Honey and Happiness: Hemlock Creek Book 4, Josie Kerr

Beyond overworked, Bruce is forced to take a vacation.  He's unhappy about it but there's no denying that the concern from his friends and his many justifications for his staid lifestyle aren't doing him any favors.  So when an unexpected vacation brings him setback after mishap after frustration, topping off with a book-to-mouth meeting with a goat, he's sure this whole thing was a terrible idea.  But quiet nights and a quirky yet intriguing woman open his eyes to a life he'd never thought to dream of.

It was pretty easy to be drawn in by both the characters and the charming setting of Hemlock Creek.  The side characters are around enough to give depth to the town and the experiences of the MC's as well as draw interest to the rest of the novels in the series.  Saffy came across as much younger than her 48 years and I wasn't sure how to reconcile that with her described life experience.  When I just didn't think about it I quite enjoyed that she was a more mature character.  Similarly with Bruce, the age thing didn't really come into play except when they mentioned their ages in reflection.  So while I enjoyed the mature ages in theory, it didn't read as a more mature romance novel.  That didn't detract, however, from the story or the characters and their individual journey to their happy ending.

I was actually surprised by the steam included in the story.  At the start of the book, I thought this would be a sweet/clean story, and for the most part it was.  But when Bruce and Saffy get together, they really get together and it's both fun and definitely sexy.  Some of the cussing sounded a little forced, like it was trying a little too hard to give these characters an edge.  I can see why one might think they needed that, I mean I don't suppose most people think that the cute, awkward, and sweet can have hot sex, yeah?  But aside from those few moments, this couple started and ended all of those things.  I really, really liked the way they blended all the tender with the ridiculous pets, the physical desire, and the life goal realignment.  The story felt complete and invited me to become invested not only in their outcome, but in the town and all the shenanigans.

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