Lydia Michaels continues to blow me away with another wonderfully heartfelt novel set in her McCullough Mountain series. The story not only grabbed my attention and captivated it the entire book, but it tugged on my heartstrings the entire time. The characters are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with, they are easy to care about too. Mallory Fenton was unhappy with herself and her life in Philly behind and moved to Center County to start over again, with plans of returning to Philly in a year as a new and improved person. She started a new workout regime that included jogging and new to the area she had not realized she ran onto private property, the McCullough’s property. Finnegan McCullough was riding on the mountain road when his tire blows out, while outside his vehicle he heard strange noises and went to investigate them only to be slammed by another person. Mallory has some serious self-esteem issues, and it is one of the reasons why she struggles to trust people, terrible experiences with people did not help matters. She has a habit of overthinking and questioning everyone’s motives and how they see her in their own eyes. Her way of thinking is a perfect example of how a person can be their own worst enemy and I think almost everyone has been in her shoes at some time in their life. I just adored Finn, he has a heart of gold and is a genuine people pleaser. He has been with his girlfriend, off and on, for ten years but even he knew he was with her more out of habit and then of love but he finally opens up with eyes and sees Erin for who she really is and she is not a very nice person. Mallory and Finn become good friends and their feelings start to more into something more, but Mallory is afraid, afraid to lose their friendship, afraid Finn would go back to Erin because she was not good enough. I loved how everything played out in this book, it is a beautifully written and plotted story with plenty of drama, angst, heartfelt emotions and some hot romance. Lydia Michaels thank you for another wonderful story and emotional rollercoaster ride.
🎧📚🎧 And for the wonderful narration, Amber Battaglia continues to deliver an outstanding performance, bringing these characters and their story to life. She has a complete understanding of the characters she is portraying, giving each a voice that suits that character’s persona and is believable in every role she plays. Her take on Mallory was spot on, she grasped her insecurities and convictions as well as all her emotions and had you feeling every single one and she did the same for Finn. She was great at performing the roles of all the secondary characters, too. Amber Battaglia is a versatile voice artist and an entertaining storyteller. Thank you for another fabulous listen.