Rising star Herron takes readers back to Cypress Hollow for the second novel in her heartwarming knitting romance series.
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Mar 29, 2011
sarah b.
rated it: 
I might be a bit partial since I think Rachael is pretty awesome, but I am not a romance girl. Or at least I didn't think I was until I read her first book. Her version of romance is suspenseful, sometimes intense, and written in a way that allows for strong male and female characters. The fact that knitting is woven in without being forced is just a bonus!
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Apr 21, 2011
Pam
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http://iwriteinbooks.wordpress.com/2011/...
Lucy’s book selling business in small -town Cypress Hollow, may be cooling down but her nights are heating up. Though not a risk taker, Lucy is happy in her cozy knitting nook, though she has seen many of her high school buddies branch out and take life by the horns. She was, that is, until an accident landed her in fate’s sneaky hands.
All of a sudden, Lucy’s carefully arranged, never shaken, very safe life, takes an unexpected turn More...
Lucy’s book selling business in small -town Cypress Hollow, may be cooling down but her nights are heating up. Though not a risk taker, Lucy is happy in her cozy knitting nook, though she has seen many of her high school buddies branch out and take life by the horns. She was, that is, until an accident landed her in fate’s sneaky hands.
All of a sudden, Lucy’s carefully arranged, never shaken, very safe life, takes an unexpected turn More...
Sep 27, 2010
Jody
rated it: 
I really enjoyed this book and I'm not just saying that because I won a galley from the author (Hi Rachel!)
This book brings us back to Cypress Hollow with the story of Lucy & Owen. A bad boy ex-cop struggling to redefine his identity and a bookseller with some issues of her own.
Toots was by far my favorite character and she had me cracking up anytime she showed up in the story! Lucy on the other had - while I did like her over all - there were a few moments when I just wan More...
This book brings us back to Cypress Hollow with the story of Lucy & Owen. A bad boy ex-cop struggling to redefine his identity and a bookseller with some issues of her own.
Toots was by far my favorite character and she had me cracking up anytime she showed up in the story! Lucy on the other had - while I did like her over all - there were a few moments when I just wan More...
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Jun 01, 2011
ALPHAreader
rated it:
Lucy Harrison’s life was irrevocably changed and set when she kissed Cypress Hollow’s resident bad boy, Owen Bancroft. She may have been only seventeen, and he did leave the very next day . . . but that kiss proved to be the standard by which all of Lucy’s other kisses have been set. And, unfortunately, Owen set the norm for men in her life who love her and leave her.
But that’s okay. Lucy has come to accept the fact that she will always be alone. She will find joy and happiness in r More...
But that’s okay. Lucy has come to accept the fact that she will always be alone. She will find joy and happiness in r More...
Jun 26, 2011
Tevilla
rated it:
I am not a reader of the romance genre--because it just doesn't work for me. Too redundant, too obvious what will happen and it takes waaayyy too many pages to get you what was going to happen that many pages ago.
So, why did I read this? Because I have been have been reading Rachael Herron's blog (yarnagogo.com) for years. She is a knitter, a very good writer and it has been really fun and interesting following her on her journey of dreaming of being an author to publishing her sec More...
So, why did I read this? Because I have been have been reading Rachael Herron's blog (yarnagogo.com) for years. She is a knitter, a very good writer and it has been really fun and interesting following her on her journey of dreaming of being an author to publishing her sec More...
May 29, 2011
Cupcakencorset
rated it:
Set in Cypress Hollow, the same fictional California town as Herron's first novel (How to Knit a Love Song), this book picks up a few years later and focuses on Lucy Harrison, who runs a bookstore in the town, and Owen Bancroft, her high-school bad-boy crush who has come back to town to care for his mother. The story starts with a crash, literally, and ends in triumph. Well, of course, it's a love story! The trip from start to finish, however, is as much about self-discovery as about finding lov
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May 28, 2011
Michelle
rated it: 
I'm on the fence about giving this book 2 or 3 stars. No, I won't settle for a 2.5. Some details of this story are cute and charming, others are ridiculous and inconceivable.
