This was a new author for me but the synopsis was so intriguing that I willingly requested this book in the hopes that I'd find a new author to add to my auto-read list. My hopes were well-founded and I truly enjoyed this heartwarming story.

I've never read a book with a music therapist in it and I was interested by the various things I agreed with but didn't know why. What I mean by that is that I agree very strongly about music's power to heal, to bring things forward, to help cope with situations and/or emotions, etc. but there wasn't a concrete reason for these beliefs, it's just something I innately feel and have experienced. In this story some of those things were put into practice and I could see objectively why I feel the way I do in certain instances.

Beyond that I found the relationship progressed coherently with an immense amount of sweetness. Giving someone a second look and going beyond your own biased first unfounded impression speaks to a humility that Luke achieved and it was a second look that paid off well for him and his nephew. They were all so sweet together and I truly enjoyed watching all the tenderness unfold along with their personal revelations that allowed them to move forward together.

4.5 Stars

Makenna Lee is a new writer for Harlequin Special Edition with a very bright future ahead of her. In the Key of Family is a touching, heartfelt and irresistible romantic read guaranteed to raise a smile and tug at the heartstrings.

Before she heads off to the big city, music therapist Alexandra Roth is looking forward to spending some down time in small town Oak Hollow prior to embarking on her adventure. Her host, Officer Luke Walker, isn’t exactly bringing out the red carpet for her. Truth be told, Luke doesn’t seem that impressed with her – unlike his recently orphaned nephew who was drawn to Alex from the off. A bond between his nephew and Alex is immediately established leading the small-town cop to wonder whether he had been too hasty in writing the music therapist off.

His nephew’s well-being is Luke’s number one priority. Seeing how taken he is with Alex and how kind, patient and compassionate the music therapist is with the two of them compels Luke to see her in a completely different light. As they begin to get closer with each passing day, Luke finds himself falling for Alex. But as she is set to make a new life for herself in the big city, will Luke’s love be enough for her to stick around in Oak Hollow? Or will Alex decide that a future in a small town is simply out of the question for somebody with big dreams like her?

Charming, tender and moving, Makenna Lee’s In the Key of Family is an uplifting and emotional romantic tale readers are going to thoroughly enjoy. A terrific read about life’s unexpected blessings, forging your own path and taking a chance on love with a delightful heroine, a gorgeous hero and an adorable little boy, Makenna Lee’s In the Key of Family ticks all the right boxes.

Makenna Lee’s name has gone straight to the top of my auto-buy list and I look forward to visiting Oak Hollow again in the not too distant future.

This is the second book in the Home to Oak Hollow series by Makenna Lee and I loved both stories. You do not have to read both books to enjoy this one, but characters from the first book play a role in this one. Alexandra Roth is in Oak Hollow for a quest. This is her final trip before settling down in a new job, hopefully as a music therapist at a prestigious clinic in Manhattan. When she arrives, she finds out that her landlord, Luke Walker, no longer has an extra room for her to stay in. His sister passed away from cancer and he is now the legal guardian of his nephew, Cody, a young man with autism. The last thing Cody needs is another disruption in his life, but something clicks and they connect instantly. Will Luke and Alex click as easily as she and Cody did? Will Alex find what she is looking for?

This was exactly what it is advertised as, A Heartwarming, Enjoyable Romance. I really liked Alex's character. I loved how she connected with Cody and the care she used when dealing with him. She was able to break through his barriers with her caring and gentle nature. Luke is a character that had me loving him one minute, and yelling at him the next. He is so concerned that no one hurt Cody that he is blind to what is really going on. I do not want to share anything else about the story because I do not want to spoil it for anyone. I will say there are a couple of storylines, both involving Alex, both emotional and interesting. One thing I really enjoy about this series is that each story involves a child with special needs. Once I got into this story, I kept reading, and did not want to stop until I found out what was going to happen with these wonderful characters. It has a few twists along the way, but this is a wonderful romance with a perfect, happy ending. I recommend this book and series to those who are looking for a sweet story, with great characters, a well-written story and a happy ending.

This is the second book in Makenna Lee's Home to Oak Hollow series, and I'm starting to see a theme - loads of feels romance that doesn't mind taking second place to an adorable little scene-stealer. In this case, that scene-stealer is Cody, and I love how the author portrayed this sweet special needs child. Having personal experience with autism, I tend to be overly critical sometimes when I'm reading it, but that wasn't a problem here at all. While that precious little boy is one of my favorite things about In the Key of Family, he's not the only thing. Alex and Luke have such good chemistry and they're both likable characters, so it isn't a bit hard to root for them. All in all, this is another feel-good, leave you feeling gooey inside romance in the series, and I can't wait to see what's next for the world of Oak Hollow.

