It Had to Be Love (An It Had to Be Novel Book 2)

It Had to be Love by Tamra Baumann
Purchased: Gifted via NetGalley
My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Spoilers!

What's it all about:
With the small town of Anderson Butte and their lead Sherif, Ryan Anderson, nothing seems to fall through the crack, just like the new resident Tara Carter can’t. Tara has a past, and the one thing she thought would help her stay hidden was a small town, but with how nosy everyone seems to be her secrets start to creep back into her life with ever day that she is there, and no one would like to uncover them more than Ryan. As the two grow closer together Tara will do anything in her power to keep Ryan safe, but all he wants to do is keep her safe. Who’s stubbornness with will out in the end, and who will be the true hero of this story? Read and find out ;]

The Best Parts:
So truthfully I don’t know where to start. I loved this book. It got my blood pumping and my heart racing. I finished it in one day.

I loved the story and the characters involved because for once it wasn’t the shy girl having to come out of her shell, but the man who didn’t know how to date. It made for an interesting aspect when it came to certain thing, but the dynamic between Tara and Ryan worked so well. Her sass and his stubbornness melded so well that even when she broke his heart he still was there for her. One thing I loved about this book more than the first was the formation of a back story and a real plot. Granted the first book had some action, but most of it was winning the girl back. This book there was romance, but also an underlying story happening at the same time, and it wasn’t just the main character not knowing it was happening like the first book, but us getting to see all that was happening. I think that helped with a lot of the confusion Tara had with her feeling since they were laid out with the situation at hand, otherwise I would have been confused and as curious as Ryan was. Of course the best for last though was the sex. Their frustration with each other just prolonged the inevitable, but made it so much better, and I was happy about their first sexual encounter as it wasn’t tamed, but wild. Something they both needed, but even after that it wasn’t something I was looking to happen again, and when it did I was happy, but this story wasn’t about their sexual relationship, but a physical and trusting one and I think the author did a great job with giving us that satisfaction.

The Worst Parts:
Um so there wasn’t any part to this book that I didn’t like. I mean there were a few characters I hated, but not because of how they were written, but because their characters were horrible people. The top two on my list? Spencer and the Mayor. I hated them both. Spencer s the ex who is psycho, and really isn’t in the book that much, but the Mayor is just the underlying character that every one else’s action are based off of. We saw this a lot in the first book, and I hated him, but in this one I was so happy when Tara stood up for herself and everyone else in the town. I really want the Mayor to redeem himself in one of the other books for the series, but I just don’t know if that’s possible with the way he is.

Final thoughts:
So I loved this book as you can see. I loved the first one as well. What I can’t wait for now is the third book It Had to be Fate to come out. I fell in love with Tamra’s writing after the first book, and have been in such a rut this last week with reading that I found out this book was coming out in September and just had to have it. It consumed my heart and soul, and that was just what I needed!

In this story between Ryan and Tara. Ryan convinces her to give him boyfriend lessons in the hopes to change her mind into dating him and seeing that he is a good boyfriend option. Tara is dealing with a crazy ex husband who is very possessive of her and is in hiding. She keeps this secret from everybody in her small town. It is hard on her and you feel for her struggle in wanting to be open and wanting to have a relationship with Ryan but still feeling distrust towards men.
Ryan not knowing any of this continues to Woo her and try to convince her that hes a good guy which he has my favorite part of the book is when Ryan comes up behind Tara while she's running and touches her shoulder, she immediately turns around punches him in the face breaking his nose!
These to fight hard to be together and eventually prevail!

This book has a little bit of everything – humor, heartbreak, tension, mystery, danger, regret, suspense, and love.

Tara, the new dentist in Anderson Butte, is beautiful, fun to be around, and great with people. She’s even gotten the handsome but reticent Sheriff Ryan Anderson talking to her. He makes her nervous, however, as she has a past she wants, or rather needs, to keep secret, and she knows he is suspicious of her.

Ryan is indeed suspicious of Tara and what she is hiding. His internet research gives nothing away, making her history just a little bit too clean to be legit. Yet the more time he spends with Tara, the more intrigued with her that he becomes.

