Synopsis
from Goodreads: If
only life were as simple as making a reservation.
Makenna
Rye Conroy was living the dream—amazing husband, beautiful new baby
daughter—when one night changed everything.
Almost
six years after Adam’s death, Makenna and her daughter Paige have
built a solid, happy life together. Makenna manages her brother’s
trendy restaurant, The Yard, and helps out at Ryeland Farms, the
family business, all while trying to navigate the world of private
school parenting. Sure, being a single mom has its challenges, but
she hardly has time to pack her daughter’s lunch in the morning,
let alone think about dating.
Travis
McNulty, the middle child and the biggest disappointment of the
McNulty clan, is a chef at his best friend’s new restaurant. He
gave up apologizing for not being the football hero his family wanted
a long time ago. In fact, Travis apologizes for very little these
days. He loves creating great food, it’s more of a passion than any
job, and he lives life on his own terms with as little complication
as possible.
For
the past couple years, Makenna and Travis have worked alongside each
other at The Yard, bickering, teasing, and never taking each other
very seriously. Until Makenna has her usual reoccurring dream, but
this time instead of her late husband as the featured man, Travis
stands in his place. Travis may be attracted to his best friend’s
sister, but she’s a widow and a mother, which tops the charts for
complicated in his book.
As
the game changes, Makenna and Travis, with a little help from Paige,
have to figure out what they are willing to risk to reserve a table
for three.
Stats
for my copy: Kindle edition, 2016.
How
acquired: NetGalley.
First
line: Makenna Rye Conroy was naked again.
My
thoughts: I
loved this book.
Seriously. Loved.
Makenna
is a single mom, managing her brother's restaurant and the business
side of her family's farm. She's been raising her daughter, Paige,
alone since her husband died when Paige was only five weeks old.
She's focused all her energy on her daughter and her work, and has
created a cozy little home for the two of them. She's had no desire
to date. But now suddenly she's had a dream about Travis, the hunky
chef at the restaurant, and her brother's best friend. And Travis,
being a player, a man whore, not to mention a co-worker, is
definitely off limits. So when her best friend, Sage, the bartender
at the restaurant, who has been harboring a crush on Makenna's
brother, suggests they sign up with an online dating site and put
themselves out there, Makenna agrees.
“Seriously, though, this is news. So you're...on the market now?”
“Wow, what an evolved and sensitive way to put it, Travis.”
“What? I could have said, 'So, I hear your rack shack is open for business.'”
Travis
has always crushed on Makenna a little bit, but she's his best
friend's little sister and has a child, so she's definitely off
limits. Travis doesn't do relationships or commitment. He does a
string of sexual encounters with women who have stripper names. But
when he notices Makenna seeming to notice him, he begins to really
notice her.
Makenna
is a great character, and kindergartner Paige is cute and funny and
precocious without ever crossing the line to dreaded plot moppet. And
Travis. Travis has a beard and rides a motorcycle, which is a strike
and a half against him – I don't care for beards, other than a
little scruff on occasion, and I'm not into motorcycles. In fact, he
didn't really tick any of my usual boxes, other than having a sense
of humor and being great with the child. And yet I absolutely adored
him. He's got some serious family baggage, and I liked the way the
author let that play out.
There are so many laugh out loud moments. I mean I literally laughed out loud, and often backtracked to read those passages again. The writing flows, and the characters and dialogue are well written and realistic, and just full of warmth and heart. And one scene at the end had me a blubbering mess. I stayed up until 1:00 in the morning to finish the book, which I rarely do.
So, seriously, a wonderful romance, and a wonderful book, and another author whose complete back list I now need to obtain. Not to mention Sage and Garrett's story coming out May 10!
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