Nearest Thing to Heaven by Lynnette Austin

Sophie London hates Texas. The longhorns freak her out and the wide-open spaces are more unnerving than a Chicago alleyway at night. But Sophie wouldn't miss her cousin's wedding for the world-even if it means returning to Maverick Junction . . . and to the dangerously irresistible Ty Rawlins.

 

 A single father of rambunctious triplet boys, Ty knows trouble when he sees it-and Sophie's got it written all over her. Yet he's never been able to stop thinking about her, even after their one brief meeting. Maybe fate is giving him a second chance. But if Ty wants Sophie to swap her stilettos for cowgirl boots, they'll each have to face the past-together.

 

Series: Maverick Junction #2 | Publisher: Forever |Genre: Contemporary Romance| Source: Publisher | Rating: 5 Cups

This book was my first 5-cup read in a long time and here’s why.

 

Meet Ty and Sophie. He’s a widower raising triplet boys on his own. He’s a good father but he’s a broken man and he’s holding on to a lot of hurt and anger that he can’t figure out how to let go of. She’s a city girl who owns her own greeting card company. There’s a touch of whimsy to Sophie, which Ty and his sons need in their life. Although there’s also something in her past that’s causing problems for her future.

 

I really liked Sophie and I could relate to her. She believes in the power of crystals and fairies, not in the totally out there in left field way but more in the whimsical way. She’s an artist and it was fun watching the way she incorporated different parts of herself into her work. She’s also a city girl so watching her figure out life in Texas was interesting.

 

I really wanted to wrap Ty in my arms and never let him go. He was damaged, wounded, and holding on to so much hurt and anger but he didn’t want pity. He knew that Sophie sparked something inside him, but he had a hard time figuring out how to handle these new feelings. Although, no matter what happened, his boys came first.

Ty and Sophie were so good for each other. They were both a little stubborn and neither really wanted to face the past but they pushed each other forward and helped each other heal and face what they needed to in order to move forward.

 

They had so much chemistry it was bubbling off the pages. The romance took a bit longer to figure out and I liked that. Ty’s still working through some things so he makes a few blunders along way but he was man enough to own up to them. Sophie had something that she needed to deal with as well, and I’m normally not a fan of people keeping secrets, Sophie keeping this one actually made sense to me.

 

Romances with kids can be tricky to pull off but I found the ‘triple threat’ as Sophie called the boys to add to the story. They were darling boys in need of a mother and it was fun watching Sophie learn how to tell the identical boys apart and really showed that she was growing closer to them. And they added a bit of comic relief when things because a bit too much.

 

This was the second book in the Maverick Junction series but it read brilliantly as a standalone. Sure, I want to go back and read book one, but it wasn’t a necessary read to understand this book.

 

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. Everything in it worked and I the characters truly stood out. 

   

Maverick Junction Series

1-Somebody Like You

2-Nearest Thing to Heaven

3-Can't Stop Lovin' You