Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Second Chance Grill, by Christine Nolfi

After the death of her best friend, Mary needs to take a break from her medical practice.  She finds herself in Liberty, Ohio, having inherited her aunt's restaurant.  Mary decides to reopen the restaurant, and takes on the task of running it, temporarily, until she is able to return to medicine.  But, something unexpected happens when Mary befriends a young girl named Blossom, and Blossom's father Anthony.  Suddenly, nothing is going as planned, for everyone involved.

I was so excited to learn a second book was being released in this series set in a small Ohio town.  Having grown up in a small Ohio town, the setting is one that speaks to me quite deeply.  The characters are so vivid, and reminiscent of the people I knew growing up.  I really liked Mary's character, I found her genuine and robustly developed.  And the interactions between Mary, Blossom, and Anthony are really quite touching.

I liked that this story has the aspects of romance, and passion, but were still moderately tame and in good taste.  I also liked that the romance was merely one aspect of the story.  There are several subplots which are rich stories in their own right, while still contributing well to the overall story of the novel.  The book was an engaging read, prompting me to read it cover to cover in one sitting.  I think that this book will appeal to fans of small town stories, as well as romances and dramatic novels.  All in all, an excellent read.

I received a review copy courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review.



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3 comments:

  1. Tiffany, thank you for kindly reading and reviewing Second Chance Grill.

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  2. Looks like a good book. I was with a woman born in a town of 1,200 souls fifty miles north of Dayton. These people are the most difficult in the world to treat sensitively. 78.3% voted for Romney, for example - and really, they want outsiders to know them as stereotypes. To enter the mind and soul of a caricature, to find a real human being living there desperate to share his or her real life is to master empathy.

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