Review: The Long and Winding Road by Marie Force

I am so crushed that this is the last book but Marie Force does give us a piece of her heart as she says goodbye to this wonderful series. 

If you love small town contemporary romances with big, boisterous families, you'll definitely love the Green Mountain and Butler, Vermont series.

 

About the Book

This is the one you’ve been waiting for…

Max Abbott takes center stage in the Butler, Vermont Series finale when the timeline jumps forward five years and finds Max staring down his ten-year high school reunion, with no desire whatsoever to attend. Under pressure from his family to go, he ends up glad to be there when he connects with the only person from high school he wanted to see—his ex-girlfriend, Lexi, who’s been “missing” the last ten years.

When Max finds out where Lexi has been—and why—and realizes all the old familiar feelings are still there, he’ll have to decide if he can risk taking a chance on an uncertain situation with her or if he’d rather continue to be alone with his son, Caden.

Find out where all the Abbotts and Colemans are and what Fred and Dexter are up to five years later as this beloved series comes to an exciting and heartfelt conclusion.

My Thoughts

I have loved this series since its inception as the Green Mountain series through Berkley Romance many years ago. What first drew me to the series was that the book titles are Beatles’ songs and I am a HUGE Beatles fan. Another reason why I gave this series a try is because I was genuinely curious about a series with 10 siblings in a small Vermont town finding and falling in love with their people. I am also a big small-town romance gal because I grew up in one. I actually started the second book in the series first, and was completely HOOKED!

Each and every story is beautifully and lovingly crafted with wit, heart and hilarity. I was a little crushed when the publisher stopped the Green Mountain series at six books (since there are 10 siblings) but was thrilled when Ms. Force decided to continue the stories through the indie publishing route and renaming the series after the fictional town name, Butler, VT. Each book, each couple, and each and every amazing character has helped me weather this thing called life on so many occasions. I always feel like I’m coming home with every page turn, every laugh, every cry, and every HEA. 

So, of course, finding out that this is the last book in the series, my heart is broken. I’m adrift and alone. Dramatic much? Absolutely. A little selfish? Probably. I understand why Ms. Force did it, but are we really reasonable when an author we love ends the beautiful world we’ve invested ourselves, our feelings, and our hopes and dreams in? It's like each and every character is a member of our own family. Okay, okay, enough with the sappy stuff. Let’s get on with the review…

The Long and Winding Road gets a good and proper sendoff to the series, the characters and is a beautiful love letter to all the readers who are deeply devoted to and champions of the books. Our last main man is Max, the baby of the Abbott family. He’s got a second chance at first love and it’s a beautifully fragile–and exhilarating–experience. I love Max and Lexi’s story and their determination to make this second chance work. Max is a single dad so there are some hiccups along the way with acclimating Lexi into their family, and a few surprise obstacles that could make or break the couple. No one ever said love was easy, but it’s so easy to love and hope for a better, brighter future for this cute little family.

I am so sad as I write this but I am so happy and so privileged to read and love this series that continues to stick with me year after year. Thank you, Marie Force, for the laughs, the love, and for sharing your stories with us. 

I whole-heartedly recommend the Green Mountain and Butler, VT books to any reader that craves a small-town romance series with a big heart, bigger laughs, and love, so much love!

About the Author

Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 100 contemporary romance, romantic suspense and erotic romance novels. Her series include Fatal, First Family, Gansett Island, Butler Vermont, Quantum, Treading Water, Miami Nights and Wild Widows. She has also written 11 single titles, with more coming.

Her books have sold more than 13 million copies worldwide, have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list more than 30 times. She is also a USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller, as well as a Spiegel bestseller in Germany.

Her goals in life are simple—to spend as much time as possible with her young adult children, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news. Visit Marie's website for more information: marieforce.com