this a sequel, and reads best after the first in the series, but also could function as a stand alone

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the review copy.

Damaged hero, redemption ARC full of angst, chemistry, and drama. Best read after Archers Voice but can be read as a stand alone. Entertaining page turner

I reread Archer's Voice on audio as I was reading this and forgot how much I really wasn't a fan of Travis...so it was definitely going to be interesting reading this book! I really loved how the author didn't let us forget the bad things Travis did. We really got to understand his character and why he was acting the way he did, but he actually had to make up for the bad things that he did. It was fun watching him fall so hard for the heroine once she moved into town, but she was determined to stay friends because she was just coming through town with her brother and didn't want to stay too long. Both of the characters had so much emotional depth to them and their pasts and I loved how they slowly let each other in and realized they could have roots and relationship that were meaningful. Mia Sheridan writes endings so well and this ending was so perfect for this story. And the small town feels were everything! I really enjoyed being back with these characters and in this town again!

Ohhh how I wanted Travis to have a huge redemption arc. He was so icky in Archer’s Voice so I wanted to see if he’d win me over in his own book. Spoiler alert - he didn’t. Not really.

I loved Haven and her love for all things plant. I loved her sense of humor and how protective she was over her brother. She was quirky and likeable. I loved the side characters at the inn- I would love to see more about their bizarre stories. There’s also potential for Haven’s brother to have his own book 👀

And then there’s Travis. He still drove me nuts- right until the very end. I think my struggle with his character is that he never really deals with any of the emotional trauma he carried from childhood. We don’t see him work through his issues enough to make redemption believable.

There are some hot spicy scenes - like the lake?? 🥵 but it doesn’t dominate the plot.

You definitely need to read archers voice first to understand this book, which takes place about 8 years after Archer’s Voice ends.

Overall the book felt like an extended epilogue. Maybe I would have connected more to the plot and the characters if it had taken place simultaneously or at least right after Archer’s Voice ended.

If you enjoy small town romance, interesting and complex characters, and girls who are running away from their pasts- you should check out this series.

I’ve got my eye on you Travis. I still don’t trust you and you lowkey still suck 👀

I adored this redemption story with a small-town feel. We meet Travis in Sheridan's first book in this series, Archer's Voice. He is decidedly unlikeable in that book so I was curious to see how she turns him around in this story. The answer is that she does so masterfully. Travis is Pelion Maine's sherif and is on duty when he pulls over Haven after she almost hits him with her car. He cannot seem to figure out what to think of Haven. She's an out-of-towner, talks to plants, and is the sister of the Travis's newest enemy. Yet, he can't see to stay away from her.

Travis and his story really got to me. Sheridan writes characters with an immense amount of growth. You really feel the changes they make from start to finish. While Travis and Haven seemed quite different on the surface, both had heartbreaking back stories that really brought to light a lot of explanation for their behaviors. I loved how sweet they were with one another as well as with those they cared for. These are full-formed characters with real flaws to them, which made them all the more interesting.

If you read Archer's Voice and want to return to Pelion, you will want to pick this one up. Archer and Bree are present on the pages and are a great addition to Travis's story. If you haven't read it (you should), this one can be read as a stand-alone. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a romance with true characters development in its pages.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

This was so well written. I was engrossed from the first page and it ticked all the boxes of my expectations. The character development was excellent. I would definitely recommend to others, a must read!

Thank you Bloom Books and Netgalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED Archer's Voice, so I was ecstatic to get approved to read this. I was intrigued by the premise of having a Travis Hale redemption story because I hated him in Archer's Voice. Mia Sheridan's writing is SO good. She makes you turn around and fall in love with this once-terrible character. I think it did a great job of acknowledging past mistakes, but also allowing forgiveness from others to move on. The FMC, Haven Torres is hilarious and relatable and all the side characters at the inn were a hoot. I did love the interweaving of Archer and Bree within the story. I will read ANYTHING they are in.

Overall, I recommend this read to anyone who has read Archer's Voice.

I will admit, I wasn't a fan of Archer's Voice and one reason was because of Travis as a villain... so I didn't know what to expect going into this with Travis as the MMC. But I was thoroughly surprised that I enjoyed his redemption arc and loved seeing him grow and heal from his traumas.

I enjoy reading Mia Sheridan's books from Archer to now Travis. And this book is ALL about Travis. I adore redeeming, thwarted bad-boys who hail as the hero in the end. Aren't we all misunderstood a little bit? I didn't hate Travis in Archer, and certainly don't hate him at the end of this book. Bravo Mia Sheridan. Keep these villains-turn-hero coming to my bookshelf.

If you know me, I struggled through Archer’s Voice and was soooo nervous about this one. But I think I just didn’t vibe with Bree or Archer (super unpopular opinion), but I gave Mia Sheridan another chance and fell head over heels in love with Travis.

We know he’s the “villain” in Archer’s Voice, but he definitely gets redeemed in his standalone. We get to see more of what makes him tick, and we get to see how much damage their family truly caused him. So many points, I just wanted to squeeze the heck out of him. And seeing his friendship and banter with Haven, it’s unmatched.

I found myself truly laughing through this book at their banter, and Haven’s healthy conscious self - and just the way the two acted together. Definitely a great friends to lovers, even though they end up more-so being friends with benefits and that always tends to get a bit messy.

As we watch Travis continue to grow and work through some of his feelings and emotions, he definitely has that redemption arc and it continues in within his relationship with Archer. He wants to do right by his family and it was just beautifully crafted and done.

