A bookstore owner… her former high school sweetheart… And
a box of old love letters that could change everything.
Jamie always adored True Love Bookstore and Café, and now
she's the owner. But businesses are struggling in her small town, and her
beloved store is threatened by a new retail development scheme.
Sawyer, Jamie's former high school sweetheart, startles
her when he comes to town for the first time in fifteen years. She soon learns
he's the architect of the proposed development and he's there to sell local
business owners on his plan. Sawyer had no idea that Jamie had bought the
bookstore and poured everything she had into it. If he takes it over, he'll
break her heart a second time.
Jamie's discovery of a box of old love letters and
valentines might hold the key to saving her shop. And after all this time,
could love be in the cards for Jamie and Sawyer, too?
Terrific second chance love story with slight
enemies-to-lovers undertones. This is the book version of the Hallmark movie of
the same name. I have not seen the movie. The book takes place in a small
Oregon town where a bookstore owner finds herself going head-to-head with a
development company's plans spearheaded by her old boyfriend.
Jamie grew up in Waterford, where the True Love Bookstore
and Café was her favorite place as a child. She worked there as a teenager, and
later when the owner decided to retire, Jamie bought the store. Jamie loves the
historic atmosphere of the business district and the personal feeling of the shops
there. But even she has to admit that the businesses are struggling, though she
believes that everything will come around. That is until she receives a flyer
from the town council advertising a meeting with a development company that
wants to "revitalize" the area. She immediately thinks of a nearby
town where the same thing happened, and what it did to the shops and owners
there.
Sawyer is a freelance architect who grew up in Waterford.
He hasn't been back since he left for college fifteen years earlier. He's tired
of his nomadic life and wants a chance to set down roots. If he pulls off this
redevelopment plan, the Ridley firm will hire him, and he will finally get that
chance to stay in one place. He envisions a modern, multi-use development that
will bring new business and more people to the town. The people he's talked to
so far are onboard with the idea and he anticipates a quick approval.
Jamie and Sawyer have a history together. They were high
school sweethearts until Sawyer left for college across the country. He broke
up with Jamie, telling her they were too young for a permanent commitment. She
hasn't seen him since then, so she is shocked when Sawyer suddenly appears in
her bookstore. He is equally surprised to see her, as he didn't know that she owns
the store. It's easy to see that the sparks are still there though neither
wants to admit it. Jamie is on a "hiatus" from romance since the end
of her last relationship, and Sawyer is focused on his project. Those sparks
take on a different tone when Jamie discovers that Sawyer is the architect of
what she calls "that hideous spaceship."
I loved the development of their relationship. Jamie is
determined to keep Sawyer's proposed development from happening, and he is
equally committed to getting it approved. I loved Jamie's creativity as she
devised several plans to remind the people of Waterford of how special their town
is, while Sawyer steps up his efforts to convince them of the benefits of his
plan. It's a small town and Jamie and Sawyer find themselves in each other's
company often. She is dismayed to see her old feelings for Sawyer resurfacing
and afraid of getting her heart broken again. Sawyer discovers that being back
in Waterford revives his memories of the good times, most of which involved
Jamie, and his feelings for her reawaken. There were some delightful scenes
between them as Jamie reintroduced Sawyer to Waterford. But the development
plans still loom between them.
The box of old Valentines and love letters that Jamie found
hidden away at the bookstore was an incredible discovery. The Valentines were written
to the store from people who met their true loves there. It was sweet to see
the history of the bookstore as revealed by those cards and their stories. However,
it was the letters from the original owners of the bookstore that provided the
most intense feelings. Jamie also couldn't help seeing the parallels between
Mary and Harrison and herself and Sawyer. I ached for both of them as it looked
like there was no way for one to win without the other losing. But one should
never give up on true love, and Sawyer found inspiration in an unexpected
source. I loved his big moment at the end and the creativity that won the day.
I also adored Jamie's reaction. The epilogue was a great follow-up.
There was also a fun secondary romance going on.
Restaurant owner Rick has it bad for Jamie's friend and coworker Lucy, but when
they first met, he was dating someone else. Since he broke up with that woman,
he hasn't been able to get up the courage to ask Lucy out. Meanwhile, Lucy
seems oblivious to Rick's feelings and determined to find her "wow"
moment. The interactions between Rick and Lucy were occasionally painful but
always entertaining. It was easy to root for the two of them and cheer when it
finally happened.
No comments:
Post a Comment