By now, yall are probably sick of me singing the praises of the Heartwarming line by Harlequin. Too bad because Ms. Lanigan has proven time again how much I love this line and especially Ms. Lanigan. What is there not to love about Indian Shores? You have the town resident, Ms. Beabots that drips in Chanel and seems to be the town matchmaker, to all of the other characters that have had their stories told, Joy and Adam were a welcome addition. This is a second chance romance that had a bit of sadness about it. No worries though. The sadness is not overwrought in the book. You already know that Adam is a widower raising his son Titus and Joy is back to sell your grandfather’s greenhouse. It’s just that there is something else that broke them up earlier that was even more troubling.
I won’t go into detail about that little nugget but I was boiling mad just like Joy was once the details of it came out when she came back to town. I don’t care if the town has residents that have money and influence over a town. People die and when you know that something can be done to prevent it you take action. Not cover it up or say that it can’t be done. Old bitty…yes, I said that. I don’t speak ill of the old. Grrr…anyway, watching Adam and Joy work together to get the greenhouses ready for sale, it takes on a life of its own. Their friends (characters from the other books in the series) take over and you see the joy that it brings not only to them but to Joy. She realizes that she has to let go of the past and realize to have a future with anyone, is to face the truth and to see that she was the one that was wrong in the past.
Adam is a sweetheart. Raising a tornado of a son, Titus, I can see why he was careful with him but he also needed to see that someone could love Titus for who he was and that person was Joy. Losing his wife was hard enough but he was a bit overprotective when it came to Titus. Adam knew all along that Joy still had feelings for him but he just had to prove to her that she didn’t need New York, that her life in Indian Shores could be just as fulfilling. Especially with him.
Yall, this book had all the feels. I got caught up with all my friends from the other books and it warmed my heart to see them come together for Joy and Adam. Sometimes it does take a village and it was evident here. LOL! Oh my goodness, seeing Jules talk in French!!!!! I just wanted to hug that baby. (His Baby Dilemma is the book) Plus, I loved the interaction between Mica and Adam. You have to understand that Adam is a borderline genius in physics, engineering and went to college with Mica. I loved that connection in the book. Plus, knowing that Joy and most of the women in the book were childhood friends. They never judged Joy for running when she did. All they wanted to was for Joy to understand that life in Indian Shores can be fulfilling, too.
If looking for a feel-good second chance romance with the backdrop of poinsettias, this is for you. Adam and Joy are ranking up there as one of my favorite couples in Indian Shores. Mica and Grace, you have competition. Thank you, Ms. Lanigan, for this book. It is what I needed for the start of the holiday season. Plus, Jules…oh my…