Travis

I loved this story!! You have to read Archer’s Voice first to understand the full story! I love stories that have broken characters that redeemed themselves! Travis really did grow so much in this story! It was beautifully written. Such a great love story. I loved the gang, they were so funny!! I also loved Archer’s Voice. I would love to read more about the Hale brothers Conner, Marcus and Nathan and of course Archer’s mom Alyssa!!

If you have read Archer’s Voice you will remember Travis as the step-brother Policeman who created a few issues for Archer. However, he did redeem himself and made amends with both Archer and Bree. Nowadays he lives a pretty quiet and routined life as the Chief of Police keeping his community safe.

Travis enjoys being an Uncle to his nephews and niece, having regular catch ups with them each week. He is also in a long term relationship that he is thinking about making more permanent. That all comes to a screeching halt when he finds his girlfriend was not as committed as he thought she was in the most graphical way.

On a routine traffic stop one day he meets Haven. She is driving home from work with a car so full of plants that Travis deems it a driving hazard. Haven is passionate about saving the plants that no one wants from the bargain trays at garden centres, she takes a lot of satisfaction in nursing them back to life whilst whispering words of encouragement to them as she feeds them.

After removing some of the view obstructing plants he sends Haven on her way in a safer manner. He was not expecting to see her again when she pops up again, this time at the country club he frequents. Turns out she has a summer job at the smoothie bar there where she whips up all sorts of concoctions that she promises are good for you, despite how unappetising they look.

There is just something about Haven that has him wanting to know more about her. When he has to temporarily move out of his home into some short term accommodation he ends up being neighbours with Haven. He is intrigued about her plant passion and begins to join her for her early morning routine. Talking with her is so easy, she has this carefree way about her, you know those people you spend time with and walk away from with a good feeling in your soul?

‘God, the way she made me feel. It was… I didn’t even know what it was, because it wasn’t only physical. I liked to talk to her. I liked to hear her thoughts and listen to her stories. I wanted more of her kindness, her insight, and the understanding she held in her gaze. Oh God, what was happening to me?’

Haven and her brother currently have a transient lifestyle. They make short term temporary pit stops in towns until her brother burns the welcome mat and they move to the next town. She does plan on putting down roots soon, she just needs to find the right place and Pelion Lake just feels like the right place. It has so much to offer both her and her brother.

Travis is very interested in Haven but when she tells him she has her eyes on someone else, he offers to help her out by making the other guy a bit jealous. However in doing so it puts him and Haven into a different phase of their friendship, things get more intimate between them and it’s getting harder to hear her talk about another guy. Travis has never wanted a woman as much as he wants Haven. He doesn’t want to be second best this time though, he wants to be the first choice.

‘I’d never gone to a woman in my life. I’d always waited for them to come to me, and I was never left waiting long. Not with Haven though. If I wanted Haven, I’d have to go to her. And face rejection.’

Haven thinks she wants perfection but she is figuring out that people’s flaws are more intriguing and attractive. Everyone has them, they are like a roadmap of their life, things that have shaped them into who they are now.

Travis knows that Haven doesn’t stay in the same place for very long. He wants to show her that running away from problems solves nothing and that being laid bare is actually quite freeing. He should know he has done it himself. It can also open up the world of new beginnings.

‘Maybe the hurt part of me that had never received any closure, recognized the same wound in him. And that had scared me too, because it had made my heart reach for him, wanting - needing - to soothe, to care for, to love.’

I am happy to confirm that the long awaited return to Pelion Lake was so worth the wait! I just effortlessly slipped back into this picturesque town and made myself comfortable in a place that feels so familiar and welcoming.

‘All the things that have brought us pain, carve a distinct hole in our heart, and there’s someone else out there with the perfect something that will fill the void. And in turn, we get to do the same for them. And suddenly, it all makes sense. It all fits. Because we haven’t been forsaken. We’ve been prepared.’

314 pages of love, tension, and plants.

✨️Favorite Lines✨️ Trust & follow

"Maybe the terrible truth about love is that when it's gone, it leaves a hole in your heart so big it feels like nothing will ever fill it."

Then I guess I'm trapped for good

"All the things that have brought us pain carve a distinct hole in our heart, and there's someone else out there with the perfect something that will fill that void. And in turn, we get to do the same for them. And suddenly it all makes sense. It all fits. Because we haven't been forsaken. We've been prepared."

"I'd spent my life wanting"

Brothers till the end 🥺

I had been loved.

You are wanted. You are so wanted by me.

