🚓🏚️🔨🏡 “I’m Yours” (Balsam Falls Romance #1) (2022) 🏡🔨🏚️🚓 – Book Review
MY REVIEW
Publisher: Faith to Love Publishing (August 4, 2022)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 979-8841269687
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information
“Single mother Jenna Williams has learned two things in life so far: her kids are the most important part of it, and there’s no reason to let the ebbs and flows of being a human determine her happiness. Her days are filled with wonderful things—being the best mother possible, working full-time, and finding just a little time each day to stroke a brush across a canvas. Life is good, so why open her heart to the chance of something, or someone, ruining that?
Balsam Falls Chief of Police Seth Johnson has seen too much in his life—both personally and professionally—to “put his heart out there” as his well-meaning little sister insists he needs to do. He has too much experience with his own father to consider being one himself. Which is why he finds himself torn between remaining unattached and bending his own rules when there are two curly-haired, innocent children who’ve wiggled their way into his heart, and their mother is the first woman he's felt more than friendship for in over a decade.
When the mayor proposes that Seth renovates a house with teens in need of sound role models, and Seth recruits Jenna as a female mentor, they’re thrown into working closely. Something that wouldn’t be a problem if they weren’t both so unwilling to demolish their own inner walls. But as they spend summer days chipping away at a house previously left abandoned and unexpected memories, challenges, and connections are discovered, will Seth and Jenna determine love is the one thing that might be able to fix what’s been broken?”
Thank you in advance to the author, Cleopatra Margot, for providing a complimentary review copy. A positive review was not required nor requested, and all words are my own.
Margot has been a published writer since she was 16 with her first book, Christmas with Cocoa (Faith to Love #1). Since then, she’s written six more books in that series, two books in the Bryant Family Series, and now I’m Yours. She is currently working on the third (3rd) BRYANT FAMILY series book, Say You Won’t Let Go. It has gone through a few title changes, character changes, and even plot changes since her announcement of it.
I got introduced to her work when I did a book blitz two years ago (June 2020) for the sixth (6th) book of her FAITH TO LOVE series. But, the first book I read was With You I Am (WYIA) of THE BRYANT FAMILY series. I fell in LOVE with the series and her writing. I am STILL laughing about Noelle, Wynn, and the frying pan.
To quote the younger crowd – if you know, you know (IYKYK).
When I read You Feel Like Home (YFLH), I HAD to have Seth’s story – which is this book – I’m Yours. Those wondering about the title, it comes nearly at the end of the book in something that Jenna says to him.
While Margot gives the readers a bit of information from the first two books to see the connections here, I honestly recommend reading those two books before this one. In fact, in WYIA, Marshall and Wynn are working on Jenna’s home, and it is clear that Seth is sweet on her in that book. I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable describing this as a “standalone” read.
In YFLH, it is Seth’s sister – Jess – who gets her happily-ever-after with Marshall. But, it is also that book that further details the Jess and Seth family background.
So, when I learned the author was writing Seth’s story – NOTHING was going to keep me away from it.
Now, to be fairly honest – I’m not a fan of the “illustrated” covers. And, I absolutely ADORED the covers for WYIA and YFLH. But, a cover isn’t everything – it is the story in between the cover.
This is a pretty big story and I had to stop and start it a few times to get into the rhythm. There were times I couldn’t put it down and needed to – to get some rest for the night (part of the reason I no longer take books to bed).
This is also a book not to rush through. One should take their time to savor and relish in this book about second chances and the true meaning of family. It is definitely an experience.
Unlike the other two books, this does have some “language” content – “s” word and a variation of, cr@p, a reference to the middle finger being used, h#ll. These are exceedingly rare and could be easily overlooked. I think there is perhaps less than three uses overall.
It wouldn’t be the first time a bad word or so was overlooked for a good story though – it happened with the movie: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) which only earned a PG-13 rating.
That said …
Since this is connected to the Bryant Family, returning family members:
🚓 John (retired Sheriff, co-runs the Serendipity Inn with his wife)
🏨 Jackie (John’s wife)
🛠️ Wynn (co-owner of Bryant Brothers construction)
🎉 Noelle (co-owner, with her mom, of Events by Noelle)
🛠️ Marshall (Wynn’s brother)
💗 Jess (Marshall’s wife, and Seth’s sister)
☕ Ember (I hope we get some Libby the Rooster news in Say You Won’t Let Go)
💗 Sarah (Marshall, Wynn, and Ember’s sister)
💗 Christopher (Sarah’s husband)
And, in addition to Seth and Jenna, Margot introduces us to four teens that are going to help with the house renovations:
🩺 Mazzy
🏠 Alessia
🧰 Colin
🚓 Luka
Each one has had a “slight” run-in with Seth and this acts as not only a “free” renovation, but some kind of community service. Though, let’s face it – the kids are NOT going to like it … in the moment.
