Giveaway + Book Review - California Homecoming by Casey Dawes

3 Sweet Stars

[My Summary + Review]

Sarah is pregnant and single.  She purchases a Victorian house in the pursuit of converting it into an inn. Hunter is back from serving a tour in the middle east and comes back wounded with a prosthetic leg.  Hunter approaches Sarah in the hopes to purchase his childhood home.  Sarah nicely, but firmly declines Hunter.  Sarah tries to fix up the inn to the best of her abilities, but she can only do so much and Hunter’s offers of help are too good to pass up.

California Homecoming is an adorable sweet read.  If you are a Nora Roberts or Debbi Macomber fan then this book is for you.

[Sarah]

I’ll be honest.  I have a soft spot for single moms.   It’s just when I pick up a book and I realize the Heroine is single and a mother, oh, it just gets to my heart.  Sarah comes off very strong, independent and determine.  She knows next to nothing in running an inn, but she is pursuing her dream.  It was kind of cute reading about her trying to “fix” things and try so hard to refuse her mother’s help.  I know what it’s like to have a nagging mother and the relationship between Sarah and her Mom is kind of funny.

[Hunter]

I thought Hunter’s situation was kind of sad, but very realistic.  He’s a broken man coming back from war.  He doesn't have any workable skills and ends up taking up odds and ends kind of jobs.  His true passion is to surf, but it’s difficult with a prosthetic leg. I have a soft spot for Hunter.

[Overall]

I wouldn't call California Homecoming a “romance” read.  There were no steamy parts, but stolen kisses and glances.  Also, the interaction between Sarah and Hunter to me seemed a little bit limited.  I believed the main focus of the story was Sarah dealing with what she wanted (to be single) and what society wanted (to get back with her ex) and Hunter getting over his issues, like not being able to surf, not having a job and getting over traumatic events during his tour.

There is some tension as Sarah gets a run-in from the past and this frustrated me a little.  I felt that Sarah was a bit wishy-washy BUT some readers like that, so this could be just a personal issue for me. However the relationship between Sarah and Hunter kind of picks up towards the end and it kind of rounded everything out.  Also, I really enjoyed the side characters, like Sarah’s sister and Hunter’s mom.  It added a little more meat to the story.

Overall, I think this is a perfect read if you want something very light, warm and sweet.

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review

[Blurb]

When Sarah Ladina purchased an old Victorian in Costanoa with plans to turn it into a high-end destination inn, she had no idea life could get so complicated. Well, maybe she did. As an unwed pregnant woman who couldn’t cook, she had her work cut out for her. A good-looking disabled veteran, a doctor who orders modified bed rest, and an ex who’s trying to get back into her life make her wonder if she’ll ever be able to stand on her own and open the inn in time for her mother’s best friend’s wedding.

After returning from duty in the Middle East wounded in both body and spirit, Hunter Evans is in search of employment and a home, but finding a job has been tough and housing doesn’t come cheap in Costanoa, the town that he loves the most on the California Coast. Can he strike a deal with the pretty innkeeper to trade a room for handy work?

[Excerpt]

Sunday morning Hunter pressed a shirt and put it on, along with his best khakis. He thought about picking up a bunch of flowers on the way, but laughed at himself.  He was trying to find a room, not a relationship.

“Oh, it’s you again,” Sarah said when she opened the door, the dog standing next to her. She was frowning.

Against all reason, something about her made him want to scoop her up in his arms and hug her. Because her t-shirt and jeans were dripping with dust, cobwebs, and streaks of soap, it was probably a bad idea, but her short height and big brown eyes gave her an appealing elfin look. He’d always been a sucker for Eowyn in Lord of the Rings.

“I still don’t have any rooms,” Sarah continued and began to shut the door.

“Wait,” he said.

She stopped. “Why should I?”

He smiled. Considering their size difference, she really had no choice. But he bet she’d fight him with every ounce of her strength.

She’d probably fight like a girl -- nasty.

“This is an inn, isn’t it?” he asked.

She smirked at him. “It’s an unopened inn. No room. Get the picture?” She started to inch the door closed.

This time he shoved his foot in the gap. The swinging door clanked on his prosthetic.

Sarah gasped. “I’m so sorry!”

He grinned. “I’m not. It would have hurt a lot more on the other leg.”

[Author Bio]

Author Casey Dawes lives and writes on the bank of the Clark Fork River in Montana with the love of her life and two cats who think they own the joint. 

To learn more about Casey, visit her website:  www.stories-about-love.com.

WEBSITE -  LINKEDIN - FACEBOOK - PINTEREST - GOODREADS

Twitter - > @CaseyDawesAutho

[Can Be Purchased]

Amazon - iTunes - KOBO

[Giveaway]

Casey will be awarding a bottle of Santa Cruz Mountain Pinot Noir (a wine served in California Homecoming)(US ONLY) 

OR 

a $25 Amazon gift certificate (winner's choice) to a randomly drawn commenter during this tour and her Virtual Book Tour,

as well as donating $20.00 to Fisher House (http://www.fisherhouse.org/donate/) in honor or memory of a serviceperson of the winner's choice. 

At each stop, Casey will be donating on behalf of one randomly drawn host $5.00 to Fisher House (http://www.fisherhouse.org/donate/) in honor or memory of a serviceperson of the host’s choice.

The more you comment, the better chances of winning.

Tour dates - > HERE