The Bright Spot
by Jill Shalvis
Sunrise Cove - Book 5
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: January 16, 2024
Reviewed by PJ
Luna Wright is a lot of things, but sweet and trusting isn’t on the list. However, she’s a sucker for the underdog and a hard-luck story. Adopted at birth, with scant knowledge of her biological family, she’s created her own inner circle, a motley crew which includes her bestie Willow, to help her run the struggling but charming Apple Ridge Farm.
With a farm-to-table café as well as a menagerie of rescued animals (complete with a baby goat who keeps escaping to the pantry to eat the secret stash of decidedly not organic potato chips), it’s the best home she’s ever known. But when the owner Silas, who they secretly call The Grinch, passes away, Luna discovers the farm is now under control of his investment manager, the enigmatic Jameson Hayes….and her. And that Silas had many, many secrets.
Now Luna’s carefully controlled corner of the world is threatened and she—along with some help from her friends—has to dig deep to find true strength and the real meaning of love and family.
PJ's Thoughts:
The Bright Spot is the fifth book in Shalvis's Sunrise Cove series. Each book in the series stands alone, having only location as the common factor among them so feel free to jump in and enjoy at any point.
The Bright Spot is indeed a bright spot on the reading landscape. There's found family (both two and four legged), heart-tugging rescue animals, an over-the-top grandmother (a hilarious handful), friend drama, opposites-attract romance, and more than a little emotional baggage.
I love that many of the characters in this series are flawed and have multiple layers to be explored. I love the relationship between Luna and her adopted grandmother, how their conversations expose some of those layers and help Luna evolve. I do wish there had been a bit more exploration of those layers when it came to Luna's relationship with Silas and the decisions he made.
It was fun watching "by the numbers" investment manager, Jameson slowly loosen his tie and fall under the spell of Luna, Apple Ridge Farm, and especially Dammit Ziggy, an adorable orphaned baby goat who thinks Luna is his mama but falls head over heels in love with Jameson. No lie, Dammit Ziggy pretty much steals the whole book. Jill Shalvis and adorable animals are a magical combo.
Luna's found family at the farm offer plenty of humor, conflict, emotion, and insight into this woman - who has found a way to draw people to her while still keeping them at a safe distance - to keep the story moving forward. I love their complex relationships, the way they (mostly) have her back (friend drama, remember?), and bring Jameson into the fold. Their antics provide humor, poignant emotion, and those much needed nudges for those times certain characters are reluctant to move forward on their own.
If you're looking for an upbeat, charming, opposites-attract story with emotion, humor, growth, and animals who will steal your heart, give The Bright Spot a try. But don't be surprised if you spend at least a week happily going down the online rabbit hole of adorable baby goats once you turn the final page.
Have you read any of the books in the Sunrise Cove series?
Have you ever spent time with goats, babies or otherwise?
What are your favorite animals to be featured in the books you read?
One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, January 17 will receive a print copy of The Bright Spot.
*U.S. only
*Must be 18
