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eawells's profile picture

eawells's review

5.0

Maureen and Jake’s story in A Hometown Proposal by CJ Carmichael, book three in her Shannon Sisters series is a tale filled with emotions, family, and love. It had been a year since the death of Maureen Shannon’s husband. A husband who stayed home to raise their daughter, yet when opportunity arose, chased after adventures to soothe his need for excitement; forcing Maureen to work long hours at her legal firm to support their family and his exploits. Even before his death, Maureen’s relationship with her pre-teen daughter was difficult; now it was out of control. Desperate to heal and reconnect, she resigned from her partnership at a legal firm and moved back to her hometown of Whitefish, Montana, closer to her sisters. It was the hope that being near family and in a new environment, they would heal their wounds. At the suggestion of her brother-in-law, Maureen financially invested in a heli-skiing and lodge operation to help with the loss of income. Only she never expected to be attracted to the owner, a man who makes his living chasing adventure. Jake Hartman knows Maureen is off limits; she’s an investor in his company. Maureen is beautiful, intelligent and makes Jake feel more alive than he’s ever experienced before. After getting to know Maureen’s daughter and spending time with the two of them, this confirmed bachelor finds himself contemplating a different partnership with them. Now he has to convince Maureen to let go of her past in order to build a future with him; a man who never imagined becoming a husband or a father.

Ms Carmichael wrote a wonderful, intriguing, and emotional story that is definitely not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with chemistry, adventures, loving family, and charming characters giving Maureen and Jake a chance at love. I highly recommend A Hometown Proposal to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
lorimacd's profile picture

lorimacd's review

3.75
reflective medium-paced
bookish_kristina's profile picture

bookish_kristina's review

2.25

Enh, it was free at least.

If this feels nostalgic to cheesy 1990s Harlequins, that’s because it is a cheesy 1990s Harlequin that the author has reissued. She’s made some updates, like throwing in a Taylor Swift reference and mentioning the internet, but she also has them discussing brochure design as a key marketing plan for a ski resort when social media has largely replaced brochures in all travel marketing. 
But aside from those minor nitpicks, it’s actually the mores and attitudes of this book that truly need updating. It’s still very much rooted in 1990 and feels like it was written by a boomer. Diet culture, ideas about ‘working moms’ (80% of mothers work in 2025, it’s not a rarity) and when she uses the term ‘hunk’ to describe the MMC, I died laughing. Lots more work needs to be done to call this book ‘updated’, it ain’t. It felt so very dated. This would be fine if I’d picked up a book knowing I was venturing into the past, but I feel duped as it’s marketed as recent. 

But it’s not a bad story, it’s a typical formula romance from decades ago, and as long as you go in knowing it’s Harlequin cheese, you can turn your brain off. The ending was silly though because it basically made the entire premise of the book pointless, and I dislike when authors do that.
Why set something up as a conflict only to have it mean nothing she becomes a silent investor in his heli-ski resort and he does huge expansions only to decide to become a rancher and sell the entire thing not three months later, da fuk?


Book two in my 2025 plan to prioritize Canadian authors 🇨🇦. I wish this had been set in Canada though, Canadian authors need to stop pandering to the American audience. I’m sure they don’t need every book set in the USA and will read a book set in Alberta, which has mountains, ranches and heli-ski resorts.
sophiarose1816's profile picture

sophiarose1816's review

4.5
emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

 Audiobook Review

Widowed because her husband was an adrenaline junkie, struggling with her daughter’s angry grief, and moving to her hometown to be surrounded by family and a fresh start, does she really need a new romantic opportunity? These sisters, their love interests, and their lives have warmed my heart since the beginning. It seems fitting that Maureen, the bossy, oldest Shannon sister with the toughest emotional struggles should get the final story and with a man who seems made to get all her hackles up.

A Hometown Proposal is the third and final book in a trilogy of closely knit books that should be read in order.

Montana ranching country comes into colorful life as the backdrop for this series and I love how each sisters’ story has a different aspect from an inn, to law enforcement, and now an adventure business. Then there is the family focus of three sisters who grew up with a dad who mostly abandoned the family and a mom who resented that. Sisters who were all very different from each other and went with different interests in careers and love life, but always had each other’s backs through thick and thin. Maureen was the sister I’ve been wary of since the beginning even though both younger sisters’ rely on her legal expertise, advise, and support even when her own life seems to be falling apart. 
While she is focused on Holly’s reaction to her dad’s death, Maureen has been carrying around her own anger and issues with her husband which she tends to transfer onto Jake when she struggles against the attraction they share. Jake might be athletic and into adventurous rugged activities even laid back and easy going on the surface, but he is nothing like the man in fundamental ways. Maureen was a tough one and I appreciated all she had to unpack emotionally from her past and especially struggled when Jake and Holly made their own connections when Holly wouldn’t connect with her mother. I loved that a man who didn’t see himself in such a role ended up being the emotional connection that mother and daughter needed to come together as a family- eventually. Jake had a lot of page time and had his own struggles especially when it came to Maureen and his business, but I felt that this was mostly her story.

What has been an exciting part of the series from the beginning was the suspense element that having the ex-mayor still greedily scheming to bring big development of the land out by the ranch even if he lost his chance at the ranch itself. The mystery that has been strong in book one and continued was resolved in this last book bringing an exciting edge to a deep-felt small town romance and some interesting surprises for the sisters and their families.

A Hometown Proposal is about the length of an extended novella, but it is a complete and rich story. The writer has a gift for writing with an economy of words that pulled me in and kept me engaged throughout. This last book focuses on Maureen and Jake’s story and romance, but does a great job of tying all the sisters’ stories together and bringing the whole series’ story to a satisfying close.

Charlotte North has been an impeccable match for this trilogy of stories. She gave voice to each sister and the surrounding cast of characters so that I saw them all distinctly in my mind. She brought out the country and small town setting and caught the tone of the situation and scenes perfectly.

All in all, this was a fabulous conclusion to the series and another engaging romance against a charming Montana setting with a side of suspense. For those who enjoy small town romance and suspense with a strong dose of family, this author, narrator, and series are a good bet. 

booklaura's review

4.0

Maureen has moved back home with her 12 year old daughter after the tragic accidental death of her husband. She knows she should be grieving but things are not always as they appear to those outside the marriage. When she ends up becoming a silent partner in an adventure company she has not idea she is about to start her own adventure on the way to self discovery, self forgiveness and repairing her relationship to the most important person in her life. Her daughter is terrible to her with words and actions. Part due to her father's death and part being a tween. Can moving back to her sisters help her repair their mother/daughter bond? Can Maureen find the love her marriage was lacking? Good read.