Terrific book about love, family, and following your
dreams. Pastry chef Nicole and her daughter have returned home to Oak Hollow to
heal after the death of her husband and a career disappointment. While waiting
to hear the results of her applications for her dream job, she's talked into
taking over the café at the local bookstore where her boss is her high school
crush.
Liam is the divorced dad of a teenage son. He's happy to
have the talented Nicole working for him but not so happy about the sparks of
attraction that flare between them. Starting a relationship with someone who
doesn't plan to stay is a recipe for heartache.
I loved both Nicole and Liam. Nicole has two passions in
her life - her daughter and her career. She overcame a lot to become a pastry
chef, including her husband's negative attitude about her chosen profession.
Their marriage wasn't happy, and Nicole still hears his voice in her head. Even
though he's dead, she feels she has something to prove. She's a bit wary of
being back in her gossip-friendly small town, but she and Katie settle in
quickly.
Liam works hard to keep his private life private. He had
a bad social media experience with a former girlfriend while in college, which
still affects him. His divorce from Travis's mother was amicable but left him
keeping a close guard on his heart. Travis lives with Liam while his mom is
away and isn't very happy away from his school and friends. In addition to
dealing with Travis and the bookstore, Liam is also keeping a big secret from
everyone around him. He's written a best-selling romance under a pen name, and
his publisher is after him for another book.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Nicole and
Liam develop. Because they were friends as children, it doesn't take long to
rekindle that friendship. They work together well and fall into a teasing,
flirty style. There are plenty of sparks between them, but neither is ready to
start a relationship when Nicole will be leaving. However, the more time they
spend together, the harder it is to resist the pull between them. There are
many sweet scenes of the two together and others that include their children.
It's hard to resist the feeling of family, and Liam soon finds himself hoping
that Nicole will decide to stay as he falls harder for her every day.
Nicole's feelings are just as strong as Liam's, but she's
been so focused on her goal of being a restaurant chef that she suppresses
them. When her dream offer arrives, Nicole has a lot to consider. The decision
is complicated by her discovery that Liam hadn't cared for or trusted her
enough to share his secret with her. I liked that Liam was smart enough to
realize how badly he'd messed up and wanted to make things right. I laughed out
loud when some of his best advice came from his teenage son: "You are a
writer, Apparently a famous one. Use your words." The ending was outstanding
as they shared their feelings and hopes for the future. I loved the epilogue
and seeing Nicole and Liam start their lives together.
Travis and Katie were my two favorite secondary
characters. At the beginning, Travis was a typical teenager, resentful of being
uprooted from his life and not afraid to show it. Fortunately, his attitude
changed as he settled in. I liked how he connected with Nicole and was very
sweet with Katie. I loved how the tech-savvy teen came up with ideas to help
Nicole with her career. Katie was adorable in her acceptance and enthusiasm for
everything around her. I love her hero worship of Travis and Liam, and her
request for Liam at the end was fantastic. I also liked catching up with
characters from previous books as Nicole rekindled old friendships and made new
friends.
I also loved the bookstore setting. Having worked in a bookstore for twelve years, it brought back some wonderful memories.
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