Bless Your Heart. Ashleynicole. 2020. 174 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.]
Nothing beats a small town romance. The nosey natives. The mysterious interloper. It always makes for a a special kind of messy that I find hard to resist.
In this case, the interloper is Charadee, a Connecticut-raised romance author who sets up shop in a house on the outskirts of Preto Village, a town so small it’s not even on the map. She, quite by accident, catches the eye of the hometown doctor and most eligible bachelor, Keegan. He is himself a reluctant resident of Preto Village who left for med school but finds himself at the mercy of his dramatic mother’s attempts to keep him near.
The thing about small towns is that anyone’s business is easily everyone’s business, whether they like it or not. So while Charadee wants to live her reclusive, author life without drama, she’s also not afraid to back down from it when the townsfolk make it clear that she’s not welcome. She’s generally unbothered by the antics of her new neighbors, whether good or bad. As anyone who’s ever dealt with unsavory folks in the midwest or south knows, a quick “bless your heart” will let anyone know your true thoughts about them, something the Charadee has to learn the hard way. Keegan has long felt stifled in Preto Village, and is torn between the sense of loyalty he feels and the disconnect he feels with the small-town mindset of his neighbors. Of course this causes discord between him and Charadee, throwing any hopes they have of building something into question.
One of my favorite things about this book is the appreciation for the rural environment that shows in the sites the author uses as various settings. The lavender fields, Preto Falls, and hiking trails are part of the charm and allure of Preto Village and create a backdrop for some of the more insightful and romantic scenes. And despite the drawbacks of rampant gossip and meddling, it’s clear that there’s a level of care that drives the interference. The various characters who make up the town are genuinely entertaining, particularly the town elders. Where I felt some depth was lacking for the main characters, the comedic relief from secondary and tertiary characters helped provide some balance.
Although billed as a novel, this was such a fast read that it felt more like a novella. Nonetheless, it was easy to get sucked into this story, and was filled with plenty of laughs. With the introduction of Maali and Rusty, I’m hoping the author will take a trip back to Preto Village sooner rather than later.
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