Maura is still reeling from the death of her daughter in a car accident. Then her college-age daughter comes home, with her father in tow. Jackson never knew his daughter existed - Maura didn't tell him about the pregnancy when he left for college. And now 20 years later, he has a full-grown daughter and still loves Maura as much as ever. ( )

Very good reunion story. Maura is still reeling from the death of her younger daughter in a car accident. She tries to put a good face on things for her friends and family but she isn't really in the mood for the holidays. Her world is rocked even further when her older daughter comes home from college with a visitor - the father she never knew. Maura had never told anyone who he was after he left their town saying he wouldn't be back. She had tried to contact him but he didn't return her calls, so she continued on her own. Maura has built a good life with family and friends and owns her own business. Seeing Jack again has brought back memories, both good and bad. I loved seeing the way that she and Jack were able to deal with each other in a civil manner from the beginning. She was still angry with him for leaving and never contacting her, but she also admitted that there was still an attraction to him. She also has to deal with the idea of Sage getting to know her father, and having to share Sage with him. I liked the way that she was honest enough to admit to herself that she was jealous of Sage's new relationship with her father, fearing that she'll lose her special relationship with her daughter. When an issue comes up with Sage that needs both her parents' support, Maura and Jack have to learn to coexist. What they discover is that their love hadn't really died after all. I loved the fact that they didn't just jump back into an intense relationship but took the time to get to know each other again and make sure that they had something that would work.

Jack couldn't wait to leave Hope's Crossing when he was a teenager. His mother had had mental issues when he was growing up before killing herself, and his father had withdrawn to his business world. When his father basically stole the land Jack had inherited from his mother, Jack had enough and left. He wanted Maura to go with him, but she wasn't ready to leave everything behind. Jack worked hard and became a successful architect, frequently appearing as a guest lecturer at colleges, which was how he met Sage. After discovering their connection he was furious at Maura for cheating him out of all those years of knowing his daughter. As angry as he was, I appreciated the fact that he didn't get vocally mean to her and generally be a jerk. He let her know that he planned to stay around and get to know Sage. It was fun seeing his confusion about staying in Hope's Crossing when he had sworn he would never come back. He couldn't understand why he felt compelled to stay. I loved his growing feelings for Maura and loved it when he told her he wanted to see where their feelings would lead them. I liked the fact that it wasn't an overnight decision but a slow progression. Jack also had to deal with seeing his father again. He still had a lot of anger toward his father and it was very hard to let it go. That resolution wasn't an overnight thing either, which made it much more realistic.

I liked the part that Sage had in this book. Her feelings of betrayal were real when she found out about Jack, but she also still loved her mother and told her so. I wasn't surprised by the problem that she had and found the way it echoed her mother's life pretty ironic. That it did was one of the things that helped Jack and Maura deal with it so well. I thought she showed pretty good maturity in her decision making. I also enjoyed her relationship with her grandfather and the part she played in Jack and Harry's reconciliation. Her emotions over the decisions she had to make at the end of the book were very realistic and I loved the solution that Harry came up with. ( )

Sweet Laurel Falls by RaeAnne Thayne
ISBN: 9780373776702
Maura McKnight-Parker wanted a vacation from Christmas.
She runs a book/coffeehouse and is open to book clubs to meet.
Hope's Crossing is the type of town that belongs in a snowglobe. Everything is in place and it looks so magical especially when it snows.
The straw that broke the camel's back is when her grown daughter, Sage brings her father into the bookstore on the night of the Christmas party. Maura has had a tough year, she buried her younger daughter.
They head to her office and she admits that Jackson Lunge is her bio father. She had tried to contact him when he went away to college. She's not seen him in twenty years and it's been quite a shock to her system.
He's now an architect and he does lectures at college and that's where Sage had a conversation with him.
He now plans to stick around for a few weeks to get to spend time with his daughter as it's the slow time of the year for him. He also sees his father at the bookstore, being mean and rude and when he sees him he becomes ill and falls.
Harry agrees to be attended by EMT's and the hospital. Jackson thinks things would go back to normal if he just left.
They each daydream about their sensual sex life as teens, the places they shared their lifes together.
When a crises hits someone in town the angel of hope pays a call, either by giving them cash or a much needed gift, or food.
The angel is about to be uncovered as Jackson has seen the person in action.
Tempers flare as Sage informs them both she is taking a semester off from college. He has a plan that might work for them all and it's accepted.
It helps them all out but it brings them all closer to one another. He's going to bid on the new town project, open an office in town and Sage can work there til the next semester to even see if she likes that type of career.
Sage is hiding major secrets and her parents both have feelings for one another but won't even 'go there'. They each have enough going on in their lives to not further complicate matters...
There are more turmoils ahead that can ruin many others lifes.
Love the butterfly envelope and the significance...
Love this series and can't wait to read the next one. ( )

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sweet Laurel Falls is the third book in the Hope Crossing series. This book was published by Harlequin and released in September 2012. Maura is trying to live one day to the next the best she can after her youngest daughter is killed in an accident. The holiday season is here and Maura is trying to focus on her book store and not on the first Christmas without her daughter. She is surrounded by her family and friends who are trying to as supportive a possible. But, when her oldest daughter comes home for the holidays with a visitor, Maura's world does another flip. Jack hated his hometown and his father. He left for college and never looked back. What he didn't know was that when he left his girlfriend had been pregnant with his child. Twenty years later he discovers he is a father and is furious that he lost twenty years with his daughter. He comes back to his hometown with his daughter Sage and to confront the mother of his child. Sage, delighted to have found her father, but going through some intense personal challenges has a shocking announcement that will require the help and support of both her parents. This book is more on the Women's fiction side that contemporary romance but works in both categories.
It is a sweet story about second chances and new beginnings and forgiveness. I think all of us have made choices that we thought were right at the time, but later found that we should have done things differently. Maura finally realizes her mistakes and owns up them, while Jack must learn to forgive the wrongs done to him by Maura, the town and his father. The chemistry is still alive between Jack and Maura, though the timing is not the best. Will they be able to let go of past hurts and rebuild a solid relationship? I give this on a B+ Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC. ( )

I think this one is my favorite of the series so far. I really liked the way that Maura's grief was dealt with in this book--both how the author wrote about Maura and the other characters' reactions. It was really well done. Jackson and Maura's courtship was perfect for both where they were in life and their history--I really enjoyed reading it. I was a bit disappointed with Sage's "problem", though--first, it was may to easy to figure out what it was, and second, I wasn't crazy about the person who ended up being the cause of it. It seems to take the whole small-town-everyone-is-connected-somehow bit just a tad too far. The solution at the end of the novel also has me torn--it could be a good idea, or it could cause waaaay to many problems down the road, but either way it deserves more than a minute and a half discussion in a hospital room. Still, I am liking this series quite a bit and anxious to see what will happen next in Hope's Crossing. ( )