Review: A New Hope, by Robyn Carr

robyn carr, a new hope, book review

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After losing her child, Ginger Dysart was lost in grief. But since moving to Thunder Point, a small town on the Oregon coast, Ginger is finally moving forward. Her job at the flower shop is peaceful and fulfilling, and she's excited to be assisting with the Lacoumette wedding. 

In spite of her lasting heartache, Ginger is swept up in the pleasure of the occasion. But the beauty of the Lacoumette farm and the joy of the gregarious family are ruined by an unfortunate encounter with the bride's brother, Matt. Struggling with painful memories of his own, Matt makes a drunken spectacle of himself when he tries to make a pass at Ginger, forcing her to flee the scene in embarrassment. 

But when Matt shows up at the flower shop determined to make amends, what started out as a humiliating first meeting blossoms into something much deeper than either of them expected. Everyone around them worries that Ginger will end up with a broken heart yet again. But if Ginger has the courage to embrace the future, and if Matt can finally learn to let go of the past, there may still be hope for a happy ending.


Genre: contemporary romance

Publishing date: June 2015

Offensive content: nothing to report other than a few kisses and one very light sex scene.

Review: 
This is a very nice romance novel, with real life characters facing real life problems. Nice, but not amazing. Hence the 4 stars.

I liked both Matt and Ginger, loved the way they met for the first time, how he feels he has to come back and apologize for that disaster (no spoilers), and how naturally their romance develops. But...

... It's more like a soap opera than a romance novel. There are too many secondary characters, too many side stories, everything falls into place almost too perfectly and there is little awe.

Maybe I wouldn't feel like that if I had read the other seven previous books in the series. And, to be honest, I even have a few of them downloaded, just never found the time to read them. A New Hope was published right when I was sorting out my vacation reading list and I decided to add it without looking back. But the truth is it's a bit hard to read without the details of the other stories as background.

Still, make no mistake. It is a lovely, entertaining book, even though it doesn't read exactly like a traditional romance novel.

I still recommend it, but I would probably advise you to start at the beginning and read the books in order. Which is something I intend to remedy myself one of these days.

Have wonderful weekend,



    

Comments

  1. Hi, thanks for sharing this review. Sounds like a sweet read. I will have to check it out. Thanks for sharing on Literacy Musing Mondays.

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  2. Sounds like a tear jerking love story! I'm sure there's a bit of crying, smiling, and maybe even laughing throughout this book. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs
    Jann

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  3. I love a good redemption story where characters don't start out perfect! Thanks for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday!
    Tina

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for stopping by Tina! Have a wonderful weekend!

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