Here and Now by Corinne Michaels is now live!
I’ve crafted my new life in Ember Falls with two simple rules: maintain superficial relationships and always be ready to run.
But when my son’s incredibly hot hockey coach Miles Anderson walks in, things get very, very complicated.
With his charming smile and our accidental dates, he’s the exact opposite of any man I’ve ever dated. That should make saying yes to being with him simple, but nothing in my life is easy.
In fact, it’s a mess.
Miles makes me smile and treats my son like his own. When we’re together, I forget about my troubles and dream of a life that I will never be able to have with him.
It’s only a matter of time until the past comes knocking and I’ll have to leave, breaking us both in the process.
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Duet Narration by Jason Clarke & Angelina Rocca
Indie paperback available until April 1, 2025
Goodreads: https://geni.us/HAN_GR
***** 5 ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE STARS *****
It is not a secret that I am a big fan of Corinne Michaels and her books. I have literally read every single one of them and they have all been five star reads for me. She is one of my favorite authors for a reason. I can always count on her to write an incredible romance that has the swoon, the heart, and feels, that brings the banter and incredible characters, and that will just give me one hell of a love story. Every book of hers has delivered that and more and this one was no different. In fact, it was more because everything I got with Miles and Penelope in their book was perfection.
Simply put, I loved every incredible word of this book.
I’m melted into a puddle of goo with these characters and what they shared together. I also laughed my ass off with the antics of this friend group and small town, while also simultaneously falling head over heels for the magic and love that grew and blossom between these two. Their love story is truly beautiful. It is consuming in the best way, and it is the definition of finding that right person at the exact right time you need them. It is a story of finally letting yourself feel and have all that you’ve been scared to let yourself find for all these years. It is a love story, built on truth and longing and connection that will steal your heart in every way possible.
Miles and Penelope had the most indescribable level of connection that I could not get enough of. I loved those two. I loved that he immediately was attracted to her and wanted everything with her. I also loved that she felt the same, but kept him on his toes, pushing back at every chance she got. I loved that these two were determined to hold on to what they felt. I loved that even though both of these characters had experiences in their lives that made them feel a bit of trepidation about giving into what they felt for one another and the incredible connection they shared, they both were completely honest and real and vulnerable about what they felt and shared together. When it really mattered those two were it. They were wholly real with themselves and each other, and I love getting to be in the thick of that with them.
It was everything.
Miles and Penelope were truly the best.
I loved that she was doing everything she could to protect her son and herself. I loved that while she was trying to protect her heart from all of the hurt that the world might try to bring it, that she couldn’t help but feel what she did for Miles and hope that in another life she would get to experience it all with him. I loved how honest and real she was with herself and with him. I loved that she tried to push away her feelings for Miles, but they just came back full force, even harder every time she tried to push him away. I loved that Penelope was so strong and willing to do whatever it took for her child and his safety. I loved the connection she had with this small town and her brother and every character she met. I loved just how genuinely good of a character and person she was and that shined on every page of this book. I loved that I just felt beyond connected to her while reading and that I just rooted like hell that she would allow herself to feel the love that Miles so willingly wanted to give her because she deserved everything. And then some.
I’m pretty sure Miles stole my heart from the very beginning. That man is a man of his word. He loves with his whole heart, he feels with everything he has, and even though he himself has also experienced trauma in his life, he was ready to fight for who and what he truly wanted. He was willing to put in the work and the time to show Penelope and her son that he was at and that they were meant to be a family. He was willing to do the work and face truth about his own experiences in order to have the love that he is so desperately wanted and deserved. I loved that man with my whole heart. I loved how resilient he was. I loved the banter that man could deliver. I loved how he was also just a genuinely good person with a heart ready to love and fight for those he cared for. I loved that he was willing to do whatever it took and wait out his time for Penelope and Kai because he knew that he wanted them. He wanted their love and he wanted what could be, and he was willing to do what it took and wait, however long it might be, for a chance at having the two of them. I loved that it was the little things and the big things he did that showed his true heart. I just loved him. He is truly a gem of a character and I dare you not to fall in love with him in this book.
Spoiler alert, that’s an impossible task.
Now I have to say the town of Ember Falls might just be my new happy place. These characters are the best. The banter they all bring, the dynamics at play, and the true level of friendship they all share is truly something special. I can’t say it enough. I could read their text message threads for the rest of time and die a happy girl. I could also be at their disc jockey practices for the rest of time and continue laughing until my cheeks hurt because that is just how incredible they all are.
