REVIEW: Hometown Hero by Cate Cameron

Hometown Hero by Cate Cameron: Zara can’t wait to get back in the ring for her next fight. But being sidelined with a concussion might not be the worst thing in the world, since her brother Zane is about to be released from jail. Only for her brother would she move back to their hometown of Lake Sullivan where they were seen as the troublemakers from the wrong side of the tracks.

Calvin is from a respected and wealthy family. His family didn’t understand his friendship with Zane when they were kids or his continued support by giving Zane a job at the new community center he’s running. Cal was always intrigued by Zara, but he’s finding the adult version to be more enticing than expected.

“Just to be crystal clear.” Zara had no idea why she was feeling so confident, or how she’d managed to forget her many reasonable objections quite so quickly. But she didn’t care, not right then. “This is a date we’re talking about, right? You’re asking me out, like, in a romantic way? Not just hanging out as friends?”

Zara’s only goal is to make sure she helps her brother make a smooth transition and get back into training. There’s no room in her life for a relationship, especially since her life is in New York. She enjoys spending time with Cal and finds that she sees the town and it’s residents in a whole new light as an adult.

While Zara is attracted to Cal, she’s more inclined to run away from him than towards him. Cal pays attention and learns how to not trigger a response so that she doesn’t shut him out. Cal is no pushover; he isn’t afraid to challenge her when she needs it.

“What do you need?”
“Well, ‘need’ is a little strong.”
Of course it was. “How may I serve?” he amended.
“That’s better. Yeah, I like that.”
“Your wish is my command.”

Hometown Hero is an entertaining small town romance. Cate Cameron provides a good balance of friendship and romance. Ms. Cameron created great characters and traditions in the town of Lake Sullivan. Hometown Hero can be read as a standalone book in the series. Fans of Cindy Kirk and Amanda Ashby will enjoy Hometown Hero.
 

Book Info:

 Published February 2nd 2016 | Berkley | Lake Sullivan #2

In the new Lake Sullivan romance from the author of Just a Summer Fling, a young woman’s homecoming becomes an invitation to rediscover her past, reinvent her future, and redefine the meaning of family, forgiveness, and love.

Zara Hale escaped Lake Sullivan, Vermont, as a teenager and never planned to return. But a decade later, when her brother Zane is released from prison, she leaves her life as a Mixed Martial Arts champion and heads north, both to support him and to lend her golden-girl status to the opening of a new community center.

Cal Montgomery knows he let down the Hale family ten years ago, but this is his chance to make it up to them. Zane is his best friend. And Zara? She’s stubborn, frustrating, strong, beautiful—irresistible. Once she’s back in town, it isn’t long before their professional relationship turns into something much more intimate.

Though Zara’s hometown celebrity is as surprising as her feelings for Cal, she’s only there for the center and for her family. But as she soon discovers, Cal’s not that easy to leave, and neither are the unexpected comforts of Lake Sullivan.