Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Pride and Power
SERIES: Secret Springs (Book 4)
AUTHOR: Minerva Howe
PUBLISHER: Turtlehat Creatives
LENGTH: 288 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 24, 2022
BLURB:
Andrew McGarry has been running the city offices of Secret Springs for a while now, ever since the mayor had to leave town in the midst of a family scandal. He’s known all along that he would have to work with whoever ended up filling the role, but he’s not sure what to do with construction contractor Kynan Tierney.
Kynan hasn’t been back in Secret Springs very long, but he’s used to being a mover and shaker, and with all of his projects in town now, he’s happy to get involved in small town politics. He knows Andrew could be a valuable resource for him if he could just convince the hot single dad to work with him instead of against him. Andrew has been running things so long he doesn’t think the new mayor needs to do more than kiss babies and cut ribbons at openings, while Kynan wants to help Andrew out, both professionally and personally.
When new information comes to light about the old first family of Secret Springs, though, Kynan and Andrew have to work together to keep the whole town from going off the rails. Can these two learn to trust each other both professionally and personally and put their pride aside to make something that lasts?
(please note the cover has changed since initial publication but the content has not)
REVIEW:
I have wondered about Andrew since the very first book. Clear back when Tim and him were so close. Back when Tim finally broke what ever was going on that separated the buddies and asked Andrew to invite Hank too. Back when the Four Musketeers were fractured and apart. Now I can’t imaging their lives not all woven together now and caring for each other so much. And I love that they keep folding more omegas into their close knit group of support.
Andrew McGarry is having a rough time of it. He has no regrets about doing the very expensive IVF to get his baby boy. Troy is his father’s greatest joy. However, paternity leave is up and Andrew has to go resume his roll as City Planner. But doing all this solo has been harder than he thought and he is so damn tired. And he’s thankful that his good buddy, fellow Musketeer Saul, will be watching his precious son. But leaving him and going back to work is hard!!! Now add in that the newly elected mayor, Kynan Tierney has hired his temp permanently as his assistant and completely changed his office! His Office that he had his way and knew where everything was!!! Kynan is a Construction Contractor first and Mayor second. His buddy Jack, along side his other childhood buddy Mark (the chief of police), not only managed to convince him to move back home to Secret Springs. No, they also conned him in to becoming the new mayor. Their friend Andrew had been running Secret Springs as City Planner every since the whole “White’s” debacle! And they were worried about the amazing man that held Secret Springs together with all his planning and organizational wonders. Everyone was worried that adding work back in would be the final straw to topple his cart. When sweet Troy started teething and Andrew finally reached his breaking point, Kynan faked a carbon monoxide scare at City Hall and took him home to care for the exhausted omega so he could finally get a bit of rest. The omega he was starting to have feelings for.
Poor, sweet, caring, man-that-can-do-everything Andrew just thought he had to do it all on his own.
- Mayor ran out of town and he takes over running city hall ✔️
- Can’t find an Alpha to falling love with but want a baby like all your friends have…then skimp on housing and do rounds of IVF ✔️
- Do it all on your own because you don’t want to bother all your buddies who are busy but you’ve been there for them always ✔️
- Literally run yourself to the brink of exhaustion and need an intervention ✔️
I know that Hank was always there for him, and Andrew tried not to overuse him, but I worried about him too. I was so thankful when he finally let Kynan into his and Troy’s life. And that Kynan took charge and got him out of that house. It was unsafe and cold! And Kynan fell so hard for both Andrew and Troy. They were his family and he would make sure they were safe, comfortable and always knowing that they were completely adored and loved.
I have been wondering just how long that the White’s would stay away and if the were lurking around Secret Springs. Mrs. White would not let her controlling that town go on too awfully long I feared. And that fear was proved right. I was so scared for Andrew, Saul and all the kids. But those two omegas were made strong and had proven that they can and will protect what is theirs. I was worried that Mark wouldn’t be able to stop Saul when the attack occurred. Saul was finally getting his long overdue revenge on his rapist. I wasn’t sure that Mark wouldn’t end George White’s life once he got hold of him for what he did to Saul. And Andrew going after the man who had made his life miserable while he was mayor. Thankfully that storyline in these stories should be brought to an end once and for all. Mrs. White, the mean and spiteful old biddy, and her two good-for-nothing sons, are where they deserve to be…off to prison for the rest of their lives! The only good thing out of that is that Stone Bradshaw came to town to escape the White’s and brought the evidence to take them down completely. I see him coming up next and can’t wait for his story.
I have learned now to just expect big chunks of time to glide by when I turn to the next page of these stories. I am seeing that some reference to that move forward has been addressed some and I appreciate that.
I love these stories and that this group of friends is so entrenched with each other and their lives. As I have stated before, it is best to read these stories in the correct reading order (which can be found on Minerva’s website). Each story basically picks up where the last one left off.
RATING: 
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