Montana Promises (The Wildes of Birch Bay)

Montana Promises
by Kim Law
Release Date:  August 8, 2019
Publisher:  J-Ko Publishing
Book #5 in the Wildes of Birch Bay series
Number of Pages:  301
Kindle Edition
Source:  Kindle Lending Library (August selection)
Contemporary Romance M/F
Rating:  NC-17
Read 8/20/19

 

Nate Wilde is ready to leave Birch Bay. He’s been home too long as it is and extending his visit means risking fantasies of staying for good. Wants and desires never work out for him, though. With good comes bad, and he’s had enough bad to last a lifetime. Unfortunately, his siblings need him. The family orchard is on the brink of collapse, and they’re relying on him to help. Only . . . what can he possibly do to save an orchard that’s lost most of its trees? 

Megan Manning, ex-girlfriend to Nate’s youngest brother and manager of the Wilde family’s cherry-themed gift store, intends to settle permanently in her newly adopted town. Her own family has always cared more about traveling the world than creating a place to call home, so she’s going to make that for herself. Her list for happiness is simple. A rewarding job, good friends, and finding someone to love. She doesn’t want the kind of love she grew up with, however. She wants someone willing to stick. 

As Nate works to save the orchard, Megan pitches in to help. After all, no cherry farm equals no need for a cherry-themed gift store. But when constant contact has their chemistry spiking, Megan discovers there’s more than the family business worth fighting for. Only, will Nate be able to handle falling for his brother’s ex? Or will he walk . . . exactly as her family always has?

The emotions this author can evoke! The Wilde family has so many issues, but through it all they stick together.  Even if/when one of them doesn’t realize how much support they will get, it’s there waiting for them.

From the moment Nate and Megan have their conversation in the cherry store, a totally innocent and innocuous conversation, I could feel the sparks.  Their pull, along with their resistance, was a palpable thing.  Kim Law did a phenomenal job setting up this relationship from all angles. And while my heart broke for both the hero and heroine, I never felt sorry for them or pitied them.

One of the things I love about this series is I feel the author really did her homework when it comes to the psychological issues the mom had and the ramifications of those issues with the now adult children.  Nate proves that even when you’re aware of the harm done to your psyche as a child, and even when you know what is true and what is not true, certain things will take root and stay deep down so you don’t even realize you’re letting that past stuff affect your current life.

Both Megan and Nate had to learn to speak up for themselves.  Once they got comfortable enough to talk with each other about things they had kept buried inside, they started gaining more confidence in voicing their feelings with others.  It was wonderful to watch them blossom in that way, even with the bumps along the way.

One of these days I’ll have to seek out other stories by this author because I just adore this series and her writing. That way I won’t have to go so long between getting my fix of her sublime mix of angst and joy.

5 stars