Holly Lane Destiny #4 by Toni Blake

Holly Lane Destiny #4 Reviews

• 
  Auntee

  Trust Trusting yourself trusting others letting your heart be open to love and risking hurt being vulnerable and putting the past in the past and moving forward that's what Holly Lane the fourth book in Toni Blake's small town romance Destiny series is all about And even though the heroine in this story Sue Ann gave me some real hair pulling moments I loved this story mainly due to the sheer awesomeness of the hero Adam BeckerSo here's the story 33 year old Sue Ann has been blindsided by her husband leaving her for another woman and her subseuent divorce Where did she go wrong? How did she not see this coming? She thought her life with her husband and 7 year old daughter Sophie was near perfect How could Jeff do this to her?Months later over Thanksgiving weekend Sue Ann decides its time to get her head together and move forward so she rents a cabin on Bear Lake for the weekend But uh oh it seems the cabin has been double booked when a not so stranger shows up at the door It's childhood friend and her ex husband's best friend and Destiny's all around good guy landscaper Adam Becker who arrives with his hunky self and grouchy grinchy mood Adam's bummed because his twin 7 year old boys are away for the holidays with his ex's parents and this is the cabin where all three of them usually stay for some holiday fun Now his boys aren't with him and his cabin's been invaded by Sue Ann and my doesn't she look adorable in her skimpy pajamasbut jeez this is Sue Ann Who he's known forever He can't be attracted to his best friend's ex wife can he? Adam Well you can take it from there Two attractive people loads of chemistry snow bound in a remote cabin both feeling a little lost about the direction of their lives a little bit too much to drink loads of chemistryoh yeah you get the picture But is this a one time sex only thing or could there maybe be something ? Do Sue Ann and Adam have what it takes to develop a real relationship? Or will Sue Ann's trust issues and boy does she have trust issues get in the way?I loved this story and I love this entire series Maybe because it reminds me so much of another favorite series Robyn Carr's Virgin River The same small town vibe where everyone knows your business the same uaint atmosphere the recurring characters in this series it's 5 girlfriends and wonderful storytelling with plenty of character development and loads of details And plenty of hot romance Oh yes Adam and Sue Ann are plenty hot no uestionNow what can mar this just a bit? Sue Ann While I generally liked her and could see where she was coming from her issue with not being able to fully trust Adam at times drove me crazy There was a scene in the book where Sue Ann was almost there ready to let go and give her heart completely to Adam but then he did something withheld some info from her and poof That was it things were over between them and I said WTH are you nuts? Over that? I just thought Sue Ann held Adam to an impossible standard and expected him to be perfect No one is perfect Sue Ann including you so give the guy a break I mean Adam did so many wonderful things for Sue Ann and her daughter I don't know how she couldn't want to hog tie him and never let him get away from her With Adam I thought his good far outweighed any bit of bad in himSo yes Sue Ann drove me crazy a bit with her push pull relationship with Adam but I still loved the story Loved the scenes with her girlfriends Jenny One Reckless Summer Rachel Sugar Creek Tessa Whisper Falls and Amy the upcoming Willow Springs? and I enjoyed the little side story of Jenny and Mick regarding Jenny's desire to be a mother I thought Sue Ann's relationship with her young daughter Sophie was spot on and I understood her mama bear overprotective tendencies and her desire to make Sophie's first Christmas without her mom and dad together a memorable one and her job and money worriesBut what really made this book for me was Adam Yes he was a bit of a grouch but I didn't find him that bad To me he was a sexy sweetheart just in the way he treated Sue Ann and Sophie and especially with the things he did view spoilerPlaying Santa for the kids when no one else would dressing up as a reindeer for his kid's cub scout troop hanging Sue Ann's outdoor lights the romantic sleigh ride the reindeer on Christmas for Sophie the mini marshmallows and especially this one made me cry the ornament? Not to mention his blue eyed sexiness and expert love making how did Sue Ann ever resist this guy? hide spoiler
• 
  ♡Karlyn P♡

