I enjoyed this second chance at romance, story. I voluntarily chose to review this and I've given it a 4.5* rating. This is not for the under 18 readers. The hero and heroine both suffered a loss of a spouse through trying circumstances and amid everything, sparks fly. Lots of small town fun and a dog to keep things more upbeat and moving. Had to find out how things turned out. ( )

Barbara Lohr has created a beautifully written and touching story of second chances and coming home to discovery what may have been and could still be.
I have not read very many of Ms. Lhor's books yet every one I have read has touched my heart with smile and broke my heart in some way. Coming Home to You does a little bit of both. Kate left home ten years ago and has returned to take care of her mother. She doesn't expect to reconnect with Cole who is now a single father. I loved his daughter she was just precocious enough to be adorable. While reading I did not want the story to end. I was blessed to receive this book from the author for my honest opinion and will say if you are looking for a story that pulls at your heartstrings and make you smile at the same time, take a look at this book. ( )

Truthfully, I am a hopeless romantic at heart and I can’t help it. While I don’t like hard core romance (I suppose that would be Erotica?) or sappy romance, some romance (Contemporary, Chick Lit, almost any romance with a touch of anything else like thriller, mystery, ect…) actually pulls me in and I enjoy the journey. A family problem brings Kate back to her home town and back to her high school crush.

The writing is incredible and the characters are extraordinarily easy to love! I found Kate, the main character, likable and relate-able due to her dislike of change. As Jodi Picoult, another great author, once said “Change is a funny thing. We never are quite sure what we are becoming or even why. Then one day we look at ourselves and wonder who we are and how we got that way. Only one thing about change remains constant…it is always painful.”

The only downside to this novel was the fact that while there is a build up on conflict with both Mercedes and Kate, there isn’t really a real resolution worked out. It is just an ‘oh I magically forgive you despite everything you have done’ and they move on. I feel that the novel would have been better if that issue had actually be worked out. Other than that Cole, Kate, Prissy and Cole’s precious little girl are adorable and I really wish that I could read more on them and where they go after this. This was my first book by Barbara Lohr and I won it in a giveaway. I couldn’t have been happier! I will be sure to check out her work again in the future.

Kate Kennedy has come home to Gulf Harbor, MI, after ten years away, to help her mother, who has had a stroke. Not much has changed in the town since she left ten years ago, which suits Kate just fine. However, her high school crush, Cole Campbell, has also returned to Gulf Harbor, with all sorts of great ideas to update the town and make it more enticing to visitors who will spend their money there. Kate is not so sure the town should embrace his ideas and jump out there and change things around the town. In addition to being on opposite sides in this issue, like Kate, Cole is immediately attracted to her. Both spend most of the book dancing around this mutual attraction, while going about their business.

This book was an easy, chick lit read, with plenty of romance to go around. The characters all stuck together, helping each other out, knowing each other’s and everyone else’s business, as is the case in most small towns. I enjoyed watching the chemistry and attraction build between the two main characters, Kate and Cole, egged on and pushed a little by everyone else in the town. However, I also enjoyed watching both Kate and Cole, her more so, work their hardest to move their town into the future, each in her/his own way. It was fascinating to watch how Kate changed her mind about the town’s future promise, as it was interesting to watch how Cole and his young daughter both wormed their way into Kate’s and her mother’s hearts, while being pulled into Kate and her family themselves. This is a great story about small town America and what happens when two people come home again after years and careers spent away. It addresses, and does this well, whether one can ever go back home after time away, and whether once can revive friendships and romance that once was a lifeblood. This is a great beach read or a read anyone who enjoys a good romance can curl up with on a lazy afternoon. I received this from Library Thing to read and review. ( )

I really liked this story. Cole and Kate as a couple were adorable and sweet, Prissy was hilarious, and Natalie and Alice (not to mention all the others...) were awesome. The story was sweet and not too sappy, although the end was a little corny. I think the only major thing that I didn't like about this book was the perspective on addiction; I don't agree at all. There was a small inconsistency with one of the mentioned characters, but it didn't detract from the story at all. Regardless, I thought this was a pretty good book and I couldn't put it down.

[Note: received a copy in a LibraryThing Member Giveaway in exchange for an honest review] ( )