The Return of Brody McBride: A Romantic Suspense Novel (McBrides)

****FOUR STARS for The Return of Brody McBride****Man on man. I saw the cover, and I knew I was gonna love this book. This lady loves her a downhome country love story. I did NOT expect the depth this story would have with each turn of the page. Jennifer Ryan weaves this amazing story of friendship and family. When meeting Brody in this first installment, you know he never stopped loving his first love, Rain. Raised in a household that never allowed him to feel worthy of anything good, he knew Rain would leave - so he left first. Unknowingly, he left more than Rain behind.The tension between Brody and his brother, Owen was real. This wasn't sugar coated and easily forgotten. My favorite part is once they worked to get past the tension, Owen and Brody continued to tease and test it. Just like brothers would."Why does he constantly do that?" Brody asked through his teeth."Before you came back, he did it because he loves me and wanted me to know he cared." Her eyes when soft as she glanced at Owen gathering up the girls."Now that I'm back?" Brody asked, knowing he wouldn't like the answer.Her eyes met his and the corner of her mouth turned up. "Just to piss you off, because you've made it clear you don't like him being affectionate toward me."Second chance at love seems to be my favorite troupe lately. Something about the stories from the past that just makes it so much better. I thought the "secret babies" would throw me off because I do not condone hiding kids, but this situation was different. Rain made attempts, and after no luck - she continued her life to protect her girls.While you love learning about them McBride's, I can't pass up telling you that Rain and Pops are my favorite! Rain is so strong, and the epitome of what a mother should be. She loves her girls with everything she has. Her father was such a great example. Clearly she wasn't raised with tiara's and tutu's and even now, she is one hell of a mechanic. Pops is Pops. Such a dad. Rain and her dad have such an incredible relationship full of sass. (Sidenote: that is how my Dad and I are, which might be why I feel so close to these two!)"Well, aren't you just full of love and wisdom this morning? What's you stir your coffee with, Cupid's arrow?"My other favorite line about Pops is when Owen called him after Brody's accident with the truck."He hopes you'll be a hundred percent when you come to get the truck...so he can kill you," Owen finished around a bite of chili.Pops has anger towards Brody for how he left Fallbrook, but he knows his daughter never stopped loving the man who caused such pain and helped create two beautiful girls. Everything from the unfolding of the story to the instant love he felt for his girls felt real. Jennifer created a world where it didn't feel like I was reading BUT experiencing it firsthand. Without giving away any more of the story, what you will find in Brody and Rain's story is: a wonderful re-kindling of a relationship, the kind of parental love every child deserves, supporting characters who you pray that she will write about, a brother who steps up to the plate for his brother while most wouldn't, a crazy night at a bar that changed everyone's life, and a warm feeling that will stay in your heart long after you return THE END of Brody's book.

There were a lot of pieces to the plot of this one that should have made me hate it, but all together it actually made for an incredibly interesting read with an unexpected twist a rather standard trope.The break-up between Brody and Rain back in the day didn't make a lot of sense, but then again, plenty of break-ups never do. And what happened directly afterward, as awful as it is, is actually pretty true to life. The short of it is that Brody and Rain broke up, he had a one-night-stand with someone else, and then they got back together for a very brief moment before he headed off into the military. So instead of coming home years later to a surprise kid, Brody came home to double the surprise. As much as that initial detail pissed me off, it also had me wondering how it would all play out.It's impossible not to feel bad for Rain. The guy she was in love with knocked her up and then took off for the wild blue yonder before either of them knew what was coming in nine months. But worse, his one-night-stand also got pregnant, leaving Rain not only to deal with the small-town shame of being an unwed and essentially abandoned mother, but also having to deal with the whispers, looks, and gossip surrounding the fact that she wasn't the only one he left in that condition. No matter what she did before or after, you've just gotta feel something for a woman in her shoes.Fast forward several years, and Brody is back in town, out of the military, and looking to reconnect with Rain. Discovering what he'd left behind was the shock of a lifetime, but how Rain handled it all was incredibly admirable. She'd held her head up, raised her daughter, and even informally adopted his other daughter from a truly unfit mother. What follows, of course, is Brody's desperate attempt to make up for the wrongs he's done, not to mention some unwelcome drama from Baby Mama #2.It should have been hard for me to accept a story about a heroine abandoned while pregnant, the town whore also pregnant by hero at the same time, and all the drama said whore put on the table upon the hero's return, but somehow all this combined just reeled me in. I think part of it is simply that the plot was rather unique without making a mockery of everything, and part of it is just Jennifer Ryan's writing. While I was angry and judgmental and betrayed right alongside Rain, it was also very clear that Brody had simply made a very stupid (and not uncommon) mistake and was willing to do anything necessary to make up for it as much as possible, and he never pulled the custody card to get what he wanted. In the end, what should have been an overly dramatic mess of a story turned out to be thoroughly entertaining and unique, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who's looking for a different kind of second chance romance story.

This was a fabulous story full of heart rending moments and also light hearted times. I loved Brody and felt nothing but sympathy for all he had endured. Rain was such a strong woman and a perfect match for Brody. I am so glad I came across this author. Excellent reading which I highly recommend.

I really loved this book. I Fell in love with the main characters. Had a bit of everything from the lasting effects of war wounds on the body and the mind to cat scrapping pregnant women in the market.. it had me peeing myself laughing and sobbing my heart out.. Cant wait for owens mcbrides book.

Really got into this story and enjoyed it.

Holy snapping dialogue. I don't think i have ever read a book with so much dialogue in it. It was everywhere on every page and sometime completely impractical. Sometimes you don't say stuff in front of 8 year olds, you wait it out. Brody and Rain didn't seem to understand that.In all honesty i did begin to skim towards the end because it just got a little too much.I did however like the premises behind the book i just don't know if it was written as well as it could have been.

The book is a nice distraction on a cold winter day or a rainy afternoon. However, the people are a little two sweet and too good for my taste. Everyone is the typical American hero - I cannot believe that a woman is that forgiving and will just open her arms to get back to the man who left her pregnant and take in another woman's baby.