Anna James (3)

This was a sweet second chance story. Layla returned to the small town of New Suffolk after her relationship and job in Paris fell apart. She took over her grandparents' restaurant and turned it into the upscale French restaurant she'd always dreamed of. As the story opens, she discovers that her dream is in financial trouble, and she has no idea what to do. Then she gets an offer of help from Shane, her schoolgirl summer crush.

Shane left his successful Wall Street job and returned to his show more hometown to pursue his dream of becoming a paramedic. He's surprised to run into Layla, the girl he had a crush on when he was younger and who broke his teenage heart.

I liked Shane. He has a big heart that wants to help people. His time on Wall Street was spent assisting businesses to turn around when they were in trouble. When he began to bun out on that job, he realized it was time to follow his original dream. Instead of starting over to become a doctor, he focused on becoming a paramedic in his hometown. The downside was that his wife wasn't interested in that lifestyle. Shane realized she'd never loved him, just what he could give her, so they divorced and went their separate ways. However, it left Shane with a mistrust of women, especially rich ones.

I had a hard time warming up to Layla initially, but that changed as the book continued. She came home and turned her grandparents' popular restaurant into a fancy French restaurant, then wondered why it wasn't doing as well as she wanted. She seemed more focused on trying to prove something to her ex-fiancé than paying attention to what her customers were interested in. Her experiences with Antoine made her reluctant to trust any man.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Shane and Layla develop. Both remember their teenage feelings and are surprised to discover they've carried over to the present. Neither is happy about it and try to resist, with their recent romantic disasters coloring their thoughts. They find themselves working together on the emergency services gala, and things begin to change. I liked Shane's desire to help Layla when he found out about her troubles with the restaurant. Layla has a little difficulty accepting Shane's advice but realizes its validity.

This begins the slow burn of their developing relationship. The time they initially spend together gives them a chance to become friends and see that first impressions aren't always accurate. Underneath that friendship was a simmering attraction that continued to grow, and I enjoyed watching that friendship become more. They have some terrific scenes together, from painting to bowling to steamier activities. However, both still have their insecurities, and when Layla's past comes calling, she and Shane must face their pasts. Both get a little outside help to see the truth of their feelings and get the courage to do something about them. I loved the emotional ending, and the epilogue was terrific.

I enjoyed the restaurant setting and seeing some of the behind-the-scenes activities. I could feel Layla's early frustration as she fought to keep her dream alive, especially as some of the changes took on lives of their own. I liked her epiphany at the end and the difference it made to her plans.

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Reed and Ashley entered into a marriage of convenience. An unplanned pregnancy is the catalyst. When tragedy strikes each has to decide if marriage is what they want. I received a copy of A Love Worth Saving by Anna James in exchange for an honest review. Reed was a total jerk most of the time and Ashley came across as a little girl lost. Clearly this was a case of hormones and immaturity leading to situations that are hard for adults to face. They both needed to grow up. Though show more heartbreaking Ashley's miscarriage was a wake up call. It caused both to face some truths about themselves and make some tough decisions. Anna James story is about making tough choices and learning from them. A Love Worth Saving is a story of growth. show less

Vision’s is a short novel about a woman named Prudence (Pru); we are first introduced to her waking up after having a nightmare of a brutal murder. She doesn’t understand why she keeps having this reoccurring dream.

Prudence has just found out on her mother’s death bed that she was adopted and her parents are both deceased, their lives ending very tragically.

Travelling to her home town of Salem, Massachusetts she enters her childhood home, she immediately starts having visions and show more experiences some very loving scenes of what she believes are of her parents. Not understanding how this loving couple could have been the two people she was told about and how their life’s ended in murder/suicide. Totally confused about what she is experiences she questions the idea of her father killing her mother.

Then we are introduced to her handsome police officer neighbour, he also tries to fill her in on the facts of the mystery of what happened in this house so many years ago.

This is a murder/mystery/romance all wrapped up in about 57 pages.

The writing of Anna James is good, the story is fast paced, well written and the story flows well.

I have rated the book around a 3.5 as the story is good and I enjoyed it, the only downfall was that it was a bit too short/fast and some of the romance happened at a speed I would say unbelievable but one could hope. The romance between these two are well written and felt very sensual. Great writing.

This is the first book I’ve read by Anna James and her writing is of good quality and I will look into her other books.

I would recommend this book to my friends especially if they would like to read a fast paced novel. show less

I was provided a copy of Banking on Love from LibraryThing in exchange for my honest review. Rachel and Ethan met while in college, but Rachel marries his best friend. Through the years, Ethan has been involved in Rachel’s life as a friend, until a devastating series of events changes everything. Now, thirteen years later, Rachel and Ethan are thrown together again. As they work through the misunderstandings and attempt to deal with their growing attraction, outside forces are working show more against them. This was a great read about second chances with romance, humor and suspense. show less