Sandy M’s review of I Want to Hold Your Hand (Green Mountain, Book 2) by Marie Force
Contemporary Romance published by Berkley 3 Jun 14

There’s been only three authors over the years who have brought me to tears with their words. Now there’s four. Marie Force pulled my heart strings in this story until there was nothing left to do but let the teardrops fall.

Hannah has been living with grief for the past seven years, having lost her husband in Afghanistan. Nolan has loved Hannah for five of those seven years. They recently shared a dance and a kiss, giving him hope she’s ready to move on – with him. I love this man. He’s caring and gentle with Hannah, knowing he can’t move too fast or he’ll lose her. He’s always been there when she needs him, and actually seeing him taking care of everything when the moment calls for it is your first clue he’s a keeper.

And that’s cemented in one of the first scenes is the of my tearful stages during this story. Hannah has come home to ready herself for her first date with Nolan. What she finds is a very sick Homer, her husband’s – and now her – best and loyal friend. As much as I want and like emotional connection between characters, especially that which causes me to cry, I’m a sucker for animals and their unconditional love for the main characters. Homer has been a faithful friend for years, especially loyal to Caleb, Hannah’s deceased husband. So these pages dedicated to this loving dog’s last moments are heartfelt and emotional to the core. Nolan is there to do everything necessary to ease Hannah’s grief at the loss of another connection to her husband and his best friend.

This is also a scene that furthers their new-found feelings, of course. Nolan is solid as the day is long, aside from being sexy and just alpha enough to make a woman want more of him. And Hannah is beginning to see that quite clearly. She’s finally ready to get on with her life and live. I really like the snippets of her diary we get at the beginning of every chapter, giving us a look at the relationship between Hannah and Caleb from their early years on. Since this is my first book in the series, I don’t know how much Caleb and Hannah are around in the first one, so it’s nice to get a feel for them in this way. Both Nolan and Hannah have to deal with their own thoughts and feelings about Caleb, as well as what her parents and Caleb’s, the townsfolk, and Caleb’s Sultans might think about their getting together.

I also really like the sense of family. The Abbotts, Hannah’s family, are one of those big, boisterous, and fun families. Her siblings are there when she needs them and even when she doesn’t. But they’re loving as well as teasing and I enjoyed them a lot. Then there’s Nolan and his father. A bad situation. You can understand why he gravitated to the Abbott household so much over the years. Caleb’s parents are also a big part of the story because they’re still a big part of Hannah’s life. Caleb was an only child, so Hannah is the daughter they never had. I guess what I like most about all of these people is they’re not judgmental, they have huge hearts, they face their mistakes, and they love for all they’re worth. I’m glad there’s so many of them, because I know Ms. Force will give readers wonderful stories for each and every one.

I’ve read only a few of this author’s books over the last several years. Not for lack of wanting to read more. Like most of you, I have books stacked everywhere and some that I really want to dig into have a way of getting lost in the frequent shuffling that goes on in those stacks. So I’ve made a pact with myself to try to keep all Marie Force booka out of those stacks by reading them as soon as I get my hands on them. That’s a lot of good times ahead and I’m looking forward to them all.

Grade: A

See Veena’s review here.

Summary:

For the Abbott siblings, the Green Mountain state has always been an idyllic place to call home. But it isn’t until they open themselves up to love that they’ll truly discover how fulfilling life can be….

Almost seven years after losing her husband in Iraq, Hannah Abbott Guthrie isn’t sure she’s ready—or able—to move on, but the attentions of a lifelong friend are making her think about it for the first time. The memory of the sweet kiss she shared with Nolan Roberts hasn’t strayed far from her thoughts, but she also fears that pursuing something with him would mean betraying her husband’s memory.

Nolan has loved Hannah for years, but he’d been giving her the space she needed to heal from her devastating loss. Now, when an opportunity arises to show her how he feels, Nolan can’t resist, but he knows earning her love will take more than a kiss. Somehow he has to prove to Hannah that finding love twice in a lifetime is possible—and well worth risking her heart.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: