WILD IRIS RIDGE is book seven and the last book in the Hope's Crossing series.

I have not read the previous six books in the series but never felt lost reading WILD IRIS RIDGE. I now need to go back and start with the first one and see what I missed in the delightful town of Hope's Crossing. Lucy Drake was a Marketing Director at a Fortune 500 company but she has just lost her job due to a bad product launch. Now she has returned to her Great Aunt's house in Hope's Crossing. This is the only place she feels safe and comfortable and that's what she needs without a doubt right now as she puts the pieces of her life back together.

As luck would have it, her arrival has sparked a call to the Fire Department. This is exactly what she doesn't need! Now she has to run into the one person she didn't want to see, the Fire Chief Brendan Caine. Why does this man still turn her insides out and leave her weak in the knees? This could be trouble for her as well as for him with a capital T. She thought she had problems before? Well, life is about to get a whole lot more complicated!

Lucy and Brendan have a rocky history. Brendan's late wife Jess happened to be Lucy's best friend and cousin. It was clear they despised each other. For years Lucy told Jess that Brendan is a has been with more muscles than brains, but Brendan never could figure out why Lucy hated him so much. I guess he forgot about that one kiss they shared years and years ago. Well, Lucy never did.

Lucy and Brendan's paths keep crossing especially since she is the special Aunt to his children Faith and Carter. As they spend more time together they actually start to develop feelings for each other. Is it possible that Brendan could actually open his heart again and let another person in? Can he let someone get that close to him and his children? Would it feel like he is being unfaithful to Jess? Read WILD IRIS RIDGE to find out.

I was cheering for Brendan and Lucy from the very beginning! I truly love this whole town and all the folks in it!!! I love RaeAnne Thayne's style of writing! She makes you feel as if you are right there in the little town of Hope's Crossing and everybody is your friend.

WILD IRIS RIDGE is the perfect way to spend an afternoon escaping from your own life. I was instantly caught up in Lucy and Brendan's reliving of the past and both of them wondering "what if". Will Lucy ever want to settle down in a small town or will she go back to the city life at the first chance she gets? Will they ever express their feelings for each other before it's too late? Once I started, I could not put WILD IRIS RIDGE down as the story will draw you in and leave you wishing you were a part of Hope's Crossing!