I enjoyed the premise of this book a big change in life's circumstances causing two people to see each other in a different light. It gives the opportunity for good romantic angst while still being relatable and grounded in reality. Overall, a good read.

I liked it, but I didn't love this. I was excited for this one because I love forced proximity. While we did get that, it was really the chemistry and some of the character's actions that didn't work for me.

It felt as if we were thrown into the story and there wasn't really time for us to get to know the characters. Let alone, get real chemistry from them. It was like we were just supposed to believe that it was there because they both had been secretly pining for each other.

Towards the end of the book, I wanted to slap Sam stupid. His actions and some of the things he said were really out of line. He never really came back from that for me.

Basically, I was let down by this one. I'm crossing my fingers that I enjoy her next release more.

Proby shines in her latest Big Sky novel. The reader feels Natasha and Sam's grief as they come to grip to being newly appointed guardians. Intense emotions, childhood crushes, humor, and a friends-to- lover trope makes this a good addition to the Proby catalogue.

Kristen Proby can always be counted on to deliver an effortlessly sweet and sexy romance- one that is both comforting and sincere. And this new series is just that- a charming story about an unexpected family figuring out how to find a way to move forward together amid the unexpectedness of life.

Our story begins with a heartbreaking tragedy, when our heroine Tasha finds herself the unexpected guardian of the two four-year old twins of her best friend- a role that also has her pseudo co-parenting with her best friend’s grieving much older brother, the sexy firefighter Sam. Both sad and overwhelmed with both their lost family and the tremendous changes this causes in their lives, they band together to be there for the kiddos and for each other. An arrangement that soon causes their friendship to blossom into a comfortable romance, two friends finding themselves partners in more than just co-parenting. But is their romance more than its convenience, especially when Sam’s professional aspirations might lead him elsewhere?

This is a pretty sweet and swoony story, despite the heavy beginnings and the heartbreaking ways we see it break this unexpected family. Tasha struggles to figure out being a mother for the first time to two grieving children while also losing her best friend and career, and Sam shows up in really sweet and tender ways to ease her burden and care for them all. What feels like a very delicate balance between them all suddenly feels complete and stable with his presence- the missing link to their newfound reality and the glue to helping them find happiness again. These two fall together easily- so easily that I wished we gotten to see them before the devastating opening just to compare- but they have a low-key and natural chemistry that kept me turning the pages, and I loved how neither of them really fought it- they leaned into the ways they needed each other, and we got lots of sexy and swoony moments because of it. I really loved Tasha- and sympathized with her struggles to figure out her new reality. I think we’ve all felt overwhelmed and lost like she feels. And Sam, despite being a bonehead towards the end, is pretty dreamy- charming, kind, supportive and generous.

This is a quick, sweet, and sexy read- the plot moves quickly and we have a good balance of swoony feels and sexy heat. The angst isn’t super high-Proby doesn’t spend too much time dwelling in the tattered grieving moments that you’d anticipate from a story that starts with such a devastating loss. Instead, she shifts the story forward to healing- and their romance. And, we do have the foreshadowed and predicted conflict of how Sam’s career path might fragment their newly found stability. I was definitely a bit frustrated by how easily their communication and solidness in each other is shattered, and I did want a bit more groveling from Sam for being so short sighted, but the ending is satisfying and super sweet, and I appreciated the drama not dragging out long. All in all, a sweet story about loss and hope, and finding a path to love and family.

I’ve not read the Big Sky series, but I know that many of the characters that make appearances will be familiar to Proby fans, and it seems like we have a rich cast of secondary characters from which to build out future stories. As a newcomer to this series, I had no problem enjoying this as a standalone, and I find it such a sweet and light diversion from the grime of daily life-just what you want a romance novel to be. I’ll be coming back to Cunningham Falls to read more of this world that left me smiling and with a full heart.

Talk about a roller coaster ride of emotions! Both Sam and Natasha suffer a tremendous loss, but on top of all this grief, they are now co-parenting four year old twins. Watching the four of them trying to navigate this new family was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.
They are all still grieving but are also moving on and healing together. I also loved the developing relationship between Sam and Natasha. Natasha has had feelings for Sam since she was young and Sam has been attracted to Natasha, but she was his little sister’s best friend so he was not going to go there. But with this new family they were creating and the close proximity they were unable to deny their feelings towards each other. But Sam had to make a very tough decision that could break everyone’s heart all over again. Nothing to worry about though, in the end, broken hearts are mended and love prevails.

Even though this book put me through the emotional wringer, this was a wonderful love story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Valentine PR & Literary Management for the complimentary copy of Courage. All opinions are my own.

This latest series by Kristin Proby features many of the characters you have read about in her Big Sky series. Even if you haven't read those books, you'll be sure to enjoy this one. And if you're like me, you might just want to go back and read the ones you missed! I'm not going to lie, this book starts with a tragedy for our main characters, so be prepared. However, it's how Sam and Natasha deal with that tragedy and turn their long-time friendship into something much bigger. This story grabbed me from page one and I simply didn't want to put the book down until I finished. I'm hoping the next book in the series features Natasha's brother, Gage, because there are definitely some secrets with that guy!

Natasha and Sam work together to fill the role of instant family. As a firefighter that just landed his dream job, Sam has to make some tough decisions about his life and where he will choose to live. Natasha finds herself overwhelmed with the new responsibilities of family life and must decide if she can make room for Sam too.

What a heart-wrenching book! I was mentally and emotionally unprepared for this story. I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of the Cunningham Falls novels. The reader will revisit old friends and meet some new ones.