They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. Hoover’s ( November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.Īt first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. Only for readers waiting with bated breath for the next Henry Adams story. Award-winning author Jenkins knows how to create sympathetic characters, but the residents of Henry Adams seem to have outlasted her capability to keep us interested in the goings-on of their lives for more than bits at a time. The format feels like an ongoing television series, with episodic moments that sometimes lead nowhere this might work for some readers. An ever growing cast of characters and a lack of a constantly engaging plot limits the reach of the novel, leaving the reader to experience an uneven balance of empty filler and engrossing moments. Finally, the continued coming-of-age of the town's collection of adopted teenagers evolves through family troubles, new teachers, attitude problems, and potential crushes.

In the meantime, a hired hit woman is after two of the town’s newest residents. While Mal is working to earn back the money lost and the trust of everyone in the county, grocery store manager Gary Clark is preparing for a high school reunion with both his ex-wife and the woman he loved before getting cruelly manipulated into marriage. Word travels quickly, and Mal loses the trust and respect of everyone in town and the surrounding areas-but most poignantly, Bernadine has decided to never forgive him. Unfortunately, due to misplaced male pride and momentary stupidity, Mal has screwed up and embezzled money belonging to the town only to lose it all to a con man. Several years into the new history of a budding small town, Bernadine has fallen in love with Malachi July and finally decided to pursue a relationship.

Jenkins' ( Tempest, 2018, etc.) ninth jaunt into Henry Adams continues the story of Bernadine Brown, who bought the town on eBay in the first Blessings novel. In the town of Henry Adams, Kansas, intrigue and second chances abound.

Second Time Sweeter by Beverly Jenkins