Forget Me is an extremely touching story involving a man, Jonah Gardiner, struggling against himself and his insecurities while falling in love all over with his one true other. Struggling, also, is Laurel Moor, who is desperately striving to bring her family’s bar out of deep debt after her father’s death. Undercurrents of a deep love run through the novel wanting to surface and take over.
This, the second in the Van Allen Brothers series is just as great as the first, Forgive Me. I cannot wait for the final book, Free Me, to come out.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A short and sweet read touching on topics that can be hard to chat about, with a strong heroine and hero to boot.
Laurel has just returned to her hometown after a stint away from home working as a chef in New York, so she can take over her late father's bar. This presents all sorts of problems for her to overcome, but none that compare to running into an ex-flame, and 'reformed bad boy' Jonah Gardiner. He's had his own demons to overcome, and now, he's a psychologist. Laurel and Jonah should stay away from each other - there's a lot on the line and a lot of history, but they just can't... and so begins the story.

Overall: Did I enjoy this novel? Sure I did. Would I count it as one of my all time favourites? Probably not. It was sweet and although I'm not exactly qualified to speak on the way in which the issues of alcoholism and family trauma were handled, to my mind, it seemed as if it was well-written and seriously considered. Jonah and Laurel were sweet together and I enjoyed seeing them both grow through the course of the book.

Characters: I have to say that Laurel was a very lovely heroine to get behind. Even though she herself was quite blind at a few points, you just wanted to see her succeed and it was a satisfying conclusion in the end to her journey with her father's bar. As for Jonah - I liked him well enough, and I enjoyed seeing his care and compassion for Laurel, willing to confront certain aspects of his past for her, because of his love for her. Did I see him as one of the ultimate swoon-worthy male leads? no, not really - but that's up to the individual to decide. he was great for Laurel, although I'm sure that they would have a fair few issues to deal with - but what couple doesn't?

Storyline: at some points, I have to admit that I had to take a break and dive back into the storyline - and I'm not entirely convinced that it's because of the pacing or the storyline itself. It was lovely to read, but at points I did feel that it moved a little too slowly. The storyline itself manages to set itself apart from the typical trope of ex flames running into one another again fairly decently as well.

Look, overall, this was an enjoyable story to read - and I do have to admit that I am interested to see what happens in what I am assuming will be Matt's story - perhaps with a certain squad captain? Now that, I admit, I am very excited to read (if it happens)

Note: I was very generously gifted an ARC of this novel by the publisher and the author via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Much thanks to NetGalley and Tule Publishing for this complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and opinions are fully my own.

📚 Series: Yes. 2nd, but can be read as a standalone.
📚 Genre: New Adult Romance
📚 POV: Third person
📚 Cliffhanger: No

⚠ Content Warnings: Alcoholism. Emotional and Physical Abuse.
⚠ Read if: you want a romance read that's not just about romance.

Forgot Me is a good story about a second chance romance. Laurel moves back to manage their family bar after her father's death. She plans on making it a better 'gastropub' to everyone's disagreement. She meets Jonah, her ex, her father's ex friend and an alcoholic, like her father, too.

This is a story about forgiveness and family. This is really not just about the romance. The romance parts will inserted here and there, and are actually quite sweet. What made me like this book is it showed how people handled grief as well as how people rise up from all the extreme unfortunes that just happens in life sometimes.

☁ THE CRITERIA ☁

🌻 Blurb:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Hero:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Heroine:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Support Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Writing Style:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Character Development:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Romance:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Pacing:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Ending:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Page Turner:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Book Cover:⭐⭐⭐⭐

