He’s afraid to live and love. She’s afraid not to.

Five years ago, Clara Hayes got the diagnosis no one wants: cancer. She fought it and won, but it altered everything. She moved back home, changed her career, and now she approaches life without fear or hesitation. Then her brother’s best friend moves to town. She’s loved Holden for as long as she’s known him. And though she’s been gently turned down by him once before, Clara decides she needs to take one more chance on him, even if ends in heartache. Because as she knows all too well, life’s too short for regrets.

Holden Forbes knows what loss feels like. It touched his life in a way that changed him, and to this day, has him unwilling to risk his heart. That’s why he turned down his friend and teammate’s sister, Clara, a few years ago. But now he’s moved to their hometown of Amber Ridge…and Clara is braver and stronger than ever. He’s trying hard to resist her, but when a series of events that seem to revolve around her mysterious roommate put Clara in danger, Holden can no longer stay away.

As the danger escalates and the suspect list grows, Holden finds himself falling harder for Clara. Losing her isn’t an option—but that revelation may be too little, too late.

A Small Town, Brother’s Best Friend, Romantic Suspense from Bestselling Author Nyssa Kathryn.

My Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 out of 5

Clara’s life took an unexpected turn and she returned home to Amber Ridge to be near family. Her brother’s best friend and team mate has always been her “one”, but after she opens up to him, he pushes her away.

Holden is a special forces team mate and best friend to Clara’s big brother, and when they leave the service and head home, he’s a little lost and moves to Amber Ridge to be near his best friend and his family. Holden considers the Hayes family to be his family as well, but he can no longer look at Clara as a little sister.

I am loving the Amber Ridge series as much as I love the other books by Nyssa Kathryn, they’re always full of action, suspense, Alpha men, and strong, independent women. They’re not always easy to read, but they’re always worth the read.