This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
About The Book
Take a second chance in Cold Creek with a fan favorite from New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne.
Fifteen years later, Quinn Southerland still hadn’t forgiven Tess Claybourne for treating him like the dirt beneath her boots. But the widowed nurse tending his ailing mother was a world away from the spoiled homecoming queen Quinn had known. Yet she was just as achingly beautiful, still arousing the old bittersweet longing for something he could never have.
Or could he? That fierce attraction still burned between them. This could be their second chance…if they let love lead them where their hearts longed to go….
Originally published in 2009.
My Review
First Impressions
A Cold Creek Homecoming was such a fun surprise for me when I picked this one up. I don’t know why I always hesitate to pick up this author because every time that I read her I am completely blown away by her beautiful stories but this one is one of her older books and was actually part of the Harlequin Silhouette line which is why the audiobook was so short at 5 hours of length. But it was one I could easily listen to in one day. And I truly think this is an author that will charm her readers no matter the length. And the way that this story just worked for me is saying something especially with the trope that we see come into play which I do need to be in the mood for and I went into this book completely blind. But I am happy that I did because Thayne worked her magic with this story and she gave me some delightful sexy surprises that I wasn’t expecting.
Summary
This story starts off with Quinn Southerland who hasn’t forgiven Tess Claybourne for how she treated him in high school. Quinn has returned back home when his foster mother is on her death bed fighting her battle of cancer and she isn’t winning the fight. Quinn isn’t close to ready to saying goodbye to the only mother he has ever known. But when he returns home, one of the nurses taking care of her, is none other than his high school nemesis Tess Claybourne. Tess has regretted many things in her life, but her treatment of Quinn is one the most prominent in her mind. She has had her own share of battles in her life, as her high school sweetheart was in an accident shortly after their marriage and became an invalid and for years she was more of a caregiver than a wife. But now she is ready for a fresh start, but she is determined to make amends with Quinn as he is her biggest regret in her life. There is a rising tension that grows between Quinn and Tess and they both realize that the attraction between them is undeniable and a sweet fast love builds. But Quinn has unresolved issues with his past and seeing his birth parents struggle so much in their marriage and refuses to have that type of life for himself. But his love for Tess will test his resolve and he will need to ask himself if she is worth letting go for his determination to be safe in his relationships….
What I Loved
This book was everything that i needed this week. It was angsty sure but so delightful. I was so invested in their story from the very beginning and I just wanted to see these two work out their issues and get to their happy ever after. RaeAnne Thayne definitely did this book justice. Personally, I really struggle with heroines that are bullies even if it’s in the past. So I didn’t know how I would take this heroine, but you can see how much she has changed over the years and I really wanted to see her find a good life with Quinn. Quinn has his own issues and I really liked how we delve into these unresolved issues of the trauma of seeing his parents fight and how it imprinted on him so much mentally as an adult. I had such fun with Quinn and Tess as a couple though. They really worked for me because I love seeing a pairing where they have a past together and they have to work to get their issues solved and the realism to this story was so real. These characters just come alive so quickly for the reader and I was stunned in seeing how this completely work for me in every way. And also there was a little surprise for me….there is some smexy times in this book. (GASP) I know what a shocker right? Anyone that has read this author will know that she never writes sexy times in her books. She is strictly a closed-door type of author. So yeah I was so surprised by this turn and not that I am complaining at all, because it was done well. But I think the story would have worked just as well without it as well. The way that this author crafted the country-like atmosphere and the tension with the other side characters was delightful. I can’t wait to read their stories because the bond between these found family siblings was so endearing.
What I Struggled With
Well, this definitely wasn’t a five-star read, I think the reasoning for that is it didn’t completely win my heart 100%, I really loved many aspects in this book, but I didn’t see why one of the elements in the ending was placed in the story. It didn’t have to be placed in at all, because it isn’t what delivers the HEA. So I felt like it was just a filler to the end part of the plot.
The Narration
This narrator was such a delight and she was pleasant to listen to she really grabbed my attention from the beginning and definitely a big part of the reason why I enjoyed this one so much.
Overall View
A Cold Creek Homecoming was a heartbreaking romance that just tore through my emotion, cultivated the romantic heart, and brought a smile of joy to the soul.
