3*
Free-spirit Adrienne Portale has returned to Knights Bridge as an innkeeper after a rough visit the winter before when, under false pretenses, she took a house-sitting job with the biological father she had just learned about. She’s never stayed in one place for more than 6 months, and doesn’t see that pattern changing, but she’s committed to learning on-the-job and spending time with her father Vic, a retired diplomat. Soon after she arrives, she is surprised to see handsome stonemason Adam Sloan, the quiet brother in a large family with deep roots in the town. Despite a growing attraction that started the winter before, she is hesitant to start a relationship that will end badly if and when she leaves and that will take up time she could be spending with her father. Will the friendships she makes and the possibility of a lasting relationship with Adam be the key to her finding a home at last?
Although this story could be considered a standalone, it is heavily-populated with characters from the eight previous books in the series, so much so that the story opens with Vic providing Adrienne with a cheat sheet to keep everyone straight. What might have been a better choice was to provide a family tree since almost all relationships feature the Sloans or O’Dunns. The story got bogged down by the ongoing explanations of who’s who, the mundane details of everyday life (down to what people were wearing), and the slow pacing of the relationship between Adam and Adrienne. (Their first kiss doesn’t even happen until after the halfway mark.) There was very little action to break up the monotony other than a short, uneventful search for some missing boys early in the book. So the decision they make at the end of the book makes very little sense given the time frame. After all the stalling, what’s the rush? Fans of the series will enjoy this installment, but most romance readers will be frustrated and bored.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Mira through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
Although this story could be considered a standalone, it is heavily-populated with characters from the eight previous books in the series, so much so that the story opens with Vic providing Adrienne with a cheat sheet to keep everyone straight. What might have been a better choice was to provide a family tree since almost all relationships feature the Sloans or O’Dunns. The story got bogged down by the ongoing explanations of who’s who, the mundane details of everyday life (down to what people were wearing), and the slow pacing of the relationship between Adam and Adrienne. (Their first kiss doesn’t even happen until after the halfway mark.) There was very little action to break up the monotony other than a short, uneventful search for some missing boys early in the book. So the decision they make at the end of the book makes very little sense given the time frame. After all the stalling, what’s the rush? Fans of the series will enjoy this installment, but most romance readers will be frustrated and bored.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Mira through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
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