tita_noir's review against another edition
4.0
One thing that is consistent across this whole series is that plot-wise not a lot happens. There isn't a lot of external stuff dragging on these relationships. There are no kidnappings, stalkers, jealous exes, dying relatives, eleventh hour shoe-dropping revelations ... none of that stuff that makes for action-based conflict. These books, this one included, are intimate character based stories about building (or in this case, re-building) a relationship.
Interestingly this also made me think of the covers of these books. All three feature a couple in almost a full body shot intensely focused on each other. There is nothing else on the covers that detract from the focus on them. In that sense, the covers are a great match for the stories inside, because this is exactly they are: deep focus on the couple.
In this one we find out what happened with Kelly and Vaughn. In the previous books we get some scant background. They are divorced, they have two daughters, Vaughn is still in love with Kelly, and there is some tension between the Hurley family and Kelly. And, oh yes, Kelly just got engaged to someone else.
This book takes place after the events of [b:The Best Kind of Trouble|18688614|The Best Kind of Trouble (The Hurley Boys, #1)|Lauren Dane|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397616616s/18688614.jpg|26532888] but concurrent with events in [b:Broken Open|21938163|Broken Open (The Hurley Boys, #2)|Lauren Dane|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1411348105s/21938163.jpg|26532900] (so we get to revisit little snippets of Ezra & Tuesday's romance as seen from Vaughn & Kelly's perspective).
We learn their why their marriage broke up (Vaughn's fault) and we learn that both of them, regardless of the bitterness & mistakes of the past, are great parents and partners when it comes to their kids. And we watch as Vaughn proves himself so he can woo and win her back.
I thought Kelly was much more sharply drawn than Vaughn. This is a bit of a departure because in the previous two books, I felt both halves of the couple were equally well presented. But in this case, Vaughn feels like he is stuck in one gear "get Kelly back" and everything he does is based on that goal. But Kelly gets fully fleshed. We get some good character development for her regarding her background, her personality and generally where she is at. Since we know so much about Vaughn's family & background from the other books, this probably makes sense. But I thought the book was more Kelly's than Vaughn's. Not that that is a bad thing. On the contrary, I really enjoyed Kelly. She had a forthrightness about her that I enjoyed.
I also like how the author treats female friendships. This has been a strong point throughout this whole series. First with Nat & Tuesday. Then with Tuesday and Kelly. And especially in this book Kelly and her best friend Stacey. I love the fact that Stacey was Kelly's divorce lawyer and they became great friends afterward. And Vaughn is always (still) a little uncomfortable around Stacey and she isn't his biggest fan either. Also, Vaughn and Stacey don't miraculously become best friends at the end of the book either. They keep a little wariness.
Another nice touch was the tense relationship between Kelly and the rest of the Hurley's especially their mother Sharon. The previous books showed Sharon to be some loving and welcoming earth mother type. But we learn that she was actually judgmental & a little cruel when it comes to Kelly and has been from the moment she met Kelly. It was nice that some of Kelly's hesitance to get back with Vaughn is because of her lack of acceptance by his mother. And a lot of that is also Vaughn's fault. I really did like that subplot because it feels realistic. And it is affecting to feel Kelly's sadness and envy at how warm and welcoming Sharon is to Natalie, Tuesday and Mary but never was to her. But it is worth the mother-in-law snark that Kelly and Stacey indulge in. Ha! I loved their irreverent nickname for her. I was totally on Kelly's side here.
On a final note, I enjoyed the portrayal of the two daughters as well. Especially the youngest one, Kensey. She was forever twirling and dancing and very hyper. I could totally see that child.
Good book.
izziede's review against another edition
I am not sure a woman would really feel she could try this relationship again. I would have liked more redemption.
cocktailsandbooks1's review against another edition
5.0
Karen's Thoughts
BACK TO YOU is an intoxicating, story about a second chance at love. Kelly has been divorced from Vaughan, a famous rock and roll star for eight years and they have two young daughters together. She has just accepted a marriage proposal from Ross, a solid and steady guy who is the opposite of Vaughan. Although Kelly still loves Vaughan, she knows things will never work out between them and with Ross she can have a stable life, which is something she never had with Vaughan. When Vaughan discovers Kelly is engaged, he is slapped in the face with reality and realizes this is his last chance to win her back. An emergency arises and Vaughan and Kelly have to rush their daughter to the hospital. They are forced to spend time together and Vaughan takes advantage of this opportunity to get close to Kelly.
I like the man Vaughan is now, although I probably wouldn’t have liked him eight years ago. He has finally matured and realizes what is important to him. He knows Kelly is the only woman he has ever loved and he wants her back in his life. He also loves his daughters and is a caring and protective dad. Vaughan has to work hard to win Kelly’s trust and show her he has matured and is ready to take on the responsibility of a family full time. I love how devoted Vaughan is to Kelly and his daughters. He will do whatever it takes to get his family back.
Kelly is smart, beautiful and works hard to be a successful role model for her daughters. She is also a wonderful mother and her daughters always come first. She doesn’t trust Vaughan because he broke her heart and she is afraid to let him in again and I can’t really blame her.
I loved everything about this delightful story and Lauren Dane is one of my favorite authors. This story flowed well and the characters are realistic and have depth. Vaughan and Kelly have a passionate relationship and plenty of chemistry whenever they are together. They are easy to like and I was rooting for them to work through all their issues and get back together. There are also fun and interesting secondary characters in this story which add another element to the story. Vaughan comes from a large close knit family and he loves them all, even though there are times they drive him crazy. Perfect!
This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books.
sarah1984's review against another edition
In 54 pages (was actually 49 pages due to ridiculous formatting by the publisher) I had seven pages marked for discussion (one of them I didn't bother doing a status update for as it was only a page after the previous one and I felt like I'd already expended enough effort) - that's too many negative comments for an entire book, let alone in just 49 pages.
The whole premise of the book didn't work for me. I just can't find the romance in the 'let's break up my ex-partner's new relationship because I've come to my senses many years too late' trope. That's all about selfishness and all I can ever think about is how unfair it is to the third party who, through no fault of their own is about to get dumped because the previous person has changed their mind. Then there was editing errors and writing that honestly didn't make any sense and I knew within a few pages that I wasn't going to be able to finish it. I decided to read till I got past page 50, I succeeded in that goal so score one for both stamina and knowing when to quit to avoid unnecessary pain.
cranberrytarts's review
4.0
bookscoffeeandpassion's review
4.0
Lauren Dane wrote a real touching story. I really loved Kelly, her relationship with her daughters and I liked that Vaughan was determined to do everything to get his family back. The only but here is that, from my point of view, Kelly fell into the relationship a little fast even though she made him work to prove that he changed. I will probably go back to read the first two books in this series and I would love to read a book about Kelly’s best friend, Stacey!
I received a copy of this book for free, through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Review here
izziede's review
I am not sure a woman would really feel she could try this relationship again. I would have liked more redemption.
prgchrqltma's review
5.0