Much like Britt, I think I found this book serviceable but not memorable. Which is a pity, because I think unlike many other “universe” type books, Blake does a good job in interlacing her prior characters into the background of her next novel–Delilah Green and Claire (and Ruby!) are solid secondary characters in the tale of Astrid, who Delilah continues to call Ass. But now it’s done fondly, one would hope.
So, Astrid. She’s a Boss Lady in a Tiny Town, basically the first half of a Hallmark movie except this is her life and she hasn’t blown in from the Big City. She actually does wear $1,000 dresses and 4″ Manolos as she interior decorates a seemingly endless number of dentist/real estate/doctor offices–except it’s not actually endless, because business is down and that’s going to draw the ire of her Stern, Never Impressed Mother Isabel for whom she was Never Good Enough. Remember this backstory from Delilah Green Doesn’t Care?
I suppose that’s the crux of it all–too much Chekov’s gun for me. Obviously Astrid is unhappy with her current life and needs to get out from under her mother’s thumb, and her casual spitting of baking facts is clearly going to pay off in a third act reveal that all she ever wanted to do is be a baker (also, quick note, one does not simply…retain…baking prowess. it’s a skill, just like any other, and to magically produce an entire kitchen’s worth of baked goods in a day is a skill on top of that skill). Clearly Jordan, the oh-so-conveniently-messy-but-not-so-messy-that-she-can’t-get-it-together-in-a-few-pages foil is going to be a genius at designing. The frisson that these two feel for one another is nicely done, if hampered by some overdone ‘hate at first sight’ enemies bit as well.
All in all, I definitely breezed through this in an actual day. It was sexy and sweet and there’s definitely something in the water of Bright Falls because there’s not a hetero to be found! But I don’t think I’d recommend it per se.
