A five-star read that will have you hankering for wilderness. This is number two in the Bower Boys series, you could read them as stand-alone as each story is about a different brother, they do pop up in each other’s stories, but they are complementary rather than the whole package. This time, its grumpy grizzly Des, well that’s what I like to call him anyhow, but he is a man of many names, but that’s a whole different matter. Des comes out of his shell and unfurls like a beautiful rose as this story progresses, and you know he would hate the description, but it fits so well for him, well if not a rose, then a hardy plant from the forest. Watching him learn how to interact with Max, and be so open was a joy to read, the author dealt with a tricky subject so well, it made you care passionately but also deeply understanding and not want to rush the story as it unfolds as it should. These Bower boys are something else, life has thrown them through the ringer, but they have come back fighting for what they need. They are so much more than the man who produced them, and a lot of that is to do with Des, he may not have felt a part of it while they were away for ten years, but I think he was a lot of the gluer that kept them fighting, even if it was just fighting to find him.

•Rate:4/5✩
•Spice:1/5🌶

•Second Chance Romance ♡

Favorite Characters- •Olivia ( I loved how she always kept Des on his toes, she was hilarious without even trying and she’s only a twelve year old.)

One of the best things that Olivia has ever said was “I’m sure you’ll ruin whatever this is just fine on your own” She slides another knowing look to Sadie, then back to me “Men generally do.”


Loved this quote
⇩
“Im tired of not kissing you when I want to kiss you. I hate not sleeping with you at night. I want you here when Max is being a pain in the ass and when he’s being funny and sweet. I want him to have his father, because he needs you. I need you. I want us to he a family.”

This book was super cute and touches on subjects such as being a single parent and also being a new parent and what to do and what not to do if your child is trying to find themselves. I think the big part of this book is acceptance and all of the characters wanted to be accepted and loved unconditionally.


Thank You for letting me read this beautiful arc ♡

GAAAH! I‘ve been waiting for Desmond and Sadie‘s story and it was an amazing one!

Desmond was portrayed to be this though, take not sh*t kind of guy who has a cold heart but in this book you see a very very different side to him, which made me fall in love with him so freaking fast! I loved the banter between Desmond, Sadie and the kids aswell as Desmond‘s family!

I did really enjoy reading this book in Desmonds POV however I would have loved to see some scenes from Sadie‘s POV but it didn‘t lessen the enjoyment for me. I went through this book so fast and am so sad that i now have to wait so long for the next one.

5⭐️

"I give her hand a squeeze, then we're running and jumping, the air rushing at us...We hit the water with a crack, the force of it pulling us apart. I kick up, breaching the surface with a gasp, and there she is, the center of my world, grinning and laughing, my chest so full and warm I'm sure I swallowed the sun on my way down."

Before being forcefully placed into witness protection with his entire family for 10 years, Desmond Bower was the high school football star/golden boy on the fast track to law school with his whole life ahead of him. He even had Sadie Jones, the love of his life who he had every intention of spending forever with.

Now, Desmond is going through the motions of life as a grumpy-frumpy bartender and his mother and brothers are in and out of contact with him post-WITSEC.

When the Bower family finds out Sadie holds a secret in the form of a 10-year-old boy named Max, they tell Des as SOON as they can contact him. Des is determined to become a father for Max after being forcefully pulled away from his life, win back Sadie, and fight for the life he lost out on for the past 11 years.

WHAT THE HELL DO I DO KNOW THAT I'VE FINISHED THIS? CRY FOREVER? This book was absolute perfection for me. As a book told entirely in Des' point of view, I felt HOOKED in his journey as he tried to mold himself into Max and Sadie's life. This man was an ABSOLUTE DREAM to read. He was grumpy, but he was a big softie on the inside that cared deeply for everyone in his life under the hard exterior.

Des, Sadie, and Max lost so much time together and it was heartbreaking to read Des wanting to reconcile and build relationships with the two of them. His character arc was so satisfying to read and him becoming the best version of himself for everyone else in his life was B-E-A-UTIFUL. I was sobbing on and off throughout the whole book.

