A review by jonetta
Don't Let Go by Jaci Burton

4.0

Brady Connors recently returned to Hope after a self-imposed hiatus following his brother's tragic death. He and bakery owner Megan Lee were sort of thrown together by well-meaning friends at a couple of events but nothing developed. Brady's not interested in any kind of meaningful relationship, including close friendships, but Megan's sunny disposition and easy personality makes it tough to keep his distance. It also helps that she serves up the best morning coffee and sweets at her bakery.

This is one of those stories where you just sit back and enjoy listening to a fairly uncomplicated relationship develop slowly and naturally. You know there will come a point when Brady's wall around his emotional compartments will reach a meltdown climax but in the meantime, you'll just appreciate two really good people finding their way. The first step to that takedown happens when Brady rescues a stray dog who he eventually names Roxie and decides to keep. Yeah, she often steals the show and that worked for me (and them!).

What also worked for me was the inclusion of the characters from past stories. Their updates were meaty and helped instill the strong theme of friendship and community in a meaningful way. I loved the narrator as she seemed to adeptly capture both Megan and Brady's personalities, as well as those continuing characters. I love this town, the series and my decision to switch to the audio version. It was just a very nice listening experience. Oh, and including dogs in each story was an unexpected bonus. 3.5 stars

(I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review)