The Gist: A delightful and loving sweet contemporary romance that explores independence, family and meaningful connection suffered from repetitive and cliche scenes.
Series: ABC Corp, #2*
Release Date: June 24, 2021
“The Callaghan Triplets.”
“Three of a kind.”
All his life, Ronan Callaghan has been part of a group. Always looking out for his brothers. Never seen as an individual or judged on his own merits.
When his brothers veer onto their own path, he finds himself alone. Restless.
Then he meets her.
Beth.
A waitress who sees him just for himself. None of the trappings of his wealth or family.
A woman who only wants to know him—Ronan.
She captures his heart, but how will she feel when she discovers the truth he’s holding back?
Can he show her the man he really is?
That he would be rather be hers than anything else?
• Discussion/mentions of ableism (btw – the MCs and their family members are not ableist)
• Infidelity
• Hero was victim to a con operation between his ex-girlfriend and his at the time best friend
• Bullying
• Death of parents
• No OW/OM drama
• Does have the Heroine pushing the Hero away
• Does have a brief separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Format: eARC
Rating: 4.75-stars
*Each book in the series is Standalone
Note: I received Finding Ronan’s Heart through Melanie Moreland’s team in exchange for an honest review.
•••
I am always eager to read Moreland’s books – I’m always in the mood for sweet, HEA-guaranteed romances. The romance between Ronan and Beth was swoon-worthy; I loved how they were each other’s solace and refuge in their lives.
As I mentioned on Instagram, Finding Ronan’s Heart follows Ronan, the eldest in a set of triplets (Aiden and Cami’s children. See their book, AIDEN). He’s struggling to find his independence and identity as he’s always seen as one of the “Callaghan Triplets.” Enter Beth, a girl working through school while raising her younger brother after being orphaned. Beth knows nothing about Ronan’s family; he’s just Ronan to her. Yet, as Ronan seeks to establish a life separate from his family, what was an unintentional omission has snowballed into a lie. Now, Ronan grapples with how to hold onto the one person who’s seen him once his lies of omission have come to light.
Part of why I enjoyed Finding Ronan’s Heart so much was the compelling and complementary relationship between Ronan and Beth. Like all great romances, neither was looking for epic love, and both were struggling with navigating life changes. Part of what made Ronan and Beth’s story so enjoyable was also their differences. Their differences created a plot that allowed them to slowly discover each other and let the reader savour their connection.
Amazing Secondary Characters
Like all of Moreland’s books, her secondary characters in Finding Ronan’s Heart were terrific. However, Beth’s younger brother, Evan and Beth’s best friend’s daughter, Lucy, were the biggest scene stealers. I really liked the casual representation of Evan and Lucy’s disabilities. Evan walks with a significant limp because of a car crash he was in (that killed his parents). Lucy was born with a right arm that didn’t fully develop. And, since Evan is in middle school, Moreland takes the time to explore how bullying impacts children, especially those viewed as “different.”
Of course, because Finding Ronan’s Heart is part of the ABC Corp and Vested Interest world, many characters from both series have page time with Ronan. I loved getting caught up on the lives of couples from previous books in the series. I also loved seeing how everyone is connected now that the kids from Vested Interest are all grown up.
Navigating Family and Independence
I found Ronan to be Moreland’s most fleshed-out and well-developed Hero. I loved the depth she gave Ronan – his contradictions fleshed out into an incredibly relatable character, especially with COVID-19. He’s lucky to be close to his family. Still, at the same time, that can result in a feeling of lost identity and individualism if his family subsumes his life. I found Ronan’s relationship with his family incredibly relatable after the lengthy lockdowns in Canada. Ronan had all the love and support one could ask for from his family. Yet, he also felt like he had lost his sense of self. His family was comfortable grouping him as a ‘triplet’ without considering how he might wish to be seen and treated as his own person.
Ronan’s character arc is propelled by the question of what it feels like to be a triplet. Especially when his two younger brothers’ lives are branching off in a direction he cannot follow (they’re dating twin sisters) and doesn’t want to follow (they prefer the city life). How does Ronan deal with these dramatic changes, especially after being referred to as one of the “Callaghan Triplets” his whole life? Finding Ronan’s Heart is a romance, but it’s also about Ronan finding what it means to be himself separate from his twin (triplet?) brothers.
Why Not 5-stars?
My first instinct was to rate Finding Ronan’s Heart 5 stars. However, the more I thought about the little things that bugged me, I realized I couldn’t. While what bugged me was relatively minor plot-wise, they detracted from my enjoyment of the book.
