless something dramatic happened, two year olds have a full mouth of teeth. I’m not sure what it says about me that I see things like that so easily when I’m reading, but had the author not made a point of saying something in her acknowledgments at the beginning of the book about doing her research, I wouldn’t have made such a big deal of it.

Anyway, this was mostly a great book. The writing was fantastic and had me laughing multiple times, but it failed to move me when things fell apart. I probably won’t be going back to read any of this author’s previous books, but I’ll definitely keep my eyes out for additional books in the Willamette Valley series.

* thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books/Lyrical Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is a truly amazing story about finding love in the person you least expected. At first, when I started reading the book I truly asked my self should I continue but after a few chapters, I was glad to continue. Both Alex and Kerry are likable and well-developed characters. Alex thought that he didn't deserve to be loved and never thought to have family on his own but in his life comes first 3 little girls and later 2 lost boys. I loved reading how he started to discover the true meaning of taking care of the children and that he didn't give up. Kerry is a single mom who was hurt by previous partners in her life and it was amazing to see that she didn't run away from love but contrary fought for Alex. The and had me laughing and crying it was so beautiful. Great read.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly.

This was a decent story. I've read several of this author's books, and I've enjoyed most of them very much. I started to think this was one of my favorites of hers, because of the storyline, but towards the end of the book, I changed my mind. I did like that it took place in the same wine country area as her other books, and it had to do with wine peripherally, but it wasn't all about the wine, as previous books have been.

I did not read the blurb, because I never like to know what to expect, so the way this story started out and the direction it took was a surprise to me. I liked the aspect of an single older man becoming interested in a woman with kids, and how that took him by surprise; how getting to know her kids changed him and took him down a new and unexpected path.

However, this author's books always seem to be include of those misunderstandings that becomes a bigger deal than it should be. I hate those. I also felt like the end of this book, just as in the first in this series, seemed really rushed and almost like it was a different story. It wasn't consistent with the rest of the story, and what happened just came out of left field. It did not fit with what we had learned about the character of Alex. It seemed like a conflict for the sake of conflict.

That being said, it was an enjoyable read. The writing seems a bit YA to me, but I've read a lot of excellent books lately, which may have ruined me for most authors!

Sometimes you find a romance that is so realistic and true to life that you simply fall into it without any hesitation. First Comes Love has two people, in their mid-life, that are somewhat jaded and put off by the big city. They’ve come to this small town to redirect their lives, one with family nearby, the other looking only for solitude. The interesting twists, or one of them, is that Kerry and Alex have run into each other back in that big city life — and it left Alex with a very bad taste and the desire to leave behind his detective shield for a small town police officer position. Kerry has had unsuccessful relationships so that now all she’s focusing on is her family of three girls. She never expected to like or want a relationship with Alex, another cop, but beneath the brisk and unwelcoming exterior of this man lies a heart worth knowing… and maybe loving eventually.

I had such fun with this story and the small town cast of characters. Kerry and Alex have issues to be faced. And there is an emotional situation that Alex needs Kerry’s help with – yet, their differences of the past aren’t insurmountable as they begin to see each other for real, not their perceptions. You will find some touching and tender moment, certainly some laugh out loud ones as well. First Comes Love feels like good friends welcoming you in for a chat, it’s realistic, touching, and simply a fun read. If you love small town romances, seemingly opposites attract, and the chaos and love that a big family brings then you’d enjoy First Comes Love and this series. Now I cannot wait to get my hands on the next story in this series.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

First Come Love was a solid story with nothing specific wrong with it, but I didn't love it. I liked the story and I liked Alex and Kerry. I loved all 5 of the kids a lot. They were adorable and precocious and trouble and incredible.
The story itself was...good. I can't point to anything that I didn't like but when I finished the story I just felt like 'it's done'. There was love but it was a sedate, sober kind of romance where there so much baggage between them that you know it's going to be one of those stories with a slow pace, which I didn't mind. But Alex and Kerry were, in my opinion, pretty forgettable. He liked wine and birdhouses. She liked the law and her children. And Alex.
If you like mostly sweet family romance stories, you'll more than like this story.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

Alex and Kerry seemed too different to really work together and yet they were actually perfectly matched. Alex had hard feelings toward Kerry after they were on opposite sides of the court casein the past.

I loved that we can see the progression of love that begins and how Alex starts to care for Kerry's daughters. There were parts that I found hilarious and could not stop laughing - the poopy diaper and the kiddie pool was too funny!

It was heartbreaking when Alex left and ended things with Kerry but came back when she needed him, I think I would have been a little angrier than Kerry was though! The HEA was great and loved when we saw them all together at the end and their great news!

This was a very well done and very enjoyable book. It was refreshing to read a story where the couple is slightly older and more mature. Alex Walker was a detective in Portland who had his last case blown apart by a tough defense attorney. Frustrated with the system Alex decides to leave Portland and move to Newberry to enjoy the slower pace of life. He had no idea this was the hometown of Kerry O'Hearn, the very attorney he had just gone head to head with. Alex's gruff exterior says stay away but it becomes clear that this facade is hiding a huge heart. Alex finds himself needing Kerry's help and as they work together on a very special project it becomes apparent that the attraction between them isn't going away.

This is a wonderfully emotional story that I think everyone will enjoy. I definitely recommend it.

First impressions are not always correct. Alex first met Kerry when they were on opposite sides of the courtroom. Alex was a cop testifying in a court case& Kerry was defending the suspect. Alex thought she was a cold, power hungry witch. What are the chances she moved home to the same small town he's moved to? He's now on the town police force of the little town & she's in town going into practice with her brother. Could they learn to get along? The town will ever be the same!