Alexandra Roth is at a crossroads in her life. She has an opportunity for a dream job in New York City, but before that can happen, Alex is searching for connections to her past. This search brings Alex into officer Luke Walker's life. Alex abd Luke have a poweerful attraction but they both have challenges facing them.

With regard to Alex, she is looking for missing pieces of her life. For Luke, he now has custody of his autistic nephew after his sister's death. Cody is Luke's nephew and stole just about every scene he was in. Luke and Cody's pain was palpable and I love how easily Alex fit into their lives and hearts. Luke's dedication to Cody was remarkable, and the changes he made in his life were commendable.

Alex fell in love with Cody from the start. Their shared connection to music proved to be quite a powerful bond, and that grows exponentially the more she spends time with Luke. Will the trio become a family, overcoming past hurts and the fear that comes along with them?

I have loved this book, and the first one in this series, A Sheriff's Star. I love how the children in both stories had special conditions and how uunconditional love flowed through the pages of each book. The third book in the series, A Child's Christmas Wish, is due in October and I cannot wait to read it.

Many thanks to Harlequin Special Edition and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

In the Key of Family is a quick-paced, heartwarming book. Luke is a police officer who has changed his attitude after circumstance leaves him caring for his autistic nephew Cody.

When Alexandra sees an ad for a spare room, she finds herself at Luke's.

They have a difficult first meeting but she has nowhere else to go. Will Luke soften towards her? I found myself sincerely hoping he would and the anticipation as to what may happen between them kept me interested.

She's quickly won over by Cody and immediately it is apparent that she knows how to make him comfortable around her.

I loved how easily this happened and it was realistic because of Alex's experience of helping her family doctor mother during the summer. I think it was the smoothest transition to someone meeting a person with disabilities that I have ever experienced (in real life or books).

There was never any awkwardness between her and Cody and as soon as I knew she had a guitar I knew she would use it to help him. The way she did this was really well woven in to the story and I felt she had arrived at the right time.

The Texas town where Luke and Cody live is a real change from the New York City apartment Alex lives in with her mother. I loved the friendliness of the place and the vintage clothes shop was a place after my own heart, I loved the scene there as well as the café ones.

Alex is not just there by coincidence, she has family in the area and has lots of secrets to uncover....

This was really well done as a sub-plot and I found myself wanting to know more about them. There was a mystery surrounding her family that I found so compelling.

In the Key of Family is another great book by Makenna Lee. I loved the first one in the series and was glad to catch up with some of the characters from book 1.

Good southern food, hospitality and a small town with varied characters makes In the Key of Family an excellent pick-me-up sweet and cosy novel.

Now that I have the first two books in the series, I am eager for a third (or more).

Makenna Lee's writing pace makes this and the previous book relaxing and I think they can help with autism awareness.

The plot of Alex wanting to make it with her music and help people as well as her generous and open personality reminded me of Coyote Ugly, one of my favourite films. The mix of will-they-won't -they sweet romance as well as fighting for what you believe in is a storyline I love. The conflicts felt relatable and real.

Thanks to Makenna Lee and Harlequin Special Edition for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

5 stars.

What a wonderful story of chances. This is the first book that I have read by this author but it definitely won't be my last. She has a way of capturing words that makes me enjoy a great story.

Alexandra Roth is in Oak Hollow to do a little fact finding. Her mother fell in love in this small town, and after a devastating blow, discovered she was pregnant with Alex. Her mother has not been back since that day and now Alex is bound and determined to find out about her fathers’ family. She has rented a room and is ready to move in when she finds a party going on. What has she gotten herself into?

Luke Walker is a police officer and a single father to his nephew Cody, who has Autism, which presents a few more challenges, but Luke knows he can be the father Cody needs. When he is celebrating his birthday, in walks a woman whom Luke thought was going to be a man looking for the room she has rented. What is Luke going to do with this woman?

This is such a sweet story of family, friendship and love. The relationship between Luke, Alex and Cody is one that will warm your heart. As they all adjust to being together, we get a firsthand look at life with a special needs child, the challenges, but more importantly the rewards. I loved how Makenna Lee wrote the characters and how they developed throughout the book, each learning from each other. The twist of Alex’s family was also a welcome addition to the book. This has been such an inspiring series to read, and I am wondering if Makenna will take us on another journey to Oak Hollow. Many thanks to Harlequin Publishing, Makenna Lee and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. I adored the book.

Wonderful story about love and family. Officer Luke Walker used to live the bachelor life with plenty of attention from the ladies. That came to an end when his older sister died, leaving Luke as guardian of his autistic nephew. Luke turned his life completely around, making Cody his number one priority. He forgot that, before Cody came to live with him, he'd arranged to rent out his extra bedroom for a month to Alex Roth. He received quite a shock when Alexandra Roth showed up.

