BOUNTIFUL (True North #4) by SARINA BOWEN

‘He kissed my forehead so tenderly I wanted to die. Because moments like this didn’t last.’

We adore small town romances as much as we do second chance romances….add a hockey player, a gorgeous little baby, a series we’ve loved from the very first book, add in the captivating words of Sarina Bowen, we expected Bountiful would be a winner…and it was!

‘One summer night I’d lain beneath him just like this, while we made a baby. My foolish, romantic heart liked the sound of that.’

We’ve read all the True North books and have fallen in love with every one! Each journey has been different and each has delivered the beautiful sweeping Vermont landscape, the heart-warming characters, the family unit and Sarina Bowen’s words which has been lush and inviting throughout.

Zara, the prickly bartender has been there from day one. Zara was the spurned friends with benefits partner of Griffin Shipley, and had always came across as a gregarious girl who had her barriers firmly in place, who teetered around on high heels tending bar whilst pregnant and never letting slip who the father of her baby was. She always felt so defensive in previous books. So it was welcoming to hear Zara’s side of the story which softened her immensely from the girl we had come to know.

‘It was wild and ugly and beautifully and exactly what I needed. We consumed each other, and I forgot to be afraid.’

Just who was the father of Zara’s baby, Nicole? It had been the topic of much town gossip, most pointing the finger at Griff Shipley who was now more than happy with the love of his life and now Zara’s bff, Audrey.  Nope, it turns out Nicole’s dad was the result of a short and lusty few weeks Zara spent with a man named Dave who was on vacation in Vermont. Their tryst was a strictly ‘no names, no personal information’ affair and Dave returned to his part of the world unknowingly leaving something behind….a pregnant Zara. Despite her best efforts, Zara couldn’t find Dave to share her news.

‘Watching her was like rediscovering espresso after a month of weak airplane coffee.’

Two years later, David Beringer, a professional hockey player, still retains memories of his time with the fierce, sexy woman he met previously, and heads back to Vermont seeking her out, hoping to pick up where they left off. Instead he’s met with quite the surprise when he finds out he’s a father. And…there’s no mistaking Nicole is his, thanks to the shock of matching copper hair!

‘I’d gone and one exactly what I shouldn’t have done – I’d gotten hung up on Dave, the ginger hottie.’

We adored this book. Seeing Dave move from a ‘strictly no relationships’, single guy with only Hockey on his mind, to a caring and loving Dad was a sight to behold. We could picture this big burly man so lovingly holding his cherished daughter in his capable hands.

The relationship between Dave and Zara moved at a realistic steady pace, as we would expect with the obstacles they needed to overcome. Trust, lifestyle and distance were all issues for Zara and Dave to work through and it’s not easy, with Sarina Bowen telling their story engagingly and heart-warmingly with dashes of heat, humour and a good helping of swoon!

‘I was starting to realize that getting older was just a lengthy exercise in getting schooled on all the ways you weren’t in charge of your own destiny.’

We so looking forward to our next trip back to the rich Vermont landscape to catch up with some old friends when Sarina Bowen pens the next book and we’re crossing everything that it’s Bess and Ben!