A young widow returns to Lake Sackett, Georgia to face
the ghosts of her past -- and decide if she's ready to take another chance on
love.
Lucy Brewer would never have guessed that her best
friend, Duffy McCready (of McCready's Bait Shop & Funeral Home) has been in
love with her since they were kids. Fear of rejection and his own romantic
complications prevented Duffy from confessing his true feelings in high school,
so he stood by and watched her wed Wayne Bowman right after high school. Wayne
had always been a cheapskate, so it comes as no surprise when he suffers a
fatal accident while fixing his own truck.
Even as her family and friends invade Lucy's life and
insist that the new widow is too fragile to do much beyond weeping, Lucy is
ashamed to admit that life without Wayne is easier, less complicated. After
all, no one knew what a relentless, soul-grinding trudge marriage to Wayne had
been. Only Duffy can tell she's hiding something.
In need of a fresh start, Lucy asks Duffy to put his
cabinet-building skills to use, transforming the town's meat shop into a bake
shop. As the bakery takes shape, Lucy and Duffy discover the spark that pulled
them together so many years ago. Could this finally be the second chance he's
always hoped for?
Fun, sweet, and sassy book. I'm delighted to see Duffy
get his own story. He has been there throughout the other books, the
quintessential southern guy. Polite, helpful, supportive of his family, but
also caught in a vicious cycle with his ex-wife. That cycle begins to change
when Lucy moves back to town. Duffy and Lucy had been best friends all through
school. He developed romantic feelings for her but was too afraid of messing up
their friendship to do anything about it. Instead, he watched as she married
his friend and moved away; then he made the mistake of marrying Lana. Even
though they are divorced, Lana has kept Duffy on a string, reeling him in whenever
she wants. I was as frustrated as his family was with the way he let it happen.
But as soon as Lucy came back, Duffy began to pull away from Lana, creating all
kinds of interesting situations.
Lucy knew early in her marriage that she had made a
mistake, but pride wouldn't allow her to admit it. With the death of her
husband, Lucy moved back home to Lake Sackett. She has plans to open her own
bakery as a fresh start for herself and her son if only her in-laws leave her
in peace. Running into Duffy again stirs up feelings she thought she'd buried
long ago.
I thoroughly enjoyed the development of Duffy and Lucy's
relationship. Their first meeting after her return was hilarious, as he catches
her in the middle of an x-rated cake delivery. The sparks between them are
still there. Duffy realizes quickly that he never stopped loving Lucy and is
determined to win her back. Lucy is wary. She doesn't want to risk losing
Duffy's friendship if something goes wrong, plus she already has so much on her
plate that adding a romance feels like a bad idea. But as hard as she tries,
Duffy's sweet, persistent attentions work their way past her walls. I loved the
scenes of the two of them together as they get to know each other all over
again. I especially liked their ability to be honest with each other and talk
things out. There was a hilarious scene involving Lucy and Lana, as Lana gets
up to her old tricks and Lucy calls her on it. It was also fun to see Duffy's
family get in the act of pushing the two together. The boat scene was fantastic
and typically Frankie. I ached for Duffy and Lucy when her insecurities caused
her to pull away. Some advice from unexpected sources put both Duffy and Lucy
back on the road to their happy ever after.
The secondary characters were great. Lucy's son Sam was adorable,
not too sweet and not bratty. I loved the way he took to Duffy, and his scenes
with the dog nearly stole the show. Lucy's mother- and sister-in-law were well
done as the banes of her current life. Evie's attitude toward Lucy and her
attempts to manipulate Lucy's life frustrated her to no end. It took a while,
but Lucy finally reached her breaking point in a scene that made me cheer for
her. Sister-in-law Melody was a self-righteous prig, and I liked seeing her get
her comeuppance. I adored Lucy's assistant, Specs. His interview for the job was
excellent and Lucy earned my respect with the way she handled it. As always,
the McCready family was wonderful. They are always there for each other, even
though their methods are sometimes questionable. There was a terrific scene
near the end where nice-guy Duffy finally has enough from his female relations.
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