Series:
Lake in the Clouds (Book 2)
Genevieve Prentice is learning that reinventing herself
is a bit like downsizing a house. Deciding what to keep and what needs to go
gets complicated. After settling into life in Lake in the Clouds, Colorado,
with her sister's help, she's finally finding her balance. But Genevieve's
newfound steadiness is threatened when her daughter Willow unexpectedly arrives
carrying a mountain of emotional baggage.
Willow Eldridge needs a fresh start, but that can't
happen until she comes clean about her family's secrets. Thankfully, between
caring for her two young children and planning her brother's wedding, Willow
has plenty of reasons to delay the uncomfortable heart-to-heart with her
mother. Yet when Willow grows close to her kind but standoffish neighbor and
suspects he is keeping secrets of his own, she realizes there's no moving
forward without facing what came before…
Can Genevieve and Willow jettison the pain of the past to
create the future they so desperately crave? Beneath the crystal blue skies of
Lake in the Clouds, anything seems possible.
Terrific story about family, finding yourself, and
overcoming tragedy. This is the second book in the series. I haven't read the
first one, but enough backstory was explained to keep me from feeling lost.
There are three main characters: Genevieve Prentice, her daughter Willow Eldridge,
and their neighbor, Noah Tannehill. Genevieve and her sister, Helen, own a
lodge in Lake in the Clouds, Colorado. Willow, widowed two years earlier, moves
there with her two children, looking for a fresh start and to reconnect with
her mother. She meets the reclusive Noah, a firefighter recovering from injuries
received during a tragic incident.
Genevieve has enjoyed her new life in Colorado. After many
years as a mom, she has enjoyed traveling, exploring nature, and getting
involved in her new community. With her latest project ending and facing a
milestone birthday, she feels a bit lost about where her life is heading. When
Willow moves to town, Genevieve suddenly finds herself slipping back into
family mode, being a mom and Nana on call. She feels she is losing all her
progress after her move. I could feel her frustration and fear as she wondered
about her future. She received helpful advice from two men, and I enjoyed watching
her take that advice. I liked seeing her reconnect with Willow, though there
were a few bumps in their road along the way. Her support of Willow is crucial
during an unexpected crisis. Her last scene in the book is hilarious and
satisfying.
Willow left Nashville hoping to make a better life for
her children and reconnect with her mother. During Willow's marriage, they
became estranged, and she feels it was mostly her fault. She's ready to come
clean about her marriage, her husband, and their life, but talking about it is more
challenging than she expects. In the meantime, she steps in as the planner for
her brother's upcoming wedding and discovers a possible career path. She also
has eight-year-old Drew and four-year-old Emma to take care of. Drew is a
pistol with some issues stemming from his father's death, and he keeps Willow
on her toes. Drew brings Willow together with Noah in a scene that could have
been any parent's nightmare but was the start of a meaningful friendship. I liked seeing the changes and healing that
Willow experienced during the book.
Noah moved into his grandfather's house in Lake in the
Clouds after experiencing a tragic fire call that left him badly injured. He
spends most of his time in his workshop, avoiding people whenever possible. Thanks
to Drew, Noah, and Willow are frequently thrown together and soon form a
friendship. Noah is surprised to find himself emerging from his shell. I ached
for Noah and the trauma he suffered and rooted for him to overcome the demons
that haunted him.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Noah and
Willow develop. It started rocky, thanks to Drew's antics, but they soon
discovered that their traumatic pasts made it easier to relate to each other. The
more time they spent together, the closer they grew, and the more they could
share the details of their pasts. I liked how they were able to help each other
look at events from a different perspective, enabling them to heal and move
forward. There are also some beautiful scenes involving them and the children and
the effect on their developing relationship. They each experience an unexpected
curveball that must be dealt with before they can look to a future together,
but they make it happen with love and support from each other and their friends
and families.
Secondary characters such as Gabe Throckmorton and Genevieve's
sister Helen add extra interest to the book. I liked Gabe, who is still grieving
the loss of his wife but has a growing and changing friendship with Genevieve. I
look forward to later books and seeing if that relationship progresses. I loved
Helen. She is fun-loving and outspoken, and she loves her family. She and Genevieve
have had a great time together over the past two years, and she is
understandably hurt when Genevieve appears to no longer have time for her. They
must deal with a few growing pains, but in the end, their relationship is stronger
than ever. I laughed out loud at Helen's method of getting stop signs for the
town.
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