Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Book Review: April's Glow

By Melissa Amster

Distracting herself from a string of bad luck and a disastrous love life, bubbly April Vedora throws herself into her new business —April’s Glow, a candle store in seaside Tarrin’s Bay — the enchanting scents and colourful atmosphere provide a safe haven. But outside business hours she’s clueless about her personal life.

When a mysterious loner moves in next door, she can’t help but become intrigued, and ex-soldier Zac Masterson is equally fascinated by April. But both have sworn off relationships, and while April avoids her emotions by keeping busy and sociable, Zac hides away from the world — and his past.


As the pair chip away at each other’s facades and secrets are revealed, April fears that the man she is unwillingly falling for could represent everything she’s worked so hard to avoid. Or could they be just what the other needs?


They’ve shared their secrets over the back fence, but resolving the past is going to mean opening the doors to their hearts — and letting each other in.
(Synopsis courtesy of Juliet Madison.)

I am really enjoying the "Tarrin's Bay" series and wish I didn't have to wait so long between books. They're short, but incredibly sweet and lovingly written. I always know I'm in for a treat, and a few teary moments, with each one. April's Glow is no exception. Aside from the tears, I also laughed and smiled quite a lot. The dialogue is so genuine and the story focuses more on thoughts and interactions than descriptions. However, it is still easy to visualize people and places without needing much to go on. I was able to relate to the way April felt at various times, Also, the romantic scenes left me feeling fluttery.

Juliet also addressed a topic I wouldn't have given much thought to, and I thought she did it in an interesting and sensitive way. There was another issue that was also handled really well throughout the story.

Overall, this is another great story that I enjoyed thoroughly. I await the characters I'll get to meet in the May book, although I hope Juliet writes more about some of April's friends in future novels from this series.

Of course, I had to cast this for Hollywood's consideration:
April: Hayley Atwell (Who happens to be born in April!)
Zac: Michael Fassbender (He also was born in April!)

Thanks to Escape Publishing for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Other "Tarrin's Bay" novels:

2 comments:

Janine said...

Sounds really good. Thanks for the recommendation and great review.

Hair and nails said...

Huh, both are good at chipping- quite unlikely in the real world.