The Valentine Box
by Toni Blake
The Box Books - Book 3
Publisher: Oliver Heber Books
Release Date: January 28, 2025
Reviewed by PJ





It started with a box for collecting heart wishes…
Among the constants in Taylor Mulvaney’s life are the heart-shaped box made by her father, the mysterious hearts she sometimes sees, and her longtime crush on Luke Montgomery. The valentine box has a way of connecting her and Luke time and again – and even after Luke breaks her heart before leaving their hometown of Sweetwater, Kentucky for good, she never gets completely over him.
The box brings them back together when they least expect it.
Fifteen years later, Taylor still sees hearts. And now she even makes them, baking heart-shaped treats at the Sweetheart Bake Shop. After a rough start in life, she’s found her way. Until, that is, Luke comes home for his father’s funeral, bringing a deluge of old feelings flooding back. Before she knows it, a note dropped in her still-beloved valentine box has Taylor swept up in helping him save his family’s horse farm – and trying not to fall back in love with the guy who once left her shattered.
How will it end?
Could Luke really want Taylor the way she’s always wanted him? Can she trust in the future to turn out better than the past? The valentine box is still working its magic to draw them together all these years later, but can Taylor set her fears aside long enough to believe in a second chance at love?
PJ's Thoughts:
What a lovely story. This one really pulls at the heartstrings. I love the history of Luke and Taylor, the shared memories of their childhood, both good and bad. I like the ebb and flow of their individual growth through the years from childhood to high school, college and adulthood, the evolution of their friendship, their reunion after a fifteen-year separation, and eventually the romance that's always been just out of reach.
I enjoy a journey that peels back the layers of a character, allowing us to go along for the ride as they sort their way through life. Blake gives us that, not only with Taylor and Luke but, to a lesser degree, with peripheral characters as well. She gives us two main characters who are realistically flawed, but with essential goodness at their core, and carrying relatable emotional baggage. It was easy to become attached to them, cheer for them, hurt with them, and be invested in their happiness and success.
There's also a bit of a mystical thread throughout this book that touched my heart, a few times even bringing me to tears. I firmly believe in signs from loved ones who no longer walk the Earth. The hearts - and horse - that bring warmth, clarity, and love to Taylor and Luke are reminiscent of experiences in my own life, adding an additional dimension to my reading pleasure.
If you're looking for a feel-good contemporary romance with low sizzle (but deep emotion), strong community ties, complicated family dynamics, individual growth, and a second-chance, friends-to-lovers romance, check out Toni Blake's The Valentine Box. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
What a lovely review and the book sounds just what I need. Life has its ups and downs and I am sure ready for the ups. So, this book could do that for me. Thanks for the review and the introduction to this new to me author. Mystical....maybe that is exactly what I need.
ReplyDeleteLoved this book!!
ReplyDeleteSounds vg. I have not read her in awhile. And am happy to see a new book by her. Patoct
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review as I had spotted this book on Kindle Unlimited. Sounds like a good pre-Valentine's Day read!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a heartwarming, good read. Perfect for a Valentine read.
ReplyDeleteSounds beautiful.
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