Although the sparks fly between them, Tara knows she cannot risk a relationship with Ryan, no matter how hard he is to resist. But, perhaps since Ryan is moving to Denver for a fresh start whenever the right job comes along, maybe he is just the right guy for a temporary fling that won’t, can’t, get serious. It doesn’t take long, however, for feelings to develop and the mystery of Tara to deepen, making them both long for something that can never be. Hope for a future together appears to be something that neither one of them can cling to as Tara learns that her time in Anderson Butte appears to be coming to a quick end.

I really enjoyed reading this book and was hooked right from the beginning. Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The plot was intriguing, the town is delightful and the characters are memorable. I really like Ryan. Liked him in book one and fell for him in book 2. The love story is sweet, the complications from Tara's past are intense.

What I was disappointed with was only one mention of the previous hero, Josh, during the poker game and he never had dialogue. Also when their adopted son Eric is constantly around Tara, grandma and Ryan, why wouldn't there be more of a chance to see Josh and Meg interact with Eric. And why wouldn't Ryan call Josh for some help at the mine, especially if Eric was missing? Josh would be more involved! And we don't even see Meg and Josh's little girl Haley. Wouldn't she be playing in the yard with Eric? Why wasn't Josh at the garage that is now his but in book 2 Zeke owns it still? Small plot holes, should have been noticed at least by the editors.

I enjoy small town books, but when previous characters become nonexistent it makes the current story seem empty and complete.

Thirty three year old Tara Carter is the new dentist in Anderson Butte. In her short time there she has made several friends - girlfriends. She has never dated, although many men have been interested. Unbeknownst to the locals, Tara is there under a new name. Spencer, her psychopathic ex-husband, tried to kill her and will try again – if he can find her. Her parents and Detective Bailey are the only ones from her prior life that know where she is.
Sheriff Ryan Anderson is extremely intolerant of cheaters. His upbringing left him very quiet, unable to express emotions, and suspicious. As with Josh from the first book of the series, Ryan feels Tara’s background is too perfect and has too many gaps. Why? What is she hiding?
Ryan and Tara are attracted to each other, but their experiences have taught them to avoid emotional entanglements. Instead, they agree to be friends with benefits –no strings. Then, Tara refers to Ryan as her boyfriend to her parents and they invite him as her plus one to her sister’s wedding. Things heat up dramatically when ex-husband Spencer’s evil reaches her there.
This is a very well done romance between two people with very difficult past relationships. There are some really fun parts to their romance, but the overhanging fear of Tara’s ex-husband constantly gets in their way.

Ryan Anderson is thirty and is sheriff in Anderson Butte. He was filling out an online dating app finding a lot of the questions annoying. When one question asked about his ideal woman he thought of Sarah who he had been in love with since middle school. As he could never seem to tell her how he felt she is married now. Tara was a new dentist in town. Ryan had a gut feeling she was hiding something. With the help of shrinks had gotten over what her ex husband Spencer had done to her. Tara shied away from Ryan as much as she could she knew deep inside her that he knew she was hiding something. Tara was thirty three and had her puppy Spencer to cuddle too he was a lot safer. Tara’s real name had been changed . Spencer had been a top executive in her dad's company. Everyone thought Spencer was one of the greatest guys in the world they had all been fooled he turned out to be a monster- he had put her in the hospital and almost killed her. She dreaded the day he found her again.
I absolutely adored this book. The things going on in the story had you glued to the story. It had just the right amount of everything as far as I am concerned. The characters were also great . Especially Tara and all the twists and turns she went through. You also had to love Ryan. I highly recommend.
I received an ARC of this story for an honest review.

**I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Tara Carter is hiding from her past in a new town when she meets the town's sheriff Ryan Anderson. Ryan knows she is hiding something and is determined to find out what her secrets are. However, in effort to unearth her secrets, Ryan has to learn to communicate his OWN thoughts and feelings as well.

Under the rouse of teaching Ryan "to be a better date-r", Ryan learns more about the town's new dentist and finds her very easy to talk to when he's never had that before.

A family wedding, a psycho ex-husband, and a mystery of buried Prohibition whiskey add to the story.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Tara Carter is a dentist in Anderson Butte but it is not her real name. She is Jamie McDaniel who is from a very wealthy family, and is hiding from an ex-husband who is in a mental institution because he is really mentally ill. He has hurt her severely to the point she cannot have children and has scars from his heinous act he did to her. She meets sheriff Ryan Anderson one day on an exercise run and these two have a mishap that starts the beginning of a relationship that is needed for both of these people who are starving for love. I think it it a very beautify ful love story with a lot of heartache that needs to be overcome with a lot of trust. These two books in this series I have really enjoyed and I cannot wait for the next one, I hope it is soon.

