a small town fourth of july | book review

about the book

His return sets off fireworks…

But will it blow up her dreams?

When Theo Danby returns to Maple Glen to sell his inherited land, Maura Stuart panics. Selling the land could endanger Maura’s beloved donkey therapy business… and expose her secrets. Her only hope is to rope Theo into helping with the Fourth of July festival and make Theo fall in love with their small town. But if she trusts him with the truth, will he stay… or will she lose everything?

From Harlequin Heartwarming: Wholesome stories of love, compassion and belonging.

publisher: harlequin heartwarming

release date: june 25, 2024

goodreads | amazon | barnes & noble | bookbub | bookshop

other books in the series

rescued at christmas

review

a cute summer read, even after the fourth of july!

theo danby returns to maple glen to clean out the house he inherited. his life is elsewhere, so it makes sense to sell, but being back in town brings back all the fond memories of his childhood—and of course, he doesn't hate the opportunity to become reacquainted with maura, his neighbor and childhood crush. his decision to sell could negatively impact her donkey therapy business (especially considering the secret debt she uncovered)... could staying in maple glen be the right choice?

theo and maura have a few challenges set before them. maura desperately wants to keep her business and her land, but that's not completely within her control. theo, similarly, is in tricky situation, thanks to decisions made by his ex-wife, and now must decide what's best for him and his son. still, despite the challenges, theo and maura reconnect—and maybe even make a country boy out of his son.

their story is a sweet romance—with great father-son, sister-sister, and donkey moments, too. it builds up to the town's fourth of july festival, symbolizing the deadline for everything that's bound to happen. while some of it did feel obvious and drawn out, some pieces did have to fall into place along the way, and it was satisfying when everything turned out well for these characters.

a small town fourth of july is a heartwarming contemporary romance, as promised, and could easily delight readers this summer.

(a tarot-card psychic does get introduced in the end, connected to the town's festival, which i didn't really appreciated, but she does only play a minor role in the story overall.)

i received a complimentary copy from the publisher. i was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions i have expressed are my own.