Read my 5-star review of Tumble by Adriana Locke

I have had this book on preorder since the summer so when I got a chance from the Publisher to read it as an ARC, I jumped on it. I love Adriana Locke’s books but this is going to be my favorite one by her! I love second chance romances and single parents. This is a perfect example of both! The chemistry between Dane and Neely brings you into their lives so effortlessly! Definitely take a chance on Tumble! I can’t wait to see who the next Dogwood book will be about!

Absolutely LOVED this book!! LOVED it! I love all adriana’s books and every one has me in a swoony mess!! God, my heart! An absolute EPIC read, highly recommend reading ❤️

I'm usually a huge, huge fan of second chance romance novels. and I wanted to love this story, but I found it too angsty and slow moving. I live for chemistry, for passion, for deep love. Neely and Dane don't reconcile until halfway through the novel, and even then, their connection felt strained.

ARC Kindle Copy from Review from Net Galley and Montlake Romance.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Going home for a visit is never easy after being away from years. Losing her dream job as a journalist, she decides regroup her way back to the top of her career. But things do not go as plan as soon as she returns to her hometown.

Fate has her running into her first love a bad boy who she shared her first kiss with and had her headed to New York. What will happen to these two when they realized that they still have feeling for each other? Will history repeat itself as they both want other things?

It is a sweet story of love coming full circle after years apart. There are some bad boys who you will never forget.

I'm not sure were to start...

The writing for this book was really good, I think it had amazing potential with me.

I was excited about the second chance romance with a single dad. However, when the truth was revealed about their past, I checked out.

I could not bring myself to liking Dane at ALL!! I felt angry for Neely, and hated how when she expressed her anger, which faded to quickly, he played the upset victim. She ended up apologizing.

This is a NO for me.

This is a second chance romance .
Dane Madden and Neely Kimber were sweethearts . He was her first everything.
But when he hurts her , she follows her dreams and moves to NYC. Ten years later, she is back home after a betrayal at work. Her stay is temporary as she “refuels” and finds a new job.
When they see each other on the first day of her return, it’s obvious that the hurt as well as the attraction is still there. But she’s now a “city girl” and he’s a single Dad.
As time goes on feelings deepen but will Neely leave again and leave him and her hometown behind, or will she realize that home is where the heart is and her town is really not a bad place to be?
It was a sweet story. Was it memorable? No, but it was entertaining and even keeled.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley and Montlake Romance. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

Abosolutely love this!

I'm a sucker for single dad's and this one no exception!

Dane and Neely's story had all the feels from hate to love and in between.

Can't wait to see what is next for this Dogwood lane crew!!

Once again Adriana Locke delivers a world I want to be a part of!

I was so excited to read this book since it's the start of another wonderful, engaging series from this author! As with her other series, there are wonderful, well-developed, interesting, hilarious secondary characters that I hope to meet in future books, but the real bones of this plot come from the two main characters--Dane and Neely. This is the same type of contemporary romance we've come to expect and love from Adriana Locke--sexy & sweet, adorable & hot, happy & angsty -- everything that makes a contemporary rom-com an enjoyable read. You will want to visit Dogwood Lane and immerse yourself in these characters and the small, hometown feel that makes these books so enjoyable. Can't wait to read Dogwood Lane #2! I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.

Tumble is my first Adriana Locke story and it won't be the last. Very solid story with great character development and a second-chance romance plot. Certainly not new but well done. I adored the interactions between Neely and Mia. Definitely looking forward to reading more of this series!

Oh, my heart. Tumble is an emotional second chance romance that tugged at my heartstrings. I fell in love with Dane, with Mia, and with Dogwood Lane.

Dane was sweet, patient, and such a great daddy. Neely was tough and independent but so great with Mia and her friends. They were absolutely perfect together.

The plot was steady with a slow build up of anticipation and hope. Despite being a second chance romance like so many others, Tumble had a unique storyline. It hooked me in the first few pages and kept me reading into the wee hours.

Tumble is book one in the Dogwood Lane series but can easily be read as a stand-alone. I am relatively new to this author, but I must say I am impressed. I can’t wait for more of the series to be published! I really hope Matt’s story is next, as I am quite intrigued with him.

This book was so sweet! Neely and Dane connected so well as characters and the book was very well paced. Single dad story lines get me every time.

An intelligently written sexy, feel good romance that packs emotional punch and stays with you long after you have finished reading this story. It was so good and I could not stop reading it till I had devoured every bit of this book. Hoping there will be more books from this author with characters from this book. Absolutely loved and would absolutely recommend

4.5 stars!

