The First Time at Firelight Falls audiobook

This is fourth in a series, but really only the previous, Dirty Dancing at Devil's Leap, is relevant. I recommend reading at least that one before this because Avalon and Mac are present and important and we meet Annalise and Eden there, too.As is common in this series, the title really does suck and has literally nothing to do with the story. Just so you know.Anyway, this story is fantastic and I loved both protagonists right from the start and never let go. Oh my heart, is Gabe the prefect man. Okay perfect is misleading. He has his ego and he gets in his own way sometimes. But he's caring and strong and competent and would do anything for the people he cares about and that is so my catnip. But then, do your really need to say anything more than ex-Navy SEAL elementary school principle? That's the finest wish-fulfillment fantasy any romance has peddled right there, that is! And Long does such a great job breathing life into that framework.And Eden is fantastic, too. She's doing her best and doing a fantastic job with a precocious ten year-old while running her small business and keeping her calm even when confronting ridiculous and emotional antagonism. The byplay between her and Gabe is off-the-charts funny with many laugh-out-loud moments and her handling of Jan Pennington's sometimes hysterical tantrums was subtle and careful and with an edge of sly that slew me. Seriously, Long really knocked this out of the park and not least by allowing Jan Pennington to be a real, fully-dimensional character despite the narrative role as foil for Eden to play against.I did have a week-long pause in the middle of this because at two thirds in they were in a great place and obviously in love and I knew that something had to come in to blow them up for the last third of the story. And if you pay attention, it isn't hard to see that it's going to be Annalise's father showing up and disrupting things. And I couldn't face it for a while. Fortunately, I did pick it back up and the humor and heart drew me right back in even when everything did, indeed, blow up.So this is a 4½ star read for the angst and blow-up and for the truly fantastical elements (like Annalise's dad). But I laughed out loud so often that anything but rounding up is impossible. Julie Anne Long does banter with the best and this book is an example of just how good she is.A note about Steamy: There are a couple explicit sex scenes putting this in the middle of my steam tolerance. I actually liked how indicative they were of these two protagonists and the crazy-busy lives they lead. I particularly liked how they had to become intimate in pieces and parts and how that spread out over time by necessity.

This was pretty charming. A warmhearted, if mildly disjointed, read. Very endearing leads. Quite a few memorable lines and moments of humour.It was also full of wonderful character discussions about words in that way relatable to what a regular reader feels when they encounter a word they enjoy the sound or rythm of, or discover some naunce of meaning. The kid bordered on annoying. Totally didn’t act her stated age.

:(((((((((This is me being resentful at the forced ending of my JAL binge. We now return you to our regularly scheduled backlog of ARCs, a pile of SEPs delivered Monday by the postal service and two shifter series loaned by a friend. :((((((((((

I just finished reading an ARC of this May 29, 2018 novel by Julie Anne Long and all I want to do is go back to the beginning and read it all over again. Exquisitely crafted by Long, it's filled with humor, romance, sizzle, emotion, family, community, and the reveal of a long-held secret. I can honestly say I never imagined I'd be lusting after a grade school principal hero but when that hero is Gabe Caldera? Let's just say my internal engine is humming very nicely. I mourned Long's announcement in 2015 that she was transitioning from historical romance to contemporary but each book in her Hellcat Canyon series has reinforced the brilliance of that move. Gabe and Eden are one of my favorite JAL couples (of any era) and their story, in my opinion, one of the best books Julie Anne Long has written. You won't want to miss this one.

Original review June 2018: 3.5 to 4 stars. A sweet, enjoyable CR, with little angst. I liked the H, Gabe, principal of the elementary school, but also an ex-Navy SEAL. He's hot, but also a really nice guy. Mature, likeable, a person of integrity. Gabe has quietly admired Eden for a while. A parent of one of his students, a single mom of bright ten-year-old Annelise. He sees the lovely relationship between mother and daughter, and his respect and liking for Eden grows. But just as the relationship between Gabe and Eden starts to heat up, a complication from Eden's past wanders into town. And it has to be dealt with.The story moved along at a good pace, and I liked the plot line and the characterisations. Overall, a well-written and enjoyable, although not brilliant, CR.

This was my first time reading Julie Anne Long, and I will be reading more of her in the future. I was at first skeptical as to whether I would like this book. I didn't think I would relate to the characters - a single mom and school principal... but I loved them! I really like Long's writing style. The romance was sweet and a little steamy, and she made our heroine's kid cute and entertaining.Eden Harwood is our single mom heroine, proprietor of a florist shop and master at a white board schedule necessary to keep her life and kid's schedule organized. She is pretty and enigmatic, but hasn't had a date in the 10 years since she learned of her unexpected pregnancy. Her life revolves around her daughter, Annelise. Annelise was cute and smart and talented. She likes new words and can play a mournful guitar, and she really added a fun element to the story aside from the romance. I liked the relationship between Annelise and Eden. But Eden will have to step away from her Annelise comfort zone if she ever wants to become romantically involved again, and that was hard for her to do. I found Eden's background and her lack of love history interesting and somewhat unusual for a romance. Usually a single mom heroine is nursing pain and a broken heart somewhere, but that wasn't the case with Eden. I loved her empathy and many of the little things she did when it involved someone she cared about.Gabe Caldera is our school principal heroine... not normally the sort of guy I envision as a romance hero. But Gabe is a former Navy SEAL! Oh man, why couldn't my high school principal have been a smoking hot former Navy SEAL with "those square muscles on his stomach" (as relayed by Annelise)? All the PTA moms are hot for principal, and I couldn't blame them one bit. Gabe was great with kids, but even greater with the moms and knew how to use his attributes to smooth over situations. I loved his fun and flirty side, and particularly liked the little bit of dirty flirty that came out around Eden. Gabe's heart has been wounded in the past, which has led to him staying all kinds of busy and not getting involved. However, he found himself drawn closer and closer to our heroine and was finally able to step out of his own comfort zone to give it a shot.The relationship between these two was so fun. They had great banter and chemistry, and it was a joy to watch their dynamic unfold. Of course there had to be some drama thrown in to disrupt things a little, which usually makes me grumbly as I chase the happy ending. But in this case, I didn't get aggravated. I was still riveted to the kindle screen to see what would happen next. (So riveted, in fact, that I stayed on the treadmill for an extra half hour!)I haven't read the earlier books in the Hellcat Canyon series, and I think this on worked fine as a standalone despite the character crossover. But I will be going back to check out those earlier stories now because I really liked this one.I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Avon.