I like some of supporting characters, namely Molly and Whitney. They are nothing if not consistent and always pretty supportive of Lucy, who needs all the help she can get. Also, I appreciate that this is a knitting-related story and that terms are scattered throughout the plot, even if Lucy does bust out her knit More...
I like some of supporting characters, namely Molly and Whitney. They are nothing if not consistent and always pretty supportive of Lucy, who needs all the help she can get. Also, I appreciate that this is a knitting-related story and that terms are scattered throughout the plot, even if Lucy does bust out her knit More...
Mar 31, 2011
Christi
rated it:
I really shouldn't judge a book by its cover. But I get lured in by cute artwork - especially when browsing the recently returned but not yet shelved cart at the library.
Picked this one up on Saturday based on the knitted heart. Didn't know it would be a romance novel. Not really my thing. Like another reviewer said, it was like a bad Harlequin romance from the 80s. There was no spark between the two characters. More like they were the only two single people in the story so they HAD More...
Picked this one up on Saturday based on the knitted heart. Didn't know it would be a romance novel. Not really my thing. Like another reviewer said, it was like a bad Harlequin romance from the 80s. There was no spark between the two characters. More like they were the only two single people in the story so they HAD More...
Aug 25, 2011
Laura
rated it:
I enjoyed this a pure escapist read. It's a quick and light and fun read.
As a knitter, I loved all the knitting! A town full of knitters, the wonderful and amazing Eliza Carpenter character (finding her lost papers and deciding what they would do with them was such a fun part of the book), and all the little knitting details (fingering a stitch marker in her pocket, needles jabbing her through her backpack).
It's the knitting that brought me to this book, because I'm not More...
As a knitter, I loved all the knitting! A town full of knitters, the wonderful and amazing Eliza Carpenter character (finding her lost papers and deciding what they would do with them was such a fun part of the book), and all the little knitting details (fingering a stitch marker in her pocket, needles jabbing her through her backpack).
It's the knitting that brought me to this book, because I'm not More...
Jan 28, 2011
Nicole
rated it:
Do men find women who knit sexy? In today's looks-based culture, it seems more believable in the comforting world of fiction. Rachael Herron champions the idea in How to Knit a Heart Back Home. Lucy Harrison is the plain Jane heroine following in the footsteps of her late grandmother. From operating her financially strapped bookstore to habitually wearing her threadbare, hand-knitted sweater, Lucy willingly submerges her own identity in that of the deceased. Her life in the small coastal Califor
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Aug 12, 2011
Bayareabookaholic
rated it:
Cypress Hollow doings continue. In their 30s now, Lucy and Owen have been carrying torches for each other since high school. In fact, Lucy is sort of mired in HS drama. She is running her granny's book shop, just staying afloat, when Owen returns to Cypress Hollow to take care of his mom. He has been injured during police work, has to retire; and mom has Alzheimer's disease. When Owen brings some boxes of used romances to Lucy's shop to resell she buys them out of pity. What she finds in the bot
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Mar 11, 2011
Anna
rated it:
The only reason this book didn't get 5 stars is because I save that rating for something that totally rocks my world and makes me think. In terms of books for entertainment 4 stars is my highest rating (strange inner logic I know!).
I really enjoyed this book, the fact that the male characters are more than your dull 2 dimensional romance novel characters always makes Rachael's work a pleasure to read. I also like the fact that although the book does include knitting it doesn't stuff More...
I really enjoyed this book, the fact that the male characters are more than your dull 2 dimensional romance novel characters always makes Rachael's work a pleasure to read. I also like the fact that although the book does include knitting it doesn't stuff More...
Jul 15, 2011
CoffeeTimeRomance
rated it:
The knitting icons of Cypress Hollow have left behind a legacy in a town full of strong, independent, and loving young women. Lucy thinks herself fearful, but in reality she is as brave as they come, until it comes to change. Her little comfort zone is quite thoroughly crushed when Owen comes on the scene, and it is like a light blazes to life for Lucy as well as the reader. Owen is the wounded warrior and sexy bad boy that no woman can resist, and when he sets those gorgeous blue eyes on Lucy,
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Mar 26, 2011
Eva
rated it:
I received "How to Knit a Heart Back Home" as a Goodreads winning. It came in the mail, I started reading it that evening and didn't go to bed until it was done!
