5.0 out of 5 Finding Her Way to Hope by Ruth Taylor is a great read if you like your romance books with an interesting storyline then you will want to give this a read. It is well written and the characters feel true to life. Five stars!
Lucy Winters is stuck in a stuck in her job at her uncle's motel, and stuck in Hope. With a series of failed relationships behind her, Lucy has given up kissing frogs and dreams of escaping the town where everyone knows everyone. Sheriff Frank Blade is what Lucy's uncle calls 'a man's man' - small on words, and big on action. The sheriff is one hot guy. It's a shame most of his actions seem to be aimed at getting Lucy's back up. When Sally Meadows, a guest from England, arrives at the motel, Lucy begins to see possibilities of escape. But when the sheriff discovers her plans, suddenly he has something to say... Will Lucy escape Hope? Or will she find what she's seeking right in front of her?
Finding Her Way To Hope is a romantic, funny and emotional story of finding yourself, finding friendship, kissing a few frogs to find Mr Right, and trying to have some fun along the way. This is Book 2 in the Hope series and can be read as a standalone, but we recommend reading Sally's Hope (Book 1) first.
Lucy's mother had kept her safe from her abusive father. But after her mother passed away unexpectedly, Lucy finds herself under the care of her uncle Buck.
It was hilarious to read Buck's experience with the three girls for the sleepover and how Buck and Lucy become a loving family.
After she grows up,and her problems in her college, she comes back to town. There she helps her uncle in running the hotel and that is when she comes in the path of a dangerous man in a biker's gang. But is he the man she is waiting for?
Her friend from London - Sally comes back to the town of Hope and she is trying to forget her past. Then comes the horrific accident which changes Lucy's perspective of things.
Through the guests in her hotels and through the motorcycle gang, Lucy finally meets the sheriff of the town. BUt is he the one that Lucy is looking for?
There were plenty of characters in the book who were unpredictable and kept the book interesting throughout.
Lucy's feelings as she is trying to cope up living in a small town, and finding true love were very well brought out.
I loved this. I only wish there was more. Frank and Lucy’s connection was clear from the beginning, only she didn’t see it. The characters were great but I must say Buck pulled at my heart strings. He reminded me of a character from one of the tv shows I used to love watching. That sweet, yet stand-offish man who would do anything for those he cares about. I don’t want want to give away the story so I’ll just say that I look forward to more from this author.
‘Finding Her Way to Hope," is a great sequel to "Sally’s Hope," . I have enjoyed both books equally. Once again, we are taken back into the charming, yet often confining world of small-town life. This heartwarming romance centers around Lucy Winters, a spirited protagonist who feels stifled by the limitations of her surroundings. Lucy's yearning for escape is palpable, and her internal struggle resonates with anyone who has ever felt trapped by their circumstances.
The story takes an intriguing turn when Lucy’s ambitions collide with the presence of Sheriff Frank Blade, a character whose strong and silent demeanor adds layers of complexity to the story. Their unexpected connection serves as the catalyst for Lucy's journey of self-discovery. As Lucy grapples with her dreams, she also learns to navigate the intricacies of love and friendship, which are beautifully woven into the fabric of the plot.
"Finding Her Way to Hope" is a delightful blend of romance, humor, and emotional depth, making it an enchanting read for fans of small-town stories. It’s a celebration of love’s surprises and the importance of staying true to oneself in the face of life’s challenges. Whether you’re already a fan of the series or new to Lucy's journey, this charming tale is sure to leave you feeling uplifted and hopeful.
This is a romance where it is not completely obvious without reading the author’s book blurb who the small-town girl, Lucy, will couple up with by the end of the book.
We start Lucy’s journey as an abused child who, after the death of her parents, ends up under the care of her uncle.
As an adult, Lucy’s first venture out on her own fails spectacularly and forces her to return home to work with her uncle. She also struggles to find love, and the descriptive, disappointing interludes with men who seem clueless about successfully navigating a woman’s body are humourous and completely relatable.
I enjoyed Lucy’s frequent journeys escaping into her own head as the significant men in her life treated her like an overgrown child in desperate need of their protection. It would make any girl want to run away to another country.
Not a conventional love story where the love interests seem joined at the hip throughout the book. It’s more about one woman’s journey to reclaim her independence and find love.
This book is a second in series, and after reading the first one, I was looking forward to this. I wasn’t disappointed. I expected more of Sally—but met Lucy, a charming side-step from book one.
Lucy goes to live with her uncle after tragedy strikes. Uncle Buck is a blokie-bloke. He hunts and fishes and doesn’t know the first thing about bringing up a little girl. The narrative has authenticity, pulling you into their struggle to adapt. Incidentally, I had a horrible feeling it was going to go a certain way and was so, so pleased when it didn’t.
I was sorry when Lucy grew up and started dating, I loved living her childhood with her and Uncle Buck and wanted the whole book to continue like that. But grow up she did, and that girl was ready to strike out. The characters struggled but Lucy’s resilience is inspiring. The story is poignant, reflecting the love and strength found in vulnerability.
