Friday, April 24, 2015

Review - - His First and Last

His First and Last
By Terri Osburn
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Date: April 21, 2015





Twelve years ago, Lorelei Pratchett burned her bridges in grand style before heading to Los Angeles to chase her dream of becoming an actress, leaving behind a whole lot of people who were more than glad to see her go. Let's just say things didn't work out quite the way she had envisioned. With no career, no money and at the lowest point of her life, she's returning to Ardent Springs - to her feisty granny, the ex who looks even better than when they were teens and the small Tennessee town that doesn't exactly welcome her with open arms.

When Spencer picks up Lorelei at the Nashville airport at her grandmother's request, two things are immediately apparent: (1) this is not the same take-the-world-by-the-horns girl who left him twelve years ago and (2) he's still as drawn to her as he was the day she threw his ring in his face and stormed out of town. Though Lorelei insists this visit is simply a stopping off point, Spencer is determined to prove to her that her happiness awaits in Ardent Springs...with him.

The desire between them sizzles but Lorelei is hesitant to acknowledge it. She's stubborn, struggling to figure out what she's going to do with the rest of her life, and still reeling from being deceived by the man in LA that she had planned to marry. Life hasn't been easy for Spencer either. He moved on after having his heart broken by Lorelei, marrying a sweet local girl but his ex-wife cheated on him and, together, they shared a devastating loss. Still, he's willing to risk his heart again for his first love but he's going to need all the patience and understanding he can muster if their second chance has any hope of a happy ending.

Terri Osburn is one of my auto-buy authors. She won me over with her debut and each successive book has validated why they all sit on my keeper shelf. Her characters are fully formed, with the flaws and multiple layers found in real-life friends. There are times I want to hug them and other times I want to whack them upside the head which only makes them that much more real to me. Her stories go below the surface, exploring the complexities of small-town life; revealing the good and the bad within her characters, their families and the town itself. She creates situations and characters with which most people can relate or at least understand and empathize. She also taps into this reader's emotions, occasionally eliciting tears and, more frequently, laughter. I appreciate the fact that she doesn't rush her characters, nor does she make things easy for them. As in real life, those things most worthwhile rarely come to us without hard work and, sometimes, pain but that makes us appreciate them all the more when we finally achieve them. I have no doubt that Spencer and Lorelei fully appreciate their second chance. I look forward to watching their relationship continue to develop as well as meeting new couples and reading their stories in future Ardent Springs books.

~PJ





16 comments:

  1. Just finished reading His First and Last last night and it is a keeper. One of my favorite parts of the story was the development of Lorelei. I didn't find her to be likeable at the beginning of the story but I was really pulling for her and Spencer as the story developed. Talk about fully-formed characters! I am really looking forward to Snow's story.

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    1. Lorelei's development was one of my favorite parts of the story as well, Laura. She really goes through quite a growth arc and I thought Terri Osburn wrote it beautifully.

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  2. His First and Last confirmed all the reasons I've been a Terri Osburn fan from the beginning. I too am truly looking forward to Snow's story.

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    1. I'm excited for Snow's story too, Janga. I'm glad we only have to wait until this Fall!

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  3. My book is still on the way, but I'm looking forward to getting it and reading it. Er, after I read those books I'm supposed to review, obviously.

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    1. LOL! Obviously.

      I won't mention the ARC that came in the mail the other day and jumped to the top of my reading list ahead of all those books waiting to be reviewed even though this particular book doesn't come out until July. Nope. Not gonna mention it. ;-)

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  4. I love Terri's books looking forward to reading this one . Thanks for the review!

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    1. Hope you enjoy it! I think it's one of her best.

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  5. Great review!! I've not read her books, yet, but this one looks awesome.

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  6. I am with you, P.J., that Terri is an auto-buy author & that all of her books are excellent! I plan to read this one over the week-end. Thanks for the review!

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  7. Sounds good. Thank you for the review.

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  8. I have been wanting to read this book.. Good review.

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