Bernadine probably thought she had seen the last of her ex. Regular Blessings readers probably thought so as well since we haven't seen him in a couple of books (at least that I remember). But he's going to pop up again trying to cause trouble for the town while making money for himself. His plan this time is to back disgraced former mayor Riley Curry.
Riley has some competition though. Barrett Payne, formerly in the military, currently in charge of security for the town thinks that he is going to be a shoe-in. But his wife, Sheila, decides that she's tired of hiding her light under a barrel and decides to run herself. Of course, the Julys have to through in a family member as well.
We also get updates on various town members. Robyn, now living with her aunt, Pastor Paula, is slowly starting to learn how to live in Henry Adams. Mal and Bernadine work toward a better resolution of how their relationship ended. Cletus, the pig who formerly belonged to Riley is now famous and his team would like to bring him back to Henry Adams for a home town parade.
Jenkins is an incredibly steady writer. Readers who have loved previous books (and there are so many characters with intertwined stories, I really would recommend reading those books first) will enjoy this one to the same extent. I personally enjoy the books but there is something that keeps me from diving right in and enjoying the story. Part is just the flow - with so many stories you don't stick on many for long. Part is also the characters. We've gotten to know the characters over the course of 10 books but there are sometimes big life changes without really getting to see the character's motivation or getting to see why certain decisions are made because we are looking at so many people. To be fair, this series has always been that way so it's not like Jenkins is just piling on more characters. We do get one or two more in each book but the additions are judicious.
Three and a half stars
This book comes out March 3rd
Follows Second Time Sweeter
Followed by
A Christmas to Remember
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley
Opinions are my own
