When I Found You
by Brenda Novak
Release Date: June 29, 2021
Publisher: Mira Books
Book #8 of the Silver Springs series
Number of pages: 384
Kindle edition
Source: NetGalley ARC
Contemporary Romance M/F
Ages 17 and up
Read 6/19/21 to 6/20/21
Sometimes the biggest emotional risk can reap the best romantic reward…
After everything she worked for is destroyed, pediatrician Natasha Gray is determined to build a new life. Divorced, bankrupt and suddenly a single mom, she’s ready to start over in Silver Springs—on her own. She certainly doesn’t need help from Mack Amos, the man who’s already broken her heart twice.
Although Mack has had feelings for Tash since they first met, too many things have stood in the way. He’s always given her the support she needs, though, and he’ll do the same now. Even if the desire he wrestles with threatens to undermine his intentions…
But her heart is not the only reason Natasha wants to keep Mack at bay. More time in her life means getting closer to her son, which could lead to a revelation neither of them is ready to face.
This is a sort of crossover book as Natasha and Mack were peripheral characters in this author’s Whiskey Creek series. In one of her previous books, she mentioned that she would be wrapping up a thread from that series in this series. I knew she had to be talking about the Cheyenne/Dylan storyline that really upset me and made me seriously dislike the character of Cheyenne. If you’ve read the Whiskey Creek series, the incident happens in Come Home to Me which is book 6 in the series. While that does get addressed in this story, you will not be lost if you haven’t read that book. It’s all explained. I was pleasantly surprised to realize this story was really about Dylan’s brother, Mack. The Dylan/Cheyenne thing does get resolved in this book, but it’s a very small part of the story.
It took me a minute to really remember the characters of Natasha and Mack. After all, I haven’t read a Whiskey Creek book in almost 5 years. Once I remembered them, I was delighted this would be their story. Rest assured, you will in no way be lost if you haven’t read the other books. This story truly can stand alone. Back in the Whiskey River books, Natasha was a teenager whose mom married Mack’s dad. Both parents are drug addicts and terrible people, but Mack and his brother always looked out for Natasha even when though their parent’s relationship didn’t last long. She was hopelessly infatuated in Mack, but he was too old for her at the time.
Natasha and Mack have an undeniable connection. On top of their chemistry, there is also a wonderful bond between Natasha’s son and Mack. Lucas and Mack mesh immediately, which has a lot to do with Mack’s caring, kind, and patient nature. But it could also have to do with biology. Yep, this book has one of my least favorite tropes…the secret baby. There is a bit of a different take on that as Mack knew she was pregnant and had a baby within the timeline of them being intimate. The fact that Mack was so understanding of Natasha’s reasons of keeping things from him really helped me to accept things, too. I won’t spoil anything, but the paternity issue is a big part of the storyline.
I just realized that there isn’t much I can say about this storyline without spoiling one thing or another. What I can tell you is that this story had a ton of emotion. There were butterflies, gut-punches, joy, and sorrow. This one really put me through the paces and I didn’t want to put it down.
This series isn’t always bright and cheery, but there is always a so much love and heart and, of course, an HEA.
4.5 stars
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
Note: I found out after I read this story that there was a novella written to tell the story of how Mack and Natasha reconnected when she came home to visit during college. It’s called Home for the Holidays and is considered book 10.5 in the Whiskey Creek series. It was included in my ARC of When I Found You. It’s too short for me to want to do a full review. I will warn you, if you’re an avid romance reader and looking for an HEA, there is none in that story. When I Found You is their HEA. If you’re a big fan of this couple, or like to fully complete all books in a series, it’s a quick read.
All In Good Time 