☁FINAL VERDICT: 3.45/5 ☁

Forget Me by Kimberley Ash
He’s the man she left behind, but never forgot…
Laurel Moore might have had to leave her prized job as an assistant chef in one of NYC’s swankiest restaurants to take care of her brother and mother after her father’s death, but she’s not giving up on her dream. Nope. She’s going to turn her father’s debt-ridden, greasy spoon bar and restaurant into a destination gastropub that will bring life back to her small, struggling town. Laurel faces resistance on all sides, but it’s running into her first love, reformed bad boy Jonah Gardiner, that really throws her off her stride. Worse, he’s more tempting than ever.
Spurred on by Laurel’s rejection a decade ago, Jonah cleaned up his act and became an academic and psychologist, who helps everyone understand their feelings except himself. He can think of a million reasons why he and Laurel need to stay at arms’ length, but when she shares her new recipes with him, it seems like foreplay. And that’s just the beginning…
Can he and Laurel seize a second chance or will she destroy the peace he’s worked so hard for?
This is Laurel Moore and Jonah Gardiner's story.
“Laurel, stop!” a deep voice shouted from above her.
Laurel Moore jumped about a foot, dropped one of the catering-size tomato cans in her arms on her toe, yelped, and looked up. The can rolled into the road, where a bus drove exactly where she’d been about to run. Its left rear tire squashed the can like a juicy tick, sending sauce flying everywhere, landing on her white chef’s scrubs and oozing into her working clogs.
she shouted, distracted from trying to find the source of the voice. She looked like a crime scene from the waist down. Glancing up, she saw people in the back of the bus, gazing at her as though she were an interesting stop on a tour.
Yep. If the hair and beard didn’t brand him, those tattoos sure did. Jonah Gardiner. Town bad boy. The one her mother had always—and uselessly—warned her about. “That Jonah Gardiner,” she’d told Laurel in high school. “You stay away from him. He’s no good. Getting into everything bad, he is. He’ll be in jail or dead from drugs before he’s twenty-five, mark my words.”
Laurel, being a good girl, had stayed away from him in high school. In college, however…
All she could do was stare at him as he joined her in the alley. What was he doing across the street from her father’s bar? “You okay?” he said.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book."
Forget Me by Kimberley Ash is a 4 star book.
I am looking forward to reading more books Kimberley Ash
Kimberley 's Books with Tule:
Forgive Me
The Van Allen Brothers
Forget Me
The Van Allen Brothers

Forget Me is the second book I have read by Kimberley Ash recently. This is a writer that takes has taken alcoholism by the horns showing the destruction not only to the individual but also to the family, including generational fallout as well. It is all wrapped up in a second chance romance between two small town individuals. Also it has a strong focus making choices.

Laurel Moore has seemingly given up her dream to return home after her father’s death. I so admired her for not giving her dreams up but being able to redo her dream to fit the reality in which she finds herself. As for Jonah Gardiner, he is a man who was able to change his path by making different choices. Years earlier his relationship with Laurel ended poorly. Now there is a second chance if they are ready. I appreciated that they have a history, being older and wiser. Heartfelt story with people that I learned to cared and hope that they find love.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

​​​​​Forget Me from new to me author Kimberley Ash, is a seductive second chance romance. The two main characters, chef and bar owner Laurel Moore, and psychologist Jonah Gardiner, had a hot and heavy affair about ten years ago. They rekindle their relationship when Laurel moves back into town after her father's passing. With little help from her alcoholic brother and depressed mother, the family's debt riddled bar/restaurant becomes Laurel's responsibility. Jonah used to be the town's bad boy who hung out in Laurel's father's bar. With Laurel back in his life, he is able to conquer the demons of his past.

I liked this story and the secondary characters added a lot of interest the plot. The baggage that Laurel and Jonah have to deal with was intense at times. They are a hot couple, both in and out of the bedroom. The abrupt ending was very disappointing. This is the second book from the Van Allen Brothers series and it can be read as a standalone. Overall, a solid second chance romance with good character development.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

An incredibly realistic and emotionally charged second chance romance.

After Laurel’s father passes away, Laurel returns home to run her father’s bar. She didn’t except to see Jonah again. Jonah was the bad boy that Laurel was warned to stay away from. But, Laurel couldn’t resist Jonah and they ended up having a secret relationship one summer.

Laurel made the decision to leave her family and Jonah when she felt she was being pulled into the same destructive lifestyle that Jonah and her father both shared. She followed her dream of becoming a chef. Jonah cleaned his act up after Laurel left. He went to school to become a phycologist. Now that Laurel is back in town and they are both responsible adults, maybe they can pick up where they left off.

This book pulled me in from the start. I enjoyed seeing Laurel and Jonah discover love again. The scenes were very realistic. The author described addiction and what it can do, to the person and everyone close to them, very well in this book. Be warned this is an emotional story, but well worth the tears you might shed.