Elements Of Book 🔅 Contemporary Romance ☯️ Dual POV 💓 He falls first 🏡 Small Town Romance 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 Spicy scenes! 🌻 Plant Lady & Chief Of Police

Review 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Elements from Archer's Voice are expanded on in this story. We really did get to see griwth from the character by the 70% mark (if youre reading in kindle.) I would highly reccomend reading that story first as you get Travis's point of view from things in his past (won't spoil) and why he did the things he would go on to do as a teen & adult. The town of Pelion felt like a character all its own in this novel. You get to hear about how Bree & Archer are doing 🩷🥺🐕🏡 and I truly adored all the corky characters in the Bed & breakfast. I also loved Clawdia the cat!

The lake scene on page 177 really brought Travis to a whole new level of vulnerability to me. Readers will fly through this book once you consider how Travis must've felt on comparison to Archer. 🐤Burt & Betty's stories made my heart feel so sad yet full at the same time. This was a beautiful full circle book which shined a light on Travis's perspective and in a lot of ways gave reader's closure from the beloved story of Archer's Voice. Perfect book for summers beside a lake, ocean, or just with a view that makes you dream of your future with someone special.

🟢Favorite Scenes🟢 🩷 🥂Page 90 first kiss ~ I absolutely loved the spontaneous element of the first kiss! It was hot and sweet yet they both weren't ready!

🪴Travis put an APB on the missing plants for Haven 🥺

🐞🪲 The Ladybug scene at the blueberry picnic!!! I genuinely loved Haven's interactions with Travis's family ✨️🩵

All of Chapter 25 ~ the genuine growth of Travis and the love he had for Archer as a brother, friend, and whole person. Argh and Archer's advice!!! 💛🥺

The 2nd town meeting brought me so many emotions! Tears fell and the confessions of the town made me smile.

🐱 Clawdia is in the epilogue! Mia Sheriden does epilogues like no bodies business! That last chapter felt like a warm hug and waving goodbye to Palion, Maine.

I absolutely loved the first half of this book. I loved Haven so much in the first half. I loved the interaction between her and Travis. Their banter was hilarious. I have to say, Mia Sheridan has such a gift for writing dialogue between her characters. SPOILERS…….

I hated Travis in Archer’s Voice, but I loved him in this book. It was fascinating how he went from barely thinking Haven was pretty, to being a complete mess over her. It was brilliantly done. They had an immediate but understated chemistry that was just so insanely intense. I loved how he saw the stark differences between Haven and his ex. I also loved Haven’s interactions between her and Archer’s boys. They were adorable and hilarious together. (It was so great to see Archer and his precious little family btw😉).

The build up of Haven and Travis’s friends with benefits relationship was well done. They were amazing together. I loved how Travis was so shell shocked by her—especially because she was not his “usual type”. I didn’t like that Haven had one foot out the door through most of the book though. We were constantly reminded that she was leaving.

So here’s where it went kind of down hill for me. I absolutely hated that Haven went out with Gage after she began her f/b relationship with Travis. I hated the hurtful things she said to Travis. I get that she was trying to distance herself from him because she was leaving, but it still felt like such a betrayal. She was so cold and detached. I don’t like it when the heroine is the detached one. My heart broke for Travis. I knew this going in and I thought I would be ok with it because he was such a villain in Archer’s Voice, but I wasn’t. I didn’t like it at all.

The ending was emotional. I loved how his “fortune” ended up having such significant meaning. I thought it was great that Travis atoned for all his sins, but especially for the way he treated Archer. I was so happy that we found out that Travis’s father was going to come back for him. (I had always wondered about that when I read Archer’s Voice). I loved the epilogue with him and Haven. I was so happy they found their happiness.

4-4.5 stars. It’s been over 7 years since Mia Sheridan released Archer’s Voice into the world, leaving a lasting impression with Archer Hale’s imprint in a multitude of readers’ hearts. Now back to Pelion, Travis Hale has his own story to tell. He’s a complex character, having a mean streak that involved hurting Archer numerous times while growing up, never extending a helping hand. He did one monumental thing for Archer and Bree at the end of Archer’s Voice, which turned the tide in showing that Travis has compassion somewhere inside. About 8 years later is when this book picks up and Travis is still the Chief of Police. He’s at peace with not being the sole Hale heir of Pelion and he has made some major strides in his life perspective. He can even visit Bree and Archer and be a doting uncle to their kids. The loss of his father still chafes at him in a way that leaves a raw wound of abandonment.

