She always followed the path of least resistance…until it leads her to a small town where she can follow her dreams.
When Emma Cantrell’s marriage imploded, she learned a fast and painful lesson about trusting her heart. Then, on a visit to Magnolia, North Carolina, to see her brother, an elegant, if dilapidated, mansion for sale presents the opportunity to start over. Risking everything on her dream of opening the Wildflower Inn, Emma buys the house…just as the storm of the century hits, severely damaging the structure. But a chance meeting with Holly, a bride-to-be in desperate need of a new venue, gives her hope…and the name of a contractor who’ll work fast and cheap, allowing Emma to repair the inn in time to host the wedding and save her investment.
A furniture builder who hasn’t picked up a tool in the five years since his wife died, Cameron Mitchell has no intention of agreeing to help this beautiful—and, he’d guess, entitled—woman insisting that he fix her inn. Until he learns that Emma was sent by Holly, the little sister of his late wife. Grudgingly, Cameron agrees to do the work, with one condition: that he be left completely alone. But the more time they spend together, the more Emma touches a part of his heart he was sure died long ago, forcing him to try making peace with his past.
I received physical copy for an honest review]
Wildflower Season is the first standalone in a small town romance series by Michelle Major called Carolina Girls. This is my first time reading Michelle Majors, but I really enjoyed the writing, so I plan to go back and read her Magnolia sisters series which I take place in the same town as this series and can’t wait for more books in this one!
Emma had a bad divorce and has decided to start fresh in the small town of Magnolia. When the old mansion she bought ends up worse because of a storm, she might have to call it quits on her dream of opening it into an inn. A chance meeting with a bride in need gives her hope and a reason to try again. Cam has agreed to repair the Inn the bride, his sister-in-law, can have the wedding she deserves, even though he’s less than thrilled to do it. Cam is a widower who has spent the past five years hiding from the world, but will Emmaand her joy at the Wildflower Inn bring him back to the world or decide he’s better with the way he has become.
Both our lead characters have wounded hearts. Cam from losing his wife and Emma from her ex-husband destroying her trust. Yet they both deal with those wounds differently. Cam by shouting himself off from those he loves because of guilt, and Emma by starting over and being more herself than she’s ever been. He is the definition of a romance novel grumpy crouch, and I was here for most of it except for his hot and cold back and forth with Emma. I absolutely loved how fierce Emma was. The woman had her heart stomped on and trust destroyed but she faces her new life head on. She was honest and upfront with Cam, and I loved that she called him out on his wallowing.
This is a low steam romance, but it still has some steamy lead up to their intimacy. It doesn’t go into detail of the final act, only a few sentences each time, but that doesn’t take away from being able to feel the sexual chemistry between them. My favorite part of their relationship was the flirty friendship the formed and there’s a fishing outing, among other scenes, that was just really sweet and fun.
Emma befriends a couple of ladies in town who become her partners at the Wildflower Inn. Each looking for a fresh start in Magnolia and the Inn. I’m looking forward to the other two girls getting their own happily ever afters.
OnceUpon_A_BookDream 