[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Emma’s father opened the Sweetery in Starlight Cove over 30 years ago. When he died, her step-mother Gillian used a management company to run it for awhile. But Emma works there now, prepping the chocolates every day, handling sales and supplies. At one time she had some ideas for changing or expanding the business, but Gillian wasn’t interested. Now, Gillian says she wants to sell the shop. And Emma is in no position to buy it.
Emma’s had some tough breaks in life. Her mother gave her up as a baby. When she was a kid, her dad died, and Gillian refused to raise her and left Emma with her grandmother instead. Her fiancé was killed ten years ago while being a Good Samaritan. And a decision to help an unreliable friend left Emma in a credit nightmare.
Helping others. That’s something Emma and her fiancé Joe had in common. Joe’s help sadly got him killed. Emma’s friends are concerned that her efforts to “save the world” could backfire on Emma, too. Like the stranger in town, living out of her car with her son. Emma gives her food, helps her find some work, and gives her a place to stay. That compulsion to help surely comes from the losses in her life. But Emma doesn’t always recognize the risks.
That helpful nature. though, also means others are willing to help Emma when she needs it. An unexpected discovery could give Emma a chance to buy the Sweetery from her step-mother. And her friends are ready to help her make connections and build a business plan. But when the rug is pulled out from under her, Emma is left wonder what her future holds.
Review
This was good! I felt for Emma; her helping thing felt very Enneagram 2-ish to me. So many of her circumstances were no fault of her own. She just had to live with the fall out. But all the things that converge in this story a) get her to do some self-evaluation and b) prompt her to deal with a couple of things that are in her power to influence. This was great.
Apparently this is the third book in the Starlight Cove series. (Book one is The Lighthouse Keeper, and book 2 is The Winemaker’s Secret.) While some of the characters from the first two books play a role in this one, this book completely stands on its own. I didn’t feel like I was missing anything starting with this book.
A few twists in this one, and some emotional ups and downs made for an engaging tale. There’s a LOT going on here. There’s the situation with the store, the situation with Emma’s step-mother, then there’s the woman and her son that Emma helps. Emma’s also responsible for the care of her elderly grandmother. Then there’s also a potential romance for Emma as well as her grief over her fiancé. On top of all of that there’s an art piece threaded through the whole story. There’s a lot here for readers to enjoy – and a lot of threads for the author to track. I never once felt like she didn’t have full control of her story, which is masterful.
If you enjoy a character-driven story with lots of moving pieces which never feel like “too much,” check out the Starlight Cove series and A Bittersweet Surprise in particular.