This was a charming offshoot of the Fool's Gold series. I didn't have the frustration from that series that SO MANY people recurred in the stories. Don't get me wrong, there is a LOT of sequel-bait in this book but they were woven in well, and there is a nice, built-in explanation for why we'd see some of these people again.
It seems in the 1960s, our heroine's grandfather, wanting to help the town's economy, made up a story about a stagecoach breaking down and the load of women falling in love with the men in town and opting to build the town now known as Happily Inc. Pallas Saunders knows it's a load bull but she still enjoys her role in town providing weddings in a box (or, at least I think she does. All her friends tell her so but she doesn't seem convinced). She needs help though. She's just barely breaking even and she's trying to figure out how to change that. One way is to restore the exquisite wooden panels that divide some of her rooms.
That's where Nick Mitchell comes in. We saw two of his brothers get married in the Fool's Gold series but he's not going to fall into the same trap. He's seen the marriage between his father and mother and seen how much passion can lead you to pain. So, though he's interested in Pallas (and in restoring her panels), he's not going to fall in love.
Three and a half stars
This book comes out August 22
Followed by Second Chance Girl
The title of this book caught me. I just can't imagine being named Mary Christmas. That poor girl. But her issue with Christmas has more to do with the fact that her family just seems to have to overdo everything about it from the biggest tree to lights that make the rest of the block go dark. But can she find her Christmas spirit in time?
A cute story of second graders solving a crime involving the theft of a painting called the Mola Lisa. There's magic, disguises, and a fun mystery that is clued enough that young readers could reasonably solve the mystery and feel pretty good about it. The illustrations are fun as well.
I am really enjoying Gassman/Elkerton collaborations. The stories are fun, the illustrations brightly colored and engaging. In a previous book, we learned why it was not a good idea to take your dragon to the library. Here, we find out why taking a dragon to dinner might not be a good idea. There is a nice suggestion of starting at home where the dragon can help cook dinner and practice manners before they can go out for dinner.
This is my favorite of the Hellcat Canyon books so far. I love that our heroine has her own sense of agency and seems to take life by the proverbial balls.
Nate is back in a book that mostly covers the summer. He's playing baseball again but Chester isn't their pitcher this year. Instead, Nate's dad calls one of Nate's old preschool playmates to come in and help out. Nate is crushing on her pretty hard until he finds out that Jenny has moved back to town. There is a storyline with Nate being astonished that Chad is getting so many signatures in his yearbook. Toward the end, we get a few strips with Mrs. Godfrey. Because how could this be a Big Nate book without her?
Toward the end of New York, Actually, we learned that Felicity Knight had an ex-husband who had turned up in Manhattan. Felicity had married Seth Carlyle when they were both too young and divorced him soon after. She has tried to face the sexy vet but has been unable to do so. Instead, she grabs the chance to leave town and head to the Hamptons when her grandmother calls for help.