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Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library | Adult Fiction Book Paperback | 120791002252359 | F KEN | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Kaylie Flynn was luckier than most children left to the Texas foster care system, blessed with a foster mother who taught her the comfort of home...and the healing power of baking the perfect brownie.Now, Kaylie has journeyed back to Hope Springs to open a café in the charming Victorian she once shared with her foster family -- and to finally find answers about her past and where she came from.Yet Kaylie's carefully laid plans quickly become complicated. The house needs far more work than she realized, and Tennessee Keller, the carpenter Kaylie hires, stirs up feelings she hasn't felt in a long while. When an unexpected crisis threatens to unravel her dreams, Kaylie seems to have all the ingredients for a perfect disaster -- or quite possibly the perfect love.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Veteran romance author Kent (Undeniable) inaugurates a small-town series set in Hope Springs, Tex., the kind of place where people remember Kaylie Flynn by name when she comes back after 10 years away. She left as a newly emancipated foster child; now she's a college-educated woman with one successful business built and another taking shape in her mind. The gorgeous but deteriorating Victorian house that was her refuge in childhood will be renovated and opened to the town as a lunch cafe-if the surprises in those old walls and Kaylie's own secrets don't bring her plans crashing down. Shoring up the dream is building contractor Tennessee Keller, a man with a troubled family history of his own and a determination not to mix business and pleasure. Girl talk, brownie recipes, and a goofy dog named Magoo complete this pleasant confection with the right balance of hope and memory, tears and sizzle. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Kaylie Flynn returns to the only home she's ever known, intending to open a cafe; along the way, she'll find friends, family and perhaps the love she never knew she was looking for. When Kaylie's father joined the military and she was abandoned by her mother to the foster-care system, she was lucky to land in Hope Springs with the Wise family. They're gone now, but she's back in town to buy the lovely Victorian house the Wises owned and convert it into a restaurant. She's spent her adult life keeping her eye on that prize, and now that she's fulfilled the dream, for the first time ever, she finds herself drawn to the people around her: the sexy contractor she hires to do the renovations to make the home a business; the artistic weaver who's found amazing success with the Hollywood crowd; and a variety of other workers and members of the community who are making a stamp on her heart. Kaylie distrusts her own emotions, and depending on other people has never been easy. Adjusting to Hope Springs and the many people who want to help her--and maybe even love her--is a difficult leap of faith, and one she's unprepared for, but maybe the time has come for a change. Maybe she'll even trust them enough with her hidden secrets or enlist their aid in helping her find her father, who disappeared into the sands of time. While the premise is wonderful, and the character-building is well-done, the storytelling simply moves too slowly to be engaging, and for the most part, the conflict is too weak to carry any true emotional intensity for the duration of the book. Some awkward phrasing, poor pacing and a plot that misses the mark in building tension from the start make for a decent but unspectacular read. Great concept, lackluster execution.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Fans of womanly romances set in small communities where outsiders become family, as in Robyn Carr's Virgin River series or Cathie Linz's Serenity Falls series, will enjoy this first installment in the Hope Springs series. Kaylie Flynn returns to Hope Springs, Texas, where she had lived with a wonderful foster family from age 10 to 18. After success in Austin as a baker, Kaylie, accompanied by her enormous dog, Magoo, moves into the only real home she had growing up, intent on turning it into a unique lunch place. The huge, old Victorian house needs work, so she hires Tennessee Ten Keller, who is committed to family but estranged from his own. Her new friend, Luna, a celebrity weaver, sends a potential chef to her door but doesn't reveal a secret he has involving Kaylie. The prolific Kent introduces a cast of good-hearted folks with interesting, practical, and unusual talents, who readers will enjoy getting to know and visiting in future titles. Luna's story is slated for a fall release.--Tixier Herald, Diana Copyright 2010 Booklist