Home with You by Jess Mastorakos

 

Synopsis:

A widowed Marine, his eight-year-old son, and the spunky PE teacher who keeps striking out at love...

When Staff Sergeant Owen O’Malley gets orders to San Diego, the first thing he thinks about is how much his eight-year-old son, Finn, will love the beach. After losing his wife three years earlier, he knows they could both use a little sand between their toes.

Rachel Peters decides San Diego holds her fresh start after her roommates find love and move out. Leaving Texas behind, she plans to soak up the sun, coach Little League, and teach PE to the military kids on base. She does not plan to fall for the handsome, single dad of one of her favorite students.

Miramar is a small base, so when Owen and Rachel keep running into each other, they believe it’s only because of their shared proximity. Little do they know, there’s a four-foot-tall matchmaker pulling the strings. Will Finn accomplish his mission or will they balk at their chance for true love?

My Review: 4.5 Stars

Confession. I am a sucker when it comes to the single parent trope. I don’t know what it is about it, but I love it! I didn’t even finish reading the synopsis before I was dropping everything to read this book. It was just what I needed.

I quickly fell in love with Rachel, Owen and the adorable Finn! Y’all. I’m not going to lie… that kid stole the show! I loved watching him play the little matchmaker, a very important role to get his dad and Rachel together. 😉

Finn was wise beyond his years. But at the age of 8, he had already experienced so much heartache. In a way, he had to stop being a kid at the age of 5 and deal with real life. But the moment Rachel came into their lives, I saw the change in him. He was able to be a kid again and experience new and fun things.

I loved watching Rachel and Owen’s relationship develop from friends into something more. It wasn’t an easy road for them. They both came with baggage and were afraid to unpack it. They felt safer not taking that chance. But with life comes growing pains. They had to learn to let the other one in if they were ever going to find their HEA.

This may be book 6 in the series, but it's the first one I've read (other than the prequel). I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read the other books in the series. I can already tell they're going to be a fun break from reality. 

And of course I can't forget my casting. I'm loving these two. What do you think?