REVIEW: Once and Always by Julia Harper

Once and Always by Julia Harper: Maisa is a frequent visitor to Coot Lake to visit her great-uncle. Since May’s been visiting, she’s also had frequent run in’s with the town’s sexy cop, Sam. Sam tends to pull her over for speeding on just about every visit. After a one-night stand months ago, Sam has continued his persistent pursuit of May while she continues to run.

“Maybe you should quit speeding.” That beautiful mouth quirked. “Or quit running away.”
“I’m not running away,” she lied, poker-faced.
“Darlin’, you’ve been running away from me since August.”

Sam and May are opposites, but they complement each other. May is used to putting her family first and shutting others out due to her family connections to the mob. She doesn’t see how a relationship with Sam would even be possible, even if he does make her melt. Sam is a stand-up and dependable man. He’s former military and doesn’t lie. May is looking to grow her business while Sam is happy with the status quo.

But this time is different when Sam helps a flighty Russian man who crashes while he has May pulled over. When May stumbles onto some diamonds, she’s forced to weigh her loyalty to family against her growing feelings for Sam. As the storm gets worse, May is forced to stay with and rely on Sam.

He threaded his fingers back through her hair just because he could. “Two star-crossed lovers kept apart because of family politics?”
“It’s not the same at all.” But she sounded uncertain.
“Nope,” he agreed. “For one thing I’m pretty sure I don’t look good in tights.”

Once and Always is a sweet and entertaining romance between a hero who runs toward commitment and a heroine who runs away. May’s relationship with her father is a huge influence on her life and outlook, but there is no resolution to this part of the story. Julia Harper weaved together an interesting romance in the middle of a winter storm along with the descent of the Russian mob on a small town. Ms. Harper also created a set of interesting secondary characters.

Fans of contemporary romance with a side of action will enjoy Once and Always.

Book Info:

Published February 24th 2015 by Forever

IS THERE A PROBLEM, OFFICER?

Small town cop Sam West certainly doesn’t mind a routine traffic stop: speeding ticket, stern warning, and sayonara. With a whopper of a blizzard closing in, that’s all he has time for. But the lawbreaker he pulls over is anything but typical. From her mile-long legs to her razor-sharp wit, Maisa Bradley is like nothing Coot Lake, Minnesota, has ever seen . . . and she’s about to take Sam on the ride of his life.

BEING BAD HAS ITS BENEFITS

Whoever said blood is thicker than water probably wasn’t related to a former Russian mobster. But an innocent mix-up and rumors of stolen diamonds soon have the Russian mob taking an unusual interest in the sleepy little town-and Maisa facing heated scrutiny from a certain tall, dark, and handsome deputy. Sam’s dazzling blue eyes beg her to reveal all her secrets, but how much should she tell? Getting snowed in with the sexiest lawman in the frozen north may not be the worst way to decide . . .