Redemption in a Small Town

by Melinda Curtis

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Fans of Hallmark movies set in small towns with quirky characters will enjoy this best friends to forever love sweet romance.

Nate never wanted to be a dad.

With his job in jeopardy, it couldn’t be a worse time for Sheriff Nate Landry’s past to come back to haunt him. But it would take an army to stop SWAT team leader Julie Smith from staying silent. She wants one thing from the beleaguered lawman: custody of the toddler son that Nate didn’t know he had.

Will he pass the daddy test?

Julie isn’t keen on handing little Duke over, not unless Nate proves he’s daddy material. To make matters worse, Julie throws her hat in the ring as sheriff, leaving Nate to decide if it’s time to retreat…Or to negotiate Julie’s terms to parenthood, law enforcement, and love?

Fans of military, law enforcement and secret baby romances will love this fun, heartwarming romance with a happily ever after.

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Book Details

Genre

Contemporary Romance

Subgenre

Firefighter / Police / First Responder, Small Town

Series

Love in Harmony Valley • Book 12

Audience

Adult

Bell Peppers

🫑

Profanity

1 None

Violence

1 None

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

2 Mild

Publication Date

April 20, 2024

Language Versions

English

Narration Type

Digital

Fiction Form

Novel

Sensitive Themes

Abuse (physical, emotional, or verbal)

Editorial Reviews

"I've had several favorite stories in this series and this one will no doubt be one of them! I loved Sheriff Nate the minute he showed up in Harmony Valley. I knew he would have an interesting backstory and couldn't wait to find out what it was! It took a while to find out what it was, but it was worth the wait!" Amazon Reviewer, 5 Stars

"Redemption in a Small Town is a delightful, funny, inspiring story with a touch of sadness. The characters are engaging, entertaining and easily lovable." Amazon Reviewer, 5 Stars

One of My Favorites in the Series

I've had several favorite stories in this series and this one will no doubt be one of them! I loved Sheriff Nate the minute he showed up in Harmony Valley. I knew he would have an interesting backstory and couldn't wait to find out what it was! It took a while to find out what it was, but it was worth the wait! He's always been a man of quiet strength who helped the community, been gentle with the elderly, always been there whenever anyone needed him and was a gentleman. When he is blindsided during a community meeting by finding out he has a 2-year-old son, Duke, I didn't think I could love the man more! He's never wanted to be a father due to what happened in his past (and it's heartbreaking) but when his ex-fiancée's sister shows up with Duke in tow and springs that surprise on him, he doesn't quite know what to think! Julie is so angry with how Nate left her sister at the altar but she doesn't have all the facts and as she administers the "Daddy Test" to see if Nate should gain custody of Duke, she just might see why her sister thought Nate was worthy of Duke after all. Julie took a long time for me to like. I understood her anger at first but she wouldn't let it go after seeing the kind of man Nate was. I'm glad she stayed in Harmony Valley long enough to let the residents shower her with love! I always visiting that town! Great Story!I received a copy of this book from the author but wasn't obligated to review. These are my thoughts and opinions.

No Mad Words...

I have always liked Nate and his character in this series. However, in this book we find out a lot about his past and it’s not good. I enjoyed Duke when he came onto the scene and definitely felt for Julie with everything, she’s been through not only with her sister but her own issue she’s working through with an injury and also trying to figure out if Nate would be a good dad to Duke. Nate and Julie have a history and past and there is definitely animosity between these two, mostly made up of misunderstandings. I have to admit that I wasn’t a fan of Julie for a lot of this book and then Doris has to be part of making things worse and making Julie second guess her decisions and cloud her thoughts with Doris’s nastiness. Even though Nate and Julie are trying to come together to do the right thing for Nate and there are major trust issues between them, there is also a little something simmering underneath their words - - a little chemistry perhaps. This story is definitely one of the more serious storylines and some of the scenes that I read left me speechless and really feeling for Nate and how he overcame that to be the wonderful person he is today and yes; he does have some ghosts left to overcome. A lot of ups and downs for these two but I’m glad that they were able to have the hard conversation that made Julie re-think what her sister had told her about Nate, and she also learned a lot about him as well through the Daddy Test. The little ones in this story were such a breath of fresh air and I loved how Rutgar and Terrance both played a huge part in this story as well. I loved it toward the end of the book when they are at their final ‘test,’ and they finally come clean with their feelings about each other but forgetting that they are wearing mics, so everyone now knows about their feelings. Still not a fan of Doris and I have a new favorite word which is nach-cream. My favorite line from this book is ‘because even after the hardest fought battles, peace must be made.’ Looking forward to the next book.

Enjoyable addition to the series!

Since I started reading books from this series I have been interested in Nate’s story. It has finally come in this book. I really enjoyed it. It is another secret baby/sibling of one parent plot, which there are already a couple of in the series, but the other circumstances are quite different, so it didn’t feel repetitive. I guess secret babies is one way to repopulate Harmony Valley, lol. Sheriff Nate was settled in his role in the small town. “Policing Harmony Valley wasn’t about controlling crime. It was about keeping the peace. And peace required patience.” Two events shook his quiet life at the same time. A disruptive citizen demanded an election for sheriff, and his former fiancée’s sister (and erstwhile friend) Julie showed up with the toddler son he didn’t know about and spoiling for a fight. “That was Julie’s MO. If she put everyone in the column against her, she didn’t let anyone get close enough to make her weak.”The romance was fraught with emotions from their past and the challenges inherent in an unsettled parenting and custody situation. The characters were engaging. Nate really showed a sweet and caring side. Julie arrived very militant and angry, but gradually softened. “She’d arrived in town with vengeance on her mind, but fear in her heart. She’d always fought for what was right. But she’d lost track of the boundary where right ended and wrong began.” Duke was adorable. I loved his sweet, “No mad words.’”. As is customary in this series, the elderly town residents played a significant role in the story and introduced some fun to the narrative. In this book there were several seniors who had significant roles feeding into the main characters’ story, but no third POV focused on a single senior. To be honest, I find that I prefer this. It was a good read. While this book is part of a long series and there is carryover from the other books, it reads well as a standalone. This is a closed door romance with mild innuendo and no harsh language.I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.