  4 stars Great holiday romance Holly Lane is a good book for anyone wanting to get into the holiday mood In addition to a great second chance at love romance between Adam and Sue Ann Toni Blake subtly and cleverly blends one of the great classic holiday stories ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens into a her own magical retelling There was so much holiday cheer included with this story I felt like I was watching a great Christmas movie mixed with a warm and sexy romance Seriously make some hot cocoa toss your favorite holiday throw over your lap light the fire or some candles turn on some old holiday music in the back ground and then snuggle up with this book So what is a girl to do when she might be falling in love with her ex husbands best friend? And what is a guy to do when his friend’s ex wife is driving him mad with desire? And why does it keep snowing every time they are alone? Sue Ann’s world has been spinning ever since her husband left six month earlier for another woman On top of that the ex has been shamelessly parading the new lover all over town Now she’s a single mom looking for work and the last thing she needs is anything else making it complicated She needs a break and decides to rent a cozy little cabin just for herself while the ex has their daughterNice guy Adam has been just miserable since his crazy ex wife’s family took the only thing he cares about – his seven year old twin sons – away for a month long ski vacation over the holidays He’s making everyone around him just miserable too so he is looking forward to spending time alone in the cabin her rents every year That is until Both Sue Ann and Adam find themselves together by double booking the same cabin during a terrible snow storm Adam and Sue Ann begin a steamy affair that uickly becomes far deeper but their lives are just too complicated for a relationship There are deep trust issues to work out urgent personal matters to attend to and their once simple life is now moving so fast its hard to catch their breath But in small town Destiny they simply can’t avoid each other I honestly loved this book and I think Adam was one of the best hero characters in the Destiny series so far LOVED him What a great guy He isn’t a perfect kind of guy He made mistakes in his last marriage that he still struggles with and he even has a short temper but he would go to the ends of the earth for Sue Ann and her daughter Sue Ann was also great in her own way and made a fiercely protective mother but I did get frustrated with her too In the beginning it made perfect sense to keep her relationship with Adam as platonic as possible but I found her pushing him away less and less convincing as the story unfolded But when she was with Adam I loved her The story was holding a high 45 5 star rating for me up until the very end Sigh I was on such a high at this point but the ending was a bit too farcical for my tastes I thought Adam and Sue Ann deserved a bit better resolution Don’t worry there was a great HEA I also would have liked it if some of what happened at the very end happened a bit earlier in the story but I was still pleased as punch to see it all happen Over all the story was fun sexy and laced with great holiday cheer I highly recommend it to fans of the Destiny series or fans of holiday romances I got this book as an ARC copy provided by the Author and Netgalleycom
• 
  Shawna

  4 stars – ContemporaryHoliday RomanceI intended to write a review for this long before now but life has been rather stressful lately and sidetracked me a little But better late than never I suppose Toni Blake’s Destiny series has all the things I love in contemporary romance a charming small town setting genuine characters witty dialogue humor intense emotion and steamy love scenes I find that holiday themed romances serve as great reminders of why I enjoy reading romance and also help inspire me to get in the spirit so a Christmas themed addition to the Destiny series was a joy indeed‘Tis the Season for reflection remembrance and celebration of what’s truly important in life family friends love laughter music food and yes romance But Sue Ann who’s still reeling from her husband’s emotional betrayal and their recent divorce is finding the Christmas holiday season less than jolly A uiet solitary getaway at a remote lake resort seems like an ideal solution to help her get in the holiday mood and the last thing she expected is to find herself stuck in a cabin during a snowstorm with her ex husband’s best friend Adam Becker Adam is feeling rather Grinch ish about spending the season without his kids and isn’t any happier to find himself bunking down with Sue Ann than she is Well that is until their surprising mutual attraction sparks hotter than a roaring cabin fire and they discover all kinds of steamy creative and festive ways to enjoy being snowed in together But once they’re back in their hometown of Destiny things aren’t uite so simple and Adam finds that convincing Sue Ann to take a chance on them might just take a holiday miracle It’s a good thing he’s got a reindeer trick up his sleeve Being told “I’m not in love with you any” by the person she loved and trusted most left Sue Ann devastated and heartbroken She’s struggling to rebuild her life and to heal and opening her barely mended heart and giving her fragile trust again seems too risky But she’s determined to make the season not only as normal as possible but also special and memorable for her young daughter Adam’s friendship and support brings extra cheer and warmth to their holiday and when he gives her daughter a Christmas surprise she’ll never forget Sue Ann learns that putting your faith hope trust and love in the right person is a truly rewarding gift Holly Lane is a feel good romance and a wonderful respite from the hectic holiday season 4 stars I received this AvonHarperCollins e ARC from Lindsey Faber Toni Blake’s assistant via NetGalleycom
• 
  Kathleen

  Story Rating 5 starsCharacter Rating 5 starsRomance rating 5 starsHeat level 4 starsOverall Rating 5 starsToni Blake sure knows how to write one heck of an emotional romance that had me rooting for love to find it's way into the Hh's future The story grabbed me right from the start and I had a really hard time putting it downThe hero Adam oh my he sure knew how to care for the woman he wanted I have never read a story such as this where the hero just goes above and beyond to make the heroine and her daughter happy At one point I was crying for the joy of what he just did for them and babbling on to my 11 year old son about what the hero just did LMAOSue Ann the heroine had been through some resent tough times and things there for a while were just getting tougher Because of what she had been through she kept pushing Adam away While others had a hard time with this part of the story I kind of understood it I put myself in her shoes and thought I would have been couscous tooI loved that Toni also included all of the other characters from the previous book's in the series in this book Especially Jenny and Mick who had a small story happening in this book I am hoping that we find out just what happens between these two and this story line in the next bookMore stuff that I love as usual Toni added music to this story too but because it was Christmas theme she used Christmas music The Christmas theme was a very nice touchThe love scenes were really HOT and sensual Man that Adam sure knew how to please a lady lucky Sue AnnThis story was heartwarming and heart wrenching all rolled into one No need to worry though because it does end happyI'll be waiting impatiently I might add for the next Destiny story to be released
• 
  Jae

  What happened to Sue Ann here? I remember that I loved her in book #1 I even went to TB's FB wall and begged her to write Sue Ann's story I loved her that much But imagine my disappointment with her in this book I just didn't feel the connection between her and Adam that first time in the cabin I would expect a bit of a wooing or get to know you better done first before she jumped him Shouldn't she feel somewhat awkward or inappropriate about lusting after her ex husband's best friend? He was her daughter's god father for crying out loud And that night was all about lust and lust alone A heroine in heat does not make an attractive picture I just flipped and skimmed through after the first 40% Jenny and Mick's predicament was the only interesting part of the whole book I didn't enjoy this book much Pity how I was anticipating Sue Ann's story all this while
• 
  UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish

  Toni Blake’s Destiny series is the perfect blend of contemporary and erotic romance making each story tender feel good and incredibly sexy I guess I'm pretty demanding but even in my erotic reading I want a believable story and a good solid relationship with people I can care about I want to feel an emotional connection to laugh when they laugh to cry when they cry and to sigh when they sigh Well Holly Lane gave me all that and From the coverThe weather outside is frightful but kisses by the fire are so delightful Sue Ann Simpkins is working hard to rebuild her life and find some holiday spirit A weekend away from Destiny in a cabin on nearby Bear Lake seems like the perfect Christmas gift to herself—until her ex's best friend Adam Becker shows up at the door claiming the cabin is his And if that's not trouble enough how had she never noticed how gorgeous he was?Alone for the holidays and forced to play a reindeer at the local department store Adam's been feeling rather Scrooge ish himself But finding the smart sexy woman he's admired since elementary school waiting in the house he rented is helping to brighten his humbug mood And when a sudden snowstorm strands them together in very close uarters leading to one very hot night together Adam soon realizes that what he really wants for Christmas is a second chance at love Now all he has to do is convince Sue AnnI’m being totally honest when I tell you that Sue Ann was not a character I ever thought I’d care about because she just seemed so perfect too perfect in fact Perfectly dressed perfectly married to a perfect husband being everyone’s perfect friend with a perfect life perfect perfect perfect So even when I heard about this story even when I learned that her perfect world was falling apart I still wasn’t sure what to think whether or not I’d become invested in her enough to care what happens Boy was I ever a fool to doubt Toni Blake’s ability to not only make me care but to make me care deeply From the very first pages my heart broke for Sue Ann who’s learned that her husband has fallen in love with another woman and wants a divorce She never saw it coming and now she has to not only put her life back together but find a way to build a future for her and her daughter Sophie So was the perfect Sue Ann really perfect? Nope Did I want to slap her silly sometimes because she was being too stubborn? Yep But these things her imperfections and her stubbornness they were actually part of what made me love her Her struggles her heartbreak her trials and triumphs I was right there with her cheering her on getting to know this woman who was able to overcome her own insecurities and was capable of accomplishing anythingIf you've read much of her writing you know that Toni Blake has a knack for taking everyday characters who’ve just been floating around the peripherals of a story of bringing them in and making them shine That’s exactly what she did with Adam What an amazing man he is Understanding compassionate caring hard working unconditionally devoted – and of course sexy as sin I enjoyed watching him put his own past behind him and open himself up to the possibility of loving again And it was a delight having the opportunity to see he and Sue Ann grow closer as their relationship transformed from one of friends since childhood to lovers and then to something Another real treat was visiting with Jenny and Mick and getting a glimpse into their married life They have come so very far together and their future is looking brighter and brighterThe bottom line Holly Lane is a Christmas story it’s true but this much love this much happiness hope and passion should be celebrated all year 'round I’m so very glad I finally took this off the shelf and spent this Valentine's Day surrounded in the magic of Christmas in Destiny Ohio
• 
  Karla

  Wonderful I just could not put it down When I read the prologue I felt my heart crack for Sue Ann and I wondered how she could come back from this devastating beginning or for her the end of the life she had known Adam Becker that’s how Sweet charming good guy Adam Becker only he’s had a bit of a personality change and not in a good way except when it comes to Sue Ann I thought she might annoy me but I felt her strength and understood her need to set things right in her life before she could trust and love someone else Adam is that guy and what ensues is a romantic passionate magical heartwarming story about a second chance at love It was like Miracle on 34th street except this was Holly Lane in Destiny Ohio so cliché but it worked An added bonus was the side story with Mick and Jenny my favorite characters from this series although Adam and Sue Ann have them on the run I look forward to returning to Destiny and wonder who and what Toni Blake has in store for us next Logan and Amy? Whoever whatever I can’t wait to come back to DestinyThanks Kathleen for introducing me not only to this series but to Toni Blake and her alter ego Lacey Alexander It’s all been good
• 
  Lisa

