Read: December 2024
Series: Smoky Mountain Romance, #1
Format: Kindle e-Book

Book #133 of 2024: I really liked the premise of this book going in - a young bookshop owner, some mystery, a handsome cop. However, I felt it wasn't fully there. It was simplistic in places and the FMC comes across very weak and over-the-top. I do not mean to minimize anything bad that happens to anyone. *Not one bit.* And I do realize that everyone processes stuff differently. Her actions, however, sound like someone who has been ritually abused on repeat. PTSD-like. She struggles at the slightest touch, noise, movement, etc. It just didn't seem to fit for me. However, I tried to accept it for what it was. Again, there were very sweet, tender moments with customers, between the two main characters, etc. 

I like the male character. He's insightful and thinks outside the box. However, I doubt a cop would be able to spend a bunch of time in a store over some shoplifting. The relationship dynamics change too drastically and quickly to be believable considering how the FMC is portrayed. 

The situation with her dad left us all hanging and I would have liked to see a firm conclusion. Suddenly it's like everything is all right in her world because of a guy alone and not through any real efforts or growth of her own. The right man can certainly complement a woman but it was as though she quickly moved past all her trauma with no therapy or anything. It didn't feel genuine. 

I think this story has the potential to be much better with more realistic character development, therapy for the main character, and a more believable growth arc in the romance department. 

It's a nice, quick read for a busy month like December. The next novella in the series is a Christmas-oriented book so I wanted to read this first.