Romance Books Reviews & Treats

28yo heroine is attracted to the contractor Hero she hired to remodel the beloved house she lived in with her foster parents into a café. But she has a lot she wants to accomplish in the next 2 months with the remodeling, hiring employees, preparing for the café’s grand opening, moving her stuff from her condo in the city to her house in the country, and searching for her biological parents. Meeting the town’s residents bring up memories of her past & connect her to people like never before. And a serendipitous connection with the cook of a nearby cafe links her to the past that she’s searching for. What place does Hero take in the many changes in heroine’s new life in their small Texas town?

More chick lit than small-town romance. Reading this Kent book is akin to seeping chamomile tea than downing an espresso shot. Lots of charming imagery of the physical environment & nostalgic memories of heroine’s happy life with her foster family. Not a lot of drama or intense moments. The sad moments were more bittersweet than they were angsty or depressing. The traumatic past was softened by the distancing ways the characters deal with them. I think some of the imagery & the distancing way the characters dealt with their issues kept me at an emotional distance in reading this book. I was a bit bored the first 70 pages and became more engaged after that when the main characters talked more directly about their past & showed their emotions more openly. I like books that move my emotions & this one did at times. The characters did come alive as the book unfolded and I came to care about them. I just wished the book engaged my emotions & interest right away.

The romance between Hero & heroine was present, although slow to build & not intense. It developed gradually and solidly as they found themselves opening up to each other about their backgrounds & their current issues in the midst of their busy days. As attracted as they were to each other, they didn't readily give in to it until later. And when they finally did, it was as meaningful as their emotional connection. Just like the rest of the story, I wasn't riveted by the main characters' romance. There were a lot of intervening factors that distracted from their gradually-developing love for each other. If you don't mind a lack of drama between Hero & heroine, you'll like their romance.

Provisionally recommended.

**Reviewed from the Amazon Vine Program**