Books & Spoons Review for UNLIKELY IN LOVE by Ashlie Knapp

At 27, Annabelle Cleaver finds herself sitting in a lawyer's office, listening to the last will and testament of the only relative she's ever loved being read. Stuck in the small Oklahoma town she always had every intention of leaving, she has no idea what comes next. When her sexy high school crush, Wyatt Holloway, returns to town and asks her for a job on her farm, her 
simple life becomes more complicated than she ever imagined. 

Wyatt Holloway returned from three tours overseas in the army a broken man. He'd seen and done things that haunt his days and nights. When he discovers Annabelle Cleaver, the beautiful but quirky girl from high school, needs help on her family farm after the passing of her crazy grandma, he finds himself inexplicably drawn to the woman who'd always held his 
interest. 

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Have you ever felt like the universe was hugging you via the book you have read - or does this go too far into the bookworm world... 
Unlikely In Love is a warm, sweet, tender, smart and fun story that makes you smile while it breaks your heart a bit. It is such a perfect combination of the worst tragedies in life and the greatest joys you can experience. It is about love between friends and family, and it is about falling in love, finding your true north, your soulmate or however you want to express it. It is about healing, it is about growing, finding your place, and finding out what is home to you. 
Annabelle Cleaver has struggled most of her life. She was an outsider during the school years, she always stood for what she felt was right and not necessarily the popular choice. She is smart as a whip, yet had to drop out of college to take care of her grandmother who was ill. Granma was the only family Annabelle had left, their bond was tight, the love they had for each other undeniable. They had always been there for each other, and now she was gone. And she left a bombshell of a legacy behind her. 
Wyatt Holloway came home from the army broken and scarred. The things he had seen, the things he had done, and not done, the nightmares and memories and the consequences of them, were messing with his mind. Helping Annabelle at the farm, reconnecting again after a decade from high school, was the ointment that both of them needed so their wounds could heal. They bond and connect, they learn to smile, laugh, and cry again. They feel comfortable to open up, share those darkest moments and deepest secrets. They began to be 
friends first, until the burning attraction they feel for each other is set free.
I adored Wyatt and Annabelle together, they made me smile, I could feel the happiness and joy surrounding them as they get to know each other. The connection between them is honest, raw yet tender, passionate yet sweet. Wyatt's family is delightful, and little Hattie just stole my heart. The friends they have are the kinds for a lifetime, and the small town feels and meddling of the folks is hilarious.
The broken souls, the wounds, and sorrow starts to heal over time. Nothing happens instantly, it has more of life-like natural grow of emotions and relationships. There are quirky, crazy habits and obsessions, things that made me laugh, and there are heartache and mourning that takes time to mend and revive. 
An engaging, enjoyable, and entertaining novel that was just a lusciously delicious reading experience that wraps you in all the warm and fuzzy feels of love and life.
~ Four Spoons with a teaspoon on the side

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Ashlie Knapp was born and raised in Oklahoma but her heart belongs to the ocean. She loves
binge watching Parks and Recreation, The Office, Friends, Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead and adores Chris Pratt as chubby Andy Dwyer much more than sexy Star Lord. She hates mornings, mushrooms, and mosquitoes. Her days not working as a social worker are spent with her two witty, intelligent, boisterous children and love-of-her-life husband on their jet skis at the lake, putting around on the golf course or watching any University of Oklahoma athletic event. If you can’t find her any of those places, she’s probably in her comfy bed with her twelve year old Cocker Spaniel, Gracie, goofy rescue dog, Jake, and three cantankerous cats, Bogey, Birdie and Jackie, while reading a good book.

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