I found myself having a tough time really liking the book. While the grief the heroine experienced was palpable, I just didn’t believe in the two characters. I honestly ended the book wanting to know more about the other family members. Maybe if the hero had a stronger personality. He was nice but it kind of fell flat. Also the overbearing family almost made him seem weak. Combine that with the love woes he was feeling and he will go down as one of the my least fav book heros. I did appreciate Maggie’s overall journey.

A beautifully written story of loss,devastation and finding oneself again.
Maggie is a young widow of two years.
She and Nash,her deceased husband,have been friends since childhood.
Their friendship blossomed and grew to love.
He was her first everything.
Nash’s suddenly death has left Maggie a shell of yourself.
She has basically stopped living.
She doesn’t really live in the present,except when going to work.
Maggie is broken in heart and spirit.
Loss and despair rule and dominate her.
She has given up and life and any sort of happiness.
Even to the point of pushing away family and friends.
Her anguish and her devastation made my heart ache for her so much.
At times when Maggie’s not in her only head I got glimpses of the sassy vibrant girl she used to be.
Those rare moments where preloss Maggie is visible was wonderful to see.
She’s funny and has feistiness to her.
Ryan is such a sweetheart.
He’s now thirty and has given up on finding love.
He’s never found the girl that had him wanting more.
I loved Ryan for his caring nature and how he is so family oriented.
I loved how responsible he was in his work and most especially his morals.
When he sees Maggie in his heart he knows she’s the one.
Even when things seemed hopeless between he never gave up on her.
Ryan wanting to help her and see her through her tremendous grief.
He never demanded anything of her.
He never wanted more than she could give.
Being friends was enough for him.
His patience knew no end.
His giving was in abundance.
And is compassion never dwindled.
Even when Maggie said she had nothing in her for anyone he never stopped trying to help heal her.
Ms. Micheals wrote a tender sweet story of loss and second chances at love.
With wonderful down to earth characters that warm the heart.
And if you have meet the McCullough Clan you will be thrilled with their appearance in this book.
It was wonderful getting to see them all again.
And laughing out loud at the older ladies antics and the things that come out of their mouths.
I’m so happy with this new series and absolutely looking forward to more.
Btw very fitting title for this book,it fits perfectly.

This is a perfect fit for readers who adore small-town romance, friends-to-lovers tropes, and heartwarming stories of second chances at love, as it weaves a tender and emotional tale of two souls finding their way back to each other in the quiet, charming world of a close-knit community.

Wow what amazing story that will have you pulled in to the story. This is another amazing read.

Wake My Heart
Jasper Falls, Book 1
By: Lydia Michaels
Narrated by: Ashley Trumpler

Jasper Falls is a place I would love to visit. Between the interesting people that live there and O’Malley’s Pub, it would sure to be an experience. This is the first book in the series, but you can read them in any order. Ryan recently has moved to Jasper Falls. Related to everyone in town, he has come to help out at the pub and work at the lumber yard. He didn’t plan on finding love. When he saw his neighbor Maggie though, all bets were off. Maggie is not interested in even leaving her house. Once so happy, the untimely death of her husband has left her in a depression she just can’t get out of. Until Ryan, she didn’t even look to talk to people outside of work. Ryan is determined to bring her heart back to life and with real love and patience, he stays by her side. But will it be enough? Will Maggie forever be living in the shadow of her former self? We meet so many characters, each one important to the story. My heart broke for Maggie. Lydia Michaels does not sugarcoat her grief, and truly makes your heartache. I fell for Ryan. His unending patience and glowing love showed just what a good man he is. It’s a great start to this series, and makes you want to come back to town soon!

Ashley Trumpler does a wonderful job bringing this story to life. She is able to bring out all the emotions of Maggie and create that feeling of despair with a slight hope. She has a great variety of voices and nails the Irish accent! I loved this book and look forward to the rest of the series!

Wake My Heart by Lydia Michaels is the first book in the spinoff series Jasper Falls. If you liked the McCullough Mountain series this one will live up to them.

Ryan Connolly is 30 years old, it's time to do something solely for himself. He's been thrown into so many roles in his life without a conscience decision on his part that moving into his own home is freeing. He figures he'll end up single so when he catches sight of his neighbor he's immediately drawn to her. But Maggie has more than walls keeping others out and breaking them down one encounter at a time seems to be the only way to go. Ryan has the patience of a Saint and he knows with the chaos of his family that when you find someone to quiet everything it's worth fighting for.
Maggie O'Malley exists in a suspended reality and had been unable to move forward after the tragic death of her husband. She truly is just going through the motions until her new neighbor turns up. He's like a bad penny who seems to always find his way to her when she just wants to be left alone. Has two years been enough time to shake off the shackles of grief and start becoming the Maggie without Nash? She is forced to accept that she's alive and hiding from the world is no longer an option. Ryan makes her feel and that is scarier than dealing with her demons.

This book contains loss, you are likely going to be sobbing at some point. Be prepared. Also, you get a nice dose of the McCullough and extended family, so enjoy.

The main character, Maggie, loses her husband in a tragic way, and never thought she would move on with her life after losing her husband Nash. 2 years later a man buys the home next to her, and from that point on, her life changes in some drastic ways. This is book 1 in a series and I will most definitely be adding the rest to my TBR list. This book was beautifully written and such an elegant way to portray a part of grief we do not often see.

Trigger warning: death/widow

When I learned that Lydia Michaels was writing a new small town romance series, my heart did a little happy dance. The setting for this series, Jasper Falls, is new, but still familiar given it's closeness to McCollough Mountain. Readers familiar with the McCollough Mountain series will be delighted to see many familiar faces. I, for one, was thrilled to see how the boisterous family had grown. The hero of this story, Ryan, is a cousin to the McColloughs. The odd-man out at family gatherings, he decides to move away from the family and embrace being single. He purchases a home next door to Maggie O'Malley, a young widow that has been stuck in her grief for years. What unravels is a story of friendship and healing. I was completely invested in the family drama (including a decades old family feud), and appreciated that there was no "cure all" for the heroine. Instead, therapy and boundaries, along with a lot of patience on Ryan's part, helped her to find her footing in a new life. While the mood was somber for much of Maggie's early scenes, I think it was a great counterpoint to the often loud, rowdy scenes involving Ryan and his family. The romance was sexy, but very much a slow burn, which seemed fitting for Maggie. It was nice to see her find comfort in a new friend as she learned to live again. I wholeheartedly recommend this story to fans of emotional, friends to lovers stories. I'll caution that you may need to keep a box of tissues nearby. The tears are worth it, though! The happily ever after was so hard-earned.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This book was heartbreaking and frustrating. But it was also beautiful. The storyline completely kept me hooked. This was my first book by Michaels. I wouldn’t mind reading the rest of this series.

“Life was fleeting and impermanent, but true love could outlast a lifetime.”

“All those seemingly meaningless things were what she missed the most.”