Everything He Couldn't

Newberry Springs, Book 2

De: Harlow James

Narrado por: Angelina Rocca, Dane Anderson

One of my favorite songs growing up was Jessie’s Girl by Rick Springfield.

Ironically enough, I never realized I’d be living out those lyrics in my own life when I fell for my best friend’s girl—and then my best friend, John Schmitt, died.

Add on the fact that she was pregnant with his child and that I’d been harboring feelings for Evelyn months before all of this happened, and well, now?

Now the lyrics to that song don’t sound so bad anymore.

The worst part is, I’m the one to blame for his death which made facing her an even harder pill to swallow, so what did I do? Pretend like she didn’t exist anymore, even though it was virtually impossible because she was everywhere in our small town of Newberry Springs.

Flashforward six months and suddenly Evelyn finds herself in a legal battle she never saw coming, and I can’t just stand by any longer and pretend like my heart isn’t in shambles.

So I suggest the unthinkable.

I offer to marry her, help her prove that she’s a fit mother and her daughter is being raised well despite John not being in the picture.

But Evelyn doesn’t know that being near her gets my blood pumping, even more so after avoiding her for months.

She doesn’t understand that doing this favor for her is a way for me to gain retribution for John’s death and take a chance to find out if she can reciprocate my feelings.

And she doesn’t get that by being there for her and loving her and her daughter that I’m doing everything that my best friend couldn’t.

©2023 Harlow James Publishing LLC (P)2024 Harlow James Publishing LLC

Walker & Evelyn are so sweet!

Everything He Couldn't is a small town, single mom, marriage of convenience love story. Evelyn accidentally got pregnant by Schmitty, Walker's best friend. They weren't serious, just having a little fun. But then before Evelyn had the baby, Schmitty died in a tragic fire.

Six months later, Evelyn finds herself in the middle of a custody battle with Schmitty's parents so what does Walker do? He proposes that they get married to help her case.

Walker also had ulterior motives to marrying Evelyn. He's had a crush on her for a long time. Maybe this is his chance. Evelyn's walls were wayyyy up... with good reason. She just needed someone to show her she was worthy of love. Somehow Walker wormed his way into her heart and held on tight. The way this man went to battle for her... SWOON. He's literally the best husband in this fake marriage. He was also sooo sweet to Evelyn's daughter.

-Small town
-Single mom
-Fake marriage
-He falls first

I listened to the audiobook of this one. Angelina Rocca has the sweetest voice. She does such a great job showing the emotion these characters are feeling. Dane Anderson has that growly voice that ladies love. Some of his female voices could use a little work, but that didn't deter me. They were both so good!

Amazing narrators

So what’s better than one twin brother how about the other twin who is broody and a firefighter. Well meet Wyatt’s twin brother Walker sweet baby Walker is everything we didn't know we needed in a small town, single mom marriage of convenience romance. Evelyn and Walker’s path to one another is sad, tangled and full of speed bumps. However when Dane hits you with a "That's my wife..." you are done for. This book was just as amazing as book 1.

Small-town friends find love after loss

Everything He Couldn't is the second book in The Newberry Springs series & follows the story of Walker & Evelyn. They are friends who are both grieving the mutual loss of Schmitty, Walker's best friend & Evelyn's baby daddy. Walker is riddled with guilt over the loss of his friend & in an attempt to make things right, proposes marriage to his best friends baby mama, Evelyn, to protect her & her daughter from a legal battle. Sound complicated?🤔 Yep, it is, but that's small town life for ya' in Newberry, TX.

Evelyn is completely taken by surprise when Schmitty's parents file for custody of her little girl Kaydence. Being the good & genuine guy that he is, Walker sweeps in to save the day. He begins to raise & love Kaydence just like she was his own. There's tension & attraction between these two, but Walker has never acted on it out of respect for Schmitty. Now that they are married & living together, they can't deny the physical attraction they have for one another. And soon....that attraction turns into something more but Evelyn fights it tooth & nail along the way. Finally, giving into Walker, she realizes she wants to dance with Walker in life & be his partner💃🕺🎶.

🎧Let's talk narration: Angelina Rocca & Dane Anderson once again bring these very likeable, small town characters to life. Evelyn is a strong, independent woman & motherhood brings her so much joy. Rocca conveys her strength, sensitivity & the uncertainty of falling for Walker perfectly! Anderson voices these Walker boys like a fiddle at a country dance. Playing each twin brother with his own distinctive voice & sound. The Walker boys love their women good & hard & they won't let anything get in the way of their happiness & Dane delivers on this!

This is an emotional & heartbreaking story at times but it's also a story about overcoming guilt & trauma in the search for one's happily ever after.💕 I'm really looking forward to Forest's story in the 3rd & final book. The grumpy ones always get me.😉

My favorite of the series

Story 9/10
Spice: 3/5
Spice Hierarchy: Spicy
Narration: 5/5, dual

Evelyn has been casually seeing John but needs him to step up when she finds out she is pregnant. Walker is John’s best friend and tries his best to get John to see everything he will miss out on if he doesn’t step up. One tragic night changes everything. Six months later Evelyn is a single mom and Walker is processing his survivor’s guilt. To make it worse, Evelyn’s parenting is called into question. Walker suggests they get married to show solidarity as a family unit. Little does Evelyn know, Walker has loved her for awhile now. Walker is ready to claim his chance at happiness.

Evelyn’s family really is awful and the past she got away from makes her so apprehensive to commit to anyone. I loved how much Walker loved Evelyn and Kaydence right from the very beginning. Both Walker and Evelyn have to come to terms with what it means for them to be together now and watching them both learn to understand each other better through this process was amazing for their characters.