Book Details
Title:A Cold Creek Homecoming
Author: RaeAnne Thayne
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Audiobook
Source: Hoopla Digital
Length: 5 Hours and 11 Mins
About the Narrators
Vanessa Johansson is a film/theater actress and voice-over artist who graduated from Carnegie Mellon and later trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. An AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator, she has worked on approximately sixty audiobooks. Her training and work as an actress bring a richness to her narration and character work. Vanessa’s pleasant, mid-range voice is very agile, and she has narrated many different genres of audiobooks, including mystery, young adult, romance, memoir, chick-lit, and books for children. A native New Yorker, she lives in Greenwich Village but loves to travel whenever she has the opportunity.
Book Links
Amazon| Barnes & Noble| Kobo| Goodreads| LibraryThing| Storygraph| Literal Club| Audible| Anyplay
Book Evaluation
Storytelling Quality: 4.5
Story Itself: 4.25
Character Development: 4
Writing Style: 4.5
World Building 4
Feels + The Romantic Heart 4
Pacing 4
Plot 4
Narration= 4.5
Cover Art 5
Ending 5
Book Ratings
Rating of the Book
Steam Level
Simmering cup of tea—soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warmin’ by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin’ up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.
Series Order
Cowboys of Cold Creek
Light The Stars-Pub 2006 #1 in the Series
Dancing in the Moonlight-Pub 2006 #2 in the Series
Dalton’s Undoing-Pub 2006 #3 in the Series
The Cowboy’s Christmas Miracle-Pub 2008 #4 in the Series
A Cold Creek Homecoming-Pub 2009 #5 in the Series
A Cold Creek Holiday-Pub 2009 #6 in the series
A Cold Creek Secret-Pub 2010 #7 in the Series
A Cold Creek Baby-Pub 2010 #8 in the Series
Christmas in Cold Creek-Pub 2011 #9 in the Series
A Cold Creek Reunion (Bonus Story included) Pub 2012 #10
A Cold Creek Noel-Pub 2012 #11 in the Series
A Cold Creek Christmas Surprise-Pub 2013 #12 in the Series
The Christmas Ranch-Pub 2014 #13 in the Series
A Cold Creek Christmas Story-Pub 2015 #14 in the Series
The Holiday Gift-Pub 2016 #15 in the Series
About The Author
I’m not one of those people who knew from birth she was destined to become a writer. I always loved to read and throughout my childhood I could usually be found with a book in my hands. To the disgust of my friends, I even enjoyed creative writing assignments that made them all groan. But I had other dreams besides writing. I wanted to be an actress or a teacher or a lawyer.
Life took a different turn for me, though, when my mother made me take a journalism elective in high school (thanks, Mom!). I knew the first day that this was where I belonged.
After I graduated from college in journalism, I took a job at the local daily newspaper and I reveled in the challenge and the diversity of it. One day I could be interviewing the latest country music star, the next day I was writing about local motorcycle gangs or interviewing an award-winning scientist.
Through it all — through the natural progression of my career from reporter to editor — I wrote stories in my head. Not just any stories, either, but romances, the kind of books I have devoured since junior high school, with tales about real people going through the trials and tribulations of life until they find deep and lasting love.
I had no idea how to put these people on paper, but knew I had to try — their stories were too compelling for me to ignore. I sold my first book in 1995 and now, more than 30 books later, I’ve come to love everything about writing, from the click of the computer keys under my fingers to the “that’s-it!” feeling I get when a story is flowing.
I write full-time now (well, as full-time as I can manage juggling my kids!) amid the raw beauty of the northern Utah mountains.
Even though I might not have dreamed of being a writer when I was younger, now I simply can’t imagine my life any other way.
I think I could do okay with her being a past bully since a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then rather than the person just having been a bully. I know what you mean about some peeves being tough to get past so I’m glad this one worked out so wonderfully for you.
I hate when filler stuff doesn’t move the plot along. Glad you enjoyed this one otherwise.
That seems to have been a very good audiobook! And I love second chance romance!
RaeAnne Thayne for the win! 🙂 So happy to see you enjoyed this audiobook! I’ve read several of her Cold Creek stories and love the characters and the small town setting–and her writing in general. A few years after this book she switched to clean romance so it’s always a surprise when I read her older work and there are love scenes. The H/h sound like a good match here and I love that the heroine redeems herself. Great review!