Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: New Hope

AUTHOR: Annabella Michaels

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 209 pages

RELEASE DATE: October 25, 2021

BLURB:

What do a city cop who’s never been with a man and an out-and-proud, small-town doctor have in common? Besides being single dads, more than they know.

A year after divorcing his wife, Ford Scott leaves his job with the NYPD and moves to a small town in Rhode Island, hoping to get a fresh start for himself and his daughter, Ellie. Having been burned by love in the past, the last thing he expects is to feel so drawn to the sexy doctor in town. Especially when that doctor is a man, awakening desires Ford had long ago pushed aside.

Dr. River Adams is happy with his life. Being the favorite pediatrician in the small town where he lives and a father to his little girl, Hannah, is incredibly fulfilling. Still, he can’t help wishing he had someone to share it all with.

When Ellie and Hannah become friends, the two dads find themselves spending a lot of time together, forging a friendship of their own. But what starts out as nothing more than simple companionship, soon turns into heated looks, lingering touches, and mind-melting sexual tension. The chemistry between them is undeniable, but as they grow closer, Ford begins to worry that one more big change might prove to be too much for Ellie.
Can River convince Ford to trust what is happening between them, allowing new hope to heal Ford and Ellie’s damaged hearts?

REVIEW:

I read this very slowly. One, because I wanted to enjoy each moment in the ten years of these two men’s lives. And two, I waited a long time for this and wanted to make sure I didn’t miss a minute of the amazing story Annabella Michaels wove.

Ford Scott had to make a drastic change. His daughter’s happiness and future depended on it. Surviving the aftermath of Connie just up and walking out on her husband and daughter was just that…surviving! There was no joy and laughter. So he did the only thing he could do. He quit the NYPD, got a new job being a police office in the small coastal town of New Hope, RI, bought them a quaint cottage and moved there all in a few weeks.  Now the hard part…learning how to live again not just survive. When Ellie makes immediate friends with the precocious Hannah things start looking up. When her single dad, Dr. River Adams, and Ford forge a friendship Ford realizes that he made the right move. But when long buried longings start to surface for Ford is making more than a friendship with River the right move?

I loved that the author didn’t have these two men jumping right into a romance and sex. She had them develop a strong friendship that they both knew that they could count on. And then she developed an extended family for Ellie and Ford. Something that had truly been missing in their lives. Both girls became best of friends which was what Ellie needed. And when River and Ford developed their friendship Ellie became happier because she could see that her daddy was finally smiling again.

The day I accidentally met Annabella at GRL in Portsmouth I knew this woman was different and I would like her writing after sitting and talking to her. We bonded over Swapping in the 60’s and I knew she would weave well drawn out stories filled with love and men who respected and loved each other. I found that to be so true. But this sweet story has put her over the top. The way both men were devoted to their daughters and made sure they were always taken care of first, over their own needs and desires, made me fall hard for both. Ford’s journey was especially tough to read and having someone like River he could depend upon and trust spoke miles about what kind of man River was. This will be a go-to story for years to come when I need a faith in humanity book.

I will say that I loved that we not only got the two year epilogue but an eight year one too. I felt like I got the whole story and it felt complete from beginning to end. This story was filled with great characters that rose above and overcame adversity to succeed and flourish. They deserved their Happily Ever After because they truly earned it instead of just expecting it. I can’t recommend this wonderful story enough!

RATING: 

BUY LINK:

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