Here to Stay by Melissa Tagg

Last year I did a review on Melissa's first book, Made to Last, and I made the comment I would love to read about Blake "Blaze" Hunziker's continuing story. Melissa must have heard me (and others) because her second novel stars him back in his hometown just a month or so after the ending of Made to Last.

**NOTE: If you haven't read her first book you can dive right into this one but there are some events, people that will make more sense if you read these in order.

Blake has been traveling the world, trying to forget past mistakes and running from his brother's death. After the events of Made to Last, he decides to return to Whisper Shore and face whatever the small town gossips have for him.
Autumn Kingsley has dreamed of leaving Whisper Shore for years but is tied down to her family's inn, a job she never wanted but feels obligated to keep going. With the inn close to financial ruin, Autumn finally gets a break when a potential investor comes for a visit and she's offered her dream job in Paris.
Blake and Autumn are opposites in what they want--he's ready for the small town life and she can't wait to get out--but they share a painful past, one that's kept their families and the town bitter. When the only chance for both of them to achieve their dreams is to work together for a month, they both enter the agreement with reservations. But as the past comes out and the present unfolds in surprising ways, neither of them is prepared for what they find.
 I made a lot of these same comments about Made to Last but it's so true about Here to Stay also. Melissa is quickly becoming my favorite contemporary romance author. Her dialogue and scenes are so genuine, I feel like I'm watching it on the big screen. And unlike a lot of romance movies, the characters are very well and deeply developed. Behind the cute story, real issues are addressed. One of my favorite things about this author is she gives every character, even minor ones, their own voice and way of talking. You can hear each one in a different way that's so unique to her writing. And unlike some authors, the circumstances and ending are realistic; it doesn't feel so much like random fiction but a story that might plausibly happen to someone.
By the end of this book, I was completely satisfied with how things went. I can't think of any loose ends that weren't tied up and I closed the book thinking, "What a great story. When's Melissa's next book out?"

Check out my review for Melissa's first book, Made to Last, here.

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. The thoughts, opinions, and comments are my own and were not influenced in any way by an outside source.