Hello

Apologies for the late notice, but I have decided not to review this title. While I am certain it's obvious by now, I wanted to also clear this off NetGalley, so it's not showing as open for either of us.

Thanks,

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Hello

Apologies for the late notice, but I have decided not to review this title. While I am certain it's obvious by now, I wanted to also clear this off NetGalley, so it's not showing as open for either of us.

Thanks,
Laura

Graham and Rennie are those people that meet and instantly realize "that's my person", but then life happens. Until Then is the second in Heidi McLaughlin's Cape Harbor series and shows what happens when two people reconnect after years of drifting apart. A second chance romance at it's heart, this story had me all up in my feels!

Graham has been existing in life since his brother's traumatic accident with their best friend upended his plans. Graham is one of those guys that is a caretaker at his core, with a deep need to make things okay for his family. Too bad, his family can't see how much he really hates his life. Well not so much hates his life, but just doesn't have much in the way of joy in his life. But then Rennie walks back into his bar and his life has a what if/just maybe quality re-sparking for him. Rennie is definitely the one that got away.

Rennie is killing it professionally. She's a successful attorney, she's got a great boyfriend and things are looking up with her best friend back in the area. After she reconnects with friends in Cape Harbor, Rennie begins to question more what's making her happy; or more what's not making her happy. When things go south for her, the one person she knows will be there for her is Graham.

Watching the two of them admit their fears, struggles, regrets. Man it was all the hard feelings. But seeing them finally acknowledge their feelings for the other, past and present? Yeah that was the good stuff. I thought Heidi did a fantastic job continuing this series. I love all this group of friends and that they are finding healing in coming back together. I'm definitely looking forward to more time in Cape Harbor!

Sadly this book wasn’t for me. I wasn’t invested in Rennie or Graham or the overall story. I actually liked the premise of the story. It was why I wanted to read Until Then but Rennie and Graham didn’t work for me. No connection or chemistry between them and the pace of the story was too slow for me.

With the tendrils of an on-again, off-again romance brewing, Rennie and Graham have been involved romantically since high school. The duo engaged in a sort of friends with benefits relationship throughout high school and college. Then a tragedy changed the path of both of their lives. Fifteen years passed since that tragic accident and the duo lost touch with one another.

The siren’s call of Cape Harbor is ringing for Rennie. Her best friend has moved back and now Rennie finds herself crossing paths once more with Graham. Rennie has a life back in Seattle as a successful divorce attorney. Graham is running the family business, a family bar, in Cape Harbor. When the former friends meet again, the sparks ignite once more. However – life is a bit more complicated these days. Rennie has a boyfriend in Seattle, and Graham is entangled in family drama that is consuming his life. The spark that once fueled their attraction burns brighter with each interaction. Will the duo find a way to rekindle the romance they once shared?

Until Then is the second book in the Cape Harbor series by Heidi McLaughlin. After reading the first book, I couldn’t wait to dive into the next. My excitement was soon thwarted by the slow pace of this story. I found myself struggling to enjoy Rennie and Graham’s story. Their interactions felt more like I was reading a teenaged romance than following a pair in their thirties. The plot didn’t quite pack the punch I was expecting from a book by this author. While I say that, the couple did pull me in at the end. The journey to get there though was a bit rough. This novel is a super-slow burn romance. Go into reading the book with that thought in mind.

New to me author but definitely won't be last. Thoroughly enjoyed this story. Thanks Netgalley and to the publisher for letting me read this advance copy.

Heidi McLaughlin's Until Then is one of the best second chance romances I've read recently.. Packed with emotion and unforgettable characters, this story will worm it's way into your heart and make it glow. Definitely enjoyed it!

Love Heidi's books and can always know they will be great! Rennie thinks she has it all, that is until she returns to Cape Harbor and crosses paths with an old love, Graham.. Graham has come back to Cape Harbor to care for his brother. He feels like his life is mundane and desires to have more adventure. When Rennie walks in the door of Graham's bar there is still a spark between them. Will they be willing to see what they can become?

Once I started this one, I could not put it down. I felt the sizzle between Graham and Rennie. It was a great mix of a few tropes that had me feeling all the feels and needing more. I really enjoy the fluidity to McLaughlin's words and Until Then kept me fully engaged from start to finish!

As usual, I love Heidi McLaughlin's books. I loved Graham and Rennie together, watching them try to fight it because she already had a boyfriend just sucks you in. The storyline was very well written and keeps you engaged in the story.