One hold-up I had is discussed in the spoiler below (it’s about a pinnacle scene!):
Speaking of Beth’s reaction, I would’ve liked Beth to have a response that wasn’t so reactive (and obviously driven by her past insecurities). I totally get taking time to process, but I wanted her to stand up for herself and call Ronan out on his behaviour. Ronan saying “I love you” after she had just discovered his lie of omission was a missed opportunity for her to throw an emotional punch. She could’ve responded with, ‘how can you say that when you obviously didn’t take my feelings into consideration at all? Why didn’t *you* [Ronan] tell me about your lies?’
I also found a few repetitive scenes. To illustrate, Moreland repeated contextual information two scenes in a row, which was not needed. The editor needs to catch that.
Finally, quite a few “big romantic moments” play out nicely in romance books but make me cringe in real life. Ronan’s involvement in Evan’s school (about Evan being bullied) 100% required Beth’s permission.
In Conclusion
While reading Finding Ronan’s Heart, I had a smile on my face the whole time. When I received the eARC, I read a few chapters at 1 AM because I couldn’t fall asleep. But, of course, I decided I had to stay up until I finished the book – that’s how engaging Moreland’s books are – and didn’t fall asleep until 5 or 6 AM 😅.
I also loved all the Easter eggs about future romantic matchups. And I’m SO happy Luke (Ronan’s older brother) is next—his characterization ticks so many of my “favourite romance hero” boxes.
Finally, I think Finding Ronan’s Heart had one of the best extended epilogues I’ve read in quite a while. I teared up so much (HINT: it’s in Evan’s POV).
Finding Ronan’s Heart is out tomorrow (June 24th)!
Buy Finding Ronan’s Heart
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Other Books I’ve Reviewed by Melanie Moreland
My Saving Grace (ABC Corp, #1)
The Gist: A poignant forbidden romance packed with classic romance tropes: married in Vegas, grumpy Hero, employee-boss relationship and a second chance romance. The novel is riddled with angst and sweet moments and explores what it means to find The One at the wrong time and a Hero who will do all he can to win his girl back. Unfortunately, the plot suffers from a dumb misunderstanding, detracting from my enjoyment of the novel.
Grace VanRyan has her life mapped out. Law school, a career with ABC, and a bright future ahead of her.
Until Jaxson Richards steps into the picture. He’s everything she hasn’t planned for. Older, sexy, off-limits.
And her new boss.
When the passion between them explodes, will her life blow up along with it?
Tags: Angsty-AF, Contemporary Romance, Emotional, Employee-Boss Relationship, Erotica, Forbidden Romance, Heartbreak, Marriage, Men You Hate to Love, Second Chance, Sweet Romance
Loved by Liam (ABC Corp, #3)
The Gist: An indulgently sweet companion romance to Finding Ronan’s Heart about the power of family and love that’s pure escapism yet fails to refresh its shared plot.
He has a successful business, a family he loves, and a life he thinks is fulfilling and complete.
Until a favor for his brother brings him to her.
She sparks something inside him. Something he had no idea he was missing.
One touch and he knows Paige Winters is the woman he wants.
She and her daughter become his focus. His world.
He only has to convince her to believe in them.
Liam entered Paige’s life quietly, but from the moment he took her hand, her world exploded.
Larger-than-life, he stepped in, brightening her days and filling her with happiness.
But she has more than her own heart on the line.
Her daughter, Lucy, has to come first.
As much as her soul yearns for him, can she trust his words?
Can the seeds love plants take root and bloom, growing over the past?
If Liam has anything to do with it, they will.
Author Note: You have read their story as told through Ronan and Beth in FINDING RONAN’S HEART. But readers have asked to see it through the character’s eyes – and my characters agreed. This is a companion novel to be enjoyed with Vested Interest: ABC Corp Book 2.
Tags: Disability, Single Parent, Sweet Romance
Age of Ava (ABC Corp, #4)
The Gist: A moving and intimate opposites-attract romance with a perfectly grumpy Hero and badass Heroine that explores family and the benefits of vulnerability.
A woman working in a male-dominated field.
Organized, strong, and tenacious.
That’s how she has to be to succeed.
HUNTER OWENS
A loner.
He needs no one, has no ties, and his future is an unanswered question mark.
It’s all he knows.
Until the day their lives intersect.
He sees the woman she hides from the world.
She nurtures the part of him he lost long ago.
But they both agree—their connection is temporary.
They are only for now.
Can their stubborn natures allow them to bend and accept that maybe, just maybe, there is more to life than they believed?
That love can heal.
That happiness can exist.
That for now can be forever.
Tags: Abuse, Alpha Hero, Angst-AF, Contemporary Romance, Emotional, Erotica, Family Issues, Favourite, Feminism, No Strings to Rings, Strong Heroine, Traumatic Past
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[…] 📖 Weekly Wrap: June 7th to June 20th📖 Delightful and Loving: Finding Ronan’s Heart by Melanie Moreland […]