Lucy Harrison is a delightful main character with a family to match and the town of Cypress Hollow sounds like a place I'd really like to visit... Add a former love from High School who was the "bad boy" of the town, his Altheimer mother, the locals and the nosiness of a small town and you have a cozy pla More...
Lucy Harrison is a delightful main character with a family to match and the town of Cypress Hollow sounds like a place I'd really like to visit... Add a former love from High School who was the "bad boy" of the town, his Altheimer mother, the locals and the nosiness of a small town and you have a cozy pla More...
Mar 13, 2011
Beverly
rated it:
Rachael brings us back to every knitter's fantasy town, Cyprus Hollow, in her second novel, and this visit is just as delightful as the first. Her characters are wonderfully human: flawed and funny, hurt and vulnerable. Once again, Eliza Carpenter (from beyond) meddles in the affairs of young people she enjoyed while alive, forcing them to face what she saw 17 years ago. The biggest problem I have with this delightful, entertaining novel? I wish it were non-fiction, and I could buy that beautif
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May 10, 2011
Lydia
rated it: 
Did not finish. I guess I should have looked at the shelving information and noticed the heart for romance....I only looked at the cute cover and the title with knitting in it (though how you call trash romance I will never understand). I was enjoying the storyline and all, even after a non-PG rating part early on and a bit of swearing. But when the middle was page after page of stuff I had to skip because of how detailed it was, I had to quit. In short, way too graphic sexually and way to
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May 10, 2011
Manda
rated it:
My edition is the Kindle ebook edition.
Fans of How to Knit a Love Song will be enchanted by Lucy, Owen, and even more characters from Cypress Hollow. I really love how the town and the close-knit (ha!) citizens are developing.
I may need to go back and read How to Knit a Love Song, but it seemed like there was even MORE knitting in this book than in the last one. Rachael Herron's passion for her day job also shines through in this installment (it did in the last one, too, More...
Fans of How to Knit a Love Song will be enchanted by Lucy, Owen, and even more characters from Cypress Hollow. I really love how the town and the close-knit (ha!) citizens are developing.
I may need to go back and read How to Knit a Love Song, but it seemed like there was even MORE knitting in this book than in the last one. Rachael Herron's passion for her day job also shines through in this installment (it did in the last one, too, More...
Mar 27, 2011
Kimberly
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
May 20, 2011
Alice
rated it:
I am not a knitter, but I picked this book up because the author happens to live nearby. The story was a romance set in a town on the central coast of California. I liked the small-town setting, which the author populated with a variety of interesting characters. The main characters were a member of the volunteer fire brigade and a retired police officer, which permitted the author to spice up the plot with a few emergencies. I plan to check out this author's first book.
May 20, 2011
Sharon
rated it:
I am not a knitter, but I picked this book up because the author happens to live nearby. The story was a romance set in a town on the central coast of California. I liked the small-town setting, which the author populated with a variety of interesting characters. The main characters were a member of the volunteer fire brigade and a retired police officer, which permitted the author to spice up the plot with a few emergencies. I plan to check out this author's first book.
Jul 29, 2011
Donna
rated it:
I enjoyed Rachael's first book even though I am not a romance reader - her second book is even better, in part because it was nice to see characters I had come to really like make reappearances in book 2. There's a big dose of knitting in here (the bonus knitting pattern is perfectly integrated with the book' plot), but the real appeal is just darn good writing - looking past this book because it's "just a romance novel" will mean you miss quite the page turner.
Jun 29, 2011
Emma
rated it:
4 1/2 *
Really enjoyable book. It reminded me of a Kristan Higgins' book (high praise indeed as she's my favorite author), especially the heroine and the small-town feel. I liked this book better than the first, and I don't even knit! :)
Also, as mentioned on Twitter, the cat is called Mr. Pickles! Who'd have thought someone else would come up with such a weird name? Great minds and all, me thinks.
