carolesrandomlife

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.

I enjoyed this complicated romance. There really was a whole lot of story packed into this novel. I really do like the fact that this series isn't afraid to touch upon difficult subjects, including mental illness in this book. I do wish that the story focused on the romance between Holly and Josh a bit more than it did. This book really felt like it was more about Holly's family issues than anything else but I did enjoy the overall story.



Holly is the oldest of four sisters and has always held the role of protector. In fact she has almost raised her two youngest sisters, Portia and Emma, along with help from her sister, Grace. When Portia disappears from their home in London, Canada, Holly goes to Chicago to find her. Portia is mentally ill and has not been taking her medication so Holly has a lot to worry about and only one clue....Josh.

Josh is attractive and he knows it. He tries hard to be a good person and not take advantage of anyone. When he runs into Holly, he is shocked and is quickly pulled into her quest to find her sister. The pair soon develop feelings for each other but Holly isn't sure that she can fit a relationship into her life along with all the responsibilities that she has in caring for her sisters.

I really liked the story and all of the characters but felt that the romance took a back seat to the drama involving Holly's sisters. At times, Holly's sisters seemed like stronger characters than Holly since their needs really took over the book. I really wanted more romance in this story. I didn't feel the chemistry between Josh and Holly that I had hoped for. I actually think that the pair were more interesting before they found Holly's sister. Of course, they never seemed to be alone together after that happened. As each sister appeared on the page, the chemistry seemed to weaken. I wanted their actions to show what they felt for each other instead of needing to be told.



I did enjoy reading this book quite a bit. This is the second book in the Willow Park series but it can definitely be read as a stand alone novel. The only thing that this book shares with the first is the setting and a few of the characters. I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as the first book in the series but it was certainly a worthwhile read. I would recommend this book and found it to be a very easy to read and entertaining story. I plan to continue reading this series and look forward to other works by Sarah Hegger.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Kensington Books - Zebra via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.

Initial Thoughts
Nice little story but I would have liked to see a larger focus on the romance instead of Holly's sisters.