Finding a family

John Solo does a superb job of showing us these characters' changing feelings about relationships. I love stories about great small towns like Stillwater and I love stories with great teachers as a main character so with this book I get both those things and all the feels between Milo and Ellis. Neither of these two want a new relationship but when Ellis gives Milo a job to help him make ends meet their defenses start to come down and they see what a wonderful family they can make together. Loving this series.

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Single dad/age gap sweetness with small town vibe

Single dad Milo is struggling to make ends meet with a part time supermarket cashier gig, and he crushes on elementary school teacher Ellis whenever he comes into the store. Ellis has been hurt badly, however, and all of his walls are up and fortified. Besides, Milo is way too young for him, he thinks. Isn’t he? When Milo shows up in response to an ad to clean up Ellis’s back yard, all bets are off. The small town vibe and found family in this story (and the series in general) is what sells it for me – the meddling sister, the friends (who happen to be protagonists in the previous books), the larger community of friends and acquaintances, and an adorable baby girl. There are all of the feels here and plenty of steam, with just enough angst to make it a compelling read. Narration by John Solo is perfect for these characters.

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A sweet story

I already liked the first book in the series, but I found this one even better.
Milo is a single father struggling with the adversities of life. He barely makes ends meet with his part-time job and then he has the misfortune of his manager not being very friendly.
Ellis goes shopping at the supermarket where Milo works, and when Milo applies for the weekend job in Ellis's backyard, the restraint is gone.
I like Ana Ashley's writing style. She portrays the small town atmosphere perfectly and I also love how she breathes life and depth into the characters. And all of her characters are special somehow. There are many likeable side characters, like the sister and various friends I already knew from the previous volumes. And you have to love Milo's little girl.
The story is compellingly written, there are plenty of emotions as both Milo and Ellis struggle with their pasts and the walls go up for now.
I found this overly romantic and almost angst free story very sweet.
An easy listening audiobook that was fun to listen to. It's also a good story to listen to as a standalone.

John Solo narrated the audiobook and he did a good job bringing the story to life with its characters. His narration was a good fit for this book.

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1 person found this helpful

Worth The Wait.

MM, Age Gap, Insta attract, Small Town, Contemporary, Romance. Second book in the series but can be listened to as a stand-alone with no loss of enjoyment or understanding. Easy on the ears narration brings the story to life. A great book with great characters, some angst, deaths of MC's family members in the past, a binge listen (who needs sleep?!) Guaranteed HEA.

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Lovely story

I enjoyed this almost as much as the first time when I read it. Milo and Ellis are great together, making a sweet family despite their age gap.
The next book is teased at and I'm looking forward to that.
Stillwater has a similar vibe to Chester Falls, maybe a little more serious with less meddling, but I'm loving it.
The narration was good. I could hear the Boston accent creep in for Ellis

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Fabulous story!

M/M
Age gap
Single dad
Teacher
Slow burn
Work romance

* trigger warning *
character has previously (off page) lost multiple family members to both drugs and suicide and describes the events on page.

Milo is a single father trying to take care of his baby girl full time while working at a grocery store with a toxic boss.

Ellis is a teacher who likes to chat with Milo when he does his shopping. He offers to pay Milo to clean his garden on weekends. He also offers to help tutor Milo as he decides to go back to school to get a better job.

I loved book one but I loved this one even more. Not only did I listen to it all in one listen, I listened to it twice in one week. That's just how wonderful it was. I was drawn in from the start til the end. Both main characters had painful pasts and this was a wonderful mutual hurt/comfort story. Both MCs were loveable. I usually go for the older character but Milo with his baby girl was just so swoony sweet. The 2 men had amazing chemistry and there was no relationship angst. I did find this to be lower heat but I didn't mind. The plot was interesting from start to finish with a little bit of drama in the way of side characters. I absolutely loved what Ellis did for Milo and the very HEA ending. I absolutely recommend reading this. It can be read as a standalone but book 1 was great as well.

John did a great job narrating. He expressed all of the emotions and brought the story to life. He did voices for the side characters that were great. I do wish the 2 MCs voices were more distinct but overall I really enjoyed listening to this.

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Another great listen from Ana Ashley

I do like a book series that makes you feel at home, and Ana Ashley’s books are good for that. Lovely towns and characters that just feel familiar but new.

Milo and Ellis’s story was so sweet. Milo had been through so much, and was determined to survive and push on. Romance and relationships were not even a thought in his mind. Until Ellis that is! I really felt for everything Milo had been through.

And Ellis. He’s been through a lot too and built up walls around him. Until Milo. I love these two characters together. I was really rooting for their HEA.

Narration was on point - as always with John Solo (I’ve never listened to a bad audiobook by him!). Looking forward to more from the series!

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So amazing!

Mr. Solo is in my opinion one of the best voice actors out there, so any book he reads, become an immedite click for me. However, sometimes he reads a book written by a favorite author, so the result is a wonderful treat. This book is the second in the series and it is simply beautiful. Milo is exactly what Ellis needed and viceversa and it was a delight witnessing how they overcame each other insecurities and objections finding a future together. The book is full of sweet moments, a lot of steam and a very entertaining plot and at the end my heart was full of fluff and light because the nice love story. Of course, Mr. Solo's amazing performance just made everything much better. So good!

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Beautifully satisfying shadows-and-light romance!

Milo is a young single dad, raising his dead brother’s baby daughter, Sarah. He struggles with time to make ends meet: working in a grocery store, caring for Sarah, and studying for his GED. He has a soft spot for Ellis, one of his older customers, who is a primary teacher. Ellis also has feelings for Milo but worries that, being around 40, he’s too old. Both men carry sadness from their pasts and it was a joy to watch them slowly bring hope as they help turn each other’s lives around. While this had all the trademark Ana Ashley warmth, it has the most angst of any of her books I’ve read. There are some rich subplots and backstories which made the romance all the sweeter. Master audio narrator John Solo was again perfect for these two sympathetic characters, he can make his voice so tender and gentle. A lovely story!

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Sweet slow burn romance with wonderful narration

Yes for Milo and Ellis being the next in this series to get their HEA. They were hinted at in book one and their story is just as sweet as I'd imagined along with a fair amount of heartbreak in their own personal histories.
Milo is such a strong young man after what he's been through and now doing all he can to provide for his daughter, Sarah. Ellis is drawn to him from when they meet across the checkout but when the chance comes to know him better, he jumps at it. Milo is reticent to take any help but can't stay away from Ellis and it will help him with his money worries.
These two dance around each other for a while and it's fun for everyone around them who can see what's happening but it takes time for Milo to feel confident to take that step and Ellis for being with a younger man and after being burned so bad in his last relationship. Sarah brings all the feels to her scenes and it's lovely how much both men are so taken with her. Theirs is a fairly low angst, slow burn romance but there's some drama going on with the small town. Milo has reservations about this for personal reasons whilst Ellis is keen to jump in and get with the community spirit, something that was a big part of book one too.
Another entertaining read from Ana with a lot going on for the two men, individually and together, and then for the community too. This can be read as a standalone but I always recommend reading in order as you get to know the characters around the small town and in the friendship group. I'm looking forward to who is coming next in the series.
John Solo, as always, lends his voice beautifully to a small town sweet romance. I felt the emotion from both characters throughout and enjoyed how he portrayed everyone from the town.

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