What is interesting – the author does include some “trigger” warnings:
Fatherlessness
Drug Abuse
Mentions of Violence
On-page Panic Attack
I also want to note there is a mention of a miscarriage in this as well.
I love when authors include trigger warnings for their books. While no writer wants to lose a reader, it is better to lose a reader than risk a HORRIBLE review based on the reader’s reaction to disturbing content.
The short chapters kept me reading long past my bedtime. At times there was a bit more narrative than I like, but that is common with a first person POV.
The beginning was hysterical – Jenna breaking into someone’s house with a pregnant woman. The house happens to be Seth’s, the pregnant woman is his sister Jess. It is for a birthday party – his, and he doesn’t like celebrating the day either.
Despite his feelings about another relationship after Sierra – he has NO qualms being there for Jenna – just don’t bring up “love”. Of course, Seth’s behavior – even as a friend – has Jenna comparing him to her ex-husband, Pete. While not an abusive marriage, it wasn’t a supportive one. And, she truly sees Seth as part of her family.
What’s interesting – those around them are wondering, after three (3) years of friendship – why aren’t they married to each other?
Even Jenna’s kids, Eli and Ella, ADORE “office Seth”. And, Jenna admits to herself, he’d be a catch. But, she decides to focus on an imaginary version of Seth – “Allen”. I almost had to laugh at her fantasy.
The mayor drags Seth into a home renovation project – and Seth enlists Jenna to help him with the teens. The house, and I agreed with Colin at first – is probably better suited for demolition. Formerly owned by a smoking senior, Marie, it needs a LOT of TLC – perhaps even more than the kids.
SIDE NOTE: My grandmother went by her middle name of Marie, she was a smoker most of her life – I can 100% attest to the smell being EVERYWHERE … carpet, walls, furniture. It is difficult to get out.
And, the woman loved her Folgers (same as my grandma). If the author hadn’t been born after my grandma died, I’d swear they’d have met each other.
I also know about shag carpet (shuddering). If the kids thought it was bad – wait until it falls apart every time you vacuum. I had no choice – the place was a rental.
Getting back to the story …
The kids, despite their run-ins with Seth, have goals that they eventually reveal:
🧰 Colin – Wants to be a mechanic and own his own shop
🩺 Mazzy – traveling midwife
🏠 Alessia – architect
🚓 Luka – a cop, like Seth (his father and grandfather are pushing being a lawyer)
Margot has several connected story arcs going on in this story:
🚓 💗 Seth/Jenna romance
🔨🏚️ Kids and home renovation
🛠️ 💵 The continuance of the Jude/Bryant Brothers condo deal
💻✉️ Jenna looking for her sister Jade
Some of the best moments are the “real” moments that could be boring, but are heart-warming – scenes such as when Seth takes Ella on a daddy/daughter date for her birthday, spending the day at the lake, and a gut-wrenching post-fatal accident that has Seth admitting to Jenna his true feelings.
It is also heart-warming to see the teens work together on a project and learn to deal with their lives or at best the stresses in their lives, including anxiety and abuse.
Margot is a very talented author who weaves a compelling story that keeps the reader’s attention from beginning to end. It can sometimes be an impossible task for a big book (story itself is 418 pages). She also includes the older generation struggling to understand new things – “bookstagramming” (John Bryant) and social media with its good/bad uses.
Margot infuses realistic family and life drama with elements of compassion and humor (Ember and her kitchen woes), and highlights that we’re all deserving of a second chance with a happy ending.
While self-published books can often get a bad reputation – this is an author who defies those expectations from cover-to-cover.
As far as typos and grammatical issues, I did find some instances of the “could care less” which seemed to work, but contradicted the “couldn’t care less” rule. It didn’t detract from the story though. And, I’ve seen typos in mainstream publishing – so I did overlook it, especially because of the story.
This is a beautiful story – comical, emotional, intense, heart-breaking, character driven, and realistic.
I absolutely adored the way Seth stepped up to “father” Ella and Eli after Jenna’s divorce. And, I love how the kids adapted to him.
