Series:
Emerald Bay (Book 2)
Thirty-two-year-old Imogen Kelly is meant to be living
her best life in Dublin but the bright lights of the city aren't making her
truly happy. So she leaps at the chance to take on an interior design job at
the big country manor at the edge of Emerald Bay. It also gives Imogen an
excuse to return to the place where she spent an unforgettable summer with her
first love, Lachlan Leslie, the heir to Benmore House.
Imogen's heart is full of hope at the thought of seeing
her childhood sweetheart but on the way there she nearly has an accident on the
winding, muddy country road. She arrives at Benmore House late and flustered,
only to discover the builder working with her on the renovation project is none
other than Ryan O'Malley - the class prankster who was forever pinging her bra
strap at school.
Within seconds it's clear he's still a cheeky charmer,
even if he's transformed into a gorgeous guy who unexpectedly sets her pulse
racing. Forced into close proximity with relentlessly cheerful Ryan, who's
forever (badly) singing rock ballads at the top of his voice, Imogen at first
finds him an annoying distraction.
With St Patrick's Day celebrations in full swing, Imogen
has her work cut out to keep the job on track. Spending more time with Ryan,
she discovers that, behind his warm smile and generous ways, he's nursing
heartache. But when she finally sees blue-eyed Lachlan again,Imogen has to face
up to the truth about the secret summer romance they shared.
Will she leave Emerald Bay broken-hearted? Or will Imogen
realise that home really is where the heart is?
Sweet story of coming home, family, and new beginnings.
Imogen left her home village of Emerald Bay and moved to Dublin, where she has
a successful interior design business. While she has friends and an older
boyfriend, Nevin, there are days when she feels something is missing. When
offered a job doing up several rooms at Benmore House, the big manor in Emerald
Bay, she jumps at the chance, hoping to see her childhood sweetheart again. Not
that she wants to start anything up again; after all, he broke her teenage
heart, but it would be nice to finally close the door on that chapter of her
life.
She nearly has an accident on her way to Benmore House,
stopping quickly to allow a family of ducks to cross the road. Then she's
almost hit by another vehicle as she attempts to help a straggling duckling
join the rest. The other driver is Ryan O'Malley, her school nemesis and class
prankster, who has grown up to be a very handsome man. I loved their encounter,
with Imogen trying to be the sophisticated city girl and Ryan being his usual
teasing self. Then she discovers that Ryan is the builder also working on the
project.
Though there is some tension between them initially, it
doesn't take long for them to form a friendly working relationship. Ryan is a
nice guy who rarely lets anything rile him up. He left behind his job and his
girlfriend in London to come home when his dad had a stroke and has happily
settled back into village life. As they spend time together, Imogen discovers
there is more to Ryan than she expected.
I liked seeing Imogen readjust to village life. Her
observations about the other residents were fun and realistic, as life in a
small village means everyone seems to know what is happening with everyone
else. I enjoyed seeing Imogen cope with everything from riding on the back of a
scooter to being commandeered as Ms. Leprechaun for the St. Patrick's Day
parade. She's also nervous about introducing her boyfriend to her family - not
least because of the age difference between them.
There's no end of drama as Imogen deals with decorating
issues at Benmore House, seeing Lachlan again for the first time since she was
sixteen, and dealing with Nevin. Imogen has terrific self-confidence regarding
her work, and I enjoyed seeing her deal with everything from delays to
messed-up deliveries. Her meeting with Lachlan was quite an eye-opener for her.
The author did a marvelous job of giving him the right amount of smarminess to
make him unlikeable. The descriptions of Nevin and his attitudes made me wonder
what Imogen saw in him, especially the more I saw of Ryan.
One of the things I liked about Imogen is her big heart.
She isn't rude or obnoxious, even when she's frustrated by gossip and nosiness.
I enjoyed seeing her empathy for Ryan over his worry about his father. When Mr.
O'Malley's illness worsens, Imogen finds a way to help the family. I also loved
how close she was with her family. There is plenty of love to go around, along
with a fair helping of advice, wanted or not. I enjoyed catching up with
Shannon and James (Christmas in the Little Irish Village) and the antics of
Napoleon, the cat. I also liked seeing more of the family, especially the
grandmother, Nan.
I liked watching Imogen and Ryan grow closer as they
worked together. It's easy to see their friendship becoming more even though
Imogen was blind to it for a long time. There are some sweet scenes of them
together, from sharing lunches to escaping too much family drama. I loved the
auction at the end of the book and seeing Imogen go after what she wanted.
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