The writing paints vivid settings of country life and I enjoyed reading its authenticity. The story's pacing gives us the organic unfolding of self-discovery as Lucy grows up and makes her mistakes along the way. We’ve all fallen for that wrong`un a time or two. It’s a gentle, love story with some bumps along the way and I’m already anticipating book 3 and more of Sherrif Blade. He knows how to fill a pair of jeans.
A brilliant and convincing love story of a child growing up after changes and finding her place as a woman.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one! The story revolves around Lucy in the small town of Hope. Growing up was hard and difficult with an abusive father but when she finds herself an orphan, her uncle Buck has the awkward task of raising her and isn't sure how to do it. Lucy finds herself in many strange situations that her own nativity keeps her from seeing herself as others have for years. Her love life is plagued with some unscrupulous men to the point that she wants nothing to do with them as she works with an older artist as an assistant. Unknown to Lucy, she's being shielded by not only her uncle, but Frank the local sheriff and is completely clueless that he has feelings for her. Will their relationship blossom or will Lucy never see what everyone else in the small town of Hope already knows? Read the book and find out for yourself! I highly recommend this one!
Lucy had a tumultuous childhood where she witnesses her dad abusing her mum and then shortly after he dies and then only months later her mum passes away as well so she is brought up by her uncle. As an adult she has a string of failed relationships until she starts seeing the local sheriff. At first he is a bit standoffish with her but by the end they have warmed up together and don’t want to give any spoilers away but they end up travelling to a foreign country to get away from the gossips of small town Hope to see if their relationship works. I enjoyed reading this. The first part where she is a little girl is heart wrenching as she has to deal with the deaths of both parents at such a young age. As an adult the sex scenes are steamy and the writing is fast paced.
Lucy had a tumultuous childhood where she witnesses her dad abusing her mum and then shortly after he dies and then only months later her mum passes away as well so she is brought up by her uncle. As an adult she has a string of failed relationships until she starts seeing the local sheriff. At first he is a bit standoffish with her but by the end they have warmed up together and don’t want to give any spoilers away but they end up travelling to a foreign country to get away from the gossips of small town Hope to see if their relationship works. I enjoyed reading this. The first part where she is a little girl is heart wrenching as she has to deal with the deaths of both parents at such a young age. As an adult the sex scenes are steamy and the writing is fast paced.
Buck had changed his life completely in order to bring up his sisters little girl, when she sadly passed away. Lucy has a great early life but as she gets older, life and relationships experiences are mixed. She has to fight through a few frogs to find her Prince charming. This is the first book I've read in this series and therefore not in order. However, i found it easy to read and follow the story without a problem. Beautifully written story about the ups and downs of Lucy's life and how she overcome the loss of both parents. Well paced, plenty of things happening that keeps your interest and turning those pages. Will definitely read more from this series. Really enjoyed.
This is the second book in this series and I would recommend reading book 1 before beginning book 2. In this book we get to learn about Lucy’s backstory and we see a different perspective of many events that happened in book 1, and we get answers to some questions too. The book is split into three parts, and in the final part of the book we see the romance between Lucy and Frank. I’m not sure if Frank is a good guy. I don’t know if we are meant to feel this way about him, or if we are meant to be rooting for him and I’ve just misunderstood the character, but he comes across as creepy and stalkerish to me. If I was Lucy I’d be avoiding someone that controlling like the plague! Time will tell when I read on to the next book!
A nice cosy romance begins with childhood trauma and traces the heroine’s search for herself. Lucy lives in a small town and yearns for more. She’s not perfect, which makes her endearing, overly trusting, and is feisty, but even so, not sure of herself. As the first book in a series, it makes for a compelling read and leaves you wanting to know more about what will happen next. I liked the quick pace of the novel, and it is an easy read. There are some interesting character studies that I also enjoyed (apart from the main ones, Lucy and her uncle) and I was looking forward to when a new one was introduced. Well written and entertaining, it’s well worth a read.
This was a great story of a young woman trying to find her place in the world after a life of childhood trauma. This story is so relatable as it shows the outcomes of relationship hiccups and traveling outside of comfort zones. The main character, Lucy, had done some self exploring in the career and independence departments, but was kind of clueless in regard to her love life. Living in the small town of Hope it seemed that everyone knew the answers to Lucy's life dilemmas. I loved how the story ends as Lucy dared to take new chances in her life.
The book is written in a slow rhythmic way that suits the story so well. As does the title of the book. It is well set out and we feel deeply for the two main characters – Lucy and her uncle. They both had issues in the past and the way they come to care for each other is touching. At times, some of the choices and things Lucy did had me shouting out loud at her. A good sign, as I was really involved in the story, but I would have loved to have had a bit more of her relationship with Frank. The ending is left on a cliffhanger – will have to wait for the next book!
Enjoyable read The story pulls at your heartstrings at the beginning as it is told by Lucy a small girl who loses both her parents and goes to live with her adorable uncle Buck. Then we’re taking on Lucy’s journey as she searches for herself with one failed relationship after another only to find the man that drives her mad, is the one she’s been searching for all along. A quick an easy read with some lovable, interesting characters. Well written. Looking forward to more from Lucy and Frank (Sheriff). Well worth a read.
