Review - - Marry Me in Good Hope

Marry Me in Good Hope
By Cindy Kirk
A Good Hope Novel - Book 6
Publisher: Waverly House
Release Date: February 6, 2018
Reviewed by PJ

  

At 2:38 AM, I turned the final page on another emotionally satisfying trip to one of my favorite fictional small towns: Cindy Kirk's Good Hope. I hadn't planned to stay up half the night. I had tried to go to bed at 11:00 but, clearly, David, Hadley, and Brynn had other plans. ;-) I've read all of the books in this contemporary romance series and have become emotionally invested in many of the characters, including David and Hadley. I've been waiting to see where the author would take them when it was finally time for their story to be told.

A successful architect and divorced, single dad, David Chapin is doing his level best to ensure his nine-year-old daughter, Brynn is happy and secure, especially after recent emotional upheavals in her life. When one more unexpected change - the marriage and departure of Brynn's live-in nanny - occurs, David is left floundering with no solution in sight for the month left before school begins again until - suddenly - the solution is standing right in front of him.

Hadley Newhouse moved to Good Hope three years ago and has carved out a place for herself,  becoming a well-liked and valued member of the community. Working at Ami Bloom's bakery, she's become good friends with all four of the Bloom sisters. She's also had a front row seat for viewing the crumbling of David Chapin's marriage and the impact it's had on both David and Brynn, the man she's drawn to and the adorable child who, unknowingly, reaches in and squeezes Hadley's heart each time they meet. When the bakery closes for renovations, leaving Hadley at loose ends for a couple months, David steps in and asks her to be Brynn's temporary nanny. It's a dream come true for Hadley and with all of them living in the same house, gradually, Brynn's and Hadley's bond strengthens and the casual friendship between Hadley and David begins to deepen into something more serious...more lasting. But David is wary of opening his heart to another woman after his ex stomped all over it and Hadley...well, Hadley is keeping secrets that could turn it to stone.

I thoroughly enjoyed David and Hadley's story (hence, the half-night reading marathon) and the opportunity to catch up with other couples from Kirk's Good Hope series. Each time I pick up a new Good Hope book I feel like I'm returning home for a visit with good friends. I've always liked both David and Hadley and have been intrigued by the hints Kirk has dropped about them in earlier books. I expected their journey to be emotional but Kirk took the story in directions I hadn't anticipated, making it an even better, more complex, reading experience and leaving me even more deeply invested in the happiness of not only David, Hadley, and Brynn but others in Good Hope as well.  

This is the sixth book in the Good Hope series and will stand on its own but these characters - primary and secondary - and their stories continue to evolve throughout the series. For my money, starting at the beginning will give you a deeper understanding of the many threads that weave throughout and a much richer reading experience. 

Have you read any of Cindy Kirk's books?

Do you prefer to read a series in order or are you willing to jump in at any point along the way?

What's the last book that kept you up reading half the night?

One randomly chosen person leaving a comment before 11:00 PM (Eastern), February 10, 2018 will receive a signed, print copy of book one (Ami Bloom's story), Christmas in Good Hope, from my conference stash. (U.S. addresses only)