If you like small town/second-chance romances with fun, quirky characters, give this book a read. Seems like feisty tackle shop owner Mylie has been pinning for school friend Ben since, well, probably since their school days. Ben left, though, to pursue his dream of becoming a professor and is only back in town to sell his family home. He'd made a promise to his mother that he'd visit one more time before selling it but figures to get in and out quick. No muss, no fuss, no entanglements. He didn't count on Mylie. Their accidental cute re-meet starts out somewhat tensely for reasons you'll discover, but they are soon back to best buddies status at the very least. Do I need to tell you that doesn't last long?
Mylie is a bit of a contradiction, employing a good chunk of the town's population at her tackle shop in Clay Creek, Arkansas, while remaining stuck on her old flame/best friend. Grannie is, well, I wasn't really sure to begin with. Part stereotypical feisty ol' lady with the heart of gold who's as likely to pull a gun on you as to offer you a cookie (or some moonshine), while Mylie's step-sister Callie is a typical teen with all the ups and downs and missteps you'd expect of a teen. One thing you'll quickly discover, too, is how quick and efficient the town's gossip mill is, not to mention how very, very seriously they take their bingo nights. Ben has been away long enough to both forget but fall quickly back into the rhythm of small town life, one that includes not only bingo but Stanley, Mylie's dog and Stanley's nemesis, Fat Tony, a raccoon that seems to be part town pet, part menace, and downright entertaining. I mean, what's a raccoon going to do with a cell phone anyway? Not so entertaining is Robbie, mean and menacing, who seems to have earned his reputation as the town's bad news legitimately. I won't give away the plot but will say he has a grudge against Mylie. Others flit in and out of the story, ranging from the clerk at a nearby gas station to the doctor at the ER who, unfortunately, you will get to meet. Nope, not telling why. Read the book. Grin.
Bottom line, while in some ways not much seems to be happening aside from preparation for the local fishing tournament and the sparks flying between Mylie and Ben, there's actually a lot going on. You'll still get a full dose of small town gossip and fun. One plus of the narrative is that we get the perspective of both Mylie and Ben periodically, with even some of young Callie's thoughts. I'm pretty sure we don't want to know Fat Tony's thoughts, especially in some of the fixes he finds himself trapped in. A fun read, characters you'll like, even while not quite grasping the logic behind them initially, small town quirkiness, a fishing tournament, and some minor sexual moments that are really more about feelings than actions, so it simply adds to the growing senses of learning who these characters really are. Thanks #Avon - #HarperVoyager for the early introduction to Mylie and Ben. It didn't take me long to fall into the rhythm of life in Clay Creek and I'll definitely be on the lookout for this author's next books.
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