Title: Love on a Whim
Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher
Publisher: Revell
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3949-2
“Some bone-deep feeling that told you this was the right man for you. For one brief moment in your life, your gut instinct overruled your logic. And now you’re trying to smother it,” Brynn is told in Suzanne Woods Fisher’s novel, Love on a Whim.
~ What ~
The third in the Cape Cod Creamery series, this three-hundred-page paperback targets those interested in a romance about a young woman trying to make life-altering changes regarding love and passion based on instincts, not practicality. With no profanity, topics of abandonment, illness, and death may not be appropriate for immature readers. While the beginning has a cast of characters and a glossary of ice cream making, the ending includes eleven discussion questions, an author’s note, an excerpt from the writer’s novella collections, acknowledgments, the author’s biography, and advertisements.
In this current-day story based in a fictional coastal town in Massachusetts, thirty-year-old Brynn has fled from her 24-hour marriage and into the arms of her loving and sometimes overbearing friends. Always taking the logical avenue in life, she goes out of her comfort zone by helping with a dear one’s family wedding while trying to find out what she wants in life. Only by sweet forgiveness is the lesson learned about the choices she and others make.
~ Why ~
This is the third sequel that involves the close-knit characters of the prior books who are likable and reliable, always looking out for each other. The dynamics between Brynn and her friends and her new husband show their love for each other as they deal with their faults and failures. I like how Brynn’s friends, those who controlled, over-achieved, or were understanding, were believable and well-written. Although it is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone book.
~ Why Not ~
Finding and marrying a person in a twenty-four-hour period seemed a bit unrealistic, especially since no consummation of the marriage was mentioned. As a Christian, I found the book missed the opportunity to give the exact plan of salvation (Jesus dying on the cross and forgiving our sin which is the ultimate act of forgiveness), but only that communion changed one’s heart. One of the characters controlling everyone and everything may be obnoxious to some readers. The romantic conclusion was easy to spot early in the story.
~ Wish ~
While most characters mentioned God or prayed to Him, there was little reliance on Him that could have been expounded instead of listening to one’s gut feelings. I wish all pronouns of God were capitalized for reverence. Adding a map of the town would be helpful.
~ Want ~
If you like a continuing small-town romantic read, this one on how forgiveness is an essential ingredient for any meaningful relationship is sweet.
I received a complimentary copy from Revell. I was under no obligation to give a positive review.
#Revell #LoveonaWhimNovel #SuzanneWoodsFisher #CapeCodContemporaryRomance
This book can be found at https://amzn.to/4dN5wAj
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