ASIN: B00PWMS3K0
She’s about to play the biggest part of her failed acting career.
At 18, Lorelei Pratchett left Arden Springs for the fame and fortune of an acting career. When waiting tables was the only job she ever won the part for, she was forced to choose between returning home, or risk eventually becoming homeless. A french fry away from starvation, she chose the former, which was not an easy decision, considering the fact that during her departure speech, she basically told the whole town to go to hell.
A product of fornication by a couple of what the town considered to be “horny teenagers”, she’s always felt the wrath of her mother’s choice to give birth to her without naming the father. Branded the town bastard, she’d never been judged by who she was, but what she was, making her decision to leave the town, and more importantly her first love, Spencer, and easy one.
Spencer never forgot, or got over, Lorelei. She’s always been a feisty go-getter, but he sees a lot more when he picks her up from the airport that faithful day. Her bad girl attitude is masking a lot of pain, and he has every intention of finding out what happened to her during the 12 years she’s been away. Being the son of an abusive mother and a father he never knew, Spencer has his own demons to battle, however, he seems to be winning his war, unlike Lorelei. Despite her bitchy attitude, he still feels the connection they’ve always shared, leaving him determined to show her why she should remain in Ardent Springs.
Failed acting career returning heroine to unwanted hometown to face her past and the love she abandoned is nothing new. Of course she has a chip the size of California on her shoulder. They all do in stories like this. I do wish she could’ve returned for some other reason, such as simply to visit, to help the distressed town (which in a way she did with the saving of the theater, but that wasn’t her reason for returning), or even for the wedding of her best friend. It disappoints me that the premise couldn’t be a little more original. The high school rival who always wanted the boyfriend, was also a characters in the book. Can someone please find another reason for grown women to be rivals in “return home” stories?
The saving grace in this story for me was Spencer. Strong, smart, patient, he’s-not-afraid-to-stand-up-to-his-bitchy-ex-but-he-still-loves-her Spencer. I enjoyed how he dealt with her. He gave me a few laughs. I do wish the coming together and declaration of love could’ve gone done differently. As is, it was an abrupt change that left me swiping back to make sure I didn’t skip something. Lorelei had said a lot of hurtful things, but instead of her going after him, he ended up chasing her down when he thought (yes this was a misunderstanding) she moving away without telling him. That part disappointed me a well. Left me doing one of my all-time eyerolls.
I also liked granny. Gun-toting, geriatric vengeance of death, granny.
Overall, the book was an ok read. I was able to finish it, and although I wouldn’t hang a WARNING! DON’T READ sign on it, I also wouldn’t recommend it. Read at your own risk.
Rating system: Cups of coffee – the less the better
0: You won’t need any coffee to stay up for this one. It’s intriguing enough all on its own.
1: You’ll stay up late, but not all night. Brew one cup.
2: You’ll read as long as you’re not tired. If you are, two cups should do the trick.
3: I hope you got plenty of rest; you’ll need it, or at least 3 cups.
4: If the cable goes out, read the book. It’s better than nothing, I guess. Oh, don’t forget your brew!
5: Find anything else to do- it doesn’t matter what it is. Don’t waste your coffee. Too much caffeine is bad for you.
My rating: 4 cups of coffee