Review: Beautiful and Heart-Wrenching!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 28, 2014
****************Spoiler Alert***************Dakota Cassidy has done it again! She has made me blubber and sob all over my Kindle reading this bittersweet heart-wrenching story! I read the first two books in the Plum Orchard series first and then tackled the prequel novella when I discovered it was on sale for free at Amazon.com.The story is centered on Cat and Flynn and I absolutely love the opposites attract troupe. Cat has some commitment issues and always ends her relationships first because she thinks it will hurt less if she does the leaving instead of the man. Flynn is straight-laced and meticulous in his planning and in his life. He is not a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type person and has been constantly bumping heads with Cat since they first met at an elite assisted living facility where both their moms are currently residing.After several weeks of animosity, Flynn and Cat’s ire quickly turns explosive during a night of earth shattering passion. Cat wants to keep her distance but the couple end up gravitating back towards each other as they begin a relationship of sorts. Cat still makes excuses to leave after the love-making and Flynn is often irritated that she is still keeping her distance, and her new job, a secret from him. Which, of course, causes Flynn to imagine all kinds of degrading and illegal jobs; which also leads him to question Cat about her employment. Cat uses this as an excuse to push Flynn away and to protect her own heart from falling in love with a man who will be leaving soon.Landon, Cat’s friend and new boss, steps in to help Cat when she really needs it by offering her a job with a future. He also convinces Cat not be so jaded and to take a chance on life. Landon is also dying of cancer and it just breaks my heart every time I read a scene that he’s in. Landon lived his live to the fullest, made lots of friends, lots of money and loved always. Knowing that he won’t be in future books is devastating, but I’m glad his memory will live on.When I read the first full book in the series, it started off with Landon’s funeral and just tore my heart out from the get go. Reading about him alive in this novella and watching his slow decline in health was brutal. But Landon never lost his vibrancy or his lust for life. He wanted to make sure his friends were taken care of and that they were able to grab their happiness. Man, I am tearing up as I type this. Landon is one of the best literary characters I’ve ever read. His selflessness and love was so pure and good it made you wish desperately for a friend like him.This novella is another beautiful installment—the beginning, actually—to an amazing series. Dakota Cassidy has the gift of making us laugh, making us cry, and making us realize how precious life, love and happiness are. I invite all readers to take a chance on the Plum Orchard series and, as Landon would put it, “…see what you can see.”