Welcome to Forever (Hero’s Welcome #1)

This book left me with such a big smile on my face! *happy sigh*

This is a beautiful debut from Annie Rains. You might know I’m a sucker for a man in uniform, and this series is full of them! Micah Peterson is a Marine and a single father of a special needs child. He’d do anything for his son, even if it means butting heads with the new principal of his son’s elementary school, Kat Chandler.

Kat has some unusual ideas to help the students at Seaside Elementary, but she believes she can make a difference. Sparks are soon flying between Kat and Micah, but she has a rule: she doesn’t date Marines anymore. A few years ago, Kat’s fiance lost his life overseas, and she’s not ready to open herself up to that kind of heartbreak again.

Well, you can guess this leads to all kinds of angst between them! Welcome to Forever had so many heartfelt moments, and I absolutely loved it. If you love small town contemporary romance (especially set near the ocean) and/or military heroes, this book is for you! 🙂

Micah is a single dad and loves his son Ben very much. Both of Ben’s parents are Marines, but Micah isn’t interested in being stationed any longer. He wants to stay with his son and tries to be the best dad he can be. Micah has started a landscaping business and his first big job is at a school, Seaside Elementary. Micah and Ben have just moved to Seaside and Micah hopes Ben will have a good time and make friends. Ben’s principal Kat tries to do her very best to run a friendly school, which should be perfect for Ben. Will he be happy there?

Due to heartbreak in her past Kat doesn’t want to date Marines. She doesn’t want to risk the black hole she’s found herself in for quite some time ever again. However, when she meets Ben and his cute dad Micah, she can’t deny that she loves spending time with them. Ben is fond of Kat and Micah can’t help but admire her brave spirit and her attachment to all of her students. Kat is reluctant to go out with him because of her promise, will Micah be able to change her mind and do they have a chance?

Welcome to Forever is a heartwarming romantic story. The main characters are all wonderful. Kat is idealistic, kind and welcoming. She’s a young and ambitious principal and her ideas to make her school a better place kept making me smile. Micah is gentle, loving and patient. He’s a chivalrous man and would do anything for his son. I really enjoyed reading about his love for Ben. Ben is a cute kid. He’s smart and wise for his age and his matchmaking attempts are endearing. He knows exactly what he wants and is determined to reach his goals. This makes him the perfect person to bring Kat and Micah together. I liked this sweet part of the story a lot and instantly fell in love with Welcome to Forever because of the amazing main characters.

Annie Rains writes about what it’s like to have an uncertain future when working as a Marine. She writes about grief and danger in an empathic and honest way. Her story is filled with hope, love and sunshine as well, which gives it a nice balance. I liked the combination of deep emotional layers with feel-good romance. The story has many surprising twists and turns and the ending is unexpected and unique. Annie Rains has written a fantastic complete book. I highly recommend Welcome to Forever, it’s a wonderful charming story with plenty of sparks and positivity.

this is the first I’ve ever read by Annie Rains. Perfect for a first pick. Kat was the principal of the elementary school. She loved her job. After losing the love of her life 2 years before she just wasn’t ready for a new romance,.John was killed while in the marines Kat for sure didn’t want another military guy in her life. Then comes Micah. wow,, a marine who side jobs himself to the school as a maintenance man.for the school where his son Ben goe’s. Ben has cerebral palsy and gets bullied alot, His mom is also a marine who volunteers her time to Afghanistan. She can’t handle being there. When Kat and Micah meet sparks really fly. I love military books. especially where the guy raises his child alone. It sort of shows a whole new softer side Ben likes to think he fixed this all up. lol THe boy is so cute and smart.This is truly a Must Read. I will be reading more of Annie Rains books.

This book was so heart warming. From beginning to end you just cheered for Kat and Micah. From her not being able to let go of her past with her deceased Fiancee to him wanting to be the best father he could be to his son. It was just so amazing.

Kat lost her fiance to the war. She swore she would never date let alone fall for another military man. But boy was she wrong. From the minute she laid eyes on Micah she was doomed. I have to admit it was fun watching her try to resist him. At the same time it was also pulling at my heartstrings as well. Her inner conflict over letting her fiance go and moving on with yet another Marine was so realistic.

Micah was equally fun to watch. His issues were could he trust another woman with not only his heart but that of his sons. Also while being the best dad he could be. He also has the added headache of his ex volunteering for yet another tour instead of spending time with their son. And his father who insists on Micah spending his whole career in the Marines. He is a very admirable man. One any woman would be lucky to have.

The chemistry between these 2 just explode. And the fact that they start out with no strings and keeping their relationship under wraps to not just protect Micahs son but Kats rep as the principal of his sons elementary school. But no strings doesn’t last real long and its was just so fun to watch them try and deny their feeling for each other to everyone around them.

Kat is the elementary school principal who is still trying to find her way in life. After a devastating loss two years earlier she’s not looking for a man, especially not another marine. Micah is a dedicated dad to his eight year old son Ben who has cerebral palsy. After a rough time at his old schools Micah is determined that he’ll lay down the law with the school from day one. But, he doesn’t count on the beautiful young principal with a kind heart. He’s sworn off women to focus all his energy on Ben but Ben seems to have other ideas!
I loved Kat’s interaction with the kids and her friend Val. Her sister turns up in the middle of the book but she’s a bit mysterious and won’t explain why she’s turned up out of the blue. Micah is wonderful, even if Ben ends up stealing most of his scenes!
My reason for less stars was that I didn’t really like the direction the romance took towards the middle. Without giving away too much it felt a bit out of character for Kat. I understand that they both had feelings for each other but weren’t able to admit it yet, but it just didn’t feel right to me. Personal opinion, I’m sure other readers would be fine with it.
I very much enjoyed the ending and I hope a few of the open storylines will be resolved in the next book. It’s not a cliffhanger ending, just minor questions with secondary characters that are left unanswered. I think I’ll probably try the next book which sounded fun.

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