Review: Contemporary country romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 28, 2013
When I saw the cover of Cora's Heart in the Netgalley catalogue I assumed it would be an Australian rural romance by a new author and I made the request without even reading the blurb. It was only later that I discovered that despite the Australian publisher, this title is neither by an Australian author nor set within Australia, instead it is a contemporary romance by an American author and one of half a dozen or so books by Rachael Herron set in the fictional USA small town of Cypress Hollow.This title introduces Cora Sylvan who has just been scraping by since the untimely death of her husband, Logan, selling homemade jams, preserves, candles and hand knitted items. When her workshop catches fire, the loss of more than half of her stock pushes her to the brink of financial ruin but Cora is determined to hold on to the only home she has ever been able to call her own, no matter what tempting offer Mac Wildwood is willing to make.Cora's Heart is a story of unrequited love and second chances. As teenagers Logan, Mac and Cora were close friends but circumstances resulted in Cora marrying Logan, despite the simmering attraction between her and Mac. With Mac's return to Cypress Hollow both are confronted with their regrets and their guilt. I think Herron develops the relationship between Mac and Cora well, showing how their adolescent attraction has never really faded despite time and distance.I really liked Cora and thought her neuroses were endearing, rather than annoying. I love the idea of her What If.. book, (What if... there is an earthquake etc...) something Cora uses to give her peace of mind. Having had such an itinerant childhood as a foster child her need for stability and control makes perfect sense, but her fierce independence also leaves her closed off from intimate interactions. Risking her heart with Mac is difficult and Herron shows Cora's struggle to let go and risk everything for happiness.Mac is a little more of an enigmatic character. Though he has a plausible reason for missing Logan's funeral and failing to visit over the years, I did think it was a little weak. Still he is an appealing hero, protective of Cora, the memory of his cousin and willing to do what he thinks is the right thing despite the cost to himself.I breezed through Cora's Heart in an afternoon and found it a light, sweet and satisfying romance. And if you knit you will adore the pattern for a pretty sweater included in the last few pages.