What Heals Us Audiobook By Maggie Gates cover art

What Heals Us

Falls Creek, Book 2

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What Heals Us

By: Maggie Gates
Narrated by: Tor Thom, Savannah Peachwood
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"Surely losing your virginity to a firefighter in a cabin getaway that was won at a fundraiser was against some fine-print bylaw in the town charter."
______________________

It all started with a list.

Ten resolutions for a new year, new me.

Or at least the me I thought I should be.

It was going all fine and dandy until I got snowed in with my friend’s brother.

Her much older brother. What happens in the cabin, stays in the cabin. Right?

Wrong.

When Austin Hale shows up on my doorstep, offering to help me with my list, I decide that I’d be crazy to say no. He’s new in town, and I’d rather not go on my journey of self-discovery alone.

We can do this as friends. Besides, he’s too old for me, and the two of us have enough baggage to fill an airplane.

Ten resolutions, and then we move on.

In my mind, the rules are clear. But my heart has plans of its own.

______________________
Welcome back to Falls Creek, North Carolina, where gossip is a way of life and meddling is a show of affection. What Heals Us is a small-town romance packed with heat and heart. Get ready to melt over hunky firefighter Austin Hale, and sweet kindergarten teacher, Caroline Tyree. This is book two in the Falls Creek series, but can be listened to as a standalone.

©2023 Maggie Gates (P)2024 Blue Nose Publishing Contemporary Heartfelt Feel-Good
Heartwarming Romance • Complex Characters • Engaging Storyline • Small-town Setting • Age-gap Relationship
Highly rated for:
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5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️

What Heals Us is the second book in the Falls Creek series. This is an incredibly moving and steamy age gap story. Austin is Beth’s big brother. Beth is pregnant and asked her brother to come help her through this journey. Caroline is Beth’s best friend. Caroline is twenty two years old and just starting to experience life. She has had a late start to the normal childhood milestones: road trip, first kiss…. And several more. Caroline has always crushed on Austin. Austin comes back to Falls Creek and is attractive to Caroline but thinks she is way too good for him. They have such an amazing connection. I love their love story.

Savannah Peachwood and Tor Thom did a fantastic job narrating this book.

What Heals Us

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Listener received this title free

Audiobook Review: What Heals Us by Maggie Gates (Falls Creek #2)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What Heals Us is the second book in the Falls Creek series by Maggie Gates—and it did not disappoint! I’m absolutely loving this series. Like the first book, it’s a charming small-town romance with an age gap dynamic, and this story was just as sweet and heartfelt.

The FMC (female main character), Caroline, was such a standout. Sweet and innocent, yes—but also strong, determined, and just the right amount of sassy. She’s been through some serious medical challenges, but that didn’t stop her from pushing forward to gain her independence and become self-sufficient. Her journey, especially with an overprotective family, was truly inspiring to follow.

As for the MMC (male main character), Austin Hale—he was perfect. A total gentleman: patient, doting, protective, understanding, and so loving. Honestly, what more could you ask for in a book boyfriend?

The narration was equally impressive. Savannah Peachwood once again reminded me why I love her performances—she captured Caroline’s sweetness and spark perfectly. And Tor Thom as Austin? Swoon. His voice was strong, warm, and perfectly matched the quiet strength of his character. The two narrators had great chemistry, and their performances made the story even more immersive.

I highly recommend this series if you love small-town romance with depth, heart, and swoon-worthy characters. If the rest of the books are anything like the first two, I’m all in.
5/5 stars!

Compassionate story

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Audiobook Review:

If you love a cinnamon roll fireman, this is the book for you. When Austin moved to a different city to help support his sister he had no idea he would fall in love, especially with someone so young. Caroline just wants to be treated normal and not like she is going to break due to her chronic illness.

Their chemistry was perfection. Such a sweet story.

This book was narrated by Tor Thom and Savannah Peachwood. This was a perfect casting for Austin and Caroline.
They both did a great job with all the characters, and brought the book to life.

Thank you Maggie C. Gates and Blue Nose Audio for this ALC.

Loved Austin and Caroline

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What Heals Us-
Format: Audible
Narrators: Savannah Peachwood & Tor Thom
4.5/5 Star; 2.5/5 Spice

Thus far, this is already my favorite in the Falls Creek series.
As far as small town goes, this is top tier. There isn't much better than a down-bad, older firefighter MMC pining over his little sister's innocent friend. I'm not typically one for the virginal FMC trope, but this was done very well by the author.

The narrators brought the story to life with such pristine emotion in all the right spots. You felt the anxiety boiling from Austin when Caroline was in danger.

