Book Two in the Harbor Pointe series
My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing
For Quinn Collins, buying the flower shop in downtown Harbor Pointe fulfills a childhood dream, but also gives her the chance to stick it to her mom, who owned the store before skipping town twenty years ago and never looking back. Completing much-needed renovations, however, while also competing for a prestigious flower competition with her mother as the head judge, soon has Quinn in over her head. Not that she'd ever ask for help.
Luckily, she may not need to. Quinn's father and his meddling friends find the perfect solution in notorious Olympic skier Grady Benson, who had only planned on passing through the old-fashioned lakeside town. But when a heated confrontation leads to property damage, helping Quinn as a community-service sentence seems like the quickest way out--and the best way to avoid more negative press.
Quinn finds Grady reckless and entitled; he thinks she's uptight and too regimented. Yet as the two begin to hammer and saw, Quinn sees glimpses of the vulnerability behind the bravado, and Grady learns from her passion and determination, qualities he seems to have lost along the way. But when a well-intentioned omission has devastating consequences, Grady finds himself cast out of town--and Quinn's life--possibly forever. Forced to face the hurt holding her back, Quinn must finally let go or risk missing out on the adventure of a lifetime.
My Review
I love that the characters in this story are honestly and realistically flawed, undergoing a journey of transformation, redemption, and healing. Quinn's love for floral design isn't the only thing motivating her to buy the flower shop and enter the competition. Her unresolved issues with the mother who abandoned her are very much a part of proving herself and hoping to be good enough for her mother to reconnect. I wondered why Quinn didn't just search her mother out, but what she really is looking for is to be wanted.
Grady is kind of a mess, and it took looking beyond his outer rebellious persona to see the trauma, rejection, guilt, and shame that he hides so well. I appreciated the author's style of revealing the deeper layers of each character little by little; it kept me engrossed and curious and continually connecting. Quinn and Grady's interactions are surface level at first, with assumptions made on each side. As they slowly get to know each other better, learn what motivates them, and witness kindness and thoughtfulness, their feeling deepen and their attraction builds on a stronger foundation. They still struggle with letting go and resist the support they have to offer each other at times, but the rocky moments of working things out brought greater value to their relationship. I loved the overall theme of hope and faith that things can get better when we let go and trust God to carry us. There is a strong supporting cast of family and community members that make Harbor Pointe home and I can't wait to read another story set in this tight-knit small town!
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
Don't miss the first book in the Harbor Pointe series . . .
Book One
Don't miss the first book in the Harbor Pointe series . . .
Book One
Synopsis
After tirelessly
climbing the ranks of her Chicago-based interior design firm, Lane
Kelley is about to land her dream promotion when devastating news about
her brother draws her back home--a quaint tourist town full of memories
she'd just as soon forget. With her cell phone and laptop always within
reach, Lane aims to check on her brother while staying focused on
work--something her eclectic family doesn't understand.
Ryan Brooks never expected to settle down in Harbor Pointe, Michigan, but after his final tour of duty, it was the only place that felt like home. Now knee-deep in a renovation project that could boost tourism for the struggling town, he is thrilled to see Lane, the girl he secretly once loved, even if the circumstances of her homecoming aren't ideal.
Their reunion gets off to a rocky start, however, when Ryan can't find a trace of the girl he once knew in the woman she is today. As he slowly chips away at the walls Lane has built, secrets from his past collide with a terrible truth even he is reluctant to believe. Facing a crossroads that could define his future with Lane and jeopardize his relationship with the surrogate family he's found in the Kelleys, Ryan hopes Lane can see that maybe what really matters has been right in front of her all along--if only she'd just look up.
Ryan Brooks never expected to settle down in Harbor Pointe, Michigan, but after his final tour of duty, it was the only place that felt like home. Now knee-deep in a renovation project that could boost tourism for the struggling town, he is thrilled to see Lane, the girl he secretly once loved, even if the circumstances of her homecoming aren't ideal.
Their reunion gets off to a rocky start, however, when Ryan can't find a trace of the girl he once knew in the woman she is today. As he slowly chips away at the walls Lane has built, secrets from his past collide with a terrible truth even he is reluctant to believe. Facing a crossroads that could define his future with Lane and jeopardize his relationship with the surrogate family he's found in the Kelleys, Ryan hopes Lane can see that maybe what really matters has been right in front of her all along--if only she'd just look up.
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