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<p>I received an ebook ARC of Forget Me, Book 2 in the Van Allen Brothers Series by Kimberley Ash through #NetGalley. This is my first review for NetGalley, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to read this book early. This book came out yesterday, June 3rd, so you can go out and enjoy this romance yourself!</p>
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<p>Forget Me focuses on Laurel Moore, a big city chef, home to run the bar and take care of her family after her alcoholic father's passing. Jonah Gardiner is the town's former bad boy turned Ph.D., and her former secret boyfriend.</p>
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<p>Most of the romance I read is historical romance so this was a nice change-up for me. I wasn't sure what to think going into it, but was intrigued to see how Ash would treat the main characters' relationship with each other and how their backgrounds would be brought into the story. I think Ash did a good job of balancing the romance with the reality of their lives--working, dealing with family problems, etc. Romance novels are often so much a fantasy that it can be hard to relate the story to your life, but this book was easy for me to relate to.</p>
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<p>All-in-all this was an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading the other books in the series.</p>
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It’s not always easy to realistically portray the mindset or the recovery process of a recovering alcoholic or those headed down that dark path, yet Kimberley Ash has given us the ultimate results of alcoholism and the true battle some people fight against every single day while weaving a touching second chance romance for Laurel and Jonah. If alcoholism is a trigger for you then you have been warned.

I have to admire Laurel for the strength to leave not only her family but the young man who she loves but is following the same downward spiral as her father has her entire life. She cannot save any of them – not her father, her brother or the man she wanted a future with. So, she left town and headed out to follow her own dream. Returning after her father’s death (directly related to his alcoholism) to run the family bar, try again to deal with her brother and knowing that she’s opening up a door that was best kept closed – running into Jonah after a decade apart. Losing Laurel was a much-needed wake-up call for Jonah who has cleaned up his act, gotten himself sober and is now a practicing psychologist. Having her back in town is as much of a temptation as staying away from the drink he so often “needs” but denies himself. Somehow they’ll have to co-exist in this small town – or maybe there’s hope for them after everything they’ve gone through.

FORGET ME is an emotionally intense story with characters that are completely believable. Their struggle to get through each day, to carve out a life for themselves in spite of circumstances is evident and simply makes their story more realistic. I’m tempted to call this a bit of a slow burn, their chemistry was off the charts but they have a lot of history to get beyond before they can hope for a future – but that doesn’t mean the feelings of a decade ago simply go away, we feel them fight those feelings with each encounter. I was emotionally engaged with Laurel and Jonah – I’d not hesitate to recommend their story to any Romance reader.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Forget Me is a story about second chances. Laurel and Jonah share a history and must now decide if they want to risk rekindling their relationship. Kimberly Ash tackles the problem of addiction and describes this problem very realistically.

A nice story about second chances, nice issues about addiction also. Thoughtfully written.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Forget Me is the second book in Kimberley Ash's Van Allen Brothers series. This is a second chance romance centered on Laurel, a bar/restaurant owner, and Jonah, a psychologist and reformed bad boy. I really enjoyed this one! It was definitely heavier than I am used to and focused on some deep topics. While there was definitely a focus on the central relationship I think the book focused more on Laurel and Jonah's individual development.

I think this could be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading the first book (Forgive Me) before reading this one. I can't wait to read Matt's story! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Laurel has taken on the weight of the world. She has taken over running her late father’s debt-ridden bar. She is trying to help her alcoholic younger brother overcome his demons, and help her mother deal with the loss of her husband. She has also reconnected with the man she loved, but cut loose because of his alcoholism ten years earlier.

Jonah has overcome much of his past, completed a Ph.d, and is a respected psychologist at a local university. What he hasn’t been able to overcome is being abandoned by his father and a young woman who left him ten years earlier. When Laurel re-enters his life, he wants her, but doesn’t feel worthy.

Can two people with so much conflict in their lives reconnect and find happiness? This is the second book in a series about three men who are half brothers and their struggles to overcome their pasts. In Forget Me, the author has done a terrific I job of developing the characters and making readers root for them. I look forward to the next book in the series!

Plot
The heroine Laurel has come back to her home town to juggle personal lives and professional lives. She comes back after her beloved father has died due to alcoholism. She spent her entire life trying to save him, he made promises he couldn’t keep, he tried to get himself onto the straight and narrow but relapse was always going to be just around the corner. He owned a bar and his wife was an absolute enabler, not to mention some unsavoury characters that could just pull him all the way back in. The hero, Jonah was my favourite. I’m a sucker for broken, but strong characters. Jonah, as a teen was a troublemaker, everyone knew it, moreso Laurel. He was headed down the same path as her father and all she wanted to do was save him too. Laurel was truly surrounded by broken men, men that couldn’t put her happiness and concern first. She was trying to fix them all but really she was going to end up breaking herself. Jonah’s root cause of his misery was his terrible childhood. He managed to get his shit together after Laurel leaves him to pursue her career, this had given him a necessary wake up call. But, now Laurel is home and not only is she grieving but she has to manage her attraction to Jonah but also deal with her brother who is now rapidly going down the same road as their father. Jonah still has obstacles in his way, obstacles that could quite easily send him back on the his course of becoming an alcoholic. Can Laurel keep him from descending down a dark path once again?
Thoughts
I’m a big fan of second chance romances and this ticked the boxes. It wasn’t an insta-love story and nothing was quick and simple. The road to happiness wasn’t the direct one. Laurel couldn’t save her father but she played a part in saving Jonah although he is fully aware that the temptation never fully leaves him. The alcoholism issue was dealt with sensitively and was written well and you could feel Laurel’s inner conflict at trying to help everyone but not feeling like she was making much headway. Laurel and Jonah had sweet Chemistry together and there coming back together was heartwarming and their intimate scenes were both comical and hot and the chemistry was obvious. The writing was very good and it was fast paced and the actual romance made you feel all warm and giddy inside. This was my first outing with a Kimberley Ash novel but it certainly won’t be my last.