There wasn’t a moment in this small town with all of these characters that I didn’t love and cherish. This place is truly something special and Corinne Michaels creates a world you never want to leave. She has such a way of creating that small town magic that feels real and tangible and just genuine. It makes me want my own version of Ember Falls. It makes me long for the connection these characters all share and the way they show up for each other. It honestly just wows me every time I read one of her books how she creates that magic with the town and characters that she creates, and this book just brought all of that back in the fiercest and best ways.
This book and the series and this small town create a found family of sorts that is truly something special. You feel that in your bones with this friend group, and every new journey and book and moment with them is the one that I truly can’t get enough of. Those characters know how to push each other‘s buttons, but they also know how to show up for each other and truly care. I love every moment I get with this friend group and the family they’ve created, and I truly can’t say enough how utterly fantastic it is to spend an entire book with them. It is simply the best, and this friend group definitely brings the laughs and heart to every moment they’re together.
I also have to say that one of my favorite parts of reading a book by this author is how all of her books connect in some way. They’re little things, but it makes the best reading experience. I won’t share too much about this connections because if you’ve read her books, you deserve to enjoy those moments for yourself, but trust me when I tell you that those connections and the way that it all comes together is absolute perfection. This author has been one of my favorites for quite some time, and getting glimpses of former characters and former places that have stolen my heart through her words, has truly been the best.
Here and Now was an absolutely beautiful love story. It encapsulated a romance that was full of feeling and swoon and so much heart. This book is ready to welcome you with open arms to Penelope and Miles and all that could be between them. It’s in those soft and sweet moments that these characters really shine and show up for each other. It’s where you really see how perfect they are for one another and how they will do anything to see each other through. Couple that with a level of suspense that adds that spark and such consuming feeling to what you’re reading, and you have just part of what I loved about this book.
Miles and Penelope share a connection that truly lights off the page, and getting to experience their love story as they feel what they do, as they share it all so honestly and vulnerably, and as they continue to show up for one another in every way that matters, was absolutely everything in this book. I have fallen deeper and deeper in love with this series, and this small town, and this couple just showed me again and again why I loved every part of their love story. They are magic and they are so meant to be, and you will feel that in the deepest part of your heart reading this book. I promise you that.
This is definitely going down as one of my favorite romance reads of the year, and I for one I’m already chomping at the bit for more of this series and small town. Corinne Michaels truly has a way of creating magic with her words and it is the absolute best to experience. She knows how to make her characters real, she knows how to consume you in every bit of their connection and emotions and everything they share, but more than that, she just puts you in the heart of her stories and small towns in a way that is truly everything. I have loved everyone of her books and this one might just be my new favorite. Because it delivered absolutely everything with Miles and Penelope that I could not get enough of.
Their love was beautiful, it was true and honest, and it was just completely wholly them from start to finish. Those two truly are something special and I loved every part of what they built together in this book. It is an easy, and they definitely have to face their share of hard conversations in this book to find their way, but they make it so worth it. And they show you through every turn that they are meant to be and worth fighting everything for.
This is another must read by this author, and it continues to show how thoughtful and amazing she is as a writer and storyteller. She does these characters and their story justice, and she just brings you a love story that will drown you in feels in the best way, while having you believe in everything that could be between these characters. There is magic in this small town and beauty to be had, and you will just love every second you get with these characters. Trust me when I say this is your new must read romance and that you will love every moment you get with these two in their absolutely incredible and amazing love story.
I know I did. So damn much.
I honestly can’t recommend this book, this series, or any other book by this author enough. She is an incredible writer and brings her love stories to life in the most unforgettable way. Her books have given me the most incredible reading experiences over the years, and this one was no different. It was truly the best of everything, and my heart is still with Miles and Penelope and everything they shared together. And I truly don’t think I want it back because those two and Kai just captured it so completely in this book, that it’s just theirs. And I’m completely okay with that.
Meet Corinne
Corinne Michaels is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of romance novels. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love, and she enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak before finding a way to heal them through their struggles.
Corinne is a former Navy wife and happily married to the man of her dreams. She began her writing career after spending months away from her husband while he was deployed–reading and writing were her escapes from the loneliness. Corinne now lives in Virginia with her husband and is the emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving mom of two beautiful children.
Connect with Corinne
Website: http://corinnemichaels.com
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2N1H2Gb
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1NVZmhv
Facebook: https://bit.ly/1iwLh6y
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/corinnemichaelsbooks/
Instagram: https://bit.ly/2L1Vzo6
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@corinne.michaels
Bookbub: https://bit.ly/2yc6rss
Pinterest: https://bit.ly/2m7MkEL
BingeBooks: https://bingebooks.com/author/corinne-michaels
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