ARC Review: Lovers Restored by Kelsie Leverich

I will admit that after reading the blurb and seeing the cover for this book, I was torn on whether or not to read it. While it sounded like it was right up my alley, I have had a few issues with some of Kelsie Leverich's previous books. This one seriously checked almost every single box for me though as far as my favorites, so I had to read it. I am just a sucker for a second chance romance and the fact that its a best friend's older brother for a hero was it for me. I will say that while I had a few issues with this story, I did like it and I am glad that I read this one. Lovers Restored was frustrating at times, but I found it sweet and sexy and enjoyable.

After a tragedy forced her to leave town, Halle Morgan is finally heading home to fulfill a promise to her best friend. Ten years away have done nothing to lessen the pain she felt from losing not only her best friend, but also the man she loved, Cooper Bale. Though she knows that Cooper now hates her, she can't help but want to see him again while also wanting to avoid him altogether. When they run into each other, they are both forced to deal with things from their past. Cooper wishes that he could keep Halle away for him, but he finds himself drawn to the one woman he should stay away from. Though he doesn't want to hurt her, he finds himself feeling relief from all the pain only when she is in his arms again. Can Cooper and Halle find their way back to one another and leave the past behind them, or will there be too much between them after everything that has happened?

Cooper was frustrating for most of this book even though I did like him. He had lost so much and carried so much pain and guilt from the past. He had a lot of anger as well, and didn't really know how to deal with it. While he had always cared about Halle, he also treated her pretty badly for parts of this book. He would run so hot and cold with her, and I could tell that he was struggling. I just wanted him to figure things out faster, because it was clear that he loved her. He was always so protective of her and I loved that he looked out for her regardless of what was happening between them. Halle was sweet and had developed a successful business, but she still had issues from her past. She had left town never to return and had lost pretty much everyone that had ever meant anything to her. I did feel like she let Cooper get away with a ton in the book, but I understood just how much she cared for him. She saw the best in him and I loved that she never gave up on finding the boy she had once known in him when he thought that boy was long gone. She was exactly what he needed, and he was the same for her. These two had so much history between them both good and bad, but it was clear that the chemistry and connection between them had never changed.

Overall, I thought that this was a good book. I did get frustrated with the push and pull, and I felt like it went on longer than it should have. I wanted them to figure things out sooner and I either wanted Cooper to get his act together or for Halle to finally put her foot down. But I was glad that they finally started to figure things out and realize that things between them were worth fighting for and that they could heal each other and move forward. I also enjoyed the secondary characters in this story a lot. I really loved their friends and thought that they really added a lot to this story. I will look for more from Kelsie Leverich in the future after reading this book.

**ARC Provided by Entangled Publishing**

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