Review: "Never Let Go" by Allison B. Hanson (Contemporary Romance)

	Never Let Go by Allison B. Hanson Publisher: Kensington Books - Lyrical Shine Series: Blue Ridge Romance When Least Expected (#1) Nick of Time (#2) (Affiliate Links) Genre: Contemporary Romance Publication Date: May 24, 2016 (Affiliate links)
Description from Publisher: Riley Fisher doesn't have time to chase after men. As a single mother working two jobs, she barely has time to eat or sleep. But a girl has needs. So when handsome veteran Sam Brooks asks her out, she decides she deserves some R&R. She doesn't expect anything else from him—after all, he's hardly the type to get serious. Sam came back from Afghanistan lucky to be alive, despite PTSD that hits whenever he lets down his guard. His therapist told him to forget about relationships. When he meets Riley, he's not planning on breaking the rules. She's cute, petite, and a total smartass—not even his type. But she's hard to forget. Especially once he runs into Riley and her toddler on a rustic mountain getaway and sees what he's missing. Her kid makes him laugh all day. And Riley makes him burn all night. Too bad a relationship is impossible. But they can enjoy the attraction. It's not like they're going to fall in love…
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
I received a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.com for an honest, unbiased review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is my 100% own. What an unexpectedly deep and heartwarming story! This is so much more than I thought it would be. It starts as a romance of a couple, but quickly becomes a love story of a FAMILY. The little boy, Luca, is wonderfully adorable. It's not always easy to write chils characters, but Hanson did so with so much heart and Luca is just so real. You also can't help but sympathize with Sam and Riley. They both have so much baggage, but are both trying to do the best they can with it. I liked that they are so open about their feelings and expectations, and that it wasn't a miscommunication that cause a rift. The issues that they have, Sam with PTSD from being deployed to a war zone, and Riley having to deal with a jerk ex-husband, are very genuine contemporary issues. Because of this, my heart broke at the climax, fearing things wouldn't work out like I wanted them to. I hadn't realized that this was a part of the "Blue Ridge Romance" series until partway through, but it wasn't really necessary to read the others - this really is standalone. The supporting characters all play their parts wonderfully. Most notably, I enjoyed the unusual, but not improbable, way Riley's ex-mother-in-law, Anita, who chose her ex-daughter-in-law over her a-hole son. Considering the focus on the family over the couple, I might classify this in more of the Womens Lit genre than romance, but I think this is still something your average lover of contemporary romance will thoroughly enjoy.