The third and–for those who have read the first two–much anticipated installment in the Cambio Springs series from Elizabeth Hunter is now out!
Read on for my review of Allie and Ollie’s story!
Allison Smith is a fox shifter with four kids, two jobs, and a huge pile of debt left by her gambling husband when he disappeared. Luckily for her, she’s got “people”–one of whom is quiet bear shifter Oliver Campbell.
Ollie has been in love with Allie since high school. Now that her husband is gone and Allie is in danger, Ollie’s protective instincts rise to the surface, and claiming Allie is on the forefront of his mind.
“Ollie couldn’t handle being a way station for her. He wasn’t being dramatic. he just knew that he’d break if she tried him on and discarded him because she wasn’t ready. He’d held his peace for fifteen years, and once he had her, he wouldn’t be able to let go.”
Even when his greatest desire is to claim Allie as his own, Ollie hesitates. He knows that once he takes that step he (and certainly his bear) will never be able to go back. And, despite the fact that I often wanted to scream, “Just kiss her already!”, I found Ollie’s reverence for Allie so beautifully touching. His determination to both protect his own heart and make certain that Allie knows her worth are enough to make anyone swoon.
“Something had shifted, and it had a little to do with waking up with the man naked, and a lot to do with him feeding Loralie bites of pancake while she sat on his lap.”
As a mother, I can vouch for this: no matter how much a man can melt your panties with an attractive body and handsome face, that sexiness pales in comparison to the heart-melting experience of watching him care for or play with your children (or his, for that matter). A man who can make you catch your breath when he walks through the room and who can make your stomach flip-flop and heart skip a beat when he interacts with your little people? Well that is the whole damn package.
” ‘The world doesn’t stop so you can get your shit together’, he said. ‘There’s never going to be a perfect time. You grab the time you have, and you make it right.’ “
I think, every now and then, it’s good for us all to have a little carpe diem reminder. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day–the what-ifs, what-shoulds, and vulnerabilities that make reaching for our heart’s desires so very scary. But in the end, it’s nice to be reminded to consider the why-the-hell-nots. To be prompted to “grab the time you have and make it right.”
So, I highly suggest you grab that time right now and get your copy of
Waking Hearts!
You can also check out my review of the book that started it all in Cambio Springs, Shifting Dreams!
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