So witty and funny! Gabe and Eden had excellent banter, with sweet moments. The whole ex-Navy SEAL hot principal thing floats my boat, even though I have yet to encounter anything close in real life. I read this out of order, so I may have spoiled myself for Avalon’s (Eden’s sister) story. I don’t care; I’m still reading it. I really like Julie Long’s writing. The anatomically correct Ken doll was hilarious. I laughed pretty hard while reading.

Rating: 4.5 starsAgain, I have been surprised and delighted by a book. I mean, I was already on board for a book about a single mom and a principal – just think of the sexual fantasies wrapped up in that one – but I wasn’t expecting to love this as much as I did. If I ever become a single mom, I want to be Eden and have hot-as-sin relationship with the principal. Plus, then I'd have the coolest kid and some awesome family around me.Because, honestly, Annelise was awesome. She’s 10, she’s clever, she’s polite, and she has an awesome relationship with her mom. They’re friends. And, you know what they say, kids say the darnedest things, which applies to Annelise 100%. I know, I know. A romance book shouldn’t be all about a kid, but 1 of my stars is genuinely because of what a great character Annelise is.Three of those stars are all for Eden and Gabe. Their relationship develops in short bursts because adulting is hard and being a single mom and small business owner (you go, girl!) is busy work. I loved how they would be interrupted repeatedly mid sentence and then pick up right where they left off in their next interaction. Plus, both were genuinely such lovely people, both hardworking and caring and dedicated.The first time they get naked together came as a surprise to me, but holy shit was it hot. AND there’s a scene where the dirty talk was all about having time. Time! Because that’s what Eden yearns for! And Gabe paints this picture while they’re going at it of having free time! It was great. But the chemistry was in general fantastic, hooking me in and making me giddy.The final half-star goes to Eden’s family, who were warm and funny. Special mention to the surprise that comes along the way (though I honestly wasn’t all that surprised). It showed that families really are made up of lots of different parts and in many configurations. It was a nice message to see that biology wasn’t everything that made up a family.Yup, I'm following Julie now. And I think I might go check out the previous books in this series if The First Time at Firelight Falls is anything to go by!I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"Days like these made being a Navy SEAL seem definitely easier than being an elementary school principal."FINAL DECISION: Passionate, romantic, funny, fabulous and so incredibly normal. This is my favorite book of the year so far...and I'm not sure another book is going to be able to top it.THE STORY: Eden Harwood was the good girl who ended up pregnant. She adores and dedicates her life to her ten year old daughter and her life is busy and seems full until something starts with the elementary school principal Gabe Caldera. Gabe destroys any stereotypes of what a school principal should look like. When the two begin a lot of flirtation, Eden realizes that she might be missing something that she needs. In that moment, the secret of her daughter's paternity that Eden has kept for ten years may not be secret much longer and might just destroy the relationship that Gabe and Eden are building.OPINION: This might be the most beautiful book about love that I have ever read, but at the very least it is the best book I have read this year so far and I can't really imagine another book topping it.So much is written about love and romance but this book has something really important to say -- love is not only about the rush of excitement and lust but also about constancy and stability and being there.I read this book without stopping from the first to last page -- not because of the suspense or the drama -- but because of the quietness of the romance. How it fills all the spaces in the lives of these characters. How it exists in the reality of real lives. How often do I turn to romance as escapism? -- read about a duke or a billionaire or a famous actor. This is the story of a single mother florist who falls for a school principal during the car pickup and community meetings.Now I know that I've turned off some people who might say "I don't need to read about my own boring normal life" but I urge you to give this book a chance. Because this book beautifully gives everyone hope: the single mother who doesn't have a moment to herself, the serious man who has a life filled with responsibilities, those who have made mistakes that effect the rest of their lives, those who have suffered loss.This book filled me up with joy and wonder and such a sense of peace by its end. Sometimes, often times, when I finish a book I enjoy, I have a difficult time writing the review. The book just takes all the space and I have trouble expressing what about the book captivated me. This sometimes causes a problem because I am quickly off to the next book and I hate having reviews backed up.This book was different. I felt filled to the brim and overflowing and all I wanted to do was write this review. And I had no immediate interest to fill the space with another book.Gabe and Eden are so normal that I couldn't imagine that Julie Anne Long would be able to keep up the interest and tension. But by using the absolutely ordinary events as a flirty and significant interchange between the two, the book manages to fill all the regular moments in their lives with meaning and passionate tension, but always with a humor and an joy in the small things.  Never has a normal life been so sexy.WORTH MENTIONING: There is even a tiny Pennyroyal Green reference for fans of Long's prior historical series.CONNECTED BOOKS: THE FIRST TIME AT FIRELIGHT FALLS is the fourth book in the Hellcat Canyon series. The book can be read as a standalone although there are characters from the other books who appear here.STAR RATING: I give this book 5 amazing stars.NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Edelweiss in order to assist me in preparing this review. I was not required to write a review and I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.This review was originally posted on Top10RomanceBooks.com