A review by booksabrewin
Meadow by April Skye

5.0

The hunt is on for the culprit behind Devon's death. It seems it went deeper than an gang related shooting. Allison and her husband were targeted that night and Huxley just got in the way unlike what they originally thought. Now Allison is having to figure out who might have an axe to grind against her beautiful golden retriever of a husband. She comes up empty but she couldn't shake the man she had helped kill's words: the mission was only partially complete. Will she be able to figure out who could possibly hate her budding family so much that they would hire a gang member to kill them?

Add in that Allison is starting to confront her feelings for the men in her life. All of them. She can't choose just one to fall for, she needs them all. She wants them all. And with the guidance of her dream meetings with her deceased husband she starts to confront the fact that the attraction is there and all of them are feeling the same. But is it too soon? What would their lives look like once she had her baby? Would she be able to keep living with them even after the birth of her daughter? And would she be able to share her heart with anyone but the man who died only months before?

I have no idea what April Skye's writing process is but I highly encourage her to keep it up. I have never dipped into a series and not had the second book in the serious drop a bit in my eyes. Usually there is just something in the writing, the characters, or the mystery that just becomes dull so I have to succumb to the inevitable four-star curse that good books usually fall under (they're not amazing but still great reads). But this author has a gift of keeping that romance thick and heady while also injecting some mystery and intrigue that you may see a bit of which coming but you never fully get the entire picture until you get to the last page of the book. It's truly astounding.

I will say that I loved Allison taking tiny steps with each of the men to let herself heal and feel again for the men surrounding her. But her interactions with David and Matthew are my personal favorites. I love that David is a bit closed off with everyone except Allison. With her he opens himself up and actually lets himself feel things. Matthew is the same. He is too overcome with PTSD and rage to function most days but Allison grounds him. The way they will press their foreheads together and just breathe each other in so he can steady himself, good lord, chef's kiss perfection. That is not to discount Huxley or Lachlan, but I love me some damaged kings.

Even though Allison is a bit of a crier I don't find it as annoying as I have in other books when I had a weepy woman. Maybe it is because I can understand the grieving process that she is going through after losing my grandfather in September 2023. I watch her consumed with her grief and my heart breaks for her. Even when she is weepy just for the sake of being weepy. I just want to flick all the dudes in the forehead and hug her myself. The love she has for her husband is palpable and I have no idea how the author captured the grieving process so adequately and can only hope it's not from personal experience she draws her inspiration from.

I think this series will go down as one of my favorites of all time and I will need to purchase physical copies so I may lend out to friends and family. April Skye you dastardly devil, you've locked me in as a permanent fan of your writing. Keep them coming!