Publishers Weekly
11/02/2020
Walker (Save the Date) delivers a touching contemporary romance about finding the courage to love again after heartbreak. Workaholic Paige Parker has been single ever since finding her fiancé in bed with her boss three years earlier. Paige happily devotes herself to her career as a professional organizer and claims to have no desire for a relationship. To prove it to her bestie, Paige heads to the Copper Lantern Inn to privately celebrate Singles Day, February 15. But the run-down inn is nothing like the “barefoot paradise” described in the advertisement, and the “hot-as-hell” innkeeper, Lucas Croft, is anything but welcoming. After their disastrous first encounter, a disappointed Paige decides to return home to Chicago, but a storm makes leaving impossible. Stranded, Paige forms an uneasy truce with widower Lucas—and their growing attraction to one another soon becomes impossible to deny. Walker effortlessly creates sexual tension without the sex, and adds heart to the story through Lucas’s tender relationships with his sister and four-year-old daughter. The dynamic between Paige and her friend, meanwhile, adds plenty of comic moments. The result is a sparkling, heartfelt rom-com. Agent: Pamela Harty, Knight Agency. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
"A positively delightful romance full of heart, joy and enough charm to jump off of the page. Walker's voice is warm, charming and inviting. A must read." - Nina Bocci, USA Today bestselling author
"This feel-good escape hits all the right notes." - Melonie Johnson, award-winning author
"A sparkling, heartfelt rom-com." - Publishers Weekly
"Walker excels at creating a cozy, charming setting... Ideal for readers looking for the book version of a pleasant Hallmark movie." - Kirkus Reviews
"Walker's prose dances off the page in this lovely and lighthearted novel." - Booklist
Kirkus Reviews
2020-10-14
Sparks fly when a Type A professional organizer ends up at a B&B run by a grumpy single dad.
Paige Parker needs a vacation. As a busy professional organizer, she centers her entire life around work. So when she discovers the charming Copper Lantern Inn on the Outer Banks of North Carolina while taking an online quiz, she thinks it looks like the perfect retreat. But she doesn’t count on Lucas Croft, the inn’s owner. He’s a widower with a small child, and he hasn’t maintained the B&B since his wife died two years ago. It was their dream to fix up the old house, but without her around, he sees no use in hosting guests…or cleaning, cooking, or doing anything but taking care of his 4-year-old daughter. But when his sister, Sophie, books Paige for a stay, Lucas has no choice but to welcome her with extremely sullen arms. Paige is alarmed to find clutter everywhere, and her meals consist of frozen pizza and near-empty boxes of Froot Loops. But as Lucas and Paige get to know each other, they realize they might actually be a perfect match. Walker excels at creating a cozy, charming setting—the picturesque island and ramshackle inn seem like an appealing escape. The characters’ actions occasionally seem a bit forced, though, and Lucas is sometimes overly unpleasant, even for a classic grumpy hero (he refers to Paige as an “uptight bitch” for no real reason). But romance lovers looking for forced proximity, characters overcoming tragedy, and a movie-worthy setting may be willing to overlook those flaws in favor of a warm and cozy read.
Ideal for readers looking for the book version of a pleasant Hallmark movie.
