Joint Review – No Turning Back (Hanover Brothers #1) by HelenKayDimon

No Turning Back cover image
Publisher: Berkley Intermix
Publish Date: 19th Mar
How we got this book: ARC from the author via Novel Thoughts

The Hanover brothers inherited some bad behavior from their con artist father. Now three strong women will make honest men out of them.

After ten years in the Army and four overseas deployments, Declan Hanover is ready for life away from a military base. Sweetwater, Oregon, a sleepy coastal town, seems like the perfect place to start over. His plan is to work out a deal with his brothers and the bank to let him keep the estate they’ve inherited, Shadow Hill. But he wasn’t prepared for Leah Baron, whose family lost everything to his father’s cons—including the house Declan intends to make his own…

Leah thinks Declan is just like his conman father. He possesses a bad boy charm that makes her heart pound, but that doesn’t mean she can trust him. All she wants is to get close to him so she can get her house back. But Declan has other ideas. He doesn’t mind being in close proximity to Leah—as long as it’s in the bedroom…
This blurb came from the author’s website.

E: I was introduced to Dimon’s writing through her holiday anthologies and I really enjoyed them so when we received this review request I was intrigued. After reading the blurb all I could think is that Dimon rummaged around in my head and grabbed some of the things that I really like to read. Former military, small town, brothers, heroine starts off hating the hero, bad reputation…sign me up. I have to say that in addition to that list, Dimon provided sexual tension, messed up family dynamics, angst, hidden pasts, grumpy protective men and a story that kept me hooked.

MinnChica: I was super excited about this book as well, mainly because I love the small town setting, with the bad boy heroes who have to redeem themselves for things they never did. I adore Dimon’s writing, and with an interesting series idea, I was hoping I’d be hooked. While there was a lot of great stuff in this book, I was a little bummed about our heroine. I wasn’t a big fan of her, and while I really loved Declan and his brothers, I thought that Leah was the weakest link in the story.

E: You are right. I have to admit I really fell in love with the brothers and ended up thinking Leah needed some help. I could understand some of her lack of backbone given her father and his behavior towards her but I wanted her to show some more gumption. I cheered when she finally stood up to him but there was a scene towards the end when I thought she regressed and that was a disappointment. However, Declan, his brothers and some of the supporting cast kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I liked how all three Hanovers were outwardly different yet you could tell they were related and cared for each other by their actions. They bonded together to make sure Declan got what he needed even if it meant verbally kicking Declan’s arse. I also really like how they were able to see things a bit clearer yet they also had individual blind spots.

MinnChica: Had it not been for the strong bond between brothers, I don’t think I would have enjoyed this book as much as I did. I liked that Declan and Beck had a different upbringing than Callen, and how that played into their relationship. I think Callen’s mysterious upbringing with their con-man father is going to play out nicely in the rest of the series, and I am anxious to see how it all unravels. For me, the secondary cast of characters really made this story. From Beck and Callen’s constant ribbing on Declan, to the secretive Sophia. I’m excited to see where the story goes, and how the Hanover boys deal with the stigma against them.

E: Like MinnChica, I really want to know what both Beck and Callen are hiding. I also want to know about Sophia, the FBI Special Agent Reeves, and Leah’s best friend Mallory. There was one particular scene between Mallory and Reeves that made me really wonder what else is going to come out of their interactions. I am also sure that Leah’s father hasn’t given up on his plans to remove the Hanover brothers and anyone who sides with them including his daughter from the town of Sweetwater. I am very interested to see how Dimon will continue to flesh out the Hanover brothers’ past and what they do to have a happy future. Between the lawyer, uber bad-boy looking Callen, just as uber bad-boy looking Reeves I think Sweetwater is going to be turned on its head.

MinnChica: All in all I was a little disappointed in this first book, but excited to see how the series pans out. I love the relationship between Declan and his brothers, and can’t wait to see even more develop between them. I’m also excited to see more of the secondary characters take a starring role in future books. I just wish that Leah would have been a little bit of a stronger character, and that she would have taken a harder and quicker stance against her father. But, I am absolutely anxious to see more in this series from Dimon!
I give No Turning Back a C+

E: Dimon gave me several things I love in her first Hanover Brothers book. The brothers and secondary characters were so vivid and intriguing that I enjoyed reading No Turning Back a lot even though Leah seemed very weak to me. While I was glad that she eventually started standing up for what she thought, I still felt that she should have been more definitive towards her father. Especially given his words, actions, and emotional abuse. I am certainly looking forward to finding out what comes next as each brother gets their turn in the spotlight and what will be revealed not just about themselves but the rest of the cast.

I give No Turning Back a B.

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  1. Pingback: Guest Post & Giveaway with HelenKay Dimon | The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

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