Review: Firefly Valley by Amanda Cabot

Book Cover and Synopsis:

Marisa St. George is devastated when she is a victim of downsizing and has no choice but to return to the small Texas town where she grew up. Though it's a giant step backward, she accepts a position as business manager at the struggling Rainbow's End resort. The only silver lining is Blake Kendall, a new guest who is making her believe in love at first sight. But will her dreams of happily-ever-after be turned upside down when she discovers who he really is?

My source for book: Local Library

My Thoughts:
Though I enjoyed the first book in the series, this one unfortunately wasn't able to live up to its predecessor. The characters didn't have much appeal for me...some of them were minor characters in the previous book and were enjoyable there, but to bring them into a starring role for this book just didn't work for me.

I liked the idea that Blake was an anonymous best selling author, but I didn't care for the fact that the questionable content of his books was such a huge topic. Both sides of the issue seemed overly preachy to me and I honestly didn't want to take either side because it was all just a bit over the top. The scene where Blake ultimately sees the impact his books have on impressionable people was a bit too obvious and felt out of place with the flow of the story.

Marisa's abandonment and anger issues towards her father were very valid and understandable from my point of view, but at the same time her unbending nature starts to get old and ultimately makes things feel a bit repetitive, especially since it affects her relationship with Blake. They are very on again/off again and it got to the point where I didn't really even care if they stayed together or split.

I can usually judge my opinion of a book by how long it takes me to finish it. My favorites I finish in under a week, and others take me longer. This one took me a month because I had so much trouble staying interested. By the halfway point I was tired of it and ready for things to wrap up, and at the three-quarter mark I considered (many times) just quitting because I no longer cared about the characters. For better or worse I pressed on and did finally finish, but it was out of sheer stubbornness. Honestly I'm sure there are many people out there who will enjoy the story, but it just didn't resonate with me at all.

My Rating: 2.5 stars