3.5 stars ⭐️ Hot take, but I liked this book a little better than Archer’s Voice. I felt like the chemistry between Travis and Haven was so well done. I also felt like this book was less cliched, and had less perfectly planned coincidences. Of course there was one major event at the end that seemed a bit unrealistic…but I suppose that builds upon the Small Town trope charm. I’m so glad Travis got his redemption arc!

This book unfortunately was not for me. Archers voice is one of my favourite books, but the big things I loved in that were not present in this book. I had a hard time with the writing style and the “quirky” main character. I love how the internal struggle of feeling less than was dealt with for Travis character and appreciated the development shown. I can see it being someone’s favourite book and really enjoying it, just not my cup of tea.

This February I read Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan. I instantly fell in love with the motley crew of characters Sheridan created to populate the small town of Pelion. The only exception being, Travis Hale.

To say Travis was a complicated character would be an understatement. His early childhood was shrouded in dysfunction, resulting in his tortured soul. Despite knowing Trais’ backstory, I struggled to see past his flaws. Luckily, Sheridan devoted this book to prove Travis not only had redeeming qualities, but deep down was a standup man worthy of love.

This should be required reading for fans of Archer’s Voice. It not only offered closure for Travis, but also Archer and Bree. I didn’t think it was possible to love them more as individuals or a couple, but somehow I did. They were an integral part of Travis’ evolution and beautifully modeled forgiveness and acceptance.

Special thanks to Sourcebooks Bloom Books and NetGalley for allowing me to to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

After reading Archer's Voice, I wanted more Mia Sheridan books. I really liked this one as well. She writes great romance novels that I would definitely recommend to others.

Mia knew what she was doing when she wrote Travis. He definitely needed a redemption story and she nailed it.

Travis Hale, Archers half brother from Archers Voice, has made many mistakes in his life. Eight years have passed since Archer and Bree have met, and Travis has become a major part of their lives. Since it's a small town, as cheif of police he is often out and about helping out the community. The day he pulls over Haven from California, he has no idea his whole world is aboit to change.

Haven and her brother Easton have been traveling for two years. Every few months they pick up and leave, and are current residing in Pelion, Maine. Haven doesn't have roots anywhere, and she always makes sure to keep it that way. But of course, Cheif Hale isn't going to make it easy for her.

I loved this book. What a great redemption story. Travis's character has grown so much in the last 8 years since Archers story, and then again within the pages of the book. Mia is such an amazing writer who knows how to make you feel so deeply for the characters. I can't wait to keep reading more by her!

4.5

Review will be on Instagram 5/25!

All hail this redemption novel for Travis! I loved this second part of the Pelion Lake series by Mia Sheridan.

I read Archer’s Voice just a couple of weeks prior to reading Travis, so the story was fresh in my mind and my dislike of Travis was pretty strong going into this book- but I am so happy we were able to learn more about Travis and watch him truly grow & transform throughout this book.

Haven & Travis start out as friends in a forced proximity way, and I loved watching their friendship evolve and both characters forgive themselves for their pasts & be able to let each other in.

Another 5 star book by the amazing Mia Sheridan that had me laughing, crying, and swooning from start to finish.

A redemption arc for Travis, who was the villain in Archer’s voice. This book was just okay for me. It was a standard romance. This book did mostly succeed in redeeming Travis for me, which was difficult considering how horrible he was in Archer’s voice. I was rooting for him by the end, but I didn’t get the ending I wanted for him. IMO, he deserves more. The chemistry also just wasn’t there between Travis and Haven.

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
MMC: Travis- a local heartthrob and small town cop who lost everything and is searching for his new beginning. This picks up a couple years after Archer’s Voice ends and we get to see how Travis is dealing with his new normal. He has beautiful character development from the first book into this book and all throughout.
FMC: Haven- never staying in one place too long, Haven is a flower child who is on a journey and makes a pit stop in Pelion Lake. She bumps into Travis, almost quite literally, and their opposites-attract journey starts right there on the side of the road! I love that Haven is a vegetarian, plant-loving, flower child and it’s part of her personality but doesn’t take over who she is as a person and doesn’t let it bleed into other’s lives.
POV: 1st person, dual POV
HEA: yes
spice: a slow-burn with a few open-door spicy scenes
TWs: cheating (not MCs), public humiliation, death of parents (recounted), death by fire (recounted), death by overdose (recounted), drug addiction, estranged/uninterested parents,
standalone: can technically be read as a standalone I guess but there is so much backstory that will be missed if you don’t read Archer’s Voice in the Pelion Lake series!
final thoughts: I was so excited to learn more about Travis, see his healing journey, and see the relationship between him and Archer/Archer’s family. While I don’t love to see a MC suffer, I thought this was done so tastefully. He had a lot to work through, a lot to explain, and a lot to ask forgiveness for and I’m happy we got to see the nuances of that storyline. Haven was a great character to combat his seriousness and spiraling and I loved seeing the evolution of their relationship. Excited to read more about the side characters in future novels!

read this book if you love

🌀 plot twists
💞 friends-to-lovers
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 great side characters
🤐 miscommunication
😬 angst
🏝️ forced proximity (same living arrangements)
👮 blue collar MMC (cop)
🔀 opposites attract

This was such an interesting book to read. The hero Travis is one that I greatly disliked from a previous book. It was really interesting to see how he was redeemed in this book. I do like that his past was not washed over and that he really did recognize his actions, or the bad actions that they were. His romance was almost derailed, because he did not act in the best manner with her, but how he redeemed himself was very heartwarming.