I haven't read any of this author's other books, even though I have a few of her books on my Kindle! I then saw this book in the publisher's email that they sent me and I loved the cover a lot, so I decided to give it a read! The synopsis also sounded like my kind of read too! After reading this book, I can say that I enjoyed it a lot! I was intrigued from the first chapter and wanted to know what was going to happen next! The plot developed at the perfect pace and it only took me about three sittings to read because I had a hard time putting it down! The plot also didn't have a lot of action and suspense in it, if any, which was a bit disappointing for me, but there was plenty of romance and sexual tension between the two main characters to keep me interested! The romance allowed for a few seriously hot scenes too! The characters were also amazing and made this book even better! Neely was the main female character, and in this book she wasn't really sure what to do with her life! She had quit her job and came back to her hometown to have some time to herself! I liked Neely a lot in this book and could understand why she was conflicted! She wanted to do something with her life, but she went through a lot of realisation in this book and I think that she definitely made the right choice, even if it did take her a while to figure everything out lol! Dane was the main male character and love interest of Neely! I was intrigued by Dane in this book because there was something about him that made me want to know more about him! I found out a lot about Dane in this book and he was such a sweet guy that just wanted to do right by this daughter! He had also been through quite a situation with Neely and then they went through a lot in this book, but it was easy to see that Dane loved Neely and wanted to be with her, even years down the line! I loved that this book was written from both Nelly and Dane's point of views! I wasn't 100% sure if it was going to be written from dual point of view after I read the synopsis, but I'm really happy that it was! It allowed for more things to happen in the plot and it helped me connect and understand both Nelly and Dane more! I now can't wait to read the next book in this series! I'm not sure when the next book is going to release because I can't find any information on it at all lol, but I really hope that it releases this year sometime! I also can't wait to find out who the main characters are going to be because the ending of this book was left at the perfect place for Nelly and Dane, so I'm assuming that the next book is maybe going to focus on a secondary character from this book! I can't wait to check out this author's other books too! The cover for this book is also absolutely stunning! I loved it as soon as I saw it and it definitely drew me to the book ad made me want to read the story behind it! The cover image is also perfect for the characters of Nelly and Dane! Big thank you to Adriana, Montlake Romance and Netgalley for an ARC of Tumble!

Tumble by Adriana Locke

I've been a lover of Locke's writing for quite some time now, and I was eager to lose myself in this small town, second chance romance.

Dane and Neely had a high school relationship that turned sour. Mistakes were made, but nothing that ten years of Neely living in New York City can't fix. When circumstances bring Neely home to Dogwood Lane, Tennessee, she realizes she can no longer run from her past.

Dane is now hanging out near the top of my favorite single dad heroes. He had just the right amount of charisma and cockiness to make him irresistible. At times, he seemed too good to be true, but I was always rooting for him. I loved his relationship with Matt and Penn. Those scenes were written so well, I could picture myself there. Neely and I had a more difficult time connecting. I wasn't sure what she was trying to accomplish by coming home, mostly because she never really told us, but continually closing herself off to her old friends, and possible future was not helping her situation. There was more than one occasion that I wanted to shake some sense into her. I didn't get enough of the chemistry between Neely and Dane that I was hoping for. There were definitely moments where sparks flew, and they had so many moments together that I loved, I think I just needed more out of them. I think having a little more or their backstory would have helped.

I'm looking forward to stories from Matt and Penn...and Claire and Haley. Tumble featured a fantastic supporting cast and gave readers a lot to look forward to.

3 STARS

4-4.5 stars!

I've loved reading each of Adriana's books. I've loved something different about each one of them, and Tumble is the newest addition to my Adriana library. This was a really well written second chance romance. The gist of the storyline is one that countless authors have written about, but Adriana put a fresh and unique spin on her story that made it stand out for me.

Neely and Dane were high school sweethearts that had their futures mapped out until a huge betrayal has Neely fleeing to New York City where she forges a successful career in the male dominated field of writing for a sports magazine. Ironically, a huge betrayal at work has her quitting her job and fleeing back to the little town of Dogwood Lane, Tennessee, to recoup and figure out what she wants to do with her life. Her first day back in town and she runs smack dab into Dane again. Seeing him brings back all the pain and heartache she's managed to bury for the past ten years.

Even though Dane had done something really, really stupid and broken Neely's heart, I quickly fell in love with him for many reasons. Reasons you'll have to read and find out for yourself so I don't spoil any of the story. Seeing him around his friends and family and how dedicated he was to them, even if some of them drove him nuts on a daily basis, gave me so many warm fuzzies! He may have come across as stern and almost stoic around people, but it became obvious early on that he had a warm and gooey center.

The chemistry between Neely and Dane was unmistakable, it was obvious their feelings for each other had not waned in all those years apart. Yes, they tried to live their lives and move on, but once these two were in the same space, they were like magnets who couldn't stay away from each other.