Alex is a multi-talented young woman whose greatest passions are music and art. She came to Oak Hollow to visit the town her mother talked about fondly and see what she can find out about her father's family. For a girl from Manhattan, the small town was like something from a tv show - including the hot cowboy who nearly flattened her as he came out of the diner. Imagine her surprise when he turned out to be her landlord.

I loved Alex's arrival at Luke's house. The first person she encountered was Cody, who let her in then retreated to his safe space behind the sofa. I liked how she joined him there for a few minutes before Luke showed up. He didn't make the best impression, between forgetting that he'd rented the room and later being judgmental about her plans. Alex's anger with him was understandable, but it didn't stop her from interacting with Cody in a sweet bedtime scene.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship develop between Alex and Luke. Sparks flew between them from the beginning though both tried to resist. Alex knows she's only staying for a month, so a relationship wouldn't be wise. Besides, his initial attitude reminded her too much of her previous boyfriend. Luke can't deny his attraction to Alex, but Cody is his priority. Getting involved with her would be a distraction and could hurt Cody if he became attached. Luke finds himself antagonizing her on purpose as a way to keep her at a distance but also wanting to keep her closer.

Over the next few days, Luke and Alex find it hard to keep their attraction at bay. Steamy kisses tempt them into more, but common sense and self-preservation lead to a "friend zone" agreement. Luke also discovers that he likes having Alex in their lives as she brings light back into those lives. It doesn't take long for "friends" to turn into "friends with benefits" and emotions that cannot be denied. Just as Alex considers an alteration to her plans for the future, Luke misinterprets something he sees and jumps to conclusions. I ached for Alex and her feelings of betrayal over the things he accused her of. I understood her need to get away and wanted to shake Luke for being such an idiot. I loved the advice he got on gaining her forgiveness and what he did with that advice. His big moment was incredible. I liked that Luke had to work for Alex's forgiveness.

Like the first book in the series, A Sheriff's Star, a big part of the story was a child with special needs. As in that book, the challenges and joys were realistic and believable. I enjoyed how both Alex and Luke made Cody's needs a big part of their relationship.

The other part of the story was Alex's need to know about her father's family. I could feel her excitement and nervousness as she met various members without giving herself away. Luke's support made it a little easier for her. An unexpected twist threw her plans into turmoil. I loved watching everything unfold.

This is a Romance, and this is the second book in the Home to Oak Hollow series. I have to say I loved the first book in this series, and I was so happy to have some of the characters of that book showing up in this book. If you are looking for a book series that really shows light on special needs kids then this is the book series for you. I love the character of the little boy in this book so much, and I feel he is the star of this book. The little boy in this book has Autism. The romance both the two main characters is so cute I think. I have to say the ending is everything. This is a face pace book that makes you want to keep reading. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Harlequin Special Edition) or author (Makenna Lee) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

In the Key of Family by Makenna Lee is a wonderful heartwarming romance centered around family and love. I adored the authors previous release in the Harlequin Special Edition line and I enjoyed this one just as much.

Officer Luke Wilson is adjusting to his new normal of being a father to his autistic nephew Cody. He's changed his player ways and is focused on raising his nephew in a steady solid home. Before this life change he had already rented out his spare room to Alex, whom he assumed was a male. Alex is short for free spirited Alexandra and becomes his new house mate for the time being. He has to keep his instant attraction to her in check and remember his goals with Cody. But when she forms an easy bond with his nephew and brings life back to their lives, will he let his guard down and open his heart to someone who doesn't plan to stay.

I instantly loved Alexandra's character. A genuinely kind-hearted person who channeled her feelings into music and art. She cared about those around her and her reasons for being in the small town of Oak Hollow will tug on your heartstrings, I won't spoil anything, but I shed a tear during one or two scenes. I also loved the bond she formed with Cody. I myself have an autistic son, and they really take a certain level of patience and care that not everyone understands. Every interaction between them put a smile on my face. Then we have Luke who I admired for becoming the parent that Cody needed and how he put Cody's needs before his own. However, his behavior on more than a few occasions towards Alexandra made me want to shake him. He was trying to protect his heart, but he had a tendency to jump to conclusions and judge which was frustrating. Yet, when he does let down his walls with Alexandra they are passionate, affectionate and adorably sweet.

In the Key of Family was an absolute pleasure to read, and I'll definitely be recommending to my Harlequin romance loving friends. I am also very excited to the third book in this small town series because I have no doubt it will be just as great.

I loved this story. Everyone was perfect and what a cute kid. He really made the story. Once started I had to read it all. Wahoo