Kate Kelly (3)

When Adam Came to Town by Kate Kelly is a September 2013 Harlequin publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Sylvie has returned home from Toronto after her father has a heart attack. She's a famous artist who is creatively blocked and suffering from panic attacks. Adam has just moved to the small town after inheriting his grandmother's home. He plans to renovate the house and is working at the cafe owned by Sylvie's family.
When Sylvie show more finds out her father intends to sell the cafe due to financial strain, she becomes very upset and tells her father she wants to move back home and run the cafe. He doesn't support this idea. For one thing he thinks Sylvie needs to move back to Toronto and use her talent as an artist and for another thing Sylvie doesn't know how to cook. So, Sylvie talks Adam into helping her learn how to cook, a task he reluctantly agrees to. Sylvie also plans on raising money to keep from having to sell the cafe and begins organizing a fund raiser.
Sylvie has many issues to work through, one of them being the need to uncover the story behind her mother's death in a car accident. There was more to the story and everyone has kept their mouths shut about it for Sylvie's sake. But, the time has come for her hear the truth no matter how much she may dread it.
For Adam, he is also trying to sort things out in his life. His dangerous and hardened father died and his mother is a junkie. Adam himself has had a hard time of it and thinks it's best Sylvie never knows about that part of his life. But, as the two begin to spend more time together they begin to slowly fall in love and that means a day of reckoning will come.
I thought this was a charming small town love story. Sylvie has not found happiness in the city, nor has fame and recognition brought contentment. Sylvie has a nice looking boyfriend that is very sweet and treats her well, but he bores her to tears. Obviously, there is something going on with Sylvie that is psychological and the trigger was her father's heart attack. Sylvie's family is close but complicated. Her good friend Teressa is a red headed fire ball that calls it like she sees it and has her own troubles in life. Then there is Adam. He is a bit of an enigma. We know he's not rolling in money and so we have to wonder why he's chosen to move into his Grandmother's home when there isn't alot in this small town to challenge him once the house is renovated. I have to confess, I never guessed Adam's darkest secrets. When you do find out about his past you will feel terrible for him and also feel proud of him for getting a handle on his life and making something of himself.
Sylvie will try your patience at times. She is independent , stubborn, and a little high strung. She misses her creative side but thinks she can live without painting and make a life for herself at the cafe and feel contented. But, is she only lying to herself? What will happen if her creative block goes away? Will she be happy with Adam and living in a small town running a cafe?
Some of the secondary characters have their own story and the only flaw with the book was that some of those issues were left unresolved. It is possible that these characters will get their own story in the future. Otherwise this was a very enjoyable contemporary romance. I give this one a B+. show less

This story is about FBI agent Vince Gage and Sophie, whose family he's investigating for selling art forgeries. Along the way they begin a relationship, although Vince has a hard time deciding if she's involved in the crime or not.

in this book there was suspense, mystery, and romance. There was a who-did-it feel for a good portion of the book. My only issues came towards the end. It felt a little rushed. There was also tension between Vince and fellow agent Spencer Chance that wasn't show more resolved. At one point there's mention of step-siblings, but if they shared one of the same parents they would actually be half-siblings, not step.

Despite these issues, I enjoyed this book. This is the second one in the series. I hadn't read the first one, which is Spencer's story, and it worked fine as a stand alone. It did make me wonder a lttle about Spencer and Vince's history, so I'll probably go back and read the first one.

**A free copy was provided by the author via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review** show less

Kate Kelly delivers another flawless, funny and touching romance novel. The characters are well developed and the situations they find themselves in are believable. I like how she writes about 'real' people i.e. an ordinary family in an ordinary town with normal day to day problems. There are plenty of funny moments and the bonding scenes between Dusty and Brendon had me laughing out loud. A definite must read for the summer.

The trials and tribulations of a blended family when you're not entirely sure you should be blending at all. The characters are strongly developed, including the children, and you want it to work out for them all. A good light read.