As of note –> from the age of 4 I grew up without a father. I last saw him in August 1980, last spoke on the phone to him in 1986 (he was calling from jail). He tried two times (2015, 2017) to connect on social media. The first time he blocked me after I was a bit timid and didn’t want him to view my private Facebook, in 2017 I blocked him. At no time did he attempt to reintroduce himself. His wife was stalking my accounts in 2019 and she was blocked. This came after a lifetime of rejection – and after being told by a social worker that he “showed no interest” in me. Like Ella, I often wondered if he did love me.
Unlike Pete, he refused to pay child support or even enforce his visitation rights.
So, seeing the Pete/kids dynamic was realistically gut-wrenching.
Those who read the first two books in the Bryant Family series will NOT want to miss this. As stated, some of the story lines are carried over, especially one from YFLH with Seth and Jess’ father Jude and the company he is a silent partner in. It also gives some “spoilers” as to what has happened since the end of the other two books.
As I have wanted Ember’s story since meeting her in the first book, and I want to know what happened with Libby the Rooster (who provided some comic relief in WYIA) – I will be reading Say You Won’t Let Go (STWLG) next year when it comes out.
I would someday love to read the author’s FAITH TO LOVE series.
RATING:
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads
Book not on Bookbub
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html;update https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2022/07/what-goes-into-my-reviews-2022-edition.html)
CONNECTED BOOKS:
Publisher: Faith to Love Publishing (June 21, 2021)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 979-8728588139
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information
“Event coordinator Noelle Carter's main priority is running the successful company her grandparents founded. After all, they're the ones who raised her, and she's the one they entrusted their company to after their deaths. So when a letter comes across her desk inviting her to plan the Spring Fling in her grandmother's hometown of Balsam Falls, Nebraska, she's faced with a choice: stay and work on maintaining Carter, Inc.'s current success, or go and take a leap of faith--outside of her comfort zone.
For contractor Wynn Bryant, helping others is the key to life's greatest blessings. Over the past ten years, he and his brother have built homes for those who need them, creating a reputable name for themselves. Between that and helping out at the Serendipity Inn, his parents' bed and breakfast, he's put his other dreams on the back burner for now. Until the mayor ropes him into restoring The Gardens with a beautiful but guarded young CEO from Mississippi.
Connected by a desire to help others, Wynn and Noelle dive into restoring a neglected piece of Balsam Falls's history while learning from, and of, their own pasts. Together they uncover past secrets, current challenges, and help each other discover healing and forgiveness in ways neither imagined. Will their discoveries lead to love, or are some things better left as they are?”
Connected by a desire to help others, Wynn and Noelle dive into restoring a neglected piece of Balsam Falls's history while learning from, and of, their own pasts. Together they uncover past secrets, current challenges, and help each other discover healing and forgiveness in ways neither imagined. Will their discoveries lead to love, or are some things better left as they are?”
Publisher: Faith to Love Publishing (January 5, 2022)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 979-8776697241
Click Photo for Purchase Information ➡️
“Aspiring pastry chef Jessica Johnson is six months away from graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, the first step in her goal of...well, of what, she isn't completely sure. But when she receives a phone call with potentially tragic news, every tentative plan she had comes crashing down.
Contractor Marshall Bryant realized he loved Jess as far more than the best friends they've been for over two decades the day he took her to the airport last year. His plan is to ask her to be his date to his older brother's October wedding...until she comes home early under unfortunate circumstances.
In the wake of tragedy, Marshall nudges Jess to do the one thing she's been too scared to do--open her own bakery. As they renovate the old bakery that closed unexpectedly ten years ago, Marshall and Jess find themselves caught up in three mysteries: where the former bakery owners disappeared to, why Jess's father isn't able to be found, and the mystery of new, uncharted feelings between them. But when they find the answers they've been seeking, will the sometimes painful truths bring them closer together or tear them apart?
You Feel Like Home, the second book in the Bryant Family Series, is a gently told story of love, loss, and the truth that sometimes, in order to move on with our futures, it means letting go of the past.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cleopatra Margot resides with her family and their golden retrievers in small town, rural Nebraska. Inspiration for her novels comes from both real life + fictional storylines she dreams up. She was homeschooled, alongside her two younger siblings, and she enjoys traveling with her family. When she’s not writing, Cleopatra enjoys reading, time with family and friends, dancing, playing cards, being outside, and enjoying life.
She can be found on the following social media networks:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cleopatramargotauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cleopatra.margot/
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