Adam Shephard is not in a rut.
So what if he’s forty, single, and still running his family’s Inn? So what if he’s still grieving his father’s death and mourning the spectacular failure of his writing career? His life is perfectly fine, thank you very much. He’s not looking for love or a relationship, no matter what his nosy family thinks. Especially not with a writer from out of town.
Which is fine, because bestselling author Hazel Woodward isn’t looking for love either. She’s just looking for an escape, which is how she winds up in Gossamer Falls, a town where magic feels more than just make believe.
With her deadline looming, Hazel has only a few weeks to submit the first hundred pages of her manuscript or forfeit her hefty advance—which might be a problem, because she’s been living off of it for the past two years. While getting divorced, losing her best friend to a heartbreaking betrayal, and dealing with the worst case of writers block ever known to man. Now, in the picturesque town of Gossamer Falls, while staying at the Shephard Inn, she’s hoping she can put the past behind her and focus on her career.
There’s a reason Adam doesn’t get involved with his guests, even ones with the most amazing brown eyes he’s ever seen. Even ones as gorgeous, smart, and talented as Hazel. Because in the end, they all leave.
But there’s magic in the air, and he can’t watch Hazel struggle. Especially when he just might have the solution to her writer’s block.
Too bad it might cost him his heart.
Review:
Oh, this was lovely!
Tara Wyatt kicks off a new series (Gossamer Falls) with her latest, Just Like Magic. Adam and Hazel’s story is a bit of a new direction for Ms Waytt–it’s a contemporary romance with strong friendship and family ties and set in a small town, which are all familiar territory for the author, but with the addition of a dash of mysticism, maybe some magic, and probably (definitely?) a small handful of friendly spirits. It’s sweet and sexy and makes me think about taking a quick road trip to the Hudson River valley to look for innkeepers who could double as Henry Cavill lookalikes.
Or maybe I could just break out my tarot cards again. I’ll for sure do at least one of those two things soon. 😉
Adam and Hazel’s story is relatively angst-free–most of the tension comes from outside sources (except for Adam’s insistence in the beginning that legends, ghosts, and magic are silly fiction) and gets resolved in an angst-free and realistic way. Both MCs are a bit older, which I really liked as well, and I loved that they didn’t shy away from actual communication (the fact that they’re both authors probably didn’t hurt here) and making decisions together like adults.
Angst-free but swoon-worthy. I can definitely get behind that combination!
Adam is the oldest of six, and Ms Wyatt gave us some definite clues as to where future books might go–I’m pretty sure I spotted 2, if not 3 future book pairings as I read, and I’m not going to be upset about any of them. I’m already counting the days until my next visit to Gossamer Falls!
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.