Last updated on 03/02/2026
RUTH KABBAH IS OKAY WITH BEING AN OUTCAST.
Between her autism, her comic book nerdery, and the whiff of scandal her small town can’t forget, Ruth will always be Ravenswood’s black sheep. Since she prefers silence and solitude to gossip and pub crawls, that suits her just fine – until Evan Miller comes to town.
Ex-military man Evan is gorgeous, confident… and he’s Ruth’s new neighbor. Unlike everyone else, he doesn’t seem to mind her crotchety ways or her cooking disasters. In fact, if Ruth didn’t know any better, she might think Evan likes her.
But Ruth’s been burned before, and some lessons are hard to forget.
She can’t let her guard down—no matter how many home-cooked meals Evan brings over. Because affection is temporary, trust is made to be broken, and the heat of desire is a dangerous thing to play with.
So why does this man feel so safe?
Review:
I absolutely loved this book. Ruth is so authentically herself (truly, I don’t think she’s even capable of being otherwise) and Evan is 100% here for it. I loved that he accepted her as she was and gave her the time and space she needed to get to know and trust him with zero pressure. He just kept showing up for her, listening to both what she told him and what she didn’t.
If you love slow burn romances that make sure there’s a payoff for the wait and you KNOW that small towns are not the idyllic places Hallmark movies love to pretend they are, then this is the book for you!
I’d had this one on my TBR for a while, and seeing that Ms Hibbert was re-releasing a new edition was all the excuse I needed to finish it sooner rather than later. Fingers crossed she’ll be re-releasing the other 2 books in the series too, though if she doesn’t I’ll read the original versions–this one was too good not to.
Rating: 5 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.