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Lake Tahoe, California – Present Day Luna Wright is as independent as they come. She was adopted and knows little about her birth family. Her adoptive family was a bit unorthodox, so Luna has a soft heart for down-on-their-luck souls but trusts few people. She happened upon a dream job managing an animal rescue farm and has several employees who depend on her for employment. The farm is owned by a man who lived in another state and let her run it as she saw fit. Unfortunately, he died recently, and she is unsure what will happen with the farm. A visit to an attorney ends with Luna learning some shocking information. The man who owned the farm was her biological grandfather and he left half of it to her with the other half to a man named Jameson Hayes. But there is a catch. A balloon payment is due in a few months and if it isn’t paid, then the farm will be foreclosed. Luna isn’t sure how to process the news. There’s a real chance the farm will be unable to make the payment and the employees at the farm will lose their jobs. She ends up in a local bar attempting to drown her sorrows in booze when she runs into a stranger. They flirt hard but stop short of a one-night stand. The next morning, Luna learns to her horror that the man in the bar is Jameson Hayes. He is her partner, and he will be spending the next two months at the farm going over the finances and trying to save the farm. Luna doesn’t really want to work with him, but she has no choice. Add in that their attraction from the bar still sizzles between them, and it’s no wonder they have a lot of conflict going on. THE BRIGHT SPOT is as witty as many of Jill Shalvis’s books are. We have a feisty heroine (Luna) and a seriously hunky hero (Jameson) who puts up with the antics going on around him. Jameson was plunked out of a bad situation by Luna’s grandfather when he was a teen and groomed to be a businessman. Why her grandfather didn’t reveal his true identity to her is a bit of a mystery. It could be because she was as prickly as a cactus and wouldn’t have accepted any help from him. He did the next best thing by offering her a job and making her the manager. Luna loves working on the animal rescue farm with its animals and various shops. There is even a farm-to-table restaurant called The Bright Spot. Luna’s oddball adopted grandmother works there also, running a shop and telling fortunes. Luna’s best friend Willow is usually supportive, but she doesn’t want to hear any advice about what to do about Willow’s estranged husband. Those two can’t stay away from each other but Willow can’t see that she still loves him. There are many fun—and let’s emphasize FUN—characters in THE BRIGHT SPOT. Meanwhile, Luna and Jameson get to work trying to cut corners and make some money. Everyone has suggestions and Luna still tries to be a good boss even though she knows that she needs to put her foot down. Her relationship with Jameson is up and down. Luna sees him as a stuffy suit. His experience with the various animals that run loose on the farm is nil. Who doesn’t like pigs, emu, goats, and other animals roaming pretty much freely? Even one of the goats takes a shine to Jameson. But as Luna and Jameson continue to work together, the attraction that began that night in the bar flares up again and again. It isn’t long before they’re sharing kisses—and more. But the most important thing between them is saving the rescue farm. Will that happen? THE BRIGHT SPOT is the perfect way to start 2024 with its fun and witty characters and scenes—and is a big reason I’m giving it a Perfect 10. A book that is hard to put down is a winner in my mind. Don’t miss the pleasure of reading THE BRIGHT SPOT. Patti Fischer |
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THE BRIGHT SPOT – Jill Shalvis