| Title | : | The House on Main Street (Apple Valley #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1420132350 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781420132359 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2013 |
To Cade, Tessa was simply his high school sweetheart's kid sister. But now there's no denying she's a beautiful and caring grown woman, one he'd like to get to know. Except that Tessa is determined to leave again. If Cade wants to change her mind, he'll have to show her that small-town life has its lovable side - and that he does too. Most of all, he'll have to convince Tess they're good together, and that every step has led her right where she was always meant to be.
©2013 Shirlee McCoy (P)2014 Audible Inc.
The House on Main Street (Apple Valley #1) Reviews
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Many years earlier Tessa left Apple Valley, Washington rather than watch her sister marry the man she loved. After her sister's death she finds herself the guardian of Alex, a 10 year old boy with autism and the owner of an old Victorian that has suffered from years of neglect.
Her plan is to sell the house and then return to the East coast with Alex and her Aunt Gertrude. But Alex wants to stay in Apple Valley and when Cade, the guy who broke her heart years earlier starts showing up she finds herself struggling to keep it all together.
Christmas books are a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. I generally read one or two every Christmas season. I honestly don't expect all that much from them except that I will feel good by the end. The House on Main Street gives me that, and then it gives me a whole lot more. It's a great story, the start of what promises to be a great new series, the first book by Shirlee McCoy I've ever read but definitely not the last.
I'm kind of excited to continue with this series.
Many thanks to Kensington and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC -
This was a good, small-town, friends to lovers story. Ten years earlier, Tessa left her small town to escape the memories of her childhood, and to stop cleaning up the messes her older sister created. She built a good life and a successful career as an interior designer on the east coast. When her sister and brother in law died in a car accident, Tessa found herself the guardian of her autistic nephew and owner of their Victorian house and antique shop. She was determined to dispose of the house as quickly as possible and move Alex and Aunt Gertrude back to Maryland with her. But that proved to be easier said than done.
I admit that I had a little trouble liking Tessa at the very beginning. She seemed very focused on the inconvenience of being there and her own desire to get back east. There didn't seem to be much sympathy in her for the effect of the changes on her aunt and nephew. That changed pretty quickly as her grief and regrets over her estrangement with her sister were revealed. I ached for her, too, because she was at a loss on how to connect with Alex. That was complicated by the way that Aunt Gertrude always made her feel that whatever she did was wrong. Add to that the stress of cleaning up the last of the messes Emily left behind, and my sympathy for Tessa overcame my dislike. She completely won me over when she realized that she couldn't take Alex away from the only home he'd ever known. Then there was Cade - her childhood friend, her sister's high school sweetheart, and the guy she had loved with all of her teenage heart.
I liked Cade. After time away for college and the military, he was glad to be back home in the town he loved. In his job as sheriff, he gets to show that love in everything from giving troublesome teens something to do to dealing with quirky older residents. Cade was happy to see his friend Tessa back in Apple Valley, despite the circumstances. He had great memories of the time he spent with his sweetheart's little sister. What he didn't expect was his reaction to the beautiful and caring woman she had become.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Cade and Tessa. First came the renewal of their friendship. They had known each other so well and for so long that talking to each other was as easy as it had ever been. What threw them both for a loop were the sparks of attraction that popped up. Cade was wary at first because he knew that Tessa planned to leave. He was married for a short time to a woman who hated the small town life, and he didn't want to go through that again. Tessa was recently burned in a relationship and trusting any man with her heart was a risk she didn't want to take. I loved that it was Cade who recognized his feelings first and made it his mission to show Tessa the benefits of living in a small town. I loved his steady, gentle pursuit of Tessa, combined with his determination to support her, however she needed him. There were some sweet scenes between them as he worked to break down her walls. Tessa resisted her feelings for as long as she could, but it was a losing battle. The strength of her feelings scared her, and those fears made her lash out at him a few times. It took a near tragedy for her to finally accept that it was okay to lean on Cade and accept his love.
The secondary characters were terrific. Aunt Gertrude was a real piece of work. She was feisty and stubborn and contrary, but she also loved her family with all her heart. I loved the description of her as looking "like an ancient Christmas elf with an attitude." She and Tessa butted heads almost constantly through the book, as Gertrude tried to push Tessa the way she wanted her to go. I enjoyed Gertrude's feud with the neighbor and the unexpected twist at the end. Alex was the character that my heart broke for. He seemed so lost at the beginning, only happy when he played his music. His fascination with the angel caused some of the most emotional moments of the book. Zim started out as the man I loved to hate because of the way he tried to cause trouble for Tessa and the others. He did redeem himself quite nicely at the end. The deputy, Max, was quite flirt and I wasn't sure if he was going to cause trouble for Cade and Tessa or not. I ended up enjoying the way he poked at Cade a little bit without being mean about it. I'm looking forward to reading his story because I suspect that he's going to fall hard. -
Otra historia muy dulce de segundas (o primeras según la perspectiva) oportunidades.