Des and Sadie fell into familiar patterns of their relationship. The way their timeline was paced in the book was PERFECT. The longing, tension, and push-and-pull of their relationship was done so precisely. They were two parents that had a little one to consider before they put there all into becoming a couple in front of Max.

Though the relationship between Des and Sadie was important, the father/son relationship Des was nurturing with Max was BEAUTIFUL. I couldn't get enough of the sweet, tender moments with Max as Des navigated his own take on fatherhood. I LOVE LOVE LOVE kids with big personalities in books, and Max was such a wonderful kid finding his place in the world as he developed a relationship with Des.

It was an absolute BLAST to be back in Windfall! This small-town, second-chance romance chocked full of witty kids, family banter, group hikes, art-piece-naming, and parental qualms is a DREAM. It's contemporary romance at its finest with its emotional, comedic, and heart-tugging energy. My favorite Kelly Siskind book by far! (I already can't wait to buy my own copy and tab the crap out of all my favorite bits!) I loved revisiting the Bower Boys and I already can't WAIT for the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake, and Kelly Siskind for an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

RATING: 5 million stars out of 5

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC. I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

For ten years, Desmond has been living under WITSEC for crimes his father committed. He’s finally able to go back to having a life, but is it the way he pictured it could be? Nope.

He had dreams of being a lawyer, but he’s now a tattooed covered drink slinger with a perma scowl.

One foot in front of the other, Desmond finds out his ex (who he had to leave because of witness protection) has a ten year old son. HIS ten year old son.

Will he be a good dad? Will him and Sadie rekindle their romance? Is his road in life too far gone to get back on track?

This book was a nice clean read. I would definitely pick it up again and reread it.

It’s good to see some books start off heavy heavy and get lighter as they go on.

Only reason this didn’t get a 5 star is because it was kind of long/very wordy. However, still good.

"I need to show him my love is unconditional. And yeah, love. Pressure balloons in my chest, pushing at my ribs. Twisting me up inside. Not sure how this kid already has me worrying over him- this surge of protectiveness that has me ready to fight the world on his behalf- but it's there. Undeniable and emotionally driven. Max is a piece of Sadie and me. He's proof of how deeply we once loved each other, and I never want him to experience hate or hurt or ever dislike a part of himself."

I think I let out a pterodactyl like screech when I downloaded this book. The first book 50 Ways to Win Back Your Lover is one of the best books I've read this year and I was dying for Desmond's story.

Desmond Bower is one of the four Bower boys that got yanked from their life and thrown into witness protection. Losing Sadie tore Des apart, but it's time for him to pick himself back up and go back to Windfall. His whole world is changing again, and this time it's because he learns he has a ten year old son. Going back means being a father to Max, seeing Sadie again after a decade apart, and letting himself have the life he was meant to have all those years ago.

Every time I read a Kelly Siskind book I am blown away by how much I love the men she writes. The entire book is told in Desmond's POV and we get the most beautiful look into this grumpy man's heart. We get to see Des do a full 180 and become a dad, and reconnect with not only Sadie, but his family. He got a second chance and did everything he could to make sure he wasn't losing them.

I absolutely HURT for Sadie and Des. From Des realizing what was happening as he was being taken into witness protection, and every little moment that comes after their reunion, struck right at my heart. I was rooting for these two the whole way, and watching them find their way back to each other had me crying until the very end of the book.

Rivaling my love for Sadie and Des' relationship is my love for Max and Des'. These two had me weeping. Des does everything to protect his son, from the minute he learns about him. And when he inevitably screws up, he picks up and teaches himself how to be better, and how to be the dad that Max deserves. Siskind did a beautiful job of writing a relationship between them while broaching on what it really means to love your child unconditionally.

I cannot wait for the world to read this book. My heart belongs to this little family, hiking trails, aviation, book clubs, braided bracelets, camila cabello, ugly yellow shirts.

Thank you so much Netgalley, Kelly Siskind, and Montlake for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

↠ 5 million stars