Leave Him Loved by Harloe Rae

A cute small town, slow burn romance...but I was left a bit disappointed

If you're really attracted to someone, you can never just be friends.  I mean, you can tell yourself you're just friends until you are blue in the face, but if you keep seeing each other, and keep flirting, and enjoying witty back and forth banter, something's gotta give.  For Audria and Reeve in Leave Him Loved, they were so busy insisting that they could never be more than just friends, that they ended up wasting a bunch of time that could have been better spent...

First, let me say that I enjoyed Harloe Rae's new book, Leave Him Loved. But as a true romantic, I don't really get the whole denying your true feelings and just staying friends thing.  I've always thought that if you have a true connection with someone, you should pursue it, no matter what (assuming you're both single and free to do that - let's not open up that can of worms).  I do get that in some instances, characters have been hurt in the past and that stops them from taking what they see as a risk.  But when there is really nothing standing in their way, I tend to get a bit annoyed when they are reluctant to make a move.  

​In this new contemporary small town romance, Audria is a new college graduate and she reluctantly takes a job in the small farming town of Bampton Valley as their new elementary school teacher.  She has a contract for one year and she intends to leave and get back to civilization as soon as her year is up.  For this reason she is not looking to make any commitments with any guys she might have a major connection with. She meets Reeve on day one and their chemistry is instant and intense, but they make the decision to just stay friends - to avoid any messy and awkward fall out.  Each time they run into each other they flirt and tease, and they have the town's rumour mill working over time.  But they still insist that they are just friends.  This is what frustrated me a bit.  For Audria, the only thing holding her back was the timeline she had placed on herself - the one that said she had to leave town after one year.  She didn't leave herself open to opportunities even when they were staring her in the face.  I'm going to chalk that up to her being young and thinking she has all the time in the world to fall in love and settle down.  If she had been in her 30s, she would have taken one look at Reeve and grabbed hold for dear life.  But I get, that's not the story here.

I liked Reeve as a character - he is smart, sexy, he cares for his family, and maybe I have a thing for the farmer type.  I just didn't form a connection with Audria - mainly for the reasons listed above.  This does not mean that I wasn't rooting for their romance, I just didn't think it needed to be such a long-in-coming burden that they made it out to be.  So I liked this book but I couldn't love it - and I'm a bit disappointed by that.  Still, that doesn't mean I will write off this author as there was definitely enough to enjoy in Leave Him Loved to make me try her books again.

Thank you to the author and to CandiKanePR for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.  ​  

LEAVE HIM LOVED by Harloe Rae
Release date: February 25th


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✔️ Small town romance 
✔️ An adorable meet-cute
✔️ City girl way out of her comfort zone
✔️ Country guy all too willing to lend a hand 
✔️ Heaps of laughs and feel-good moments, featuring plenty of punny humor
✔️ ALL. THE. SWOON.
✔️ TOTAL standalone



AVAILABLE NOW!!
FREE in Kindle Unlimited! 
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2ZKBmc8
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3bN0WD1
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3dC0Wbr
Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2Nxr9gA

Blurb:
I’m a city girl—born and raised.
My plans for the future include a towering high-rise that overlooks the hustle and bustle.
Living in farm country? That possibility never had a place on my bucket list.

Until now.

Enter Reeve Colton—local bachelor and shameless flirt.
Bumping into him on my introductory stroll down Main Street is a delicious housewarming treat.
The small-town charm of Bampton Valley begins sinking in that afternoon.
Maybe this temporary relocation is a blessing in disguise.

It turns out Reeve and I have more in common than our mutual appreciation for good barbecue.
Don’t even get me started on his magnetic personality and ridiculous good looks.
Striking a bargain with him is a no-brainer.

What starts as a bit of fun becomes complicated in a hurry.
But that won’t change the inevitable.
When my contract is done, I’ll be leaving him—and Bampton Valley—behind.
 
About the Author:
Harloe Rae is a USA Today & Amazon Top 10 best-selling author. Her passion for writing and reading has taken on a whole new meaning. Each day is an unforgettable adventure.
 
She’s a Minnesota gal with a serious addiction to romance. There’s nothing quite like an epic happily ever after. When she’s not buried in the writing cave, Harloe can be found hanging with her hubby and son. If the weather permits, she loves being lakeside or out in the country with her horses.
 
Harloe is the author of the Reclusive series, Watch Me Follow, the #BitterSweetHeat series, Ask Me Why, the Silo Springs series, and Left For Wild. These titles are available on Amazon.
  
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