Re-read 05/2022

Thus concludes my re-read of The Walshes (not counting the novellas this time around).

When I first read this series, Riley's book was my favorite and upon re-read that still stands. What an adorable, goofball, sexy, hot mess of a man. He is deeper than his appearance and more mature and sensitive to his surroundings than his siblings give him credit for. There is angst and a bit of EEEK! nervousness activated when the book starts but STAY WITH ME it is worth it get let that eeek-ness unfold >>>>> The book begins with Riley having a sex dream about Lauren, who he has been in love with since first meeting her. This became known in the last book and is explored more in this book. FYI Riley never acts out on this longing for Lauren so do not fret too much. I think this longing makes sense and contextualizes Riley's depth and shows us how emotionally intelligent he really is. . . something he is never really given credit for Alex, Riley's love interest, is a doctor who is still recovering from a break-up that messed up not only her personal life, but her professional one as well. The good doctor, Nick Acevedo, gets Riley and Alex together so they can fake date their way out of the rut they're both in.

This was such a rewarding re-read.

CW: the Walsh family has a history of mental, physical abuse (and SA) from their deceased father. They also watched their mother die. Each sibling has their own way of living with that trauma so please take care of yourself! ( )

Sincerely, this IS my favorite book of the series. Not because it was the last one. Not because I fell deeper in love with Kate Canterbary’s storytelling. Nope, it’s because she saved the most complicated and emotional story for The End .

Riley is the goofy younger brother. The light in the dark moments. The eye roll when serious words are said. Consistently the Lou Costello to the entire family of Bud Abbotts. But lingering in the background, the reader knows there is more to RISD than unzipped flies and coffee stains. Ms. Canterbary does more than deliver. This is the PERFECT story delivery that you didn’t even know you wanted. You’ll have eye opening experiences with flashbacks to the previous POVs with delightful clarity.

And I haven’t mentioned the heroine. Let’s just say, you know it would take someone special. Someone who could meet Batman every step into a Happily Ever After. She is definitely found in this story.

Let me end with if you’ve read every single review for the Walsh series I’ve written, I saw repeatedly I’ve stated to read in order and read them all. To truly appreciate Riley’s story it is imperative this happens. Otherwise you are short changing yourself. If I could give this book 10 stars I would. It was every emotion laced together. Often readers are sad to see a series end, but what I send off Ms. Canterbary gave us. 5 out of 5 stars. ( )

I started this journey with Matt and Lauren. I fell in love with it. This band of seven had been through hell in their childhood and yet still managed to create a bond. The family meetings were some of my favorite parts of the series. There were so many moments of levity or pranks that I was sucked in and found myself laughing out loud. As Riley said about his sister, Shannon, "She was pregnant with baby number two and liable to turn into a fire-breathing honey badger when hungry." This was even funnier to me because I had been there since the beginning and I knew about her being Black Widow and how much she had transformed. How all of them had transformed, especially Riley.

Riley from day one had something special about him. In each book of the series he continued to grow on me. I loved that he was a comic book nerd that helped create names for his siblings. I loved that he never zipped his pants. I loved that he was clutzy. I also loved that he was a dirty talking man whether in his head or out-loud.

"Alex's ass was meant to be squeezed, spanked, licked, bitten. Fucked. That I'd managed to speak to a white-haired lady who seemed irrationally protective of her gin and tonic while touching that ass was proof of the higher powers."

My love for him continued to grow when I got to see images of inspiration from the author on her Instagram account. (IF you don't follow her DO IT. You can thank me later) Some of these images were to die for especially if you have followed this series from the beginning. If you haven't get ON it.

Alex, Alexandra, Aly, Honeybee, Shortstop. All of these names describe her so very well. She is a renowned Doctor. A success in her own right, but still felt like she wasn't good enough for a plethora of reasons. Yet, these two people were perfect for each other. She was snarky. He was sarcastic. Together they were everything. AND they were HOT--like combustible hot together.

This will be a series that I definitely reread when I get in a book funk. It is a series that will live on in my heart for years to come. I became invested and for a short while these characters became my family and friends. They helped me remember the power of imagination.

I look forward to this authors future projects as I am sure she will make me fall in love with them just as I did with the Walsh family. ( )