Sandra's Book Club

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Susan Bagby will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Willow Barton’s life crumbles at her husband’s arrest for fraud, forcing her to return to her Ohio hometown to rebuild. Running a small bookstore and helping her best friend care for her ailing father offers solace—until Zachary Hayes, her best friend’s brother and a charming country music star, shows up. Struggling to revive his career and reconnect with his estranged father, Zach sparks an undeniable yet unwelcome chemistry with Willow. As her estranged husband seeks forgiveness, and Zach battles his own demons, Willow must confront her painful past and decide if she’s willing to risk her heart again. Caught between heartbreak and hope, can they overcome their fears and build a future together?

Read an Excerpt

He browsed the shelves, stopping in front of a framed photograph on the wall of a close-up picture of a couple, sitting in a park somewhere in New York City. The woman was laughing, and the man held her outstretched hand. “The carefree expressions on their faces strike me with a feeling of wistfulness. Not an easy emotion to capture in an image. Who did this?” Zach pointed to the picture.

“I did.” Willow felt warmth spreading across her cheeks. Oh, God. I’m blushing.

“You’ve got talent—another surprising quality you possess. And this one?” He indicated another photo on the opposite wall.

“Yes.” She chewed on the end of her pen, watching him.

“Why aren’t you pursuing this as a career?”

She lowered her pen. “I’ve always wanted to, but life got in the way.” She was determined to stay tight-lipped about her endeavors in New York and failed career as a fine arts photographer.

“Don’t let adverse circumstances prevent you from following your dreams, Willow. No matter what happens externally, don’t lose touch with your inner calling.” He lifted the photo and placed it by the cash register. “I want to buy this, please.”

Willow observed his facial expression, which bordered on flirtatious. “You don’t have to. Please don’t feel you need to buy one because we know each other. I won’t be offended.”

“You see, your problem is you don’t believe in yourself. I want this because the photo is an exquisite piece of art. I have a perfect place for it in my house. Don’t argue.” He grinned and eyed her with both hands on his hips, then slapped his credit card onto the counter.

***

Review: Willow was a soon-to-be divorced woman starting over in her hometown in Cedar Hill. Zach was a country music star who ain’t had a hit song in years and was asked to come back home to help his ailing father.

Growing up together, Willow always fantasized about Zach, her best friend’s older brother who never even looked at her once. One look at her now and Zach realized that Willow was no longer the shy and nerdy kid. There was no doubt that Willow was still attracted to Zach, who only got more handsome as an adult, but could she risk getting hurt again?

This was a sweet and easy read to get into. You admire both of these characters for chasing their dreams (Zach in music and Willow in photography.) I liked how they started off with an easy camaraderie of friendship and companionship. It was hard not to fall for Zach’s good country-star looks, swoony voice, easy charm, and gallant chivalry. No doubt Willow was falling for this man. But it could never work out as he led a star-studded lifestyle and could never commit to one woman.

Story was kind of long, but it was a nice journey of personal growth, resilience, and love. Boy, Zach and Willow do waste a lot of time dilly-dallying around this thing. Kinda wished they would’ve gotten to it already. The pace was very slow. But it was really nice.

Ultimately, this was a story about strength and love. A nice, sweet read!

Rating: 4 stars

About the Author:

Susan is a retired speech and language pathologist and full-time writer of romance books. She has three novels published with independent presses and her newest release is slotted for February 2026 with The Wild Rose Press entitled, Forever Kind of Love. In addition to being a Maggie Award finalist, Sweet Ridge Hearts, her last book, was also a Literary Titan gold award winner. She lives in Ohio where she relishes the four seasons, (well, maybe not winter), and loves yoga, jazz, golf and walking anywhere outdoors. Susan belongs to the Great Lakes Fiction Writers organization and to Romance Writers of America (RWA). She loves seeing new characters come to life and is a firm believer that dreams do come true.

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A young woman gets giddy when she meets a new guy, who seemed to be great. But he wasn’t. Jealousy shows, then neediness, and finally obsession. It’s when Amy tries to break up with Mark is when it starts to get scary. Never leave me…or I’ll kill you. Yikes!

This was a good, scary read. Story mostly details Amy’s fear and paranoia in a diary entry format. Thing is that Mark doesn’t really hurt her physically; he hurts her emotionally by ruining her life with fake videos and images.

Friendless, jobless, and now under arrest. Wow, that’s very thorough. What else could he do? The worst part was when she becomes his property and starts inflicting physical pain on her. What a sick bastard! I was interested in seeing how this would end for Amy.

A good read!

Rating: 4 stars