Home by Kris BryantHome by Kris Bryant is a delightful small town romance. This story highlights the fact that a home is so much more than an address or postal code because love is the only thing that can turn a house into a home.

If someone had told Sheriff Natalie Strand that Sarah Eastman—the girl who kissed her at a high school party and changed her life forever—has returned to Spruce Mountain, she wouldn’t have believed it. Natalie’s neat and ordered world has been shaken up with Sarah’s return and a stray dog that seems to be everywhere and nowhere in the town.

After her divorce, Sarah returns to Spruce Mountain, Oregon—it’s the only place she has ever called home. Sarah lives with her aunt and uncle because she needs a peaceful space where she could rebuild her life without any pressure and her daughter, Harley, would have a stable and loving home. When Sarah laid eyes on Natalie for the first time in seventeen years, she forgot every promise she made to herself about staying focused on her family and getting her life back in order before she would even consider dating again.

Will Natalie and Sarah be able to open their hearts to each other so that they could have the love they truly deserve?

The Characters

April: Sheriff Natalie Strand is content with protecting and serving the residents of Spruce Mountain. She loves her job and the quirky people she works with but she yearns for a life filled with love, laughter and companionship. I’m not ashamed to admit that I started to catch feelings for Natalie as soon as she was mentioned. I fell hard for Natalie because she is such a compassionate and understanding person and she will always go above and beyond for the people who are dear to her heart. Plus, she loves furbabies as much as I do!

Sarah Eastman is newly divorced and she has returned to Spruce Mountain with her daughter, Harley. She just wants a simple and uncomplicated life for her and Harley. Sarah hasn’t given up on love but she isn’t looking for it either because she is trying to put her life back together after her divorce. I really wanted to give Sarah the biggest and mushiest hug known to womankind because she dealt with a lot of personal and professional changes in a short space of time and I must say that she handled all of it pretty well. I could totally relate to Sarah because she is a single lesbian mother and she is a Certified Public Accountant just like me!

PJ: Natalie is the quintessential small-town sheriff. She’s kind and thoughtful and cares about her community. She’s family oriented and just looking for love. You can’t help but root for her throughout the book. I also loved that she loves fur-babies!

Sarah was the one that I fell in love with. It’s great that she’s fighting for herself and her daughter to pick up the pieces after a divorce. It was nice to see that rather than closing herself off, she shined with light throughout the book, and she opened her heart with little hesitation. That takes so much strength for a single mother who is trying to do what’s best for her little family. I also loved how good she was with her daughter, Harley. You just couldn’t help falling in love with little Harley as well!

One of the most original characters I have seen in a book in a long time was the aforementioned furbaby, AKA “Ghost Dog”. Without giving away anything, the dog in the novel was a very important character with a big role to play. I loved every minute of it.

The rest of the supporting characters were delightful as well, and really rounded out the book nicely. I genuinely enjoyed how Kris Bryant showed Natalie’s mother’s strength after a traumatic event as well as getting to know Sarah’s wonderfully encouraging aunt and uncle.

The Writing Style

April: At this very moment, I am bestowing the coffee cup honor on Kris Bryant because she has given me a heartwarming story with endearing characters and a vivid description of Spruce Mountain. Kris Bryant definitely knows how to keep me glued to my kindle because I couldn’t get enough of the undeniable passion that was brewing between Natalie and Sarah! Plus, I just love the fact that this author gave me multiple points of view throughout this story and I was granted unrestricted access to Natalie and Sarah’s innermost thoughts and feelings.

PJ: I loved how light and easy this read was! I also liked that I was able to be to see what motivated both characters. Kris Bryant is truly artful with her ability to effortlessly portray the thoughts and feelings of a character. It made them so relatable that I also got sucked into the story very quickly.

My Favourite Parts

April: There’s an adorable furbaby in this story! How on earth did Kris Bryant find out that I’ve got a soft spot for Golden Retrievers? Besides falling in love with a gorgeous dog, I was living my best life as I tagged along with Natalie, Sarah and Harley. This was definitely the kind of lighthearted story that I needed to devour during this period of uncertainty because I found an endless supply of comfort and happiness between the pages of this book.

PJ: What I liked most was the chemistry between the two main characters. Their attraction for each other jumped off the page and was only enhanced by the narration. The book had just the right amount of steamy bits to keep me interested as well. Finally, the true star of the book, the furbaby: “Ghost Dog” was one of the best parts. Kris Bryant wrote “Ghost Dog” in an original and amazing way. The dog stole the show in this novel, taking the book from a cute romance to something very special.

The Narration

PJ: The narrator, Brittni Pope, did a great job. Her pacing was just right, and I could easily discern the different characters. The male characters were very believable. The way she voiced Sarah was downright sexy! I think that’s what made me fall in love with that character. My only slight criticism is that the narrator could have done a better job with the narrative portion of the book. She sometimes ended sentences as if she were asking a question. The narration of the dialogue between the characters was so good and so believable, however, that it made the novel a delightful listen overall. She really brought the book to life.

Heads Up

April: Zero complaints!

PJ: No issues here.

The Conclusion

aprils favourite booksApril: My book-dragon and I think this story is perfect in every sense of the word because it is a low-angst romance that features the close-knit community of Spruce Mountain, meddling family members and a lovely little girl who truly adores the sweetest Golden Retriever the town has ever had. Kris Bryant has never let me down with any of her books and she certainly deserves the highest of fives for creating this touching story. After reading this novel, I’m sorely tempted to adopt a beautiful furbaby or two!

PJ: This book is a feel-good, easy to listen and get lost in, holiday romance. It wasn’t too long, and the narrator did a great job bringing the characters to life. I would recommend this audiobook to anyone anytime.

TLDR (too long didn’t read)

PJ: Kris Bryant’s Home is a light easy read/listen about two amazing women who find love in a small town filled with great characters, beloved family, and the world’s best dog.

Excerpt from Home by Kris Bryant

“Excuse me, miss? Is that your dog outside?” The brunette stood up and turned. Natalie took a step back and then another. She knew that face, those eyes, those full red lips. Time spun backward, and suddenly it was seventeen years ago, and she was at Ellie Shepherd’s graduation party staring at the same soft brown eyes after experiencing the best kiss of her life.

“Oh, my God. Nat. Is that you?”

Warm hands grabbed hers and squeezed. Natalie blinked and stumbled over the words tumbling in her head. “Sarah. Hi. What are you doing here?” She clamped her mouth shut and forced a smile. “I mean, what brings you back to Spruce Mountain?”

Sarah Eastman was even more beautiful than the day she left. The innocence and softness of her youth had been replaced by stronger, more noticeable curves and a thinner, more mature face. Her beautiful dark hair now had caramel highlights and brushed her shoulders. Everything about her still took Natalie’s breath away.

“I moved back to regroup. Spruce Mountain was always the closest thing to a home for me,” Sarah said.

They were still holding hands. Natalie relaxed her grip and dropped the physical connection. “Your aunt and uncle still live here, right?” She knew the answer because she’d just seen them at the town meeting earlier in the month. Maintaining eye contact with Sarah was tough. She hated that all the confidence she’d built up over the last decade crumbled as she stood in front of the girl who’d kissed her once and never looked back.

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Bits and Bobs

  • ISBN number: 9781635558227
  • Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
  • Audiobook Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
  • Narrator: Brittni Pope
  • Kris Bryant Online

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