A review by vera_allbookedup
The Persistence of Thornes by Micalea Smeltzer

5.0

Caleb Thorne is a fixer. If someone needs something, he’s the first one there even if his help is not wanted. That’s just the way he is. And we know that because of his affiliation with Salem. He adopted her first daughter with Thayer and bought the house next door to be close to her. So when Halle and her brothers Casen and Quinn move in next door, he’s right there helping them move into their house and has rounded up help from the neighbors. When the pipes burst in her house and they can’t stay there, Caleb moves them into his house and gives Halle a job as his assistant. 

Halle is used to depending on herself and now she’s responsible for her 14-year-old twin brothers. She attracted to Caleb and vice versa but she doesn’t have time for a relationship. That means depending on someone else and she can’t do that when all her life she’s been let down. But little by little Halle sees that Caleb is someone she can trust. 

I loved revisiting Hawthorne Mills. Caleb truly needed his own HEA. His savior complex was a little daunting, but his motives were altruistic. Through Caleb, Halle was able to see the beauty of community and found family, that it’s okay to lean on someone sometimes, that accepting help doesn’t mean defeat. I loved the twins’ relationship with Thelma and Cynthia, like grandmas they didn’t know they needed. 

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review