Haven Torres is passing through Pelion with the intent to enjoy the season there. She is definitely not Travis’ usual type and he doesn’t see her as such initially. There’s actually quite a bit of levity between them with the banter and easy chemistry. Since Haven is not planning on permanence, they fall into a natural routine of friendship and confiding which morphs into more complicated emotions that do not fall under temporary. I liked Haven’s quirks and nurturing side. She wanted to belong somewhere and with someone, but had accepted constant transition instead as means of coping and escape from previous hurts.

My favorite parts were the dialogue between Archer and Travis as well as any fond reminiscences of Travis’ father in his memory. These moments really brought back the intensity of what the Hales endured and highlighted Travis’ inner turmoil in his struggle to find out how to be a better version of himself. He had already been somewhat humbled, but his maturation process wasn’t complete due to a bitter and jealous streak still partially residing inside of him. Yet being around Haven and some other eccentric citizens show him that there’s more to life than that, a bigger slice of contentment comes internally with self trust and letting go. I was really pleased with Travis’ character arc because if redemption was his goal, he hit rock bottom and truly had his work cut out for him to climb back up in a modest and spectacular fashion. Any fan of Archer’s Voice will love this follow up, especially with getting such close up glimpses of Archer and Bree, with a respectable Travis that his father would be very proud of.

When I first heard that Mia Sheridan was going to revisit Pelion Lake with a book about Travis Hale, I was curious and questioned it, but stayed optimistic. Travis Hale was first featured in Archer's Voice and he wasn't the best character. He left a lot to be desired. The way he treated family was horrendous. You don't have to read that book before this one, but I would highly suggest you do. You will be able to see the transformation in this beautiful but damaged man.

Travis was a man that was used to success and getting what he wanted. His family was always a big part of this small town community, until the unthinkable happened with his dad and his uncle. Tragedy struck many years ago and it left 2 young boys to figure out their places in the world. Archer took one road and Travis took a very different path. Travis followed in his father's footsteps and became the police chief. He may have been a pillar in the community as police chief, but his actions still left me questioning who this man was and how he changed over the years.

Haven and her brother Easton are just passing through this small town in Maine. That's what they do. After leaving California a couple years ago, the brother and sister duo get jobs and survive month to month, traveling across the US. They don't settle anywhere and do not make roots. They are visitors and they keep it that way. NO roots. No connections. And you can't get hurt or be left. THEY do the leaving. But what happens when the quirky, plant loving, sentimental young woman engages with Travis? Will they be able help each other?

"I'd never fought for anyone before. I'd been too busy fighting for myself. Thinking only of myself. while Haven had only done the opposite."

I knew before I started this book that I was going to have to read Archer's Voice before. I wanted a refresher and I wanted the feelings to be fresh in my mind. Upon beginning Travis, I could tell that I was going to fall for him. Just the prologue alone was heartbreaking enough. But then I got adult Travis and I wasn't sure he had changed much since his last appearance in Archer. He was closer to his family and it seemed like he wanted to be better, but he just wasn't quite there. He was still only about himself. And his first run in with Haven? Oh man. I fell in love with her and her plant loving ways, but couldn't believe he was still being kind of rude. But as the story progresses, we get a lot of inner dialogue from both characters and begin to understand where Travis was coming from and we learned of Haven's past. These two were going to balance each other out, but they still had games to play.

Travis is a full length novel told in dual POV. Travis and Haven both have pasts and they both need to figure out those pasts in order to move forward with any sort of future. Their friendship and their crew of motley individuals fit them. They surrounded themselves with people that were outcasts, but made their community one of understanding. While I enjoyed this read, it didn't hold it's appeal as much as Archer's Voice did. Travis had a lot of inner dialogue that was a bit frustrating, but I could also see how that fit Travis. He never went on a limb to care for anyone else because he never wanted to be left. He didn't want to "lose it all".

Overall, this was a good redemption story and I enjoyed seeing Travis grow and change, but it still took longer than I liked. The ending was a bit much, but I understood it was something Travis needed to do for himself. Just a bit over the top for me. I am excited to see what will come from this new series in Pelion Lake.

I loved the ending, and the romance was good, but redemption was everything for me. When I first read Archer's voice, Travis actually kind of scared me.I thought he was going to be abusive but was just petty and jealous.

I pretty much read this book to get any Archer's family crumbs. I finally saw Travis actually apologize. It was still a little boring. But I don't regret reading it. It's a nice ending to archers voice to me.