Heather Heyford has written a fresh heartwarming story about two people fighting love with all of the weary disdain they had. They both were becoming tired & jaded and as such, made changes in their lives. The kids added a richness & dimension that elevated the story. Kerry's daughters had the readers picturing another side of her. The two delinquents that Alex befriended stole my heart. Their situation arouses the readers sympathy & keeps you reading to the end. The courtship had such twists & turns, you couldn't help but hope they were able to become a couple.

First Comes Love by Heather Heyford
Willamette Valley #2

~ Sigh ~ such a great story ~ one that I could not put down and was so happy reading ~

Alex Walker, police detective, is so much than the gruff exterior that he presents to others. He is a man who had a rough childhood but never really stopped caring about doing good things for others. When he moves to Newberry his plan is to settle in, relax, take it easier and write a wine blog in wine country while working on the local police force until he retires. He doesn’t expect to run into the woman that has occupied a significant portion of his rather negative memories over the years – a woman that began to put him off of working in the big city and dealing with cutthroat lawyers. And who is that cutthroat lawyer? She is single mother of three daughters - Kerry O’Hearn. She grew up in Newberry and has returned to the quieter life she remembers and has put her big law practice behind her to provide a different life for her girls. She has her family nearby for support though she is determined to be self-sufficient no matter what.

This small town romance was not all light and bright but did have a happy ending in spite of dealing with some big issues. I loved the way Alex began to wake up to the possibilities that his life might be able to encompass more than the rather lonely future he had envisioned for himself. I found the relationship between Alex and Kerry believable and filled with so much potential. I loved the boxing aspect of the story that suggested it as a way to improve health and increase self-esteem for youth. The balance of this story was just right for me on the day I read it and I was sad to say goodbye when I read the last page at 1:30am. I am definitely eager to see who will have their story told next in this series! And, though I could give details of the story, I won’t. I will say that I highly recommend it, though, and hope you will enjoy it as much as I did if you choose to read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books – Lyrical Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Ms Heyford gives us another touching story in this second book of the Willamette Valley series.
One of the things I liked best about this story was the fact that both characters were in their early 40s and have had to deal with the ups and downs of life.
The main characters are lawyer Kerry O’Hearn, and Detective Alex Walker. She has moved back to her hometown with her three girls, to be close to family. Alex wants a slower paced life and was not happy when he realized the attorney that caused him friction with his partner in Portland, is also living there. It was interesting to see these two go from foes to lovers.
But what I liked best , was that it was a story about family with all it’s wonders and imperfections. A story about how a child can open your heart , whether it’s your own or one that becomes yours by fate. That everyone deserves happiness and that life is messy, but also wonderful, especially with the right partner.
There are moments you will laugh out loud and others you will want to cry. But in the end you will be cheering in hopes that everyone gets their happiness.
Thank you, Netgalley and Lyrical Press for entrusting me this copy. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

Oh sigh! Kerry and Alex are at opposite ends of the spectrum-she's a single mom and defense attorney and he's a police officer and determinedly single. However, they both leave Portland for a small town in the Willamette Valley and lots changes. Notably, he wants to take custody of two little boys who have been abused and he asked for her help. AND, he helps her girls adjust to the move. You know what's going to happen but Heyford does a very nice job with all the characters so you'll find yourself rooting for a merged family. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This one feels very real.

Alex thinks that he doesn't deserve a family. Then when one seems closer than ever he might ruin it and loose everything. Kerry is very patient. Which is a good thing, because between her children and new relationship with Alex she really needs some.

Is she divorced or widowed?

Who cut him?

What is he, an alcoholic? Who does that much analysis for a bar?

Um, that's child neglect.

Yikes, he is really bad at small talk.

Some parents just suck.

Someone's got a type.

I see you becoming Curtis one day, Alex.

I like how they didn't make a big deal about loving each other. They just do.

Aw, Shay sees him as an authority figure in her life.

I feel bad for him. Everyone is so quick to convict him. He was just depressed about the bad turn.

Ugh, good job Mounties. Not.

See, it was actually a good plan, Shay. But maybe you should have let your mom in on it?

Ha, you're old, Alex! Too old for six kids? Get ready!

This was a lovely romance. The couple is a bit older - late 30s, but that brought a maturity to their romance that some of the younger romance couples lack. They’ve both come to live in a small Oregon town in the Willamette Valley after burning out in Portland. Kerry O’Hearn is a tough defense attorney with three daughters and two failed relationships with cops behind her. Alex Walker is, of course, a police detective who was fed up with the ugliness he faced every day in the city. So he chose this area to find some peace working in a small town in the wine country. He once encountered Kerry in a trial and the encounter had burned him as she got her client off.

But he can’t help his attraction to her as he comes to see her as more than the tough-as-nails lawyer, but also a loving single mother trying her best with her children, especially her oldest who is having a tough time adapting to the new life and is getting bullied at school. In the sweetest parts of the book, Alex comes to coach the daughter in boxing and helping her build up her self confidence so she can stand up to bullies. He gets close to Kerry’s three children and completely falls in love with the three girls. One of the funniest and most heartwarming scenes is when he has to take care of the three of them by himself and finds himself confronting a toxic diaper-change. He also takes on the role of a foster parent to two young boys neglected by their middle-class parents.

I really enjoyed how both of these characters let down their walls and came to find fulfillment together and with the children in their lives. This book was a real keeper.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.