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5/5 Stars!

Excellent!

Tom London and Wilhelmina “Willie” Brown are friends brought together by circumstance. Willie’s two daughters have married Tom’s sons. But could there be more between the two lonely middle-age single parents?

Both lost their spouses – Tom’s wife died soon after being diagnosed with a terminal illness, and Willie lost her husband in a tragic accident. After more than 20 years, Willie is ready to admit she’s met a man she’s attracted to and interested in.  Tom feels the same way, but can they each let go of the past and find a future together?

Willie’s life has not been an easy one. Her hometown disapproved of her interracial marriage. After numerous threats, and with questions surrounding her husband’s death, she grabs her two girls and leaves town soon after the accident. Many times homeless and struggling to get by leaves Willie suffering with migraines and anxiety that medication only partly helps.  She only truly begins to feel settled when her girls take up with the Hot Rods – seven young men and their father/foster father.

Tom’s late wife had been the love of his life. Her death devastated him. He kept her memory alive by doing what she loved – helping others – and that’s what led him to take in the troubled youth who he would come to love as much as his own son.

The two mature adults finally open themselves up to the possibility of a future together when Willie’s world is suddenly rocked by a devastating truth about her late husband’s death. I wanted to literally stand up and applaud the author for the revealing scene! The situation could have gone in a few different directions, but kudos to the author for not “going there”, creating angst just for the sake of angst. I feel the author showed us…and let Willie show us…that she was not as broken and much more intelligent than she believed. IMHO, this is the best scene in the entire story because it is the one where Willie and Tom show the most clarity.

As everyone tries to move on in spite of the recent events, Willie is once again caught off guard with troubling news. My heart broke for her. While I do not agree with how she handled it in the beginning, I understand. It was the “logical” choice considering the history of the man she had come to love.

Willie raised some pretty sharp girls, and it doesn’t show more than during their talk with Tom. The pace and scenarios that followed were perfect and felt very real.

I cannot remember how I stumbled across this great read, but I’m sure it was in one of my never-ending searches for romances involving older couples. The author highlights their wisdom as parents, their mutual respect as friends, and their flaws, which are all what pull this read together. It also shows that aging does not mean less sex or lack of sexuality. Go Willie and Tom! (YAAAY!)

While the Hot Rods series is not something I would usually choose to read, the author weaves the young people into Willie and Tom’s story so well, I feel I need to know their stories and how this group came to be friends, spouses and family.

I cannot tell you where to start in the series, just make sure you do not miss THIS one!