When Ethan Bishop returns to the Hudson Valley, his body and spirit are a little worse for wear. As a former Special Forces paratrooper, he saw his fair share of conflict, and he came home with wounds, inside and out. At his sisters’ B & B and farm, he can keep all his pain at a safe distance. But quiet time isn’t easy when a fiery woman explodes into his life…

It’s business—not pleasure—that brings Manhattan PR agent Mia Thrush reluctantly to the farm. Tightly wound and quick tempered, Mia clashes immediately with the brooding Ethan. Everything about him is irritating—from his lean muscles and piercing blue eyes to his scent of sweat and musk.

But as the summer unfolds and temperatures rise, Ethan and Mia discover how much they have in common: their guarded histories, an uncontrollable desire, and a passion for the future that could heal two broken hearts. But will their pasts threaten their fragile chance at a brand-new future?

Titles in the Stay series include:  The Start of Something Good – A Brand New Ending –

Title:  The Start of Something Good
Series:  Stay #1
Author:  Jennifer Probst
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  June 5, 2018
Publisher:  Montlake Romance
My Rating:  4.5 stars

I have been a long time Jennifer Probst reader, I love her worlds and the people she populates them with so very much.  The Start of Something Good is very true to the title, in more ways than one.  Ethan and Mia could not be more opposites on the surface than you could ever imagine.  But down deep inside they are both tending old, lasting wounds… and as much as they seem to hate each other on sight, underneath is an attraction that confuses and distracts them.  Toss in a teen with community service chores, a lovely B & B, a rescue horse farm, lively characters in a small town setting and you have the recipe for a perfectly addicting, enjoyable romance.

To be frank, I loved everything about this story… and it’s going to be hard to wait until October for the next one.  (Yes, I did peek on the next release date)  Ethan is wounded in many ways, physically certainly, but mentally, emotionally as war often does to its veterans.  The fact that the horses he cares for on the family farm are also injured in different ways rescues themselves, is not lost on Ethan.  Perhaps he can help them heal as they heal him.

Mia is city girl down to the tips of her designer shoes.  She’ll spend the summer in the country only because it will benefit her PR firm.  She is all business, New York madness and the quiet of the country is as foreign to her as the surface of the Moon.  She and Ethan hit it off on a wrong note at their first meeting and it only escalates from there.  Watching them discover that first impressions aren’t always correct was a fun and enjoyable journey.  The sizzle between them cannot be denied, but Mia’s life is in the city and Ethan’s in the country.  Somehow they have to figure out a way to make this thing between them work or there is nothing but heartache in their futures.

I simply loved The Start of Something Good.  The small town characters, the setting, the story line and the main couple are all so realistic and believable that I could have stepped off of a bus into this place.  If you are a fan of the enemies-to-lovers romance, or simply love a small town romance then you’ll enjoy Ethan and Mia’s story.  I expected to like this new release, I always look forward to where Ms Probst takes her readers, but I truly fell in love with this story and these characters.  I’m hoping we get a chance to catch up with them again in the series.  I’d definitely recommend this title to any Contemporary Romance reader who simply loves to fall in love with a book.  It’s that simple.

*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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