Along Came You by Heather Miekstyn: Book Review

 *Book received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

A dental hygienist determined to never fall in love. A detective who keeps dating casual. One life-changing bucket list that will test both of their resolutions…

If there’s one thing Lucy Bradley is sure of, it’s that she doesn’t even like Detective What’s-His-First-Name-Stafford. Oh, and that all of the chance run-ins she’s been having with the man lately are anything but serendipitous. She also definitely knows that.

So when, during one such non-serendipitous encounter, Stafford discovers the bucket list contained in her late mother’s journal, the last thing she expects is to hear herself accepting his offer to help her complete it. Especially given list item number ten, which may or may not include a very specific type of kiss.

It’s fine, though. Working together doesn’t change the cold hard facts: Lucy doesn’t like him, she’s definitely not attracted to him, and, most importantly, she will not be kissing him—bucket list or not.

Only as they make their way through the list, Lucy discovers things about Stafford that challenge every preconception she’s ever held about him, things that maybe even make her want to call him her friend. But as they near the end of the list, the line between friendship and love starts to blur and Lucy realizes that there might be more than just one kiss on a bucket list to think about. In fact, lately all she can think about is every kiss for the rest of her life…and how there’s only one man she wants those kisses to be with.

As a child, Heather Miekstyn used to spend hours in her room creating characters, then writing out the first half of their stories before eventually losing steam. Then she discovered the romance genre and realized the key to finishing any good story-a happy ending.

Heather resides in Michigan with her husband, four daughters, and their rambunctious black lab. When she is not writing, she can be found reading, running, or playing Bananagrams. She hopes her books leave you feeling like you’ve just been hugged by a Hallmark movie.

For more information visit her website, www.heathermiekstyn.com or follow her on Instagram @heathermiekstyn

Along Came You is the second book in the Detectives in Love series. While we do meet these characters in the first book and I would still highly recommend reading it because it's fantastic, this could definitely be enjoyed just fine as standalone as well. 

I am absolutely LOVING this series. This book is quite different than book one--- that one was a murder mystery/romcom whereas this one was just a romcom without the mystery. While I definitely loved that aspect of the previous story, I didn't find that I missed it here. In this book, we get to know Detective Stafford and Lucy better. I enjoyed their interactions during the last book, so I was definitely looking forward to their story... and it absolutely did not disappoint. Both have their reasons for not wanting to get involved, but when he offers to help her finish off a bucket list from her late mother, they find that they might not actually be able to keep their deal of not falling in love with one another... and I absolutely loved every single second of it! The banter between them was just as great as the chemistry... they were just so fun together. We also got to see more from Stafford's fellow detectives and friends, and honestly, they are just such a fun group. Their brainstorming session had me laughing out loud.  I am so looking forward to the next story in this series and cannot wait to see all of these guys get their happily ever after. And oh, the epilogue, I just adored it!

Along Came You is a closed-door romance with kisses only. There is a handful of minor language throughout the story.