Welcome Home, Katie Gallagher by Seana Kelly
Released: July 1, 2017
Contemporary Romance
Harlequin

Reviewed by Mandi

I believe this is a debut author and I enjoyed her voice in this one. Katie has been trying to be the perfect wife for her controlling husband for years – but has never been thin enough, or pretty enough or the a good enough hostess etc… and when she finds evidence of him having an affair, she is done. She is tired of being controlled and humiliated by the man who is supposed to love her. He didn’t even pass on a message that her grandmother had died – so she missed the funeral and feels a ton of guilt about this. Katie leaves her husband, takes her beloved dog with her, and goes back to Maine, to live in the house her grandmother left her.

When Katie arrives at this house, it’s not quite up to par. Windows have been left open and every woodland creature has taken residence inside the house. Katie doesn’t want to live with rodents, but she is too scared to confront them, so she decides to try to clean up the house during the day, and sleep in her car at night. Her ex has frozen her credit cards and taken all of the money out of the bank, so she is a little desperate for money.

Aiden is the police chief in town, and had a huge secret crush on Katie growing up. One that was not reciprocated.

In the summers that had followed, my obsession with Katie Gallagher grew. She was the one against whom all others were measured and found wanting. The summer she turned fifteen everything changed. I’d finally built up the courage to ask her out, and before the words could leave my mouth, she walked off, laughing about my being a little kid. It crushed me.

But Mr. tiny and geeky Aiden is not so little anymore…

His hand fell away, and I missed its weight and warmth at once. Unbelievable. How the hell did sweet, oddly geeky Aiden Cavanaugh morph into tall, dark and forbidding?

He can’t believe she is back in town and he can’t believe she is going to try to live in the wrecked house. They butt heads when they first meet – Katie gets a little feisty during a traffic stop and Aiden has to bring her into the station. But their tempestuous relationship starts to take a turn towards romance. It takes a while – but I liked the slow build-up.

Katie is such a fun heroine. She is so feisty and kind of silly, and doesn’t have much of a filter.

“Wow,” I said. Look at you with your big-boy muscles and your lumberjack build. You must have had one hell of a growth spurt. I knew there was something familiar about you. It was the eyes. You were always cute but holy shnikies. I’m feeling kind of dirty now for some of the things I was thinking about you up on the cliff.”

Her battle with rodents in her house made me laugh. Her love for her huge dog made me smile. Although her marriage fell apart, and she lost her grandmother without being able to say goodbye, and she is living with possums and raccoons, she still has a sense of humor. Like when she gets a job working in a food truck, and sneaks her dog, Chaucer in. Aiden isn’t so happy about this….

“Katie?”

“Um, who?” Another chuff and then a shush.

“Katie, do you have a dog in a food truck? Do you have any idea how many health codes that violates?”

Silence. “None?”

[…] “What are you doing in there?”

“No hablas ingles.”

“Damn it, Katie .I don’t have the time or patience for this today.”

Pause. “Why? What’s wrong?”

I stared at the dirty, white side panel of the truck.

“I’m a good listener, Chief.” Chuff. “See? Chaucer agrees. Um, you know, if he were here, which he totally isn’t.” She mumbled, “Shush. We’re being stealthy. Remember?”

The romance is slow to get going in this one, but I loved getting to know Aiden and Katie. Aiden comes across as a little more beta, so it takes him some time to get the confidence to make a romantic move. He is cute and gets exasperated by Katie at times but he just wants to protect her and help her out – and she can be a bit stubborn. I liked them together.

Cute read – I hope this author writes more.

Grade: B

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