Heritage Cove, where even the latest inhabitants lose their hearts

Synopsis

Welcome back to Heritage Cove, the little village by the sea brimming with character, community and friendship. The perfect place to fall in love…

Running Heritage View Stables is everything Hazel ever dreamed of. She loves working with the horses and managing the business with her brother. But after a terrible incident, she’s not sure whether she’ll ever be able to put things back the way they were.

Gus is ready to start over. He’s moved him and his ten-year-old daughter Abigail to Heritage Cove, where he’s opening his own vet practice. Everything is falling into place, especially as he watches Abigail start to come out of her shell for the first time since the accident.

Neither Hazel nor Gus is looking for love, but could they each be what the other needs? And is happiness even a possibility when their pasts won’t let them go?

Join new friends and old, as summer comes to Heritage Cove.

My review

Hazel loves running Heritage View Stables together with her brother. But things aren’t going as smoothly, as an incident made Hazel fearful to return to her teaching lessons.
With her brother Arnold’s schedule being full, Hazel taking over some lessons would be a much better solution than refusing new pupils.
When Gus and his daughter Abigail arrive at Heritage Cove, Heritage View Stables is the obvious choice for their horse Denby.
While Abigail adores Denby and just horses in general, Gus wants her to take lessons to grow her confidence.
But why is Hazel so stoically refuses to take Abigail under her wings even if it’s clear what a good influence Hazel has on Abigail?
Gus’ heart melts seeing how Abigail is getting out of her shell, and his daughter is his only priority while setting up his vet practice.
With two people not looking for love, could horses be the link to bring them together despite their own fears? 

Okay, I love Heritage Cove and its inhabitants, and I want to live there myself. This is not the first time I said it, so it’s not a big surprise I was happy to start with this new chapter in this series!
And did this author deliver? ABSOLUTELY!!! 

I am not a horse – lover myself. It’s not that I don’t like them, it’s just that they are so big and I am a scaredy – cat, so I would be terrified not knowing how such a majestic animal can behave unexpectedly. But that doesn’t mean I cannot see the beauty of such great animals from far far away. 

It’s obvious that Hazel loves looking after the horses and treats them with respect, care and much love. And it’s unfortunately also very obvious that she has been traumatized after an incident. Seeing how fear held Hazel back from doing something she loves to do, broke my heart a little bit. But I could also perfectly comprehend her (remember, scaredy – cat here!).
She is also a very sensitive character, as she disapproves aggressive behaviour and hates voices being raised. 

So I could understand her wariness around Gus, because the second time she saw him, he didn’t make a good impression.
Gus… talking about an entrance here! I surely didn’t expect our male main character doing *that* but it surely put a smile on my face!
Having this books showing us two points of view, made it possible to understand his behaviour so much better. He wants to protect Abigail from every kind of evil in the world, making him a bit too overprotective.
But with what Abigail had to endure, who wouldn’t be too protective over such a lovely girl? 

Abigail, that is absolutely a sweet girl that will steal everyone’s heart! And seeing the interaction between her and Hazel, warmed my heart!  

I found this a slow – burning romance, but without the romance being the headliner. Because both main characters have their own focus and also fears.
While it may be easy to say to get back on your horse, it’s always easier said than done. And taking that first, small step, can be the most terrifying thing you’d ever do. 

This was a marvellous next book in an amazing series. And while the expectations were very high, with even a small fear of getting a disappointment, this author delivered and even went beyond!