You felt Caroline's frustration at her parents for being overbearing. This was such a wholesome and sweet, captivating story that I truly enjoyed the ride from start to finish.

I can't wait for book 3!

Thank you Blue Nose Audio for the copy of this audio in exchange for an honest review!

Smalltown, Firefighter Charm

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I am such a sucker for small town romances and I was impressed by this story! I love the dynamic between Austin and Caroline. Age gap is one of my favorite tropes and Maggie wrote it so well.

The narration was great! I love being able to be drawn into a story, to the point where I'm possibly skirting some responsibilities to keep listening. I really enjoyed how the two narrators voices meshed together.

I will definitely being going back to read book 1 and to continue this sweet series.

A lovely small town romance!

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OK AUSTIN HALE I SEE YOU!!! When I saw the tropes age gap x v!rgin FMC I knew I was going to love this and I DEFINITELY DID!

They’re snowed in and she asks her friend’s older brother to take her V card and of course, THINGS GET HOT DESPITE THE WEATHER OUTSIDE. Austin is the man of all man’s and he has now moved his way up to one of my favorite MMCs by Maggie Gates. He was such a sweet and protective man towards Caroline and I loved all their interactions. THIS MAN RUNS A BATH FOR HER AND PUTS HER PJS IN THE DRYER TO WARM THEM UP FOR HER AFTER SHE HAS A FLARE UP - talk about SWOONY!

Book one in the series wasn’t my favorite but this book makes me SO SO EXCITED for Beth and Shane.

Small town
Age gap
Friends older brother
Forced proximity
Snowed in
V!rgin FMC
Firefighter MMC

AUSTIN FREAKING HALE

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Maggie Gates is a new to me author and I am not disappointed in the slightest. What Hurts Us is the second book of the Falls Creek Series. The books are all stand-alone within the series, and can be enjoyed individually, however there are recuring characters and some back stories you find.

Austin Hale is a firefighter second, and a big brother first. When he gets a call from his sister Beth one night crying and saying she is pregnant and the father is a married man, he does the only thing a good brother does, uproots his life and moves to take care of her. So far, his new life has been about Beth and his job, until he runs into Caroline Tyree, the towns kindergarten teacher. Caroline is 22 and just getting her life back on track after spending most of her life in and out of hospitals for lupus but was saved by an anonymous donor. There is an instant attraction between them but a lot standing in their way, or at least they think. One being their age, he is 13 years older than she is. Two, because of all her time in the hospital and recovery she is…unexperienced. Three, she is best friends with his sister. And four, they live in a small town, and you know what happens in small towns…GOSSIP.Both have spent enough time in the town’s eyes for other things, they don’t need to be there anymore. One weekend, they both show up at a BnB for a stay they each separately won in an auction, but wouldn’t you just know it, her cabin is having issues and there no more left and oh yeah there’s a snowstorm and they are snowed in. What happens at the cabin stays at the cabin…and a lot happened at the cabin.

I really loved this story, and one of my favorite parts was Caroline and her advocating for herself. Generally, I have grown kind of tired of the virgin stories, but Caroline said what I hoped most would say “I am a grown woman, I know my body and I want what I want”. She is such a strong female character and I loved her lust for life (and Austin;-) ). There is one scene where she is doing something as simple as getting a haircut, but to me it was a very powerful scene. Austin was looking for more a reason to stay then his sister, more than an obligation. Until he started seeing Caroline, he was just kind of existing in the town, he wasn’t living because it wasn’t permanent. These two were such great characters separately, but they made each other better. We do find out who the donor was for Caroline, and it was not at all who I suspected it to be. I love this little town and all the people in it, I can’t wait to see more of these two characters throughout the series.

What Hurts Us was narrated by Tor Thom and Savannah Peachwood. Both did such an excellent job bringing these characters to life both individually and together. Savannah has this young innocent sound to her voice, and then out of nowhere BAM! Sultry and sexy! She was the perfect voice for Caroline. Tor really brought Austin out of those pages. He has a voice that makes you feel safe, just like the character, but “behind closed doors” has that bedroom voice every woman dreams of hearing and every man dreams of having. I really loved these two and the did such a fantastic job bringing Maggie’s character and story to life.

Austin and Carolines story!

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This was an easy he falls first age gap listen! I knew the back story from Caroline’s critical childhood illness was going to make the story!

Age gap!!

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What happens in the cabin, stays at the cabin… riiight! Never! Especially in this small town! I love the new life this book got becoming an audio! From the dedication, to the last epilogue, this book is a winner.

This is hotter than your local fire department!

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I couldn't have loved this more! This series keeps getting better with each book! The narrators did an amazing job bringing this book to life!

What Melts Me & Makes Me Cry

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