Asher Wright has spent his career creating and concocting the perfect dishes and is about to open his very own restaurant. Life is good. His love life, however, is far from cooking! He hasn’t thought about Lucy Gray in years – not since they both graduated, reeling from the shocking loss of her then boyfriend and his best friend Kris, who tragically died at 18. So when he witnesses the breakdown of her wedding in all its humiliating glory - old wounds and long-buried emotions resurface.
As Lucy lands a right hook on her soon-to-be ex-fiancée in front of their entire wedding party, she has a moment of realization... Love is not on the menu for her! Fate, however, has other plans... A chance twist of events lands Asher as the private chef for Lucy’s spirited grandmother, Mitzi, and what begins as awkward encounters in Mitzi’s Portland mansion soon evolves into a simmering connection she never expected.
As Asher and Lucy work through their past they discover a bond that feels both familiar and excitingly new. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)
What are the chances that two friends from high school would run into one another in Vegas? For Asher and Lucy, it’s highly likely! Only, Lucy is there preparing for her wedding, while Asher is there with his younger brother to blow off some steam for his birthday in Sin City. I thought the premise behind that was a great way to introduce both main characters and introduce a major catalyst, which ends up being Lucy’s awful fiancee.
The background and the friendship between Asher and Lucy created a stumbling block when it comes to their relationship ever going beyond friendship. Lucy’s first love had died in a car accident, which Asher feels responsible for. So whenever he is around Lucy, thoughts of their tragic past comes back to haunt him. He also feels some guilt in having any feelings for Lucy. Lucy feels the same way. But it’s undeniable that the two now grownups are drawn to one another despite the past.
Another issue is Asher’s younger brother, Aaron. He has no intention of ever developing true feelings for someone, preferring a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” mentality that has kept him safe from ever getting hurt. Aaron begins a dalliance with Lucy’s best friend, now putting both Lucy and Asher in the middle of that whole potential mess. There was actually a scene in the book that irritated me a little bit, because Lucy feels it’s Asher’s job to make Aaron a better man and to be more responsible when it comes to her best friend’s feelings, but I sided with Asher in not wanting to get involved. I didn’t think it was right for Lucy to feel that Asher needed to “fix” it. But it was a major point where the reader could really begin to see more of the cracks surface in Asher and Lucy’s relationship.
When Lucy gets the chance to put her ex-fiancee in his place chapters down the road, it was pretty epic. And I enjoyed the sweet, soft-paced deep relationship that grew between Asher and Lucy, particularly because there is familiarity between them, but in many ways, they are both learning new things and functioning in more mature ways. I love when books are set in Oregon too; I’m from Oregon, born and raised! I felt the descriptions of the Portland landscape were very realistic. Third Time Lucky was a really delightful experience!
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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Aimee grew up in Oregon but is now a transplant living in cold Montana with her husband of twenty+ years, two of three children, and far too many pets. She is a lot older than she looks and yes, that is a tattoo across her chest.
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