I quite enjoyed last year's The Twelve Dates of Christmas and was eager to get lost in another escapist read.
Annie is forty four years old and is a successful restaurateur with two wonderful sons ... and a husband who is a serial philanderer. When she catches him, um... red handed it's the final straw. When she spies an ad for a seasonal caretaker for a wee cottage in a seaside town, she knows that it's just what she needs - to get away and reassess her life.
Ahh, I loved the setting. Living by the water in a quirky historical building sounds perfect! The rest of the town is also well drawn and I would happily sit in the pub with a pint, catching up with the latest.
Annie is a great lead character. I liked her being older (not that forty four is old!) and could connect with her. She's kind and friendly, as are the rest of the residents of Willow Bay. The supporting cast is eclectic and quirky as well. Annie easily slips into village life.
Except for John - the nephew of the elderly lady who owns the building Annie is living in. He has his own plans for for it. But...he is rather handsome...
All the bits are there for a fun rom-com, will they, won't they read. And yes, this is a seasonal read. Willow Bay hosts a large number of festivals and events, with Christmas being the biggest hurrah. I wanted to put up my decorations right away!
I quite enjoyed A Season for Second Chances but ... yes, I have a but. There's a sex toy introduced in the book club that whole element just felt awkward, forced and not realistic. Frankly, it wasn't a needed piece of the story and I found it took away from the feel of the book. Other than that, a fun read in the run up to Christmas.
5 comments:
Hi Luanne - Thanks for another great review and heads up as usual. I, too, quite enjoyed The Twelve Dates of Christmas and was recently wondering if there would be another book by this author or if I should do a holiday re-read. Kind of ugh on the sex toy part. I doubt it willl offend me but it does take a bit away from a book when unnecessary stuff like that is put in.
Hey Grandma Cootie. I too thought it might be another book about the same town and characters too. But a great new setting and likeable characters. I look forward to what you think. Yes, the sex toy just wasn't a necessary piece imo.
Yeah that's what I though Vicki. And it was named.....
The addition of the sex toy reeks of someone (publisher, editor?) interfering with the story. It seems so out of place compared to what the rest of the story is that surely it wasn't something originally part of the story. I guess even cute Christmas themed romances have to be "edgy" now.
Ah I hadn't thought of that Ethan - but you could be right. It was so jarring in amongst the usual rom com bits. It was a really fun read - other than that.
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