Home To Stay

In In Home To Stay (Anchor Island #3) by Terri Osburn, Willow has been on Anchor Island for a few years now.  Managing and bartending at the local pub, she quietly goes about her life.  She has friends, but no one really know her, and at times she is still very alone.  She guards her heart, her past, and her secrets fiercely.  

Randy is a big man with a heart of gold.  He sees the fear in Willow's eyes when he's around, but he senses it's not a specific fear of him.  He sees a lot of Willow on the small island, and with their friends and his sister getting married, he is seeing even more of her.  Randy is more and more attracted to her, patiently trying to prove he is no threat.  As Willow warms up to him and the idea of them together, she is still not looking for forever.  Just when Willow starts to feel safe and follow those good feelings she has with Randy, her past is threatening her future.  Will Willow have the courage to stay and finally have her home in the place she's grown to love?

In Home To Stay Terri once again gives us great characters in a small town island setting I can very easily picture in my  mind.  I love Terri's descriptions of Anchor Island...especially when Willow is watching Randy on the jet ski!  

Terri draws out Willow's secrets enough to keep me intrigued but not enough to frustrate me...and there's much more to Willow's past than I first suspected.  Willow puts on a good show, and on the outside she's so strong.  On the inside she's scared and insecure.  Reading from Willow's POV really took me into her life and her feelings.  Randy is big and strong, and what you see really is what you get.  He is patient and protective, and the perfect match for Willow if she can take the chance.  I enjoyed reading from Randy's POV also.  The dual POV really added dimension and strength to the story line, and I liked seeing things through both of their eyes.

There are a lot of characters from previous Anchor Island books, but Home To Stay stands well on it's own (although I do recommend the other books because they are so good!).  With just the right mix of humor with the seriousness, Home To Stay is well paced and easy to fall into.

I'd recommend Home To Stay (and all of the Anchor Island books) to all romance readers, especially if you want that small town feel.

4/5 stars