Currant Creek Valley

February 18, 2013
Readers turned off by explicit romance will appreciate Thayne’s refreshingly tame fourth Hope’s Crossing contemporary (after Sweet Laurel Falls). Executive chef Alexandra McKnight is about to open her first restaurant but must rely on building contractor Sam Delgado to help make her dream a reality. Through an innocent exploration of friendship, they realize that their difficult pasts have prepared them for a happy future. With a fully developed cast of supporting characters, it’s easy to become immersed in the admittedly stock plot and get carried away to a realistically imperfect small town. The romance between Alex and Sam focuses on the sensuality of two people getting to know each other emotionally rather than sheer physicality—though there’s certainly a touch of spice. Thayne reins in both heartbreak and tenderness; readers might sniffle at a few points, but they won’t sob.

April 1, 2013
Alexandra McKnight is about to realize her dream of being a chef when Brodie Thorne, a wealthy resident of Hope's Crossing, decides to build an upscale restaurant. Sam Delgado, a widowed carpenter, is brought in from Denver to finish the building. Alex likes short romances; she doesn't want a long-term commitment and always checks to make sure the men she dates are not married or already in a relationship. So her plan to have a fling with the handsome carpenter runs into complications when it turns out that Sam has a six-year-old son and will be making Hope's Crossing his permanent home. Characters encountered in Thayne's (Woodrose Mountain, 2012) earlier books make appearances that enhance the pleasure for fans but won't detract from the experience of readers new to the series. As always, the denizens of this small, authentic Colorado town work their way right into the hearts of readers in Thayne's latest feel-good read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)