Summary
Returning to her small hometown after a failed marriage was supposed to be a fresh start for Pressly. But when she discovers her dream home is a money pit, her daughter blames her for uprooting their lives, and her sexy neighbor turns out to be her first love, things get complicated.
Thatcher Hayes has only gotten better with age, and as Pressly navigates the aftermath of her divorce, she can’t help but be drawn to his chiseled jaw and kind heart.
As things heat up on Sweet Gum Lane, Pressly is tempted to take another chance on the first man who broke her heart.
She can’t resist Thatcher’s gentle touch and the way he makes her feel alive again.
But with Pressly’s past still haunting her and Thatcher’s own secrets threatening to unravel everything, can they overcome the obstacles in their way and find a second chance at love?
Excerpt
Stripping down to my skivvies for the Men of Mossy Oak calendar may have been embarrassing, but it turned out to be a very savvy business move. That one sultry shot of me lounging on a bed of books in my boxer briefs became the talk of the town, drawing curious customers to my bookstore in droves. More often than not, they left with armfuls of books.
I’d inherited Hyperbole’s Bookshop from my uncle along with the rest of his estate four years ago, and it was finally turning a profit. I liked to think my hard work in revamping the dusty old bookstore into a dream come true for book lovers was responsible for Hyperbole’s success, but posing as Mr. February didn’t hurt things.
Since I’d hired Lacey as manager, I spent less time in the store, but I still put in a few hours every day checking on things and working on the elaborate book displays I created.
It was a sunny Saturday morning in March with the promise of spring in the air, and the bookstore was already crowded even though we’d just opened the doors. Customers wandered along the aisles and lounged in comfy nooks. The noise of chatter and laughter drifted along the aisles, and the scent of freshly brewed coffee and vanilla candles made the large space feel cozy and inviting.
I stopped in front of my latest window display—a tiny replica of downtown Mossy Oak, complete with the backdrop of snow-topped mountains.
“Are those clouds crooked?” I asked Lacey as she came bustling toward me with a stack of books in her arms.
She stopped and peered up at the puffy silver clouds, her eyebrows drawing together. “Definitely.”
“Shit.” I started toward my office, intent on grabbing my ladder and tool belt.
“Just kidding.” Lacey shuffled her books to grab my arm. “It looks great.”
I narrowed my eyes at the clouds. “Are you sure?” I could never stop messing with the displays. I wanted them to be perfect.
Review
(audiobook) I admit I didn’t buy the premise. The second chance trope. I can totally see people falling for each other again, but to still have feelings after fifteen years, several relationships and a lifetime apart? Nope.
Okay, maybe I bought it a little, because Thatcher’s teenage love story with Peppy is related to a period of his life that left deep marks. So I can understand how he would have held onto it, like a reminder that he didn’t always feel that way. And Thatcher is the only one still having feelings. Peppy had moved on, and without her ex-husband cheating on her, she probably never would have seen Thatcher again. She actually needs to be seduced before they get back together.
This book was more about a triangle than a couple. Not a love triangle. But Summer, Peppy’s daughter, is as much a part of the story as the main couple. Her parent’s divorce deeply affected her, so she has a difficult relationship with her mother, while losing herself in books provided by Thatcher–who kind of become her friend. She’s the proof that Peppy wasn’t pining over Thatcher all those years, and a source of conflict between Peppy and her ex-husband. And she isn’t just a mean to an end for Thatcher–he really wants to help the little girl, sometimes arguing with her mother. Through Summer, we also learn more about the main characters, and she becomes later a great plot device. Well done.
Thatcher was a bit more developped as a character than Peppy–who’s a mother, an ex-wife, and the one in her family looking for recognition, that’s pretty much it. But at the same time, he became almost too much: ex-military, boxer, bookstore owner, landlord, even calendar model; and each side is used at some point in the story. That also means that the story is sometimes unpredictable, as you never know which Thatcher will be on the page.
I loved that they helped each other overcoming their problems. Thatcher smooths Peppy’s relationship with her daughter, and Peppy supports Thatcher later in the book.
The letters were a nice, though gut wrenching, addition. They never give away the whole story of what Thatcher went through as a soldier–that part is revealed in a conversation with Peppy–but they keep the mystery alive.
The narration wasn’t bad at all. I wouldn’t have figured a voice that deep for Thatcher, but the male narrator was great with Thatcher’s positive attitude as well as his darker moments. As for the female narrator, I wasn’t a fan of her accent. She did express Peppy’s range of emotions beautifully though.
Quickie
- Series: Blue Ridge book club #3 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #small town romance #second chance romance #single mother
- Triggers: PTSD, past cheating, mild violence on a boxing ring
- Main couple: Pressly Vinroot & Thatcher Hayes
- Hotness: 3/5
- Romance: 5/5
- + those letters were heartwrenching
- – fifteen years is a long time to keep feelings for someone without ever seeing them again
Stalker mode
You can subscribe to Jill Brashear’s newsletter on her website.
You can also follow her on Facebook.
Vero Ticker 