Flirting with the Past - Kaylie Newell (HSE #3063 - Oct 2024)

Series: Hearts on Main Street (Book 1)
 
Only love can make them whole  
 
Poppy Sawyer has spent years struggling with survivor's guilt over the car wreck that killed her high school boyfriend. But when her grandfather wills her part of his antique shop in Christmas Bay, she returns home to face the pain in her past -- and Justin Frost, the deceased's brother. Neither expected their long-buried, forbidden attraction would spark at their first meeting. Nor the healing they find in each other's arms. But guilt is a hard obstacle to overcome, as is Justin's family. The only way forward together is to find forgiveness -- with their loved ones and each other.  
 
Good story about love and healing. Poppy returned to Christmas Bay after her grandfather's death to take up the conditions of his will - to run his antiques shop with her two cousins. It was a difficult decision because of the guilt she felt over the death of her high school sweetheart. Her attraction to Justin, Danny's older brother, complicates matters.
 
Justin spent the first years after Danny's death blaming Poppy, but sustaining the grief and anger is exhausting. Seeing her again creates a resurgence of his teenage feelings for her. His desire to avoid her and the grief she reminds him of wars with his need to get closer to her.
 
I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Poppy and Justin develop. Their first meeting surprises Justin when he discovers he can't sustain his anger at Poppy. He attempts to maintain his distance from her but can't stay away. Poppy is equally drawn to him, but some obstacles keep her from believing they have a future together. One is Justin's mom's continued bitterness and grief over Danny's death. An early confrontation with Poppy shows that Evelyn still blames her. However, the biggest obstacle is Poppy's self-blame and belief that she doesn't deserve love. Every time she takes a step forward in their relationship, something happens to push her back. I ached for Poppy and her struggle to forgive herself. I loved seeing them getting to know each other and working past their grief together. The ending was very emotional, with an unexpected twist.
 
I enjoyed the secondary characters also. Poppy's cousins, Beau and Cora, and Coras's daughter, Mary, were brought together by their grandfather's will after they'd drifted apart. Each is at a crossroads in their lives, and their return to Christmas Bay is the perfect time to reevaluate. I especially enjoyed young Mary. She struggles to deal with her father's death, which leads to an unexpected connection with Justin's mom. I liked how Mary helped Evelyn.

 
 

The Pilot's Secret - Allison Leigh (HSE #3036 - Mar 2024)

Series: Cape Cardinale (Book 1)
 
Sometimes the path to love isn't a direct flight.
 
Everywhere she turns, nurse Sophie Lane seems to bump into pilot Meyer Cartell. And now he's moving in next door! Handsome and always charming, Meyer is hard to resist. That's probably how her sister felt when he cruelly betrayed her years ago. Sophie's heart may have wings for Meyer, but her head stubbornly refuses to clear it for takeoff.
 
After his best friend's plane crashed, Meyer gave up his flying career to ensure the welfare of his widowed best friend and two children. Meyer struggles with his guilt over the crash -- and with Sophie's perplexing grudge. It's time to get to know his new neighbor. Maybe with the right flight plan, he can clear the runway for happily-ever-after…
 
Good introduction to the new series. Meyer is the oldest of four half-siblings who have inherited a dilapidated beach house from their famous but absent father. The terms of the will are unusual, and they are all unhappy about it. Meyer left his Air Force career as a pilot behind and moved to Cape Cardinale after his best friend died in an airplane crash, determined to save John's flying business and take care of his family.
 
Sophie is a local nurse who carries a long-standing grudge against Meyer. She met him when she was twelve, and he was dating her sister. She blames him for Corinne's struggles since then. Unfortunately, she encounters him often since John's widow, Meredith, is her best friend.
 
Matters become complicated when Meredith goes away for a weekend, leaving her two kids in Sophie and Meyer's care. Thrown together to care for Leda and Granger, Sophie finds herself unwillingly attracted to Meyer. She fights the attraction, feeling as though she's betraying her sister. Meyer is equally drawn to Sophie but has his own reasons for avoiding getting involved.
 
I ached for Meyer and Sophie. They are both mired in the past, so neither can move forward. As the book progressed, I began to suspect that there was more to Corinne's story than Sophie was aware of, and I looked forward to seeing if I was right. Meyer's guilty feelings have led to other issues that affect his outlook on life. It takes a crisis to bring the secrets, fears, and misunderstandings out into the open, where they can be dealt with. The ending was terrific, and I loved Meyer's surprise for Sophie in the epilogue.
 
Family is a big part of the book. We have Meyer and his half-siblings and their challenges in claiming their inheritance. I look forward to getting to know each of them in future books. Sophie's worries about Corinne are ongoing, and their encounters are heartbreaking. Finally, Meredith has her two children and a second chance at love if she can let go of the past long enough to grab it.
 
There was one inaccuracy that pulled me out of the story. Meyer was an Air Force pilot, but the author has him talking about landing on aircraft carriers. Air Force pilots are not trained for carrier landings. Only Navy and Marine pilots do that.