Series:
Montana Mavericks: Hidden Gems Ranch (Book 1)
A second chance for the hometown hero?
After a career-ending injury, former pro athlete Finn
Monahan is back home in Tenacity, Montana. The town's onetime golden boy has
been drafted to revive the high school's struggling football team this fall
season—putting him in the zone of his first love, school nurse Kenzie Osborne.
Finn quickly hears through the grapevine that Kenzie is newly divorced… Could
this be their opportunity for a second chance?
But Kenzie is not only adjusting to being newly
single—she discovered just after her divorce that she's pregnant! Kenzie is
determined to prioritize her soon-to-be-born baby, not romance, and certainly
not with the too-handsome Finn Monahan. Only their feelings for each other
aren't so easily sidelined…
Terrific small-town/second chance romance. Finn and
Kenzie were high school sweethearts who went their separate ways after a
heartbreaking loss. Their separation was helped along by Finn's father's
dislike of Kenzie and his plans for Finn's future. Finn went on to play college
and professional football while Kenzie became a nurse.
Fifteen years later, both have returned to their hometown
of Tenacity. A torn ACL ended Finn's football career and moved him to a new
career in real estate. He's settled in Tenacity, doing well in his real estate
business, and is recruited to coach his high school's football team. Kenzie
married and lived in Denver until divorcing her cheating husband. She returned
to Tenacity and became the school nurse and the football team's medic by
default.
They meet before school starts. Finn is still drawn to
Kenzie and interested in pursuing a new relationship. But Kenzie built walls
around her heart after being burned first by Finn and later by her ex. She
makes it clear she will never marry again. This vow is reinforced when she
discovers she is pregnant and refuses to risk her baby's security. However, friendship
is safe enough, and she and Finn begin spending a lot of time together.
I loved their time together. Finn loves Kenzie and knows
he wants her in his life. He also knows that she isn't ready to hear it. I love
how well they understand each other. Kenzie understands the effect Finn's
father has on him and excels at counteracting the self-doubt those
confrontations cause. At the same time, Finn understands Kenzie's fears and
wariness and wants to give her the time she needs. It doesn't take long for the
friendship to move to friends with benefits, and it's easy to see how right
they are together. Kenzie's fears keep her from admitting her feelings, even to
herself. It takes an intervention from her friends to break her free and open
her eyes and heart. Finn also gets some advice from an unexpected source.
My favorite secondary characters are Kenzie's new
kittens, Tom and Ed. I loved how and why Kenzie got them, and how they gave
Finn another reason to spend time with her. Their antics were adorable.
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