REVIEW: Right All Along by Heather Heyford

In Right All Along (Willamette Valley #3) by Heather Heyford, Harley Miller-Jones is finally ready to return home after living away for years and establishing herself as an artist. Buying a property in order to start a Bed and Breakfast is her first order of business, but when she discovers Jack Friestatt is back in town and looking to buy the same property, she decides she’s not going to give up on getting what she wants easily. Will she get to follow her dreams or will Jack disappoint her all over again like he did in the past?

”What’s your mother say about it?”
“You know my mother. She always did have lofty expectations.”
Harley cradled her mug between her hands. “The tree that won’t bend doesn’t last with the storm.”
He chuckled humorlessly. “Then again, how could I complain about my life? Ski vacations. A new truck when I turned sixteen. Me moaning about my childhood would be like someone complaining the AC was too cold in their beach house in Cabo.”

Ms. Heyford pens interesting stories and this story was an engaging and fascinating read about star-crossed lovers that wore torn apart, but now have a second chance to be happy. The way this story started drew me in immediately, as the hero’s daughters are at the age where they need a mother and are determined to drive the hero crazy with their demands. However, it was from the moment the hero and heroine come face-to-face for the first time in this story where things get interesting, as the heroine wants the property and discovering that the hero wants it too is infuriating. Will Harley achieve her dream of opening a Bed and Breakfast?

As for the dialogue, it was intense due to the main characters back stories and everything these two go through on their journey to happy ever after because Jack’s mom isn’t the easiest woman to get along with and believes that Harley isn’t good enough for her son. Will Jack side with his mother or will he finally go after what he wants? Moreover, the heroine is resilient, courageous, hard-working, feisty and I liked that she gave Jack a chance, even after what happened between them in the past that left her devastated. I also liked the growing bond between the heroine and the hero’s daughters, which proves she’s good for them. Certainly, she understands what it’s like to be a girl their age since she’s experienced it. Will she be able to help the two girls? Will she be able to help Jack understand the twins better, especially when they want to change things in their lives? Yet, what I liked most of all about the heroine was her determination to follow her other dream of becoming a mother, even though things don’t go her way, which is proven by what happens. Will she be able to handle the decision made by someone she thought she could trust?

”I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”
“What if I were to tell you I need you to take care of me? And the girls, and your son. Our kids. We can be a family.”
Waking up next to Jack every morning…the patter of three pairs of little feet down the hall? Ending each day together? It was everything she had ever wanted.

While the hero, he’s confident, smart, driven and I liked how determined he was to win Harley over because she’s always been important to him and he’s not going to let anything stand in the way of them being together this time. I also liked the close relationship he has with his daughters and that he would do anything for the pair, even though they don’t make things easy for him. However, there were moments where the hero frustrated me and had me shaking my head because his mother is a master manipulator and he should have put a stop to her interfering not only in his life but his daughter’s lives as well a long time ago. What right does she have to tell his daughters what they can and can’t do?

Overall, Ms. Heyford has delivered a good read in this book where the chemistry between this couple was every bit as strong now as it was in the past; the romance was well worth the wait, as Harley needed time to decide whether she could trust Jack again; and the ending had me loving the hero’s determination to fight for his relationship with the heroine because she’s the one for him. However, it was the epilogue that wrapped this story up nicely due to the surprise the heroine had for the hero and the surprise the hero gets from someone else. I would recommend Right All Along by Heather Heyford, if you enjoy second chance romances, the opposites attract trope or books by authors Roxanne St. Claire, Olivia Miles, Donna Kauffman and Jill Sanders.
 

Book Info:

Publication: September 25th, 2018 | Lyrical Press | Willamette Valley #3

Come home to Ribbon Ridge, a close-knit community in the heart of Oregon’s wine country. In Heather Heyford’s newest offering, childhood friends reunite and discover that time apart has only deepened their feelings for each other . . .

These star-crossed lovers could be the perfect pairing!

From the time they were in grade school, graphic designer Harley Miller-Jones believed that Jack Friestatt was her destiny–until she was blindsided by Jack’s sudden engagement to another, right after high school graduation. Ten years have passed. Now Harley’s back in Ribbon Ridge, successful beyond expectation, intent on buying a bed and breakfast–an independent woman ready for the next chapter in her life.

Jack Friestatt has his hands full managing his winery, precocious twin daughters, and an iron-handed family matriarch. But behind the gentleman farmer’s handsome exterior beats an empty heart. Life has taught Jack some tough lessons and now the lonely widower is ready for a new life partner. But has he learned enough to win back the woman whose world he once turned upside down?