Hope springs eternal in this enchanting Texas town.

Meet Gillian Thacker. Her business: Bliss Bridal Salon. Her passion: Weddings. Her own wedding: It’s complicated. Life isn’t turning out like she’d planned. The last thing she wants is for a real-life hero to ride to her rescue but when an unexpected event puts her entire future in Redemption, Texas, at risk. So what’s a broken-hearted bridal expert to do? Maybe a new set of survival skills is exactly what she needs…

Tucker McBride has been proud to call himself a U.S. Army Ranger. But now that his days of service are over, he’s decided to put his expertise to use by founding a wilderness skills training school. He sets up shop in Redemption, next to Bliss Bridal, and so begins life: Part Two. Marriage has been pretty low on his agenda, but as soon as he meets Gillian, Tucker can’t help but contemplate the ultimate challenge: Convincing the reluctant bride to take his hand and leap into the adventure of a lifetime -until death do they part.

Titles in the Eternity Springs: The McBrides of Texas series include – Jackson – Tucker –

This trilogy is connected to the Eternity Springs series.  Those titles include (from the author’s website) – Angel’s Rest – Hummingbird Lake – Heartache Falls – Mistletoe Mine – Lover’s Leap – Nightingale Way – Redemption Point – Miracle Road – Dreamweaver Trail – Teardrop Lane – Heartsong Cottage – Reunion Pass – Christmas in Eternity Springs – A Stardance Summer – The First Kiss of Spring – The Christmas Wishing Tree – Jackson – Tucker –

Title:  Tucker
Series:  Eternity Springs: The McBrides of Texas #2
Author:  Emily March
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  February 25, 2020
Publisher:  St. Martin’s Press
My Rating:  4 stars

We previously and briefly met Tucker and Gillian in the opening story of this trilogy within the series, Jackson.  Now we’ll get their full romance in their own book, Tucker, and it’s going to be a rocky, laughter and tears filled journey for us all.  While this is the seventeenth story in the overall Eternity Springs series, for the full dynamics of this trilogy of The McBrides of Texas set within that series I’d still recommend starting at the beginning (Jackson) because of little snippets like this – of meeting a couple before and maybe having a different view of them that changes in their book.  Simply my own thoughts, and of course, you do what works for you.

I’ll freely admit that I was totally on Tucker’s side in this romance.  He’s a solid man, one who doesn’t have an agenda, he is truly kind and just a nice guy living life after his Army Ranger discharge.  His attraction to Gillian is strong from their first encounter but he won’t act on that feeling since she’s already spoken for, even if the guy whose ring she’s wearing is a complete jerk.  But when that changes, all bets are off as Tucker can see a happy ever after future with this woman – if she would get past some things messing with her head.

I wish I had liked Gillian more, she often gave off such mixed signals, didn’t seem to want to marry for love but more for the wedding.  I just, I don’t know, couldn’t like her enough to really care if she got a happy ending even though she leveled out by the story’s ending – by that time I was not a huge fan.  Oh, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Tucker, I simply wasn’t a huge fan of one of the main characters – it happens as times but doesn’t change the enjoyment of the overall story for me.  So, if you’re in the mood for a romance with some rough spots, a hero to swoon over and a community that takes on a life of its own, then you’ll want to check out this story soon.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story.  It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

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