4 Stars
*I was given an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

I received an ARC from Netgalley and I am happy to give my honest review.

This was a romance but the story was more of Laurel’s growth in the face of adversity. Her father died leaving her in charge of the family’s bar. He struggled with alcoholism her entire life and she was watching her younger brother go down the same path. The bar was struggling to be successful and Laurel had to leave her esteemed chef position to come home.

She runs into Jonah who is completely different than when she knew him 10 years ago. He’s a psychologist and sober and not interested in getting involved with emotional relationships. He’s fighting some big drama regarding his father and mother and brother. It’s all kind of a mess and I don’t blame him at all for his saltiness.

I felt a little lost in this book. I didn’t read the first book in the series and I think there was some background that got missed. Ultimately I did like this book and liked the Laurel’s character growth. I didn’t see the crazy chemistry between her and Jonah but they were okay together. I would recommend checking this book out.

A heavy and emotional book about family dynamics and the effects they can have on people, Forget Me is the love story of two people who dated in their youth but were not in a place to have a healthy relationship at the time. Laurel, the daughter of an alcoholic/bar owner, has always been a good girl. Ten years after dumping Jonah because of his drinking, she finds herself taking over the family business and running into him again. Jonah has cleaned up his act and now tries to make up for his past indiscretions by helping others and avoiding strong emotions that might set him off course. But spending time with Laurel again makes it impossible for him to remain unemotional, and as they get closer, Jonah has to decide if he can deal with those emotions.

Though there is a central romance in the book, it’s honestly more about family and alcoholism than anything. Sure, Laurel and Jonah share a physical attraction, but there isn’t a ton of time spent on their actual relationship discussing topics other than their past and their families. Neither character is actually that likeable - Jonah for trying to remain closed off, and Laurel for pushing Jonah when he says that she might not be good for his recovery. Both characters sort of rubbed me the wrong way. Beyond that, it’s a very cerebral book delves into deeper topics. While I can appreciate its handling of alcoholism, it’s certainly not the fun, second chance romance both the cover and the description imply. Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story and loved the author's development of the two main characters. I am myself an adult child of alcoholic and some of the issues that were touched upon really resonated with me.

This is the second book in the series so I shall seek out the first story and wait for the third instalment.

Thank you to NetGalley & publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Forget Me by Kimberley Ash. Book two in the Van Allen Brothers series.
Likable characters and a good storyline. It dragged for me a little. I look forward to reading more by this author.

I liked the romantic story about Lorey and Jonah, especially because the author managed to write it as a book about love that also features many other things. The description of Lorey's fight against her dad's alcoholism and Jonah's struggles with his dad were described in a very touching way. I also liked Lorey's struggles to run her dad's old bar while making a few changes.

I've always had a bit of a soft spot for 'broken' heroes. In this book, the heroine, Laurel, also has a bit of a thing for them. She spent much of her life trying to save her father, who was an alcoholic and now after his death her younger brother is rapidly following the same path. I'm also a fan of second chance romances, which this fall into.
What I really enjoyed about this story was that there wasn't a simple fix and everything was happy. Jonah has managed to conquer his alcoholism, but he knows that it never really leaves him. It's very easy for stories like this to feel contrived, but this was well written and the characters attempts to deal with their problems felt real.
I liked the chemistry and romance between Laurel and Jonah. Although they had been in a relationship in the past, the reasons that are given for having broken up made sense and didn't stop them from getting back together again. I also enjoyed about Laurels attempts to modernise and update her father's bar. Something that she does not always find successful and straightforward. This is a thoughtful and interesting romance with plenty of those moments that you look for to put a smile on your face and a warm feeling inside when reading romance. I'd certainly be keen to read the next in the series or go back to the first, which I haven't as yet, read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.