Series:
Someday Valley (Book 1)
Starri Knight is a big believer in fate. How else to
explain the compelling connection she feels to the stranger she pulls out of a
wrecked car on the very same road where her parents died twenty years earlier?
Alongside Auntie Ona-May, the only mother she's ever known, Starri saves Rusty
O'Sullivan's life -- just as Ona-May once did when Starri was an orphaned babe.
But convincing Rusty he has something to live for is going to take all of
Starri's faith in miracles . . .
Like a wish he hadn't even known to make, Starri landed
in Rusty's life, filling him with a longing for a family. . . . Then Jackson
Landry, a new lawyer, turns up to present a surprise that will change the
direction of his life: An inheritance from the father Rusty never knew -- and
the promise of the family he'd never had. It's a lot for the hard-bitten loner
to accept as love rushes into his life . . .
A sense of duty has Rusty heading to Honey Creek to deal
with his father's estate -- and find his lost siblings. But having family is
one thing, learning to love them is another. Good thing new friends are by his
side to help him along the way.
A heartwarming story of family, love, and friendship. Jackson
is a newly minted lawyer who has returned to Honey Creek to take over his
father's practice after his parents were killed in an accident. One of his
first cases involves a dying man who wants to leave his worldly goods to his four
children - children he's neither met nor acknowledged. All he can give Jackson
are names, approximate ages, and where he thinks they live.
Rusty O'Sullivan is the first and oldest of those
children, he lives near Honey Creek. Rusty had a hard childhood, basically
raising himself. He's a loner, keeping to himself when he's not working, though
he's well-liked by the people who know him and work with him. We first see Rusty
as he's driving to his isolated home on a rainy night, and his car goes off the
road. Starri and her aunt Ona-May live nearby, witness the wreck and rush to
rescue him. Rusty is badly injured, and they call for an ambulance. Because of
washed-out roads, it will be an hour, so the local doctor, Ryan, and his friend
Jackson rush to the site on horseback. It's a tense scene, but they stabilize
him until the ambulance arrives. Rusty wakes up in the hospital with Jackson
waiting to tell him of his inheritance. While Rusty has no interest in his
father's land or money, he's intrigued to discover that he has three siblings -
a family he never realized he wanted. He's determined to find these brothers
from other mothers.
Rusty is a very independent and self-sufficient man who
is also a flirt. His interactions with the intern, Dr. Adams, were amusing. He
flirts, and she shuts him down, but he doesn't give up. As the book goes on,
Rusty and Amber develop a deep connection despite their differences. I loved Rusty's
innate sensitivity as he's there for Amber whenever she needs him. The progress
of this relationship is sweet but also has a hint of uncertainty, and I hope to
see more of it in the next book.
I had fun watching Jackson settle into his life in Honey
Creek. It wasn't the career he'd planned for himself, but he felt compelled to
follow in his father's footsteps. At first, he feels out of step, like he's
wearing a suit that doesn't quite fit. His commentary on some of his cases
shows the variety found in the life of a small-town lawyer. He's taken with
Starri from the moment they met, but he tries to resist his feelings because
she's much younger than him. Starri is mature for her age, and it isn't long before
she wriggles her way into his heart. Those feelings emerge when Starri is
injured, but he's still hung up on her age.
Young Zach just about broke my heart. A fourteen-year-old
runaway, he appears in Honey Creek looking for his father. He has no name to go
on, just that he has the same color eyes. Zach gets taken up by the sheriff for
shoplifting, but Jackson takes one look at him and knows he's another one of
the missing brothers. I loved how he tossed Zach and Rusty together until Rusty
tumbled to the truth. Next thing you know, loner Rusty has taken custody of
Zach and brought him home with him. I loved Zach's joy at having a real family
and getting away from the abusive situation he had been in. I loved watching him
and Rusty bond over junk food and Rusty's unique house. But things aren't all
easy, as Zach's sort of stepfather wasn't happy to lose his free labor and
punching bag. His arrival in Honey Creek was met with resistance, and I loved
watching Zach's fellow students rally around him. The final confrontation with
Vern was intense and hopefully will be the last we see of him.
Finally, there was an interesting relationship between a
nurse, Emma, and Heath, a patient in a coma. Heath has been in a coma for a
while, and Emma has habitually stopped in his room each night to talk to him.
Heath is a wealthy benefactor to the hospital and went to school with Emma. She
spends her time each evening telling him about her day and encouraging him to
wake up. She gets excited when Heath begins to emerge from the coma and is
stunned when he starts asking for her. As he recovers, it becomes evident that
he's heard everything she talked about and has fallen in love with her. I liked
seeing Heath get past her insecurities and seeing one couple from this book
have a happy ending.
I'm looking forward to the next book and seeing which
sibling shows up next. I also hope to see progress in the other relationships from
this book.
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