The First Kiss of Spring
By Emily March
Publisher: St. Martin’s
Publisher: St. Martin’s
Release Date: February 27, 2018
Reviewed by Janga
Caitlin flies from New York City, where
she has spent the last eight years of her life, to Telluride, Colorado, where
she will serve as bridesmaid in the destination wedding of a college friend.
Being back in Colorado just serves to confirm her decision to exchange her
successful career as a textile designer for a new one as the owner and operator
of a daycare center in Eternity Springs. It is an idea that has been simmering
since her brother Chase’s disappearance in Chizickstan made her aware that she
wanted a different life than the one she had in NYC. Caitlin has high
expectations of her trip, but meeting Josh Tarkington when they share an
unexpectedly adventurous gondola ride is an unexpected bonus.
Josh thinks some time with the beautiful
Caitlin Timberlake will be the perfect addition to his vacation. He agrees to
be her plus one at the wedding, and they are poised to allow the sizzling
chemistry between them to take its natural course when Ali and Mac and Celeste
Blessing appear. Mac’s protective-father reaction is the least of the reasons
Josh runs scared when he learns of Caitlin’s Eternity Springs connections. But
he can’t run far enough to escape thoughts of her. Shortly after his return to
Eternity Springs, he learns that Caitlin is not in New York but next door to
Tarkington Automotive where she is preparing to open her daycare center.
Josh has given up on lasting happiness,
but Caitlin is convinced that he is “the one.” She lays determined siege to his
heart, unaware that Joshua Tarkington was born only when a young boy, abused,
traumatized, and abandoned, became the foster son of Paul and Cindy Christopher
of Oklahoma City. Josh is fighting many demons, and his dark past still has a
firm hold on him. The losses he has sustained as an adult have only added to
his conviction that he must move through life alone. Can love triumph over such
enormous obstacles?
I’ve been a fan of Emily March’s Eternity
Springs series since it began, and I think this book is one of the best in this
long-running series. I loved seeing more of the Timberlakes, and I found Caitlin
and Josh an immensely appealing couple. Some readers may find the move from
their romantic comedy beginnings to the intensity of their later story
startling; others will see the contrast as adding complexity. Despite its
connections to several other Eternity Springs books, The First Kiss of Spring can easily be read as a standalone.
I think March made some smart choices in
this book. She has never shied away from difficult issues, but child abuse,
addiction, suicide, and other deaths could have proved too much. March uses
entries from Josh’s diaries to reveal the horrors of his early life, thus
controlling the emotional impact of his past. As heinous as it was, he has
survived. Approaching his past more directly almost certainly would have made
the book an ill fit in this heartwarming series. In a similar fashion,
Caitlin’s close family ties, innate optimism, and confidence that she is in charge
of her life could have made the differences between her and Josh too stark, but
reminders of the threat to Ali and Mac’s marriage and Chase’s narrow escape and
Mac’s current health scare show that, although Caitlin’s life has been less
traumatic than Josh’s, she is not immune to heartache. As usual for this
series, the mysterious, benevolent Celeste Blessing makes her presence felt.
If you like small-town contemporary
romance that combines sweetness and spice, focuses on a central couple but sets
their story in the context of family and community, and includes just a
suggestion of the paranormal, I highly recommend this book. Not many series
could keep me hoping for more through more than a dozen books, but I finished
this fourteenth book eager for another visit to Eternity Springs. I’m delighted
that the fifteenth book, The Christmas
Wishing Tree, will be released October 2.
Are you reading Emily March's Eternity Springs series?
What's your favorite book or couple in the series?
Are you reading Emily March's Eternity Springs series?
What's your favorite book or couple in the series?
One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM, March 2 will receive a print copy of The First Kiss of Spring. (U.S. only) (If person chosen has already won at another stop on the tour, a new name will be selected)
Emily March is the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels, including the critically acclaimed Eternity Springs series. Publishers Weekly calls March a "master of delightful banter," and her heartwarming, emotionally charged stories have been named to Best of the Year lists by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Romance Writers of America. A graduate of Texas A&M University, Emily is an avid fan of Aggie sports and her recipe for jalapeño relish has made her a tailgating legend.
Connect with Emily March:
Twitter: @EmilyMarchBooks
Facebook: Emily March
Pinterest: Emily March
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