What I really liked about this story was how diligent Dane was in trying to explain to Neely what had happened all those years ago that drove her away, and how sorry he was about it all. Oftentimes you read a second chance romance and the Hero has hurt the heroine really badly, and when they reconnect, he pursues her without first resolving the issue from the past. I was so glad to see how deeply important it was to Dane to rectify that wrong with Neely.

The big issue in the story that these two characters have to deal with is the fact that Neely's life is in NYC and Dane's life is in Tennessee. How are these two going to overcome this huge obstacle?

There's a lot of feels in this book, a little bit of angst and a whole bunch of beautiful romance. I finished this book with a huge smile on my face. I can't wait to find out who the next book in the series will be about!

A second chance romance. Although the story is good, I knew how it would end from the start. It's a warm inviting story with adorable characters. It's not remarkable, however, for this genre.

Tumble is a fabulous, will melt your heart, single dad and second chance read. The little girl Mia is such a doll. You will fall for her instantly. Dane is so swoon worthy. Neely is a sweetheart. I love how even after all the years that have past that Dane and Neely have this connection that is everlasting. Neely is so sweet with Mia. Tumble is an amazing start to the Dogwood Lane series and stole my heart for this small town from the start. The love between Dane and Neely is amazing. I was brought to happy tears while reading this one. I can't wait for the next one.

This was a really cute read. I enjoyed the story (I love the old unrequited love angle) and the characters were likeable too. The story didn’t have much development, and things happened fairly quickly, but the story was well defined and the secondary characters added a lot to the story. I would have like more of everyone and more of the story (it was a little to easy, neat, and tidy) but I enjoyed this book and would recommend.

***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***

I love second chance romance, I love that the connection is already there, but that it is one that has been lost, or buried, due to actions (or sometimes inaction) mistakes and time.

For the romance to work, I need to feel that the characters had a reason to stay apart, but that it was one that was not too much for them to move past it. And, for Dane and Neely, I believed this.

But, then, for the romance to work, there needs to be some angst, the push and pull of the romance, the past, and the 2 people who maybe realize they haven't left the past totally in the past. Dane and Neely had a couple of conversations where even others could see the sparks, a couple of tense conversations, an easy apology (which is the part that worked for me) and then it felt like they fell back into a full romance, even though she was leaving. But, with as easily and without issue the romance fell back together, I don't think there ever was the tension of her leaving. I don't think anyone, readers or characters, ever actually believed she was going to.

Mia, Dane's daughter, was too easy, too simple, there was nothing about her missing her mom that was really on the pages, and I felt that this was probably glossed over a little too much. No one needs ex drama in a book, but at the same time, a 10 year old girl isn't going to just accept someone else in her father's life, no matter how much she admires her, without at least a few questions.

For me, this was a second chance romance without any of the tension of getting back together. Everyone seemed to just be ok with them being together, the family, the friends, his daughter, the people she was leaving in New York in order for her to start her life again in the town where she grew up. Everyone saw this as a foregone conclusion, and it removed some of the delicious tension of a second chance romance.

I didn't dislike the book, it just isn't one of my favorites in the trope. I do recommend it as while I had issues with the characters within the story arc, I actually liked and enjoyed them as the people in the story...if that makes any sense.

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher**

Oh how I love small town romances and make it a second chance love story and that just sweetens the pot! Adriana Locke's first book in her new Dogwood Lane series was totally up my alley!

Dane and Neely haven't seen one another in a decade. Neely has returned to Dogwood Lane to get away from her life in New York City for a few days. She isn't honest with anyone at first about why she's returned, yet she seems to be finding that fitting back in where she grew up isn't as difficult as she thought it could be. When she encounters Dane for the first time, the chemistry they've always had is palpable, but so is the hurt from the way things ended between them when she left for NYC originally. His life has changed significantly with his taking over his father's business, but also with the addition of his 9 year old daughter, Mia, to his life.

As Dane and Neely reconnect, it's clear that the feelings they had ten years ago have not faded away. While they have issues to work through, including the distance, it's clear that they aren't going to be able to fight their attraction. The question is, can they make this last for the long haul or will this be a flash in the pan while Neely is back in her hometown?

I adored both Dane and Neely. They were both strong characters and they truly seemed to bring out the best in one another. Dane's daughter, Mia, was the star of the show though. She was absolutely adorable and I loved how she subtly worked to get what she wanted, which was her Dad and Neely together.

This book had everything you want in a romance. It drew me in from the beginning, had just enough angst to make you want to keep on reading, a great supporting cast and there were plenty of sparks between Dane and Neely. Adriana Locke penned an awesome start to this series and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!