Ah, we all love a good love story, don’t we? And when it’s one where a feisty female who seems to be forever destined to have a life revolving around work, her ex-husband and her best friend suddenly is presented with the chance of romance, as a reader, you can’t help but hope that it all works out for her.
But of course, it wouldn’t be a story if it wasn’t difficult for her to get there, would it? There always have to be obstacles, misunderstandings, the ulterior motives of others to stand in the way of happiness for our destined lovers. Such has it ever been the way and that is essentially what you have here.
Fiona owns a florist in Iowa and she is a successful businesswoman. She has a steady life with her best friend, Holly providing regular girl chats and lunch meet-ups and her ex-husband Quade is a seemingly benign solid presence, calling her regularly and amicably, still offering Fiona a partner through life.
But when Fiona calls one of her suppliers, Big Bo, in Florida and has a moment of connectedness not experienced before, things start to change for her and it seems that Bo might be the cause of it. But Florida is a long way away from Iowa…
Will Fiona end up with Big Bo? What is the hold that Quade has over her? These are the questions that arise during the reading of the book as we learn more about Fiona’s past and in particular her relationship with her father as well as Quade’s continuing influence over her decisions and behaviour.
Roxy Blue chooses to switch the narrative between Fiona and Bo and I have to say that the character of Bo is well-conceived: in terms of what a woman wants from a romantic fiction hero, I think that it is spot on. He is tall, dark, handsome, considerate, gallant, excellent lover..Swoon! I also preferred the narrative when he was the voice. The way that Blue writes him conveys that slow Southern drawl, that confidence, that yearning and I liked it very much.
Fiona, however, I found a little irritating at times and her choices frustrating. She seems a strong woman and yet, she is easily swayed and it rankled me. However, without conflict, it wouldn’t have been much of a story and the book is fluid, with well-delineated characters with some convincing dialogue.
For me, this was a book of two parts: I thoroughly enjoyed the first part and would give it a solid 4 stars; the second part dwindled for me and although the conclusion is satisfying, I found myself annoyed at times and that’s not what I want from my romantic fiction! 3 star material for me.
However, it would be mean to mark it down as the bulk of it was good and so, 4 stars it is.
Rachel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I was asked to review this book and provided with a free copy. This is an unbiased review of my reading of the book.
Scuffed Granny 