Hudson Wheeler and Poppy Cruz are both deserving of some happiness after the things they have been through. We have seen them in other books: Poppy is Salem's sister and Wheeler is best friends with both Dixie and Zeb. Wheeler did not have a stable childhood, and he just cancelled his wedding with this longtime fiancee' because she cheated on him. But he is now dealing with the fact that she is having his baby. Poppy's home life was even more challenging and her relationships with men nearly destroyed her.

They are both lonely, broken, lost, and have issues that affect them. He has always felt invisible or left behind. He is a good guy and has always taken care of those he cares about, but usually does not get the same care and attention in return. He has always had goals of having a stable life with a family, but his life has recently imploded. His knee jerk reaction is to sow some wild oats does not help him cope or move on. He is scared of his unsure future and the new responsibilities that will come with it.

Poppy barely survived her last ordeal and has been slowly healing. She is guarded, skittish, anxious, hesitant, and haunted. All the men in her life have not only let her down, but mentally or physically caused her pain. Her sister, Salem has helped her find a new group of friends in Denver and she is making baby steps towards taking her life back. Their lives and needs are complicated. But they find a connection that brings them together more and more. Wheeler cannot help but want to make the sad girl smile and help her, and he makes her feel comfortable and safe.

This is a story about putting their broken dreams together and making new ones. The Denver group really took these two in and gave them the family that they needed to grow and thrive. This is about feeling, connecting, healing, living life, and really saving each other. It is a process not only to build their relationship, but also show individual growth as they wade through their fears and insecurities to try to let go of the past to move on. If any two people are in need of unconditional love, understanding, and acceptance it is these two.

Their story was emotional, passionate, and heartfelt. I really liked both of these complex characters and getting both of their points of view. There was definitely some drama, challenges, and a bit of danger to deal with. There are a couple of surprises as well. These characters had a maturity about them due all the things they had been through. I was totally invested in them finding their little bit of happiness even in a complicated situation. It was such a beautiful story of love rising out of the ashes.

And Jay Crownover gives fans of these series an epic epilogue that brings it all together, and it left me with the biggest smile on my face. These characters have all become so embedded in my heart and I loved getting more with them. 

Hudson Wheeler has an ex-fiance who decided she was done with him, but only after she decided there was someone better for her and announcing a pregnancy. He is such a good guy though, that he has taken the blame for their breakup, keeping the pressure off his ex and squarely on his shoulders. He isn’t sure he’s ready to be a father, but has months to make himself right with the idea.

Poppy Cruz is healing from the horror that was her marriage and the aftermath. She has never had a man in her life who has taken care of her. Instead, she has been verbally bruised, and physically beaten. She has very few people she considers friends, and trusts very sparingly.

Wheeler is one of those heroes who is willing to set aside his own troubles in order to fix those he cares about. When he decides he wants to protect Poppy, he does so in such a way that she is absolutely in charge of everything -- the pace, the direction, the purpose. But she has a lot of demons to exercise before she can let anyone all the way in.

I loved watching Hudson treat Poppy the way she should have always been treated. As she learned to trust, I loved watching her settle into the life she was creating in Denver. This group of people is always quick to come to each others’ aid, she just had to learn to trust that there were good people.

Watching what little of Poppy’s mother that we get in this story was heartbreaking. I loved that Poppy had finally found the strength to get out of the situation, but it hurt to watch her mother refuse the same freedom that Poppy had found. Knowing exactly what Poppy had been through during her marriage made it easy to cheer for her, to hope that she found what she needed to be able to let a man like Wheeler into her life. Because from the beginning I loved these two together.

This was the perfect way to end the Saints of Denver series. Each time Jay reaches the end of a series, she ties the entire group together in such a way that I don’t feel like I’m losing anything at the end. The epilogue gives a great These men and women have fixed their broken, found their match, and are moving towards their futures. I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us in the future, and am pleased with where the Saints have worked to reach.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.

“I don’t know that I have the time to take on a puppy right now, Poppy.” He lifted a hand and rubbed it across the back of his neck. His mahogany-colored eyebrows pulled into a vee over the top of his nose and the corners of his mouth pulled down in a frown that was too harsh for his pretty face. I liked it much better when he smiled and his twin dimples cut deeply into his cheeks.
I bit my bottom lip to keep the distressed noise that I could feel climbing up the back of my throat at bay. I knew he might say no but I couldn’t hide the fact that I was disappointed by his decision. I honestly felt like he and the puppy would be good for one another, that they could bring a little joy into each other’s life. It broke my heart a little that Wheeler wasn’t ready to open his heart up again, even when it was to something that was so obviously eager to love him unconditionally and irrevocably, unlike his ex.
“It’s okay, Wheeler. Like I said, I’ll take him home until I can find a place for him. I’m sure Dolly could use a friend.” I crouched down and wiggled my fingers to get the dog’s attention, and grinned when he bounded over, tripping over his front legs as he scrambled in my direction. “I can take him to work with me and hold on to him until I figure something out. One of the boys at the shop will step up if Dixie doesn’t want another dog.”
I heard him sigh and looked up to see him watching me intently. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, then let it snap shut with his teeth audibly clicking together. I didn’t know much about Wheeler, but what I did know I liked. He was nice. He was polite. He was thoughtful and he was kind. But more than any of those things, he went out of his way to hold himself in a way that wasn’t threatening or intimidating because he was aware without me saying a word how jumpy I was around people, men in particular. I hated that they were bigger than me. I hated that I knew firsthand how badly they could hurt me if they had a mind to. I hated that I wilted and cowered under their attention, even if it was innocent and friendly. The fact that he took care not to spook me spoke volumes and made me feel awful for putting him in such an awkward position.
“Poppy…” He sounded regretful and I had no interest in dragging the torture out any longer for either of us. I scooped up the dog and buried my nose in the top of his head.
“Seriously it’s no big deal. I love him and I’m happy to wait until I can find him a proper home. It was stupid of me not to consider how busy you are with everything you have going on in your life right now. A puppy is a big commitment and that’s not something you can put on someone else without discussing it with them first.” The dog swiped his tongue across my face, no doubt feeling my distress and rising panic. I wanted to tuck his warm little body to my chest and run away like I was trying to score a touchdown in the other team’s end zone. “I should have known better.”