Books & Spoons Review for NEW TRICKS by Kelly Moran

Loving someone is something you never forget how to do . . . 

Zoe Hornsby has enough on her plate. Her pet grooming business tucked inside her friends’ veterinarian clinic is busy, and all her free time outside of work is dedicated to caring for her mother’s ailing mind. Dating is certainly not on her agenda. For all she cares, the town gossips of Redwood Ridge, Oregon, can set their matchmaking sights on someone else. Because no way would she consider sexy veterinarian Drake O'Grady her perfect guy. Once upon a time, she may have harbored a little crush, but he’d only had eyes for her best friend. And the crazy attraction building between her and Drake now? Down boy, down.

After Drake lost his wife to cancer, he’s finally clawed his way out of grief and beginning to feel more like a part of the human race. But he’s appalled to learn his prying family thinks he's ready to jump in the dating pool. And the woman they thrust at him couldn’t be more inappropriate. As his dead wife’s best friend, Zoe is off limits. Even if they seem to share a common sadness, she is too potent a personality to get romantically tangled with. Yet she’s making his heart beat and blood roar like he never thought it could again. And he doesn't want to just exist anymore . . .

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Yes, this will is me, blubbering through yet another emotional review for a Kelly Moran book, but as long as she keeps writing them, I am pretty sure I will be blubbering... Because I am having a serious author crush on her and her writing style to take the stories so deep to the dark corners of the human mind, to the hidden emotions that make us so vulnerable, to the depth of the passion and adoration that makes lovers inseparable... 
And in New Tricks she touches an issue within a family that had me floored from the chapter one - the (early set) dementia and its consequences on any family it touches, and the tough, wrenching labor of love it is for the family members to witness it and take care of those who suffer from it. The moments with Zoe's mom are filled with love and respect, yet so realistic and painful, as are the conflicted feelings Zoe has about her mother's care.
The whole cast of characters won me over in the book one of the series, and even though these stories are standalone novels, the family is important to all of them, and thus all the members are playing an important role in each book. 
I have been waiting to read about Drake and Zoe, to see how they manage to find their way to a romantic relationship, how they will get over Heather's death, and the part she played in their lives. And it is a touching, beautiful, intense road, that had more roadblocks than expected, yet so filled with true love and scorching passion it had me smiling, sighing, swooning, and tearful through the night as I inhaled the story on one emotion-filled swoop.
Drake O'Grady is the hot, brooding, oldest brother and surgeon vet, and a widow. His high school sweetheart passed away four years ago, and it had taken Drake years to find the way out of the foggy existence of grief. His anchor and dear friend through it all, Zoe, is suddenly waking up feelings in him that baffle and scare him, while intriguing and alluring him to find out more. The battle to let go of the past was getting easier each day, now he just had to convince Zoe that the one he wanted to build future with was right there in front of him the whole time. 
Zoe Hornsby is one tough, capable, colorful, independent lady. I admired her, I adored her, I wanted to be like her. She faces the storms of life head-on, showing no fear even though it is festering inside. She has a tender, loving, loyal heart, yet there aren't many she is willing to show it or admit its existence to. She works hard, she takes care of her mother, she has given up her own life, her own goals, and dreams and even her teenage crush, yet she is no martyr, there is not an ounce of bitterness in her. 
The connection and chemistry between Zoe and Drake are tangible and something so special, tender, sweet, hot, and sensuous it took my breath away. Yes, it is an emotional journey, yet the emotions touch the whole range from joy and jubilee to raw pain and fear. 
Yet again the author has managed to stun me with the amount of emotional depth she manages to put into a story. The natural flow of the story keeps the mind hooked to the tale, the allure of the fascinating characters is strong, the road to happily ever after lined with both beauty and barries, and there're pets, cute, doting doggies and cats...!
~ Five Spoons!

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New Tricks comes out September 27th - The perfect time to read books 1 & 2 while waiting...

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Bestselling author Kelly Moran says she gets her ideas from everyone and everything around her and there’s always a book playing out in her head. No one who knows her bats an eyelash when she talks to herself, and no one is safe from becoming her next fictional character. She is a Catherine Award-Winner, Readers Choice Finalist, Holt Medallion Finalist, and earned one of the 10 Best Reads by USA Today's HEA. She is also a Romance Writers of America member. Her interests include: sappy movies, MLB, NFL, driving others insane, and sleeping when she can. She is a closet caffeine junkie and chocoholic, but don’t tell anyone. She resides in Wisconsin with her husband, three sons, and two dogs. Most of her family lives in the Carolinas, so she spends a lot of time there as well. She loves hearing from her readers.

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