I thought this book was FANTASTIC! Our library purchased the first book in the series "It Had to Be Him". I gave it a try and was hooked right away. I was anxious to get my hands on book 2 in the series, "It Had to Be Love". I had to wait a couple months, but then a pretty, shiny ARC copy appeared in my mailbox. I have such limited time to sit and read that only the best books make it to my read pile. I started this book on Saturday night and finished it by Sunday morning and was not disappointed at all. The writing is excellent, the characters of Anderson Butte are wonderful, and I can't wait to see what happens next. There is romance, thriller elements, and heart warming moments. I must admit I even shed a tear at one point.
If you like Susan Mallery and her "Fools Gold" series, then Tamara Baumann's books are for you!

Ms Baumann has crafted an incredibly rich, humorous, emotional read for her readers with It Had to Be Love. Ryan and Tara came to life on the page for me, drawing me into their story and making me root for them from the beginning.

Baumann's fictional town of Anderson Butte and the cast of secondary characters she has created set the stage for a love story that captured me, and I can't wait for book #3 so I can revisit this little town with warm-hearted if kooky residents. Not to mention touch base with characters I've come to think of as friends.

Fabulous job, Ms. Baumann! Thank you for a great read and another "Keeper Shelf" novel!

Loved this book. Loved the characters of Tara and Ryan, great chemistry between them. Tara is the new dentist in town, under a fake identity and Ryan is the local sheriff, who does not date from in town. The original deal was for Tara to help Ryan date better, so he could find the right girl for him and for Ryan to teach her to cook. Can they keep it to casual sex? With added element of suspense from Tara's past, this will keep you turning the pages.

This is the second book in the series, but can be completely read as a stand alone. I received this book from netgalley for an honest review.

As a NetGalley reviewer, I sincerely hope to like every ARC e-book I receive. Unfortunately, It Had to Be Love wasn't one of them. Though I loved the refreshingly romantic book cover and intriguing book synopsis, the writing style did not appeal to me. Came across monotonic and at 65% into the story, I was still waiting for something significant to happen. For such a short read, it seemed impossible to finish. It simply could not hold my attention. Even though I have read numerous romance books with this similar theme, there is usually something that makes each one unique. This one wasn't.

Here's to hoping It Had to Be Love will appeal to others. Unfortunately, I had to move on to a more engaging, romantic read.

I am looking so forward to reading this whole series. Each book I've read so far just keeps getting better and better. This one just like the last leaves you on the edge of your seat until the very end. The only thing I would like differently would be more about them after they get together, but you still get to read about them in the next books. Get your copies today, you won't be sorry.

i really enjoyed this book. the main characters are strong but the other characters in the book are also brilliantly written. this book contains romance, some humour and just enough suspense to move the story along nicely. the story isn’t fast paced but the story line is so good it moves along nicely
highly recommended

Fun read! The story was very suspenseful and kept me reading. Good character development- I could empathize with each of the characters. It is a fictional romance novel so of course there are aspects that aren't terribly realistic, but that's what makes it fun and imaginative. I read these kinds of books as a little escape from real life and this fits the bill. I did like this one better than the first book in this series. Looking forward to her next book!

This was a wonderful story. It shows how domestic violence affects people and how you may have to give up your life to save yourself. She was a brave woman and I am glad they over came their obstacles and were able to be together. Can't wait to read about the rest of the siblings.

Tara/Jamie and Ryan the sheriff Anderson.

Pretty slow story.

What Tara has suffered at the hands of her crazy ex had to be horrific but the details are so sparsely given. Don't get me wrong they are given just too slowly for my taste.

Sheriff Ryan sure is a different person around Tara. He is definitely the man she needs.

It was pretty predictable but a decent enough read.

Another awesome book by Author Tamra Baumann. The story, exciting. The characters, amazing. and I will dream about this little town for sure. Got to go there is more in this series I've got to read. Thank you!!

This book surely didn't disappoint I still love the characters and the story plot, actually even thought Eric would've ended up adopted by Ryan and Tara towards the end! Loved the way the story played out and still looking forward to the next