Musings and Ramblings

This was not my typical read. I mean, I am sure plenty of people like books about collapsed relationships and them being put back together, but it's not typically my thing. Too many years ago to count, it seemed like every other book that I saw was about a feuding couple and how they were about ready to divorce and them fixing the relationship. I think I was burnt out on them, or maybe just burnt out of the drama laden story lines with the characters doing pages and pages of soul searching monologues. Blech!. I am a simple girl - give me good dialogue and lots of it and I am a happy camper. And that is probably why I was drawn to this book. Yes, the drama is there, but so is the dialogue. The dialogue is witty and thought provoking and snarky and funny and alive . The plot moves along because the characters are interacting with one another. It is a beautiful thing when done right. And it was done right in this book.

We are introduced to the characters Gavin and Elizabeth "Lizzy" Bergstrum when she shows up at her father-in-law's Oregon farm three months after Gavin has retreated to it for "time to think". Basically Lizzy is tired of waiting around for her husband and is there to either get him back or figure out how to move on without him. Lizzie is upfront and honest about admitting that she had been ignoring her husband due to the demands of her writing career. She is willing to make changes and compromises to her writing career in order to get Gavin back. Lizzie just wants the chance to work on it with some honest communication.

Gavin on the other hand is massively pissed that his wife has intruded on his time away. He wanted the time to get it figured out in his head whether he wanted to move forward with a divorce. And now Lizzie has shown up and upset his equilibrium and caused him to reexamine just where the blame in their relationship actually lies. At first all Gavin does is snarl and snap and growl and basically be a horses ass, but he eventually stops and actually talks to Lizzie and not just at her.

What was great about this book, was not only was this the story of Lizzie and Gavin, but also about Graham, Gavin's younger brother and Clare, a long time friend of Graham. It was like 2 romances in one. Plus, Gavin and Graham's dad, Ray was a hoot. He practically stole every scene he was in. He dispenses words of wisdom and kicks in the rear in equal measure, dependent on what is needed most. At this point I want the younger brother's stories, just to be able to see more of Ray.

I am so glad that I got a chance to read and do a review for this book. There was some minor tear shedding, but more often than not I was giggling and smirking at what was going on between the characters. This book is getting 4 stars on Goodreads. I will have to keep my eye on Ms. Beairsto in the hopes of the younger Bergstrum boys getting stories of their own.