Walker Gibson is mine. And I will fight anyone that tries to claim him. This book had my favorite tropes and they were done perfectly: small town, single mom, marriage of convenience plus firefighters and found family.

Narration Review: Dane should always read as any matriarchal figure. His voice as Momma G was priceless. And when that man growls as the MMC 🥵 Angelina brought so much passion and depth to her part that I loved her voice for everyone.

Emotional Journey

After finishing the first book in the Newberry Springs series I knew this was going to take me on an emotional journey. I was right, I was sucked right back into the turmoil I knew was coming. I love the emotional twists Harlow James brings to the story. The connections are so palpable from the page I feel like I am right there with the characters.
Getting to see the journey of a character fighting to find their way in life and coming out on the other side, even when the picture of what the other side would look like seems so fuzzy to begin with is just a beautiful thing. I knew Walker was going to be quite the caretaker from the way he was in book 1 and I am so not disappointed in all the ways he stepped up.

Amazing heartfelt story with fantastic narration

Harlow James brings us another beautiful love story with amazing characters, emotion and small town love.

I went through so many emotions reading this book - joy, sadness, hope and want for John and Evelyn.

Harlow gives us these characters that are a bit broken, full of love and who need a big hug!

Evelyn is trying to put one foot in front of the other as a single mom. She’s doing her best but is struggling with emotions, what could have been and some regret.

John is a sweet sweet man who has a big heart.
He is carrying some burdens and some hidden desires.

Evelyn and John are such an amazing couple who help one another find forgiveness, hope and love.


Angelina Rocca and Dane Anderson deliver a fantastic performance! Angela gives perfect voice, personality and emotion to the characters. She comes across as strong, yet vulnerable and also very caring. Dane has a delightful growly, deep and strong voice. The also gave the characters perfect voice, emotion and personality.

I love how narrators take authors words and give the reader/listener a whole new experience to enjoying the story.

FABULOUS read and listen!

This is book 2 in the Newberry Springs Series. Each story is a standalone that will follow one of the Gibson brothers and their true loves. This is Walker and Evelyn's story.

****I listened to this book on Audio. The Narrators are Dane Anderson and Angelina Rocca. The way these two tell this story brought tears to my eyes and love to my heart. Such an amazing duo that made this book even more amazing. If you love audio books and are looking for a fantastic series, pick up the Newberry Springs family saga and be prepared for greatness. Both Narrators perform on all 3 books which brings a consistency to the series.

-Single mom
-Fake Marriage
-Second chances
-He falls first
-Best friends ex
-Small town romance

So many times in this book I found myself swooning over Walker and his enormous heart. He loved Evelyn so much that every little detail and effort showed her his true feelings. Evelyn, the single mom and Walker, the man who has loved her forever is one of pure love and romance. Their story and their journey was hard, they persevered, and eventually admitted their feelings. Elements like funerals, cards with moons, baby jerseys, family photos on the wall, Owls, and pictures with 2 daddy's had the tears streaming down my face. I loved how Harlow told this story and it has become my favorite. That is saying something because Kelsea and Wyatt were amazing. I recommend this series to anyone who wants a true love story with a hard earned HEA. Great job Harlow and I cannot wait to see What happens in Forest's story.

Single Mom-Small Town

Everything He Couldn’t by @harlowjamesauthor

Newberry Springs Book 2

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

He hadn’t noticed her until his best friend had her, but when he did he fell hard. That is until his friend ☠️ under his watch and leaves her a single mom.

I just loved this book, one because Kaydence is 6 months old and teething and my niece is 6 months and teething and it just felt perfect. And two, Walker.

What to expect:
👨‍🚒Firefighter
👩‍👧Single Mom
👨‍🚒Marriage of Convenience
👩‍👧Forced Proximity
👨‍🚒”That’s My Wife”
👩‍👧Small Town
👨‍🚒Best Friend’s Ex
👩‍👧Found Family

Cowboys and Firemen - whoo hoo

The second book in this series brings us Walker and Evelyn. Their story has a lot of tragedy wrapped up in it, but the joy does shine through for them.

Evelyn is pregnant, and the baby's father has just died. They were not in love but she is still mourning his loss, as is Walker as John was his best friend.

Walker is still regretting not making a move for Evelyn before her and John got together, now he fears it may be too late and will pine for her forever.

Fast Forward: Evelyn is being sued for custody of her baby by the father's parents, partly because she is single. Walker decides they should marry, so obviously they do.

The attraction between them pulls them even closer together now that he's living in her home. She really struggles with letting him in entirely because of her past. But once she does, it's all pretty fantastic.

I'm enjoying the narration on this series, It's great to hear all the male characters from book 1 with the same voices throughout.
Angelina really had a moment when she recounted Evelyn's past. And that is such an age old story, a powerful man, her mentor and family friend attempted to sexually assault her when she was just 18. But no one believed her, not even her parents. It's the whole reason she moved away and started over in a new town and hasn't seen her parents in 9 years. That's a tough burden to carry, when you're utterly alone.
Thankfully, Walker believes her and believes IN her.

I do love stories that also show a man not only falling for the woman, but her child, that he also sees this child as the blessing she is and not a burden. And Walker does love that baby as if she's his own.

How did Harlow James get away with writing Walker, a Cowboy AND a Firefighter? Just let that soak in for a moment.

I have enjoyed this series so much - I give this 4.5

Melted My Heart !!

Ever listen to a series that you wish was about real people and in a real place ? The Newberry Springs series became that way for me . I wish I could visit Newberry Springs and meet the Gibson family. It was so easy to fall in love with these characters. Harlow James has a true gift for writing beautiful stories that warm my heart ❤️.

Angelina Rocca and Dane Anderson BRAVO 👏👏 !!!! Each character and story was brought to life perfectly!!!