Review - - Home to River's Edge

Home to River's Edge

by Nan Reinhardt

The Weaver Sisters - Book 1

Publisher: Tule

Release Date: April 18, 2023

Reviewed by PJ

 

She’s determined to start a new chapter, so why is she still drawn to a man from her past?

When Jasmine Weaver, the chief of staff to a powerful D.C. congresswoman, chose integrity, she didn’t anticipate ringing in the New Year disgraced, unemployed, and sleeping in her childhood bedroom. Now back in River’s Edge, Indiana, identical triplet Jazz has her sisters’ support while she plans her next steps. She agrees to lead the committee for their high school’s fifteenth reunion, never dreaming that her co-chair is the man who broke her teenage heart.

As the new CEO of Walker Construction, Elias Walker has taken the family business to new levels of success. He’s buried himself in work to ease the grief of losing his fiancé several years earlier and wants nothing more than to be a carpenter again. Elias grudgingly agrees to co-chair the high school’s reunion committee, but when Jazz Weaver blows into town, suddenly anything seems possible.

These high school sweethearts have lived half their lives apart. Can they reinvent themselves back in the town where it all began?

PJ's Thoughts:

I love River's Edge. It's become one of my favorite fictional places to visit. Reinhardt has created a wonderful, vibrant community and filled it with interesting characters who engage my emotions and make me want to be friends with them. It's a long-running series but you don't need to start at the beginning to enjoy current books (though I do recommend all of them). The author has cleverly created trilogies and quartets within the framework of the series that focus on sets of siblings. Even though some characters from the earlier sets weave in and out of current books it's done in such a way that readers should not feel lost or confused, making it easy to step in at any point of the overall series and have an enjoyable experience. 

Home to River's Edge is book one of the Weaver Sisters (triplets) trilogy so if you've yet to visit River's Edge this would be a great place to start. It's a second-chance romance that touched my heart and had me cheering so hard for Eli and Jasmine. The author really uses a sensitive hand with these two, especially as it pertains to the love Eli shared with his late fiancée and the grief he's still experiencing alongside his reunion with Jazz and the gradual emotional reawakening it's causing. It's refreshing to experience the blossoming of a new love between characters without minimizing the love one of them shared with a deceased partner. 

In addition to romance, both Jazz and Eli are at professional crossroads as well which gives an added dimension to their journeys. It was satisfying to watch them navigate life's potholes while each finding and settling into their true calling. 

As always, the citizens of River's Edge provide a colorful secondary cast, with appearances by familiar faces and introductions of new characters (Jasmine's sisters in particular) whose stories are yet to come. Now that I know the sisters a bit better I'm even more eager for their books...and very curious to discover if a certain nerd turned hunk who returns for their 15th high school reunion plays a role in one of them.  

If you enjoy contemporary romances set in a close-knit community with plenty of humor, heart, and happy endings at their core, I enthusiastically recommend taking a trip to Nan Reinhardt's River's Edge. 

Review - - The Duke Alone

The Duke Alone

by Christi Caldwell

Publisher: Montlake

Release Date: October 18, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

Lady Myrtle McQuoid has always felt a little forgotten, and this season is no exception. When her boisterous family vacates their London townhouse for the country, Myrtle finds she’s been left behind. But she just needs to stay warm, keep her belly full, and distract herself until her relatives realize their mistake and turn back to collect her. Surely that won’t take long.

Brooding widower Val Bancroft, the Duke of Aragon, has shut himself off from the world. He craves blessed solitude—a loyal dog, a silent house, and his own company are all he requires. Certainly not the nonstop chattering of the joyful, opinionated young woman next door.

But with a potential threat lurking in the winter shadows, Myrtle may need to pluck up the nerve to approach the reclusive duke. And Val is not one to turn his back on a vulnerable lady.

Amid the silent nights of London, beneath a blanket of snow, could the light of a new, warm love be kindling?

PJ's Thoughts:

If you've seen the movie Home Alone, you will in short order clue in to the fact that the movie's plot is a major influence on our heroine's story. An eighteen-year-old young woman, newly returned from finishing school, mistakenly left behind by her family in a large, empty, leaking house. No food, no fires, no servants...and two burglars casing the place. But, what have we here? A grieving, reclusive, widowed duke just across the street? The possibilities are limitless and Caldwell cannily takes advantage of them all.

I love a grumpy-sunshine pairing and, boy howdy, do these two qualify. Val just wants to be left alone but chatty, carol-singing Myrtle, with her wild curls, huge dimples, and smile that won't quit keeps showing up at his door. Again, and again, and again. It seems the grouchier he gets, the wider her smile becomes. His horse likes her. His huge, scary-looking dog who doesn't like anyone but Val is a total marshmallow in her hands. And Val? He's quickly becoming befuddled, bewildered, and thoroughly charmed. He doesn't need this irrepressible bundle of sunshine in his life. Or maybe, she's exactly what he does need. 

Caldwell brings a perfect blend of lighthearted laughter and emotional depth to this story of two people who both feel alone and out of step with those around them but slowly grow to realize they are exactly right with one another. There are hijinks and a bit of danger, plus sweetly poignant moments that tug at the heart. There's also a dog - Horace - who darn near steals the whole book. I adored him. I adored Myrtle with him. I can only imagine how he's going to be with any children Val and Myrtle have. I'm already smiling at the thought. If Caldwell has any thoughts about a novella (maybe next Christmas?) for this new family down the road, I'm all in!

A couple small issues: I loved Myrtle's constant singing but having all the lyrics included on the page got old fast. I skimmed through most of them. Also, I have a feeling some readers may be uneasy with how young and innocent Myrtle seems (she turns 18 during the book). To them, I would say, keep reading. I felt a bit of that in the early chapters of the book but found the ensuing growth and depth of her character during her journey organic and believable, leaving me happy with the balance of feelings and power within her relationship with Val. These two are meant to be. 

The Duke Alone is going straight to my keeper shelf where it will be revisited this Christmas and every Christmas to come. It made me laugh, made me cry, and left my heart overflowing with joy.