Lo que más me gusta de estas historias (he leído la primera y la tercera de la serie) es que no están cargadas de melodrama, no tienen personajes exasperantes y metomentodo (muy habituales en las historias ambientadas en pueblos pequeños) y no hay malentendidos que se conviertan en el protagonista de la historia. Me parecen historias muy dulces, donde los personajes se enfrentan a problemas reales y donde los protagonistas se enamoran delante de nuestros ojos.
Nada más ni nada menos. No va a ser un libro que se quede conmigo durante años, pero sí ha sido un escape agradable, y eso ya es mucho.
No hay sexo en este romance, y para ser sincera, no lo he echado de menos. Es refrescante de vez en cuando llegar a los “te quiero” antes de ir al catre.
This book is another sweet story of second (or first depending on perspective) opportunities.
What I like about these stories (I have read the first and the third in the series) is that they are not loaded with melodrama, not have busybody and exasperating characters (very common in the stories set in small towns) and there are no misunderstandings which become the protagonist of the story. They seem to me very sweet stories, where the characters are facing real problems and where the main characters fall in love before our eyes.
It will not be a book that stays with me for years, but it was a nice escape, and this is enough for me.
There is no sex in this romance, and to be honest, I have not missed it. It is refreshing to occasionally reach the "I love you" before hitting the cot. -
3.5 stars...
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Reviewed for
herding cats & burning soup. (posting 12/13/18)
Amazon:
https://amzn.to/2CRfX7M
I am such a sucker for a pretty house and a winter wonderland. Basically, The House on Main Street was all OMG Anna! You neeeeed me!
The Gist: Tessa's found herself back in her small hometown--the last place she wants to be-- caring for her young nephew after her sister's death and cleaning up all of the messes she left behind. Not to mention coming face to face with her childhood crush? Well. It's a lot for a girl to handle on a good day.
I really loved Tess. She's a strong woman doing the best she can. It was easy to like and feel for her as she deals with the loss of her sister, the life she had to gie up and her new reality. Cade was great, too. He's a stand up guy who loves his town and all of the crazy people who live there.
Their romance was sweet and slow burning as he slowly gains her trust and is there for her family as they deal with their grief and moving on. I really liked them together and was rooting for them. And appreciated it when he called her on her shit (she'd said some sexist things). It was nice to see that addressed. Some steamy smooching is as heated as it got.
The added elements of salvaging her sister's disaster of a home/business, mending a relationship with her elderly aunt and being their for her nephew who was severely autistic provided so many layers and emotional little twists.
All in all, The House on Main Street was excellent. It was easy to fall into this world and town. I wanted to spend time with them. Wanted to cheer them on and see them find their way. Wanted to jump in and be a part of everything. I'll definitely read book 2. -
I really enjoyed this contemporary romance. Tessa McKenzie inherits an antiques shop and her nephew from her sister. Aunt Gertrude is something else. I just loved her feisty attitude. Tessa doesn't plan on staying long in Apple Valley, Washington. Her friend Sheriff Cade Cunningham has set his sights on her and hopes he can get her to stay. Small-town settings are a popular theme, but this author knows how to give her readers a page-turner.
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The first in the Apple Valley Series, and a wonderful read. Sweet romance, a small town and dealing with a special needs child make up this enjoyable story. I read the second in the series first, then had to read the first! Now on to find #3! They are each stand alone, but the town and characters will grab your heart and never let go.
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This was my first time reading one of Shirlee McCoy's books, and I found it entertaining and enjoyable. I did have a few quibbles with it, though.
First, it sounded like the author has never spent a winter in Maryland or on the east coast because of the many, many times it was mentioned either in the narrative or by the characters how much colder it was in Washington than "back east"---and this is set prior to Christmas. I lived in Northern Virginia for four years and can attest to the fact that it gets bitterly cold in that part of the country every fall/winter.
Second, on the first page, it says it's "three weeks before Christmas." However, it seemed like enough time passed in the book for it to have actually been four or five weeks and for us to be in mid-January.
Third, when Aunt Gertie broke her "leg" . . . again I had to shake my head all the way through that part with the idea that the author has NO experience with this type of situation at all. It's never clearly said what bone she broke in her "leg," but from the way Gertie (a 70+ year old woman) was maneuvering around on crutches and getting up and sitting down with her "leg" being in a cast, it sounds to me like it must have been a minor fracture in either the tibia or fibula, possibly the ankle. It must have been extremely minor for a woman of that age to have been released from the hospital within 24 hours and for her to have not needed surgery.
