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| Sunrise Cove, California – Present Day After watching her life implode, Harper Shaw packs up everything and moves to Lake Tahoe, where she has rented a building sight unseen and plans to open a bakery. She arrives late at night in the middle of the summer with the snow falling and driving a car that is barely holding together. The man in the parking lot of the building complex offers her plenty of advice—and unwelcomed commentary. While she tries to ignore him, it turns out that the man—Bodie Campbell—is her new neighbor, and he owns the tavern next to her. Even though Harper wishes that she could avoid Bodie, it turns out that he is helpful, like when she needs someone to remove the raccoon family that has set up its home in her bathroom. Bodie and his brothers own the four buildings in the complex and all help run the tavern. Besides their new tenant, Harper, another building is home to a bookstore run by Shay, who happens to be Bodie’s brother’s ex-girlfriend. Mace and Shay aren’t on speaking terms because he broke one of Shay’s rules: don’t ask to marry her. Shay is amused by Harper’s valiant efforts to clean out her bakery but the two soon become good friends. After all, they have something in common…making life miserable for the Campbell brothers. Meanwhile, the first night Harper spends in the dirty and barely habitable building, a teenage girl breaks in. Turns out the girl, Ivy, is a runaway and seems determined to hang around Sunrise Cove. Harpers sees a lot of herself in Ivy. They are both determined, strong, and trying to remain independent. With Ivy’s help, Harper soon is on her way to getting the bakery running. Of course, Bodie is always around and as much as Harper tries to tell herself that she is not amused by him, her lady parts think otherwise. As they quarrel and banter back and forth, Harper and Bodie soon fall for each other. THE SWEETHEART LIST is part of the Sunrise Cove series, but each book has been a standalone. After spending years in a dead-end relationship, Harper watched her longtime boyfriend walk away and she realized that she needed to make changes. So she quit her job in a San Diego bakery and made the bold move, along with her huge dog, to Lake Tahoe. She remembers the area fondly as she and her late mother would come up here once a year on a camping trip. While Harper knew that she’d have to start from the ground up, she never expected how much work she was going to have to do to make the bakery presentable. But she is not afraid of work, though Ivy and Bodie help her a lot by helping in the cleaning and getting it ready so that she can bake. Bodie seems to be around when Harper least expects him. He pushes all her buttons and sometimes he hits them just right. It turns out there is more to Ivy than Harper realizes. I won’t get into the specifics, but there is a reason why she ended up in Lake Tahoe. Bodie isn’t sure that Harper should trust Ivy, especially since she appears to be rather willful. Bodie has his own issues, namely trying to adjust to no longer working for the ATF after suffering serious injuries. During his recovery, his father died, leaving the tavern for him to run. Is this really what he wants to do for the rest of his life? Harper amuses and aggravates him, but he is impressed by her gutsiness. Her independence can drive him crazy when all he wants to do is to help her—and get to know her better. Will two people who seem at odds have a chance to see where things can go between them? A side plot is Mace trying to win Shay back. Will he be successful? If you love a great romantic comedy that tickles your funny bone and leaves you smiling, then you need to hit the bookstore and find a copy of THE SWEETHEART LIST. It will make you laugh and make you happy. Don’t miss this fun tale. Patti Fischer |
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THE SWEETHEART LIST – Jill Shalvis