bed and breakfast

I loved the opening of this book but it went against the grain. I've been working on improving my writing skills and one of the things I've learned is that you should always start with the heroines point of view (POV) and that you she should be in a pro-active vice re-active position.

Well, with over 30 books to her credit, Lenora started this book with the hero's POV and he finds the heroine, Stella sitting there, bawling her eyes out. She's definitely re-acting to her circumstances. This proves that with writing, you have to follow your own instinct and not always rely on a pre-determined formula.

All her life, Stella Forsythe has felt as though her mother abandoned her and her father, and it has left her bitter and resentful.  When she inherits her mother's house in Hot Springs, Arkansas, she almost doesn't go, but her father talks her into it.  With a small boy to take care of as well as an aging father, Stella has turned the charming old Victorian into a bed-and-breakfast, but it's still in need.

Also in need is ex-cop Adam Callahan, who got in his car in New Orleans and just started driving. He's wery from what he's been through, and when he arrives at the B&B, it seems like a sanctuary.  Little does he dream that offering to work for his stay there, patching things up, painting and doing repairs, will offer the key to repairing not only his heart, but Stella's...

My Review:

I don't usually read SSE, but I am checking out Jessica Bird books because the author is AKA "JR Ward" and I love the JRW Black Dagger Brotherhood books.

Mmm.  The characters are really well-developed, I liked them as people. This is the first in the "Moorehouse Legacy" series and I'm curious about the rest of the family's stories.  This book was cute, funny, and warm.  I liked how at the beginning the hero was babying his old car, kissed his palm and pressed it to the hood when it broke down and he had to abandon it.  I also liked how the hero walked in injured into the heroine's B&B kitchen, and took over duty as the chef without even introducing himself, then in the middle of his orders about food he asked for frozen corn to be put on his injured foot instead of using it for dinner.  This was a realistic couple and I liked them together.  The heroine was a strong woman who took on a lot of responsibility. 

My Rating: 3.5/5 stars, really nice story.  NFM

I liked this book; it was bitter sweet.  The hero had so much tragedy in his life and the Heroine was suffering too.  Together, they started to heal.  I really liked the ending!  Had me smiling.  Thanks Michelle!