I love Heidi McLaughlin and love her books. This was no different. I loved Rennie and Graham and love the setting of Cape Harbor. I can't wait for more in this series.

This was a solid book. I didn't super duper love it and will recommend it to everyone, but it was very solid. I liked the characters and the story, I was entertained and wanted to keep reading.

I wasn’t sure how this story would fare with me after the first book in this series (After All) was a hot mess (both with the storytelling technique utilized and the characters/storyline). Thankfully, Until Then didn’t have the same problems as the first book in the series. It had its own…

Rennie Wallace and Graham Chamberlain had an on-again, off-again friends with benefits relationship from high school until college. But after Graham’s twin brother was involved in a boating accident that resulted in the death of one of their friends, they lost touch and didn’t talk for 15 years.

Now in their mid 30s, Rennie is a successful divorce lawyer in Seattle and Graham runs the family bar a couple hours north in a small upstate Washington coastal town. With Rennie’s best friend moving back to Cape Harbour, she’s now spending more time there and is back in Graham’s orbit. And it turns out the chemistry between them hasn’t died. Not that they can pick back up where they left off...Rennie has a boyfriend and a life in Seattle and Graham’s family life is a big, fat mess.

The thing that kept me from really enjoying this story is that for two people in their 30s, they had the communication skills of teenagers. They could have found their way to a happily ever after so much sooner had they just had some honest conversations with each other. It’s always frustrating to me when characters who have a second chance with each other continue to repeat the mistakes they made when younger. This self-inflicted angst wasn’t even necessary - between Graham’s family dealing with his drunk twin and Rennie’s situation at work (as well as the boyfriend who added just the right amount of drama), there was plenty of meat to this story. However, I found the non-relationship storylines more compelling than what was going on with Rennie and Graham which is not what I’m wanting for a story that’s supposed to be a second-chance romance!

I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first book in this series, which gives me a lot of hope for any remaining books that might come about the Cape Harbour residents. I wasn’t so sure if Ms. McLaughin’s Cape Harbour series was going to interest me, but after finishing Until Then, I can say a resounding YES, I want to read more of these books!

* thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Great story and loved the characters. This is Graham story and I was happy to see him get his HEA.
This book is a good love story filled with many emotions. I enjoyed reading the journey Graham takes in finding a better life and getting that second chance in falling in love.

This one I liked much more than the first. The writing was good and I liked the characters. The trope which I won't get into (you can see it in the description) is one i usually enjoy and I thought it was handled in a decent manner. I plan on listening to the audible as well.

I loved this story and the characters, I read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down, it was simply amazing!

Heidi McLaughlin grabs you from the very first sentence and keeps you reading and interested until the very last word.
This is a second chance romance. Graham has given up a lot of things to help his family because his twin was in a boating accident and survived but is not the same.
He and Rennie will have to work for their happily ever after but it will be worth it in the end. It shows their love is real and if they can overcome what’s thrown at them they’ll overcome anything in the future as long as they don’t give up on each other.
I highly recommend this book.

The cover and synopsis by this new to me author intrigued me, folks, but I soon found myself turned off by the main couple set up scenario. For me personally, I have a hard time rooting for them knowing they each are in a relationship with other people and over the years still remained friends with occasional smex benefits between breakups. No wonder Graham's current girlfriend has jealousy issues when Rennie's name is mentioned. He clearly has been and still is in love with Rennie and other women are going to always be second best. I find it cowardly for him to have hidden his feelings for so long. I don't understand why the synopsis says he's her lost love because that wasn't my interpretation, at least from the point my several attempts at reading finally had me throwing in the towel. You see, I also wasn't wild about the writing style itself. Mechanical in parts and too many flashbacks and reference s regarding the past stole time from the here and now.

I wish this author continued writing success and hope others enjoyed this book. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

Title: Until Then, Series: Cape Harbor (Book 2), Author: Heidi McLaughlin, Pages:343, pub date: 2/2/21, standalone but part of series, new to me author.

Book 1 - After All (Brooklyn & Bowie)
Book 2 - Until Then (Rennie & Graham)

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review. There is no affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/or any PR firm.)

A sweet, romantic and emotion tale of love, missed chances and having the courage to speak up and take a chance on your happily ever after. Rennie and Graham have always had a connection, a bond that even time and separation cannot break. After the tragic death of a friend they find themselves torn apart, their lives going I'm completely different directions. Until one day she walks back into town and it changes everything. Obstacles around and life may just get in the way if they let it, or they may just have the courage to take a chance on each other. A beautiful story full of heartbreak, loss, friendship and love.