Review: Nice light romance
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 12, 2014
This was a sweet “true love can come around a second time” story.  Cole had lost the love of his life and was content with knowing he’d had one great love and that would be it for him.  Silver spoon baby Melanie was not only exactly what he didn’t want in a woman, she was just not even on his radar.  But Melanie had a dark side to her life that she hadn’t shared with anyone, and when Cole slowly started chipping away at his preconceived notions about her and seeing the real woman underneath, he found himself feeling something he hadn’t since losing his beloved Sarah.Cole really had a chip on his shoulder for awhile when it came to Melanie; what he’d seen of her life was the upside to being the daughter born into wealth, and he didn’t like it. He’d worked hard for everything in life, and even though he had seen Melanie spend time in his home and fit right in with his sister, he just never let go of the idea that she had been handed everything in life.  He was a bit harsh towards Melanie, especially when he was forced to spend time with her while she worked on his sister’s wedding arrangements.  But my heart did go out to him over the loss of his wife, a woman who was in every way perfect for him.  It almost seemed like the story was set up so no one would ever live up to Sarah, let alone a woman like Melanie who seemed her complete opposite by first glance.  But Melanie had a strength that no one, even her own family, seemed to recognize, and I was relieved when Cole finally started to see it.Melanie had been beaten down emotionally her whole life, whether it was her ass of a father or her sister and mother who faulted her for having the backbone to walk away.  Her entire family seemed self-absorbed, it was like everyone was out for themselves except for Melanie.  But it made me like her more as a lead character, because she was strong and made the decision that broke her heart but ultimately was the right thing to do.I felt like the emotions Cole had for Sarah were far more moving than his feelings for Melanie at times, so it made it difficult to get really wrapped up in the love between him and Melanie.  It felt like she was just a runner-up for him for awhile.  When he finally let go and decided he needed to move on and had found what he needed in her, it was a really sweet moment.  Melanie deserved someone wholly dedicated to her, and thankfully Cole was willing to be just that…even if he had taken his good ole’ time figuring that out!Overall, I was hoping this would pack more of a punch, but I enjoyed Cole and Melanie’s story.  This was a nice, light second-chance romance and I look forward to more from this author.