Out of all three, this is by far my favorite. Hope there is more of this couple in the future.

I first read this story when it was released in e-book format last year and needless to say it was adorable. I'm not going to re-invent the wheel, so I'll just borrow from my original review...

Carter Embree is a lawyer stuck in a dead-end job that he hates...well, he doesn't actually hate the job, just who he works for. Carter's a lawyer with a conscience and with each day he's becoming more and more unhappy with what he sees. 

Sandy Corrigan's a vet tech who wants to a vet so at 33 years old he's working full time and going to school. 

These two men's lives collide when Carter ends up the unexpected owner of a puppy that he's told is a Chow/Samoyed mix so imagine his surprise when he find out that his Chow/Samoyed dog is in fact a Shih Tzu/Chihuahua mix...little bit of a size discrepancy there...lol!

I liked Carter with all his insecurities and quiet demeanor. Carter was also a reflection of the adage 'money can't buy you happiness'. He'd been raised in a home where money wasn't a issue, the best schools, successful parents. But what Carter really wanted was someone to share his life with someone whom he could believe in and who believed in him. 

Sandy was in many ways Carter's opposite. He'd grown up with a sister and a single mom. Things like money for college and nice homes weren't a possibility in Sandy's world. But Sandy wasn't one to let things like this get him down. He was confident and upbeat. He knew what he wanted and when he saw it he went for it. So when Sandy decided that there was more to Mr. Crazypants than meets the eye it was only a matter of time.

'Freckles' was a fun, sweet story of a romance that started because one man gave his heart to a cute, little puppy. I loved the slow build between Carter and Sandy and watching Carter figure out where his life was going both personally and professionally. This was a feel good story with little to no angst and lots of feelz to make you smile and a happily ever after that will keep you smiling.

So here we are basically a year later and 'Freckles' once again comes across my radar only this time it's the audio book version and it's narrated by Nick J. Russo...ya' all know I'm a fan, right?  Yep, sign me up.  It's a book by one of my favorite authors and it's being narrated by one of my favorite narrators and I'mma gonna have me a few hours of happy time because when it comes to audio books Mr. Russo is as close to a surefire deal as one can get.

If you're like me and find that while you love to read books, it's also nice to have someone read you a story...'Freckles' is a fun grown-up version of having a bedtime story read to you...it's Christmas time, there's an adorable little puppy and two hot men who find the gift of love in each other...what's not to enjoy? Happy Listening & Happy Holidays! 

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An audio book of 'Freckles' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I am not sure why Roman had to be set on fire. Mary Calmes already set him up with such a tragic family history, you think "WTF? Give the kid a break." Right? NO - Off With His Face!
But what is the purpose of this ...exercise? Kids in college couldn't care less about his scars. Everyone in the state of Maine (and beyond) still wants Roman. His injured face does not pose any difficulties to him, once he stopped the surgeries. He himself sometimes uses it for 'shocking' purposes or excuses when he doesn't want to talk to people.
i dunno, i dunno.... will keep reading. maybe it will make sense somewhere down the road.

UPDATE
I get it now. The pack accepts you. YOU. Not what you look like. The appearances don't matter. You're not damaged unless you can't hunt or contribute in any other way.
So, what if we have an ex-marine (for example), big and strong in no way physically damaged, except for a severe PTSD? Let's put another character through hell, so we can learn the ways of the pack when someone looks perfect but can't contribute, shall we? We'll have a manual on jackal shifters in no time by dragging people through pain and suffering.

Don't get me wrong, I love most of Mary's books, it's just this one seems to me unusually cruel. She has this meaninglessly mean (a sad 'ha-ha') streak that pops up every once in a while in her fiction. As much as I loved the first two Change of Heart books, #3 & #4 got 2 stars from me for that same reason. Jin, a cute lovable boy, was turned into something hateful, fearful and highly unpleasant. No wonder he didn't want to get mated in book one, he knew. Look where it got him.

That said, I do read books where the characters are damaged physically or emotionally or both, that doesn't bother me. But I am uber cautious now when it comes to reading Mary Calmes. Sad days :(

PS Forgot to mention: it ticks me off that the tragedy (actually many tragedies) that befalls Roman serves a singular purpose - to support one and one character only, Quade, who did not have live through the horror of it personally or even deal with it much. At least not the way Mary Calmes describes it. We only have a couple of tiny little peeks of how boys dealt with it. A brush off, no more :/

A fun, escapist story complete with a return of old friends in the small, picturesque town of South Cove. This is the third installment and I was sucked into the story line real quick. It is a holiday-themed story and by the end of the story I really wanted a traditional Thanksgiving meal. The mystery had to do with an out-of-towner (from the big city up the highway) and much of the suspects were also out-of-towners, so the mystery was a little light on the who done it. Rather, this story focused on the relationship between amateur sleuth Jill and her detective boyfriend Greg; it read more like a romance with a mystery sub plot. I enjoyed it because I love the recurring characters and the setting, but I would not recommend unless you already read book one and/or book two, as this seems more like a gift to readers of the series and a way to set up for the next book.

4/5 stars; Summer bingo square "mystery" filler.