Fourth, the resolution of the storyline of the angel statuette. Highly implausible resolution.
Fifth, not a ton of relationship development between the main characters, but a lot of that is because they'd grown up together so they already knew each other pretty well.
However, there were many things I liked, too . . .
I did like the fact that Tessa and Cade had grown up together---and yet their relationship wasn't perfect in the present. A couple of times, she made off-hand, snide remarks that really stung him or made him angry. So I appreciated that their relationship wasn't all "sweetness and light."
I liked that Tessa wasn't mired down with grief and guilt the entire story, but there was enough emotion shown to make it seem realistic.
I love small-town settings like this where there's a wider cast of characters (even though some were very obvious setups for the next book in the series). This aspect was well handled, because I never felt overwhelmed with the number of named secondary characters---and they had an active role in the story.
The one major thing that really worked well for me in this book was the overt sexual tension with a couple of hot-and-bothered kissing scenes but no actual sex scene. I really like the fact when authors realize that they can show the characters' love and attraction to each other without making them jump into bed every other page.
I'm looking forward to Charlotte and Max's story in Book 2. -
Sharing my thoughts~
Tessa's secret crush on Cade led her to bolt for the East Coast when Cade announced he was marrying her sister. Although that marriage never materialized, Tessa stuck it out in Annapolis and created a new life while Cade stayed in Apple Valley and became the sheriff he'd always said he was going to be. Back in town only to clear out the house after her sister's death, Tessa's now the guardian of her special needs nephew and a crazy aunt. I liked the quirkiness of all the characters, especially Aunt Gertrude.
"Perched on a rickety stool a couple of feet away, a cigarette dangling from between her fingers and a Santa hat on her head, she looked like an ancient Christmas elf with an attitude."
McCoy does a fantastic job creating the setting and small town drama of Apple Valley. I felt as if I trudged beside Tessa and Cade down a snow kissed Main Street. I could hear the hush fall over the tiny chapel as Alex poured out his heart on the piano, and then the sniffles of all the blue-headed ladies. I could even imagine the junky yard that separated Tess from her neighbor's. Apple Valley seems to grow on Tessa, too.
"People sniffed and sobbed, and Tess was pretty sure someone snapped a photo. No doubt they'd be on the front page of the morning newspaper, but she didn't mind. In Apple Valley people cared about the little things, the quiet things, the things that were easy to miss if one didn't look carefully enough."
Initially, Tessa was angry that her sister had left her another mess to clean up. Tessa worked through the whole range of emotions, from anger to grief, and finally to acceptance of her new family unit. I appreciate how this story prompted me to delve deeper into relationships, specifically within my own family. And why does it take someone dying to make us realize how special they are? To yearn for one more day?
I'm a long-time fan of Shirlee McCoy's Love Inspired Suspense books, so when I found out she was writing a series for Kensington Books, I was curious about how her writing style would vary.
I would have enjoyed this book more without the colorful language. I appreciated that it didn't contain any graphic bedroom scenes and that the "heat" level didn't require a loss of clothes. Actually, the higher intensity made the characters and the story seem much more realistic to me. :)
Overall, if you're looking for an emotional journey with a satisfying ending, McCoy delivers big time!
Disclaimer: Sending a big thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy of The House on Main Street. The opinions expressed here are my own, and I received no compensation. -
This is such a good book, I couldn't put it down, reading through the night as I was captivated.
Set in a small town on the West Coast of USA, Apple Valley is a quaint old town where everyone knows everyone else. Where Tessa and Emily grew up and were looked after by their Aunt Gertrude, and where Tessa swore she'd never go back to when she left at age 18. A successful interior designer on the East Coast, she had no reason to visit, until the day she got the worst news. Her sister Emily along with her husband had been killed in a car accident, and Tessa had been left the house, along with guardianship of their Son, Alex.
There follows a story of love, family and hope for the future. Of finding love with someone you thought you'd forgotten; learning to live with family you'd left behind and looking after a child you'd barely spent any time with; and of hope for the future, whatever that may hold.
I absolutely fell in love with the story, I just couldn't put the book down and I'm eager to read the next book in the series.
If I could have, I would have given this book 10 stars, it's that good. -
All her life Tessa has been in love with Cade, but he choose her older sister Emily, and so Tessa ran, moving across the country and making a life for herself. Now Emily and her husband are dead, and Tessa is back to clean up things and make a life for her nephew Alex. Of course Cade is now the town sheriff and still as handsome as Tessa remembers, only she doesn't want to risk getting her heart broke again.
