“This author is one I would read again in a heartbeat, and this is one of those books you can read quickly and feel so good afterwards! I highly recommend it.”

Suddenly, I felt the pressure and responsibility of having brought a tasty dish. It wasn’t until someone scooped out the last spoonful that I breathed easy and shared a jubilant hug with Gram. I’d done it!

“It also pulled me in with the humor, romance, and heartfelt story. I literally read it in one sitting. There are some great scenes and moments between these characters. I also really loved the small-town feel.”

“I really enjoyed this book and I will admit that when Daniel and Jodi call a semi-truce of sorts and start being nicer to each other I breathed a sigh of relief. This was a fluffy read, and a great distraction with a happily ever after that I loved.”

“It’s a free country,” she muttered, of two minds. Like always, she wanted him near. Though they’d been childhood rivals for years, he’d been the only boy who made her stomach turn itself into knots, her heart beat faster. Too often, she’d caught herself doodling his name in the margins of notebooks when she forgot herself. Yet his family had loaned her father the machine that’d caused the accident. It was hard not to see him as ‘the enemy’ more than ever.

How has this story touched your life?

It meant a lot when I read the ‘Dear Reader’ letter to my sister and saw her smile and cry happy tears to see what I’d written about her. Like all parents of special needs children (and I’m one myself as my daughter has an anxiety disorder), she needs to know what an incredible job she is doing and never to feel less than other parents.

“So you do think about it.” His eyes lit up. “About us.”

Her sigh felt as though it came from the deepest part of her. “Oh, Daniel.”

He cupped her cheeks. “We can make this work.”

Her brows came together. “Impossible. We both have too much to lose.”

“I really enjoyed the ending and there are some really sweet and touching scenes in this book.”

“Karen Rock charms us with her second novel. Jodi and Daniel…and Tyler’s story makes you laugh out loud, sigh with longing and ball your fists in frustration and cry at the happily ever after. Readers will be completely blown away by this heartwarming tale and grabbing for the nearest box of tissues.”

12) Do you have other stories you plan to write?

I have three more books contracted with Harlequin Heartwarming and each is very unique. I can’t wait to share them! I just finished one about two very different people- one’s a dreamer, the other a pragmatist- who team up to create a start-up company designing a dating compatibility app. It’s been a lot of fun trying to answer the question: Can love come with a guarantee?

What was your inspiration behind this book?

A couple of things inspired HIS HOMETOWN GIRL. The first is my sister, Cathy. She’s my autistic niece, Abbie’s, mother and an incredible parent. Raising a child with special needs can be challenging and requires a lot of love and patience…

The second inspiration is my childhood days spent on my Uncle Bob’s dairy farm.

I loved that the story was much more than a romance, though. It was a genuine, full story of life, of love, and of all the things that people go through.

He tucked a curl behind her ear and the feel of his touch made her shiver. It was so quiet, she could hear every breath he took, felt it vibrate through him in the cramped bottom of the boat.

“There is plenty of drama and also fun times to keep it interesting. A sweet heartfelt story, perfect for lazy Sunday reading.”