Really enjoyable book. It reminded me of a Kristan Higgins' book (high praise indeed as she's my favorite author), especially the heroine and the small-town feel. I liked this book better than the first, and I don't even knit! :)
Also, as mentioned on Twitter, the cat is called Mr. Pickles! Who'd have thought someone else would come up with such a weird name? Great minds and all, me thinks.
Mar 26, 2011
Jeri
rated it:
The story was a perfect mix of fun, heartfelt emotion and excitement. I loved how she mixed the past to bring the story to full fruition in the present. It gave everyone hope for that one true love. The mother was such a source of silly enjoyment she had me laughing my head off. Owen and Lucy were so incredible with their strengths and weaknesses. It was the perfect book to escape reality from.
Sep 11, 2011
I read this one because I've been a longtime reader fo Rachael's blog (yarnagogo.com). It was particularly interesting to see how a person whose nonfiction, personal-essay writing I enjoy tackles fiction work. It's also been a very long while since I've read a romance novel. It's a quick read, for sure! Also, I never figured a romance novel would make me cry about Alzheimer's disease.
Nov 20, 2011
Maggie
rated it:
On Audio. I loved this series. It is unfortunate that I ended up reading them out of sequence (1-3-2) but each story can stand on it's own, it is better with the Eliza background in order though :) I loved the main characters Lucy and Owen and I loved their families. Lucy's bookish brothers and open-minded eccentric parents made this book really great. The side story of Owen's mom and her Alzheimers was sad but very well done. I wish there were more Cypress Hollow books!!!
Apr 03, 2011
Erika
rated it:
When I started reading this book, I was sucked in. I thought it was charming and interesting. Unfortunately, I stopped reading the book because there were alot of graphic sex. I would have liked the author to leave more to the imagination. It just ruined a book that I had really been enjoying.
P.S. Just wanted to thank Rachel Herron for sending me a copy of the book.
P.S. Just wanted to thank Rachel Herron for sending me a copy of the book.
Nov 03, 2011
Maxine
rated it:
I picked this book up at the library because of the word "knit" in the title. It turned out to be a romance novel, but an OK read. Although it was kind of a fun, quick read, I must admit I did skim through some of the pages. I enjoyed the knitting aspect of the book. I found myself wishing that the fictitious knitter who left notes and patterns for a book was a real person.
Mar 08, 2011
Amy
rated it:
I loved this book. I started reading it on March 6th, at about 8pm and the next thing I knew it was 2 am. I did not want to put it down. I finished it first thing in the morning on the 7th.
Rachel's writing style is engaging and humorous. You find yourself caring about the characters and wanting to know more about their lives and the lives of the rest of the inhabitants of this sleepy little ocean side town.
Rachel's writing style is engaging and humorous. You find yourself caring about the characters and wanting to know more about their lives and the lives of the rest of the inhabitants of this sleepy little ocean side town.
Apr 04, 2011
Donna
rated it:
I really liked most everything about this book except Lucy's mother. She really bothered me with her attitude toward Lucy and her sex toys and made me feel so uncomfortable that it almost ruined the book for me. I really liked Owen and Lucy together and I loved Owen's mother. The scene at the lighthouse was great and I liked the epilogue!
Jul 04, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
I read the author's last book and secretly enjoyed the indulgence. I read this hoping for a similar experience. My beef with this book is not that it's a romance novel but that it tries to be too many things.
Sometimes it's just best to stick to the romance formula. Here she tries to tell us what's going on with characters from her last book- (another car accident!?), tries to make more "liberated" females (admittedly this isnt a bad thing it just didn't suit what she was More...
Sometimes it's just best to stick to the romance formula. Here she tries to tell us what's going on with characters from her last book- (another car accident!?), tries to make more "liberated" females (admittedly this isnt a bad thing it just didn't suit what she was More...
