Review: Evergreen Springs

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Christmas is the last thing on Cole Barrett's mind this year. He's barely hanging on trying to care for his two grieving children since his ex-wife died in a tragic accident. For the reclusive Cole, this is no time for gift-giving and celebration—and certainly not for a sunny-natured optimist to blow into his screwed-up life.

Physician Devin Shaw has long researched the curative powers of Lake Haven's mineral waters. Unfortunately, the hot springs are on Barrett property, forcing Devin to strike a bargain with the ranch's attractively gruff owner: she'll give Cole's children a magical Christmas, and Cole will allow her patients access to the springs. But can she work her holiday magic to heal the Barrett family's battered hearts—and her own?

Genre: contemporary romance

Publishing date: September 2015

Offensive content: nothing to report.

Review: 

Evergreen Springs was the first book I picked from my Christmas reading list, and is also the first book I've read from author RaeAnne Thayne, but it surely will not be the last. I liked everything about it, from the cover, to the characters, to the small town Holidays celebrations. 

Cole is a man haunted by his past for a lot of reasons, from alcohol abuse to a disastrous marriage, to 18 months in jail for assault. However, you can not help but like him and his efforts to become a new man and do what is right for his two children. His unconditional love of his children (even if the doesn't really know how to handle them sometimes) is an inspiration to us all. 

Devin, on the other hand, is easy and outgoing but, deep down, also harbors her own scars, the greatest of which is the fact that she can not have biological children. But when life gives her lemons, she makes lemonade.

Cole's two kids are realistically portrayed and their brotherly competition reminded so much of my own children it often made me smile. And the cast of secondary characters is awesome, from Cole's sister Tricia, her unborn twins and her estranged husband Sean, to Cole's father (who also made serious mistakes in the past but is trying to redeem himself), to Devin's sister (the mayor) and the rest of the Haven Point residents, including Devin's senior yoga class members (which contribute to some very funny scenes).

Cole and Devin are a perfect match for each other, even if they both fight it in the beginning, and they totally deserve their happily ever after. 

But more than a romance, Evergreen Springs is about hope and redemption, about not letting the mistakes of the past dictate the rest of someone's life and about showing that everyone can make the right choices as long as they're willing to make the effort. 

It's a wonderful, clean romance, with no offensive content other than a few kisses between Devin and Cole, and is a perfect book for this Holiday season, so I recommend it!

 

Have a great weekend and happy readings,