Opposites-attract – An Unexpected Journey To Happiness
I must confess after reading my second book by this author now, I am officially joining the Haley Cass fan club, although that was actually already clear after Those Who Wait.
Brooke Watson has roots in Faircombe, Tennessee. It has been her home since birth and now she works there as the city manager. She lives and works in a structured way, loves order, and doesn’t like surprises at all. When she has to present unexpectedly a paper to fill in for a colleague at a convention far from home in San Diego, a lecture for which she was unprepared, the day takes a turn she would have gladly done without. As if the day wasn’t bad enough, she unexpectedly meets Taylor Vandenburg, her best friend’s older sister. Taylor, the woman who could drive Brooke up the wall in a second with her nonchalance and teasing, but who also exerts a fascination on Brooke.
Taylor – Made To Travel is not only the name of her travel blog, it has been her philosophy of life since she left Faircombe many years ago. She is at home everywhere and nowhere and loves it that way. But when her little sister Savannah asks her to come to Faircombe and stand by her side, she can’t say no, even though she has no idea how she’s going to last several weeks in that town.
I like how different the author created Brooke and Taylor’s personalities, but the more I got to know them, the better I saw that the two could complement each other very well. Brooke has a personality of her own. She works hard, stands up for her ideas and the well-being of her town, is kind and sometimes grumpy in an endearing way. Since she was a teenager she has struggled with feelings for Taylor that go beyond friendship. But she fights them because she is convinced that Taylor, Ms. Independence, will never settle down and sees herself as a mere victim of Taylor’s teasing anyway. Fruitless to act on her feelings, right? I’m convinced you couldn’t ask for a better friend than Brooke and I wish I had her talent for order and organization at least once in a while.
Taylor is the complete opposite of Brooke. Always on the road and on the lookout for the next destination. But after spending some time in Faircombe, she begins to see her hometown through Brooke’s eyes and maybe the concept of settling down isn’t as foreign as it had felt for her before. Her attraction for Brooke increases inexorably and even though Taylor has the ability to read Brooke like an open book on most issues, she fails when Taylor herself is the subject.
When Brooke can no longer resist her attraction for Taylor either, they enjoy the “thing” they have with each other. Neither wants to name it more specifically, let alone talk about feelings. But it feels fantastic. The chemistry between them sparks so brightly that Faircombe wouldn’t even need Christmas lights. The love scenes are sizzling hot. They embark on a sometimes bumpy journey, the outcome of which both can only dream of.
Haley Cass has a unique gift for writing romances, writing about moods, attraction, and feelings that you can immediately feel and empathize with. I love it when a story gives me the feels. Even though her books can be a bit long-winded, they never bore me. I always have the need to know everything about the MCs, every thought and feeling they have. They grow on you the longer the journey goes.
5 stars
ARC provided by the author to LezReviewBooks in exchange for an honest review.
