This woman is solidifying herself as one of my favorite contemporary authors.

Her romances feel so real and so do her characters. Eden was a fantastic heroine, so relatable and real - the amount of times she took my breath away discussing her daughter had me falling in love with this book. Annalise felt real too-precocious, but real. And then...there's Gabe. I wouldn't say I was chomping at the bit to read his story, but I pretty much did a 180 with all the direct, intense, short conversations...or ok, he had me with the 'moments' bit-where in the first pages he illustrates the moments where his interest in Eden took root and grow into more-and the moments continue wonderfully in this book.

The set up was delightful. A single mom (with help!) who has to wedge her life into interrupted snippets were such a clever way to handle this romance between two overcommitted people. My kobo is sick with highlights. JAL does another grand gesture and love declaration that make my heart want to break and gives us a glimpse into secondary characters I want to know more about.

I was invested, laughing, and charmed the entire time. Straight to the the tbrr shelf!! ( )

The First Time at Firelight Falls by Julie Long is a sassy romance that is brimming with humor and playful verbal sparring. This fourth installment in the Hellcat Canyon series can easily be read as a standalone.

Principal Gabe Caldera has a huge crush on single mom Eden Harwood whose ten year daughter Anneliese's precocious antics are the reason they are currently meeting in his office. He has noticed the vibrant and lively woman on numerous occasions and he becomes more smitten with her at every encounter. Eden is not unaware of the smoldering, sexy former Navy SEAL but she does not have enough hours in her busy schedule to breathe let alone date. However, she is delighted and charmed by Gabe's flirtatious banter and both of them are soon going out of their way to cross paths with each other whenever possible. Their flirty repartee soon leads to passion filled romps but just as they are about to take their stolen moments to the next level, Eden's distant past crashes headlong into her present and Gabe is uncertain where he fits into her life.

When Eden's one night stand resulted in an unexpected pregnancy ten years earlier, she returned to Hellcat Canyon to make a life for herself and her unborn child. Her extended family is a huge help as she juggles the demands of motherhood and running her flower shop. Eden has completely and utterly devoted herself to making sure Anneliese has a safe, secure, and well-ordered life. Until meeting Gabe, she has not missed dating but their humor-filled discussions quickly wake her slumbering libido. Despite a few reservations, Eden is ready to see where their unexpected relationship might lead.

Gabe is insightful, clever and his astute observations serve him well in his much loved career as a principal. He adroitly balances his busy life but he has very little downtime. He has secretly admired Eden for quite some time and now actively seeking her out, Gabe engages her in provocative discussions that end with well designed cliffhangers to stimulate her curiosity.

With their interrupted conversations constantly on her mind, Eden eagerly anticipates seeing Gabe and their interactions soon lead to some very steamy make out sessions. Unable to resist their sizzling hot attraction for one another, they are soon stealing every spare minute they find to indulge in some very hot lovemaking. Gabe finally convinces Eden to give him a chance but a shocking complication quickly derails their budding romance since neither of them handle the unexpected situation well. When the dust finally settles, will Gabe and Eden find a way to get their relationship back on track?

The First Time at Firelight Falls is a sweet, sensual and giggle inducing small town romance. Eden and Gabe are a wonderful couple with plenty of sexual tension crackling between them. The conflict that arises between them is somewhat predictable but their issues are resolved fairly quickly. Old and new fans are sure to enjoy this fourth installment in Julie Long's delightfully charming Hellcat Canyon series.
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Another title that people continue to rave about. I thought it was cute but DIK? Maybe I need to reread? ( )

Having read all the previous books in this series, I've been waiting for Eden's story. An unmarried mother with a precocious daughter, Eden has kept the secret of Annaliese's father for ten years. She's too busy to date, but school principal and ex-Seal Gabe Caldera is determined to change her status.
This book is beautifully written. The romance is poignant, funny, and realistic about two busy people who are determined to investigate the spark struck in their lives. The reveal of the father was a bit predictable but also handled well, detailing the uncertainties both he and Annaliese find in this new relationship. I didn't quite get Gabe's blow-up, but it all works out to a HEA so it didn't matter. I always enjoy Ms. Long's books, and this one is excellent. ( )

Ohmygoodness, loved.

It's an interesting coincidence that the last Julie Anne Long book I read also featured a single mother heroine ( It Started With a Scandal ), but OMG, no one else quite writes single mothers the way Ms. Long does--or the why-is-this-guy-fictional heroes that they find their HEA with. I mean, just read this bit of evidence here:
"You will be willing to fight ugly, and risk failure and embarrassment or anything else that makes you wake up sweating, heart racing in terror, in the middle of the night, to make sure someone you love is safe and happy. And you'll know it's love when you do it without even thinking."
Mr. Gabe Caldera, ladies and gentlemen.

Sigh.

In case you can't tell, I absolutely adored Gabe and Eden's story from start to finish. From their absolutely adorable--yet somehow also totally hot--long game that involved interrupted Q & As that got decidedly more risque as they went on and included more than one bare chested moment ("It's so cool! His stomach has squares. You could play checkers or tic-tac-toe on it!" ahhhh, from the mouths of babes...) to their eventual, very hard won HEA, it at turns made me swoon, come to near tears, and laugh out loud.

Somehow I knew Ms. Long would be as amazing at writing contemporary romances as she is historical...

First Time at Firelight Falls is the fourth book in the Hellcat Canyon series, but it worked just fine as a standalone. The prior book in the series ( Dirty Dancing at Devil's Leap ) is loosely connected, since it features Eden's younger sister Avalon, but you definitely don't have to have read it already to enjoy this one. (I make no promises about how quickly you'll be adding it--and the two books before it--to your TBR, though. Be careful of possible whiplash, though...)

Fingers crossed that Eden and Avalon's annoying cardiac surgeon brother Jude gets his own book, though--surely he can make me snort-laugh as much on his own as he does trapped inside Eden's head? ("Lust isn't measured in kilowatts. For Christ's sake, Eden,"--Dr. Jude Harwood.)

My copy of this book has So. Many. Highlights. :)

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. ( )