Review: Slice of heaven romance
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 9, 2013
Every now and then a blurb or a cover really hits me and I wind up grabbing hold of a book and impulse reading at the expense of everything else in my life. Hungry cats stare with pleading gazes. Forlorn children don't understand why I'm not dropping my book to come to their rescue. Mr. Snark might even go to work lunchless.I have a problem and I admit it. I hear the way my family whispers--book addict. Compulsive reader. They probably want me to seek therapy but no one is brave enough to dare suggest it. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, the writing doesn't stand up to the packaging and I manage to escape the story's mystic thrall.BLUE HEAVEN wrapped me up and didn't let go until I finished the final chapter, blinking my way past tears in order to make out the final words. It's a warm, cozy contemporary romance set in a small Michigan town. Cynthia Harrison has a style like home. Her words are a love song. Her story smells like apple pie.Eva is a thoroughly loveable heroine. A former marketing professional who is attempting to change careers in a bad economy. The restoration of Blue Heaven, a cottage tourist resort, is more her father's dream than her own but she's making a go of it on a shoe string budget. She is highly sympathetic but far from perfect. I cared about her immediately and rooted for her the entire story.The hero, Daniel, initially comes across as an odd duck, handsome but unfriendly. As the story progresses, the author reveals his charisma, his compassion, and his complexity. He's a frustrated banker who really wants to be a builder. A man with an extreme fetish for his family history, including the architectural history his great-grandfather left behind.Eva and Daniel work together to restore Blue Heaven. Even as they are drawn together, real life concerns regarding differing wants and desires keep them apart. The romantic tension is wonderful, compelling without being forced, and the couple never resorts to petty bickering even though they do not always get along. Love scenes were sensual and the best sort of aphrodisiac.Secondary characters are interesting and add another layer of complexity to the story. I especially liked Daniel's friends and his brother. Lily irritated me but in a good way. Every supporting cast character had a role that enriched the story instead of distracting from it. I also like how the town's past and the buildings evolved into more than simply setting, but rather also became characters.I'm not BS'ing when I call this romance heart-warming. I cried and I can't recall the last time that has happened since an old man used a million balloons to turn his home into an airship.I received BLUE HEAVEN during a free day on Amazon. I didn't even warn the author that I'm reviewing her today so I hope she's not angry with me.