Dreadful. Shallow irritating characters. A cast of what felt like a 1000 very few of them with anything to add to the story. I don’t expect much with this type of book but I swear it was written by AI. Expected warm gentle humour but there was none. Full of judgemental people and certainly not representative of small town living. I never write reviews but was so awful I was driven to. The ‘heroine’ was a pathetic specimen and nothing about her was likeable.
This is not normally the type of books I read. This story starts off with Lucy’s traumatic childhood and some dysfunctional relationships she has an adult. I do like the bond that Uncle Buck and her share. I would have preferred to see more of a love story with the raunchy sex scene. The story ends sort of with a cliff hanger, with the sheriff and Lucy traveling to England together, it appears they will become an item.
In Finding her way to home, Lucy faces loss, disappointment, and failed fantasy. Taken in by her lovable uncle Buck at a young age, he quickly captures the reader’s heart. I found myself wanting to yell at Lucy to open her eyes and see what was right in front of her, pulling me into the story. Sweet yet sexy romance that does not disappoint.
I didn't read book 1 in the series, but book 2 was very entertaining as a standalone. The main characters of uncle Buck, who raised his young Niece after after her parents were killed was enjoyable to read as Lucy, the Niece, grew up to find her own way to happiness and love. I wanted to reach into the book and shake some sense into Lucy at times for not seeing the right love in front of her, but she pulled through in the end.
I liked Frank and Lucy. Their intimate scenes were great. Interesting storyline.
My only critique and the reason for four stars is I feel like this is more women's lit than romance. The focus is more on Lucy, and you don't see a relationship begin with Frank until about 70-80% in. I didn't feel the tension between them before that to qualify it as romance. Good read otherwise.
After first reading Sally’s story and now Lucy’s, I dare say I am coming to love this little town of Hope, as well as the writings of Ms. Taylor. This book did a great job telling us Lucy’s backstory that was teased in book one of the series, as well as giving the reader updates on our favorite characters from book one. It was a wonderful read with genuine characters and relatable life choices. Looking forward to the next book!
This was different to most romances. Instead of just focusing on the main couple that get their happily ever after, we see all of Lucy's failed relationships along the way that leads her to fi ding the right man. I loved the beginning where we are taken as far back as Lucy's childhood to see in detail how the trauma and life changing event affected her in her life. It is a very well written story. This author is very talented indeed.
I loved the way that the author didn't just explain Lucy's past, but took us through her early years. It meant we had a sort of understanding of why she would have a crush on a bad guy, and it makes the reader cheer for her. Bad guy, good guy, which way will she turn? Where will the hot passion come from? How will her career develop? Follow her on both sides of the Atlantic to see how she ends up.
A one of a kind slow burn romance. Not my usual genre, but this drew me in. I hadn't read book 1, but I still understood book 2. The story revolves around Lucy, a well crafted character, funding herself after dealing with hardship and tragedy. The author used an interesting plot device of Lucy finding herself by examining what she didn't want until she finds what she did. I found the dialogue and descriptions riveting. This is a compelling tale.
This is actually the first book I have read by Ruth Taylor, and I managed to skip book 1, but I loved it. I was routing for the couple by the end.. I think I may very well have to go back and read book 1 now. It was well-written, and the story flowed, following Lucy from her childhood trauma to adulthood and the choices she made. And I think, finally she has chosen the right one. Great read and one I would recommend.
An endearing story of childhood tragedy, family sacrifice and a person’s journey to find themselves. Well written dialogues; sometimes I wanted to shake the heroine and say "See sense, for goodness sake." A feel good read that whilst mildly shocking in parts was a page turner.
If you've ever lived in a small town you can relate to how uncomfortable it can be to fall in love with the sheriff. The main character is interesting and not perfect; she doesn't always react to things the way you'd expect. But that's what keeps you turning the pages, that and the fact that it moves along well and has plenty of other good characters.
The story starts with Lucy's childhood struggles. The author takes you through Lucy's life and the people she encounters. I enjoyed the slow pace of this story without losing my attention. The pace picks up towards the end making me want more. I see that book two is out., and I will definitely check it out!
This is an emotional and interesting tale of a small town girl, Lucy, who has failed relationship in pursuit of finding Mr. Right. The story has a lot of things happening with ups and downs, keeping the reader intrigued and hooked. An endearing tale of finding oneself and finding friendships!
I'm normally not a fan of romance novels but this was pretty good. It had Substance and not just sex scenes. The characters are well rounded and believable. The plot wasn't extremely different or outlandish but I don't think that's a drawback with this type of genre. In general it was deep and worth reading
I enjoyable Lucy and Frank's romance relationship. It's well written journey of overcoming a life of trauma. The characters are well developed. I am glad that the characters have a solid relationship and not just seeking physical pleasure. It satisfying when the relationship is a lasting one.