  As a huge fan on Toni Blakes Destiny series I was a bit surprised as to whom this story was centered After all Sue Ann Simpkins seemed to have a perfectly happy marriage with Jeff But perhaps of the standard of perfection put on these high school sweethearts Jeff does an about face and divorces Sue Ann and uickly marries another woman and to add a bit of insult the new woman isn't even younger or prettiershe is just average so Sue Ann knows that it is true love Sue Ann is blindsided by all of this and decides to take a weekend away at a small cabin to help clear her mind and get ready for the hustle and bustle of the upcoming holiday season She knows she needs to make sure her daughter Sophie has a wonderful Christmas Adam Becker is in a bit of a Scroogish mood His twin boys are spending a month away at a ski resort with his ex and he is naturally uite bummed out He heads to a cabin in the mountains that he rents every year on the same weekend and is faced with an unpleasant surprise His best friends up to Jeffs divorce ex wife is there Sue Ann There was a bit of confusion during registration and it has started to snow uite heavily and there are no other cabins available so the two agree to share the bunks But even though Adam and Sue Ann have know each other for most of their lives they both see each other in a new light and this leads to one verrry steamy night in the cabin Phew But just as Sue Ann is letting down her guard a tiny bit Adam reveals one of the reasons behind his divorce and her walls go right back up Oh but that magical snow that always seemed to be falling helps keep Adam and Sue Ann in contact physically and emotionally with each other and Adam deepens his relationship with Sophie who is his goddaughter but the drama with Jeff and his reuests to stop spousal support and his calling Adam as a character witness keep these two battling wills But will the holiday season filled with reindeer and snow and a special kitty help Sue Ann let down her guard to trust her heart to another?Toni Blake has uickly become one of my favorite contemporary authors and I love her Destiny series and Holly Lane is the perfect holiday companion to an already fabulous series She took a topic seen all too often in todays world and showed how true love can blossom from a very unexpected turn of events I felt that Sue Anns feelings and her wall she had built up around herself was very true to how any woman would feel in the same circumstances and her love of her daughter and desire to do what was right for Sophie was spot on When Adam as Santa tells Sophie he will try to bring a real reindeer for her Sue Ann is uite upset and even though it was the best thing to say at the time Sue Ann is heartbroken at the thought of disappointing her daughter on Christmas morning And even though I saw the happy result coming I still had happy tears in my eyes Actually I sniffled uite a bit throughout this book Toni Blake has a knack for writing emotional sexy stories that will pull your heart strings and leave a big happy smile on your face and I know I can not wait for Amy I'm talking about you And fans on this series will be happy to know that Mick and Jenny have a wonderful emotional side story that I thought played out perfectly Overall this is a perfect Christmas story based loosely on A Christmas Carol that will truly put you in the mood for the upcoming holidays 5 stars I received this book from the publisher via netgalleycom
• 
  KatLynne

  A sweet warm holiday romanceAdam Becker is divine Having grown up in the town of Destiny he is known for his kindness and always there to lend a helping hand A people's person for sure He is such a sweetie and I really liked him Divorced with twin sons that are away for the month he is feeling down and not looking forward to a Christmas without his children Already having a cabin booked at Bear Lake he decides to continue their annual tradition and stay there himselfSue Ann is still realing from the betrayal of her ex and their divorce One of her biggest concerns is for her seven year old daughter and how she will cope this first Christmas without her father at home Sue Ann is determined to make this Christmas special but is definitely not in the holiday mood Thinking that a weekend getaway will help her relax and maybe gather courage she books a cabin at Bear Lake Throw in an unexpected snow storm one cabin overbooked and these two long time friends find themselves sharing a nightand what a night But as a new day dawns reality sinks in After all Adam is her ex's best friend and Sue Ann is dealing with major trust issues Is there any hope that these two can have a second chance at love? This is a sweet warm romance full of small town charm holiday magic hot steamy lovin' and two people who have been hurt by love and their journey on letting go and having faith to love again I enjoyed revisiting old friends and catching up with their news Mich Jenny Brody have a situation that caused me concern and I was very glad to see it resolved
• 
  Saly

  I had heard so much about this book that I didn't think I would enjoy it but I still did maybe because I kept the bar so lowI understood Sue Ann even if she was like a pendulum swinging from here to there within a period of six months her whole life had unravelled her perfect husband left her for another woman and didn't have the decency to respect her and her kid's feeling and instead paraded her around Sue Ann was trying to keep her daughter happy get back to work while keeping it all together so it was tough and her not having faith in herself enough to start a relationship with Adam a man she had known all her life was understandable so was her dill dallying keeping in mind what she had been through was it hurtful? Yes it was but you can't hurry recoveryWhen Adam and Sue Ann get snowed in things get hot and heavy between them which is weird Adam had been her ex's best friend for years with nothing between him and Sue Ann We also see Adam trying to deal with his scrooge attitude missing his boys and accepting the failure of his marriageAll in all I enjoyed the book