After reading Her Hometown Dream last month, I was excited to read another book by Rachelle Paige Campbell. This story allowed me to return to Harmony, Illinois to catch up with some of the characters from book one and also meet some new ones. After a decade of living elsewhere, Zoey Wright has returned back to a place where "warm nights smelled honeysuckle soaked". Harmony is also the place where she and Noah Kidwell were once a couple, so what will happen when she sees her ex-boyfriend again? How will Noah react to learning that he and Zoey will be working closely together professionally?

Campbell kept me wondering if Zoey and Noah could ever reconcile their differences. Zoey seemed cool, aloof, and "always Wright" while vowing to never forgive Noah. He was much more likable so it was easy for me to prefer him over Zoey. I quickly became a part of Team Noah!

A happy ending seems unlikely with the many twists and turns but second chances, forgiveness, and an 'enemies to friends' trope make this a story worth reading. I recommend Her Unlikely Homecoming to all who enjoy contemporary Christian romance.

I received a copy of this book through JustRead Tours. These thoughts and opinions are completely my own. ( )

Zoey said she would never return back to Harmony if she could help it. There are too many painful memories, and one person in particular that she doesn’t care to see again, but as luck would have it she is back home, and planning to keep things professional with her ex-boyfriend, Noah. For Noah, Zoey is “the one that got away” and he is shocked and excited to get to work with her, but with them both carrying around their fair share of emotional baggage it makes for an interesting working relationship, and an entertaining read.

Zoey’s whole motivation is to get a promotion and move even further away from Harmony, and her family, which makes you wonder the whole time you’re reading, “Why is she running? What is she so terrified of?” Her drive is admirable, but the mystery surrounding her "why" brings a much-needed tension to this story. Pair that with Noah’s inner struggles, as he wrestles with the warring emotions of working with the woman he clearly still loves, plus the pressure of this high stakes partnership between Zoey’s company and his own.

I struggled to connect to Zoey the entire time I read. I didn’t care for how she treated her cousin and parents in the first book, and that feeling carried over as I read this novel. She’s so “corporate” which is something I don't particularly care for, and how she is with Noah rubs me the wrong way. I loved Noah from the first book, and was so excited to see his happily ever after, but it was a struggle to get into this installment until about halfway through, as the layers began to peel back, and I was finally able to see who Zoey really is, as well as the motivations behind why both Zoey and Noah let their separation continue for as long as they did.

Her Unlikely Homecoming took me a bit longer to get into but overall I enjoyed it. I especially liked the ending, though it felt rushed to me, most likely because the will they/won't they struggle went on a lot longer than I had expected. Still, it was a clean, sweet novel that helped me escape, and fall more in love with Harmony and its inhabitants.

*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher through JustRead Tours. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own. ( )