Becky Hutchison's Reviews > First Step Forward

FIRST STEP FORWARD , the first book in Liora Blake's new GRAND VALLEY SERIES, is a witty, lighthearted, feel-good romance guaranteed to brighten your day. The stars of the story are Whitney Reed, a free-spirited sprite of a woman who's fighting foreclosure on her apple farm, and Cooper Lowry, an injured wide-receiver for an NFL team in Denver who's fighting retirement from the game he's loved all his life. They meet at a twenty-four hour pharmacy near his condo. He's suffering from a concussion he received on the field that day and can't reach the Epsom salts on a bottom shelf, and she's run across the street from her hotel to buy bottled water at a reasonable price and ends up retrieving the bag for him. The next day, Cooper is walking near the store and sees Whitney getting ready to leave the hotel. He walks over to thank her again, she gives him a jar of apple butter she's made, and they say goodbye. When Cooper's coach makes him take a few days off to let his head heal, Cooper remembers the apple butter and decides to go visit Whitney and see her apple farm. Thus begins the charming romance that, after some highs and lows, finally ends in their HEA.

Though the story is lighthearted, both Whitney and Cooper struggle to accept the end of something they hold dear. Whitney does everything she can to prevent the loss of her farm without involving the few close friends she has. But she only receives rejection letters from bank after bank. She's put all her money, three rough years, and loads of hope into building a successful apple business, but Mother Nature has fought her all the way. Cooper's facing the end of his football career, something that's defined him almost his whole life. He's getting more injuries that heal slower, and his body is racked with pain. Whitney and Cooper are both in limbo and scared, since neither one of them knows what the future holds.

FIRST STEP FORWARD has witty dialogue, great pacing, lots of amusing sections (sprinkled with a few sad moments), and fun, fully-developed main and secondary characters. It's a really cute romantic comedy, perfect for the beach or just chilling at home.

The next story in the series, SECOND CHANCE SEASON, will be released in May 2017.

If You Like This, You Might Like: THE TRUE SERIES by Liora Blake, THE GETAWAY SERIES by Jay Crownover, AFTER WE FALL by Melanie Harlow, OUT OF BOUNDS and THE SEXY ONE by Lauren Blakely, CHICAGO STARS SERIES by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, SEX, LOVE, AND STILETTOS SERIES by Lauren Layne


* An e-galley was provided by Pocket Books and Edelweiss for an honest review.
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