Tessa has to figure out what to do with her young, autistic nephew and how to best reach him, even if that means giving up on the career she had built for herself and staying in Apple Valley.
Throw in a little romance, a mystery and some fun characters along the way and you have a cute story of life and love in a small town. -
When her sister and brother-in-law died in a car accident, Joy moves back to apple Valley to care for her orphaned nephew. She also must clean up the house left to her and find a way to make a living in the small town. One bright spot, her high school crush is now the Sherrif and sexier than ever.
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Tessa is now responsible for her nephew and elderly aunt after her sister dies. She is left with messy antique house/store. She reunites with an old boyfriend who is now the sheriff. A good read which handles autism in a great way. I will definitely read the next book. I really enjoyed the reader in the audio book.
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Decent, easy to read small town story. More family fiction then romance. Interesting characters.
Don't like trope "woman crushing/dating on sister's boyfriend/ex-boyfriend". I just think it's creepy when a guy dates one sister, then another. -
Sweet, escapist romantic fiction set in small town US. Reminds me a lot of Stacy Finz's "Nugget" series, albeit a bit less racy - but then, I suspect that there are a lot of these kind of series around!
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I enjoyed this book, it was the first I have ever read from this author. I would recommend this it is an enjoyable read.
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Delightful
Unfortunately I read book two first, it didn't really ruin it for me. I'm in love with the characters, story and setting. Wonderful and enjoyable read! -
I didn't really like any of the characters.
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Nice book and beautifully written including the story of a boy with "Downs Syndrome". I always love a great LOVE story with a great storyline.
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A truly good read. Want to read more of her.
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This one was just not for me.
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It’s Really Good
It’s a great story but yet it seemed like it was never going to end. It was a good book. -
3.5 ⭐️
It wasn’t awful, wasn’t incredible. It was kinda cute tbh, but some parts had me bored and Gertrude really got on my nerves tbh. -
Sometimes I feel like if you have read one small town romance, you have read them all. I can tolerate quite a few if they have something to make them stand out of the herd. Sadly, I wasn’t able to find anything in The House on Main Street that really set it apart for me or that particularly held my interest. It’s just nice; a nice, albeit bland, story, nice characters, and nice plot. Just nice.
This book wanted to hit all of the small town romance tropes. Tessa McKenzie is an interior decorator who has moved back to her hometown after the death of her sister. Just like every other small town romance, she despises being back in town and wants out as soon as possible. She runs into her sister’s ex-boyfriend, who she had a crush on, and old feelings are stirred up. Cade Cunningham is now the town’s sheriff and, apparently, local nice guy who is always around to help Tessa out. At this point, you could swap out character names and have any number of books that follow this exact formula.
McCoy previously wrote inspirational romances and, although this book does not fall under that spectrum, it has a similar, squeaky clean, Hallmark feel. There’s no heat to speak of besides a few interrupted kisses. The story actually, in my opinion, focused more on Tessa’s interactions with her grumpy Aunt and autistic nephew. I will forewarn anyone who is looking at this book to fit the Christian romance genre, I have seen complaints from other readers about the foul language. To me, it was still pretty mild and really shouldn’t be a problem for most readers.
I thought Cade was a nice enough character. He is interested in Tessa and shows interest in her from the beginning. He doesn’t totally understand that she is hesitant to be involved with him because of his past with her sister. He pursues her sweetly and, in my opinion, was the more likeable of the characters. Tessa I didn’t care for as much. I felt like she could’ve made a better initial effort with reaching out to her nephew. She says several times that she doesn’t know how to deal with a grieving, autistic child. I felt that she could’ve reached out to the counselors at his school or found a family therapist that could’ve helped the whole family to deal with this situation. This is a little boy who already sees the world through a unique lens that just lost both of his parents. Some professional help might have been useful.
As with any small town romance, there has to be some quirky, older lady that meddles in the love story and gives advice. Tessa’s Aunt Gertrude fills that space. She’s crotchety and constantly complains about Tessa’s choices. The pair argues and fails to communicate in nearly every instance. Their banter was, at times, funny, but wore thin for me before too long.
If I had gone into this book wanted to read a heartwarming story about coming together as a family, I think I would have enjoyed it more. Any readers that want a sweet, holiday tale about an aunt and her nephew will probably enjoy this book. It’s a good story if all you want is small town niceness and very old fashioned values. I, personally, like a little more conflict and romance in my stories. There was no real conflict between Cade and Tessa to speak of.
