Caught Up in You - Beth Andrews (HS #1890 - Dec 2013)

Series: In Shady Grove (Book 3)

His teachers were never like this!

As a single dad and a partner in the family construction company, Eddie Montesano's days are jammed. Then he discovers his son Max's teacher is none other than Harper Kavanagh. Gorgeous and smart, single mom Harper is even more captivating than she was in high school. Plus it's clear she's dedicated to helping Max with his learning issues. How can Eddie resist making time for her?

Too bad there are clear rules limiting the relationship he and Harper have. But with their attraction out of control, Eddie is about to break those rules. Because if it means the chance at a future with her, he'll take the risk of getting caught!

Very good book with some emotional hotspots.  Eddie is a single dad and pretty darn busy.  When he gets a call from his son's teacher he finds out Max is having trouble in school.  Harper wants to help Max but the attraction to Eddie is creating some problems for her. 

Eddie is a single dad who has a really busy life.  He feels lucky to have family around to help him  with his son Max.  His ex-wife had left them when Max was little but now wants to get more involved in Max's life.  When Eddie gets a call from Max's teacher, Harper, he finds out that Max is having trouble in school.  He discovers that Harper thinks Max has ADHD and wants to get him tested so he can have extra help.  Eddie, who had problems is school himself and suffered from ridicule because of it, doesn't want Max treated differently than the other kids.  He talks Harper into providing some after school tutoring for Max.  He also feels an intense attraction to her.  He remembers her from high school when she tutored him in English and he had a bit of a crush on her.  But he also has some self esteem problems because of his learning issues and feels that she would not be interested in him.  I loved seeing the way that his quiet ways frustrated Harper at first, but she soon learned that he would talk if he had something to say.  He was pretty eloquent when he wanted to be. I really liked his patience with Harper as she dealt with the idea of leaving her grief behind. The more time that Eddie spent with Harper the more he came to care for her, but he was still having problems believing she wants to be with him.  Eddie has some problems with his pride keeping him from asking for or accepting help that gets in the way of their growing relationship.  The emotions as he faced his fears were pretty intense.  I loved his go big moment at the end.

Harper is a single mother who is slowly getting over the death of her husband a year ago.  She loves her job teaching.  Max is a kid that she thinks is pretty special and she wants to help him get past his learning problems.  When she meets with Eddie she is stunned when he refuses to accept her recommendations and furious when he accuses her of simply wanting to label Max rather than actually teach him.  After a couple days they both calm down and are able to work out a plan for helping Max.  This brings her into frequent contact with Eddie and she discovers that she is feeling things for him that she hasn't felt since her husband's death.  This makes her feel terribly guilty and she tries very hard to push Eddie and those feelings away.  I really liked seeing her accept that it was okay for her to finally move on.  I enjoyed seeing her with her daughter, who was adorable but a real challenge to be around sometimes.  Her heart was touched by how great Eddie was with Cass.  His stubborn independence made her feel that he didn't really care about her.  I loved the way that she stood up for her own needs and ended up getting her heart's desire.

There was a secondary story involving Harper's mother-in-law and her inability to deal with her grief over her son's death.  Her obsession with appearances seemed to make it impossible for her to really grieve.  This led to problems with her marriage and other relationships.  It was interesting to see how this was handled.

What Happens Between Friends - Beth Andrews (HS #1866 - Aug 2013)

Series: In Shady Grove (Book 2)

Friends…with benefits?

For Sadie Nixon, life is one big adventure with something new around the corner. And anytime she needs a break, she can always rely on James Montesano -- the best guy she knows. This time when she arrives in Shady Grove, however, something is different. There's a little extra between her and James that has them crossing the line of friendship into one steamy, no-holds-barred night.

Afterward, no matter how hard she tries, Sadie can't erase the memories of James that way. He's so hot, so tempting…. But his life is here and hers isn't. She needs his friendship, but she doesn't do commitment. So where does that leave them? Suddenly what happens between friends is more complicated than ever!

Good book that was very emotional.  Sadie is the proverbial rolling stone.  She doesn't stay anywhere for very long.  She had spent most of her childhood in Shady Grove, with James as her best friend.  Even after she left she could always count on James to be there for her.  When she came back this time something was different and she found herself not sure if she wanted to stay or go.

I loved James.  He has always been Sadie's best friend, but lately he's had to admit that he wants more.  When she comes back to Shady Grove he gives in to those feelings and kisses her.  The result is an explosive night together that turns to ashes the next morning.  He is stunned when she tells him that they should forget it happened, that it will ruin their friendship and he knows she doesn't do commitments anyway...  He lets her know that just being friends isn't enough anymore and if that's not good for her then their friendship is done anyway.  I really liked the fact that James finally took a chance and let Sadie know how he felt.  His reaction was also completely understandable.  He was protecting himself.  Over the next few weeks he tried really hard to move on but his heart was still stuck on Sadie.  There were several times when he just couldn't maintain his distance and let her get close again, only to wind up hurting again.  The last time he finally laid it all out for her and told her what he really thought and what his dreams were.  I ached for him but loved that he stood up for himself.  His problems with Sadie also made him see that he was having some job dissatisfaction working for his dad and opened up about that, though perhaps not in the most constructive way. 

I had a hard time with Sadie.  Throughout the book she seemed to be incredibly selfish, only thinking about her own needs and not how her actions impacted others.  I felt that she was something of a lost soul with James being the thing that made her world right again.  This was the story of her journey to finding herself, but I had some trouble really connecting with her.  When she returned to Shady Grove and was with James that first night I had high hopes that she was going to see what she had been missing.  Instead, she threw James's love back in his face and wanted to pretend everything was the same as always.  She expected that in spite of it all he would still be there to pick up the pieces whenever she screwed up her life again.  It also bugged me that she had no problem going to stay with her mom even though she considered her to have settled for a boring life instead of the fun one they'd had when her dad had been alive.  She was so judgmental that I really wanted someone to tell her what a witch she was being.  There were a few pages later when I thought she was finally starting to get it, but then she went right back to her selfish actions again.  She was self aware enough to realize that her lifestyle was her way of remembering her father but it took some straight talk from her mother to really open her eyes.  She really felt battered at the end but it seems that's what it took to wake her up.  She came around at the end (of course) and James seems to believe in her now.