REVIEW: The Family They’ve Longed For by Robin Gianna

In The Family They’ve Longed For by Robin Gianna, with her mom recovering from surgery, Rory Anderson returns home to her small Alaskan town to help out. However, being back soon reminds her of why she left in the first place. Yet, the more time she spends with her ex, Jacob Hunter, the more she finds herself wanting to stay. Will Jacob be able to forgive Rory for the past or will they lose their second chance at happy ever after because Jacob can’t possibly ever be able to trust her again?

“I see you’re no better a driver than you used to be. Always in a hurry,” Jake said, his eyes showing a hint of the humor she remembered so well, although at the same time he wore a frown, as though he were genuinely irritated.
Her heart clutched in a way that had become uncomfortably familiar these past few days. “Yeah, well, the visibility in this store isn’t the greatest, what with all the end-caps and cardboard displays they have everywhere.”
“True. Except even in a grocery store there are rights of way, and tearing around a corner into the wrong lane is a clear violation.”
“Are you going to give me a ticket? Oh, wait — you’re a doctor, not a cop.”

What an emotionally-charged and well-developed read Ms. Gianna has delivered in this book where the main characters have quite a painful history that made the heroine run from happiness with the hero after what happened. However, it was from the moment the hero and heroine come face-to-face for the first time that made this story a real page turner because I was determined to discover whether the hero would ever be able to forgive the heroine for running instead of staying and fighting for their relationship after the heartbreak they suffered.

As for the dialogue, it was intense due to the main characters back stories and the painful history between them that made the heroine run because she felt such guilt over what happened. Will she ever be able to let go of her guilt? Will she ever be able to prove to the hero that he can trust her again? Moreover, I really liked both the main characters and I liked how they grew close again, even though the hero doesn’t know whether he’ll ever be able to trust her again. Still, there’s no denying there’s still plenty of chemistry between them.

With the heroine, she’s driven, strong, brave and I liked how much of a challenge these two provided each other, as they do their best to keep from giving into their feelings, especially since Jacob has a child now and isn’t willing to let someone that could leave as easily as she did in the past do it again. However, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Rory because she holds so much guilt over what happened. Their loss was her fault — or so she believes. While the hero, he’s a good dad, hard-working, confident and I liked the decisions he makes throughout this story, even though it’s hard for him to give the heroine a second chance after how badly she hurt him in the past. I also liked the bond he shares with his son, especially since their story of Jacob being his father is a special one and goes to show how good of a guy the hero is. Really, he’s kind, caring and compassionate and I could understand why he took on the responsibility he did for a little boy that needed him.

“Want me to show you how strong I am?”
“What? Is this X marks the spot? You gonna pop me?”
“Brace yourself. Are you ready?” What she really wanted to do was kiss the X and then move on to his mouth, but she waved her fist at him before tipping his chin with it.
He grasped her wrist and lowered his face close to hers. “You’ve heard about playing with fire and getting burned? You want to go up in flames?”

Overall, Ms. Gianna has delivered a really good read in this book where I loved the potent chemistry between this couple, which is still as strong as ever; the romance was wonderful and had me glad these two decided that a second chance was worth fighting for; and the ending had me loving the decisions these two made to be together. However, it was the epilogue that wrapped this story up nicely, as Jacob and Rory have come so far in their relationship. Really, their happiness is adorable and left me smiling. I would recommend The Family They’ve Longed For by Robin Gianna, if you enjoy the second chance romance trope or books by authors Amy Ruttan, Alison Roberts, Kate Hardy and Charlotte Hawkes.
 

Book Info:

Publication: August 21st, 2018 | Harlequin Medical |

What she’s always wanted: Love. A family. Him.

Pediatric surgeon Rory Anderson is dreading returning to her small Alaskan hometown and seeing her ex, local doctor Jacob Hunter! After everything they lost, discovering he’s a single dad brings back so many painful memories. Only when it becomes clear their chemistry’s as powerful as ever, Rory dares to hope Jacob and his son could be the family she’s always longed for…