So, yes, the book was sweet and warm and nice and all those other adjectives that just don’t do it for me. I may have been the wrong reader for this book but I would’ve liked some more sizzle and conflict. This book also could’ve benefitted greatly from something to make it a little more unique. While it was a pleasant enough read, The House on Main Street will probably just blend in with all of the other small town romances I’ve read.
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Tess McKenzie, a successful interior designer, left her small town in Washington for the city lights and never looked back. Her life is altered when she inherits her sister’s Victorian house and antiques shop. While her life will forever be changed by the death of her sister, she plans to return to her life. That task proves to be difficult, her grieving nephew Alex and her opinionated Aunt have other ideas. Then there is Cade, who is was her childhood best friend and her sister’s childhood sweetheart. Cade wants her to stay, now he just has to convince her that small-town life has it perks. The tale that unfolds was delightful with characters that made me laugh, shed a tear and swoon.
McCoy created some memorable characters starting with Alex, Emily’s son, and Tess’s nephew. This poor little fellow has lost his parents and now Aunt Tessa wants to move him from his home. Alex has autism, and he added a unique and powerful thread to this tale. Tess is very successful in her career but has quite a few issues starting with her feelings for Cade. I liked Tess, and felt her struggles in dealing with the loss of her sibling and the fallout from her death. She is both strong and vulnerable. Tess’s Aunt is perhaps the most colorful character, a real firecracker of a woman with an odd wardrobe. She is snarky, feisty, temperamental and wears her heart on her sleeve. The outlandish things she did and said kept me laughing throughout the novel. Zimmerman, the next door neighbor, is a cantankerous old fool who causes trouble. Cade, as sheriff is the glue that holds the town together, and townsfolk from the mayor to the Reverend look to him for assistance. I liked Cade, and his attraction to Tess was clear. McCoy hinted at his desires, and regrets letting us see the softer side of him. Friends since childhood Tess and Cade’s trip from friends to lovers was rocky, and tender. I certainly enjoyed watching it unfold.
The House on Main Street takes place shortly before the Christmas holiday adding a nice holiday theme, but it also has elements of mystery, suspense, growth and hope. The romance is slow to build and squeaky clean, but McCoy makes it all very endearing. While the story has an air of predictability, McCoy adds in some clever twists and messages that kept me engaged. Her voice is clear, and she draws you in from the first few pages as the characters and surroundings spring to life. While not heavily detailed I could clearly see the town, the park and Victorian home. The colorful characters are what made this tale so enjoyable and have me yearning to visit Apple Valley again.
Copy received in exchange for unbiased review. Full review originally published @
Caffeinated Book Reviewer -
The House on Main Street
By: Shirlee McCoy
Copyright: November 2013
Publisher: Zebra
In Apple Valley, Washington, friends are always near, neighbors have no secrets—even if they'd like to—and long-held wishes have a way of coming true…
Interior designer Tessa McKenzie has built a good life far from her Washington hometown. She intends to get back to it—as soon as she sells the cluttered Victorian house and antiques shop she inherited from her sister, Emily. But leaving Apple Valley a second time won't be so easy. There's her grieving nephew, Alex, to consider. And there's Sheriff Cade Cunningham, the adolescent crush who could easily break her heart again if she let him.
To Cade, Tessa was simply his high school sweetheart's kid sister. But now there's no denying she's a beautiful and caring grown woman, one he'd like to get to know. Except that Tessa is determined to leave again. If Cade wants to change her mind, he'll have to show her that small-town life has its lovable side—and that he does too. Most of all, he'll have to convince Tess they're good together, and that every step has led her right where she was always meant to be…
This is not your everyday contemporary romance. This is a story of a sister who died along with her husband at the hands of a drunk driver, and a sister who left home to make her own way in life without having to clean up her older sister’s messes anymore. Tessa built up a life on the East Coast and after seven long years is about to reap the benefits of all her hard work.
Finding out that her sister has left her everything including all her debts and her ten year old autistic son is almost too much for her to deal with. Her plan of cleaning out the family home, selling it and moving her nephew and senior citizen aunt back east with her is the best she can think of.
Meeting her old crush Cade who is now the town sheriff isn’t making things easier either. Cade wants her to stay in Apple Valley and is doing everything he can to make it happen. The crotchety neighbor next door is doing all he can to get them cited for the condition of their property hoping that he can buy it on the cheap. This puts a lot of stress on Tessa’s already stressed out nerves.
What happens to this family and how Tessa decides to stay and build her sister’s decrepit home and “Antique Shop” into a money making business with the hope of supplying her old boss with quality items for his very successful decorating business.
You will cry, cringe, laugh and love The House on Main Street.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher who asked only for a fair and impartial review.
