Third Time’s the Charm by Heather B. Moore

Liz, Gemma, Arie, Jess, and Drew have been best friends since creating “the Five” at Aliso Creek High School. But that was over ten years ago, and each is still trying to find that perfect someone . . . if perfect is even possible.

In fact, Liz Carlson will settle for a normal man. A normal man with a job, that is. Married twice, then divorced twice, Liz had her rose-colored glasses fall off and shatter on the ground a long time ago. Her main focus now is raising her six-year-old daughter and surviving long days at work on her feet as a hairdresser. When Sloane Branden answers her call for help, quite literally, Liz doesn’t even give him a second glance. She has sworn off dating for as many years as it takes, and it seems that Sloane has done the same after his own tumultuous marriage. But when Liz realizes that Sloane defies every stereotypical deadbeat she has dated, she might just find room in her heart and discover the third time’s the charm.

There’s something so refreshing about a novella or a short story, especially when it’s a romance, and you find yourself whisked away and falling in love along with the heroine in an hour or so.

I am a huge fan of Heather Moore. She has such a way of making a reader instantly connect with her characters, and this story was no exception. Liz isn’t your typical heroine, in fact, she’s got some serious baggage—two ex-husbands and a daughter, add a dash of fear of commitment and here’s a girl I was rooting for from the get-go.

Sloane is her land lord, and he has a whole lot of his own junk to sift through, and that’s what I loved so much about this story. The two of them realize that they will each have to overlook and sacrifice in order to be together, and it is so satisfying to see two real people have a believable, but no less special relationship, and experience their heartache and anxiety with them, and then cheer them on in the end.

Athena by Heather Moore

 Athena is a self-proclaimed bachelorette—it’s better that way—no one gets hurt. But when tragedy strikes, Athena realizes friendship and love is the only way she can pull through, and she must, for the first time in her life, risk opening her heart.

Athena is the fourth book in the Newport Ladies Bookclub series. If you are familiar with these books, you know that they are each stand alone novels that follow a group of women who have met at a book club.

Athena is the president of her own company. She is in her thirties, and has a comfortable, casual dating relationship with Karl. But when he wants their relationship to become more serious, she ends it and resigns herself to the fact that she is just not the right kind of girl for married life. She doesn't need anyone, and after watching the way her father dictated her mother's life, she is skittish about letting anyone close to her.

That was until she met Grey and started thinking that he was somebody she could get serious with. Grey is a sensitive character without being whiny or lame. I connected with him right away, and I also loved that he isn't perfect. He is a great romantic lead, because he's struggling with the idea of being close to someone just as much as Athena is.

When her mother dies, Athena finds herself relying on Grey to help her through not only her mourning, but the trials and complicated feelings of caring for her father. 

I loved Athena. The characters were so complex and dealt with their realistic problems in a realistic way. It is beautifully written with a wonderful story, and by the end, I felt that the characters had changed and grown, and it was satisfying as far as character arc. There were parts where I teared up, and also places where I laughed out loud.


You can read more about the series: http://thenewportladiesbookclub.blogspot.com