Review: Heading to an HEA
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 14, 2014
**4.5**Return to Newport sees Eve and Jake working towards their HEA. But it's not all sunshine and roses for the couple. Especially since Eve must travel back to Newport in order to tie up loose ends. This puts her and Jake in close proximity to all the reasons Eve loathes her life there. Namely one ex-husband who decides that maybe he made a mistake in leaving Eve in the first place. Newport forces Eve and Jake to face demons and try to figure out if love will be enough to keep them together.I really enjoyed this installment. I liked that we got to meet Eve's daughter, Clarissa. That she and Jake began forging a relationship was a delight and I liked Ms. Parks' inclusion of Clarissa. I also liked the fact that Ms. Parks had Eve and Jake seek help in dealing with their issues. It was a nice, realistic touch. There are a few new plot twists thrown in that I'm eager to see play out.I did miss Jake's daughter, Lauren, in this one. Even though we haven't 'met' her yet, she was an important part of The Return and I was sad to see her almost non-existent here. Also, I felt it odd that Eve's younger daughter, Amber, wasn't included in this part of the story. As a mom, I felt that Eve's making such life changing decisions shouldn't have been done without including her daughter.In The Return, I felt the focus was primarily on Eve's demons and self-esteem uses. Though they are present in Return to Newport, it focuses more of Jake's. And they are heavily spotlighted while the couple are in Newport. I delighted in Ms. Parks' ability to convey the differences in mentality and culture between North Easterners and Westerners. I thought it was a realistic portrayal - at least according to my perception, as a Texan/Coloradan.Overall, Return to Newport was a pleasure to read. And I look forward to seeing what life's roller coaster ride has in store for Eve and Jake next.