The Sweet Lake Series Book 2
Length: 318 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Started: 16 June 2017
Finished: 30 June 2017
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Christine Nolfi for sending me a copy of this book to read from Netgalley.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 29 April 2017
Why do I have it? I like contemporary romance and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.
Like the populations of so many other small towns across the country, the residents of Sweet Lake, Ohio, pride themselves on knowing everything about their neighbors' business. Sometimes they even know more about their neighbors business than their neighbors do. However, the town of Sweet Lake certainly lives up to its name - it's a close-knit, caring community that takes care of its own. Such is the case with Catalina Mendoza.
Like the populations of so many other small towns across the country, the residents of Sweet Lake, Ohio, pride themselves on knowing everything about their neighbors' business. Sometimes they even know more about their neighbors business than their neighbors do. However, the town of Sweet Lake certainly lives up to its name - it's a close-knit, caring community that takes care of its own. Such is the case with Catalina Mendoza.
Cat Mendoza is the youngest daughter of the Mendoza family; a spirited young woman who has seen her fair share of struggles in life. She has lived in the tiny town of Sweet Lake for her entire life and can't honestly imagine herself living anywhere else. Her mother, Sylvia is a founding member of the eccentric Sweet Lake Sirens and so Cat is generally considered to be an honorary member as well. As a matter of fact, she loves the Sirens as much as the members of her own family.
After spending years following her impulsive nature both in life and in business, Cat must now convince the residents of Sweet Lake that she has learned her lesson. With the shadow of a business failure hanging over her head - as well as several failed relationships behind her - she is finally ready to turn things around. She is determined to prove to everyone that she is a capable person; able to take her responsibilities seriously. And she hopes to make her family proud of her again.
As the recently hired events director of the newly refurbished Wayfair Inn, Cat is truly feeling the pressure of being given this second chance. She certainly doesn't want to disappoint anybody, even though she knows that she has the support of her best friends Linnie and Jada. However, it seems as if everyone else - from her overprotective mother to the well-meaning Sweet Lake Sirens - are all eager to offer her advice from their various areas of 'corporate expertise'. While she sincerely appreciates their input and suggestions, Cat can't help but feel slightly overwhelmed by the Sirens' seemingly unquenchable eagerness.
Although she always tries her best to be considerate of their feelings, Cat freely admits to herself that the Sirens can occasionally try her patience. From presenting her with a calendar of hypothetical community events hosted by the Sweet Lake Sirens to offering quiet critiques of her apparently too-tight clothing, Cat is painfully aware of the number of times that she has had to bite her tongue to keep herself calm. As a matter of fact, she doesn't even want to mention some of the Sirens more outlandish ideas to their newly-contracted advertising agency. After all Miri is an old friend of hers, and she's doing Cat a favor by taking the Wayfair Inn on as a new client with her agency; so, Cat's hoping to keep the 'Sweet Lake Sirens Motivational Speaking Tour' on the back burner...way, way back on the back burner!
However, the Sirens can't help but chime in with advice about Cat's dormant love life, her unique fashion choices, and her undeniable attraction to Ryan D'Angelo - the charming advertising executive hired to promote the inn. Although her confidence is shaken by his arrival, Cat knows that she should keep Ryan at a distance. She wants to be taken seriously and needs to remain professional in all her dealings with him. Yet the closer they get to each other, the more Cat is drawn to the heartbreak that Ryan tries to hide.
Cat's heart goes out to him for all the pain he has gone through in his past, but her mind is troubled by so many unanswered questions. Could discovering Ryan's deepest secrets actually endanger everything and everyone that she holds dear? She has so many dreams that she wants to achieve in life, does she stand to lose much more than just her heart - or will she gain something to cherish forever?
I have to say that once again, Ms. Nolfi has written a wonderful book. In my opinion, the story was fast-paced and well-developed. I appreciated that while this was the second book in the series, both stories were actually easily differentiated from each other. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would definitely give it a strong A! I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
A! - (90-95%)
As the recently hired events director of the newly refurbished Wayfair Inn, Cat is truly feeling the pressure of being given this second chance. She certainly doesn't want to disappoint anybody, even though she knows that she has the support of her best friends Linnie and Jada. However, it seems as if everyone else - from her overprotective mother to the well-meaning Sweet Lake Sirens - are all eager to offer her advice from their various areas of 'corporate expertise'. While she sincerely appreciates their input and suggestions, Cat can't help but feel slightly overwhelmed by the Sirens' seemingly unquenchable eagerness.
Although she always tries her best to be considerate of their feelings, Cat freely admits to herself that the Sirens can occasionally try her patience. From presenting her with a calendar of hypothetical community events hosted by the Sweet Lake Sirens to offering quiet critiques of her apparently too-tight clothing, Cat is painfully aware of the number of times that she has had to bite her tongue to keep herself calm. As a matter of fact, she doesn't even want to mention some of the Sirens more outlandish ideas to their newly-contracted advertising agency. After all Miri is an old friend of hers, and she's doing Cat a favor by taking the Wayfair Inn on as a new client with her agency; so, Cat's hoping to keep the 'Sweet Lake Sirens Motivational Speaking Tour' on the back burner...way, way back on the back burner!
However, the Sirens can't help but chime in with advice about Cat's dormant love life, her unique fashion choices, and her undeniable attraction to Ryan D'Angelo - the charming advertising executive hired to promote the inn. Although her confidence is shaken by his arrival, Cat knows that she should keep Ryan at a distance. She wants to be taken seriously and needs to remain professional in all her dealings with him. Yet the closer they get to each other, the more Cat is drawn to the heartbreak that Ryan tries to hide.
Cat's heart goes out to him for all the pain he has gone through in his past, but her mind is troubled by so many unanswered questions. Could discovering Ryan's deepest secrets actually endanger everything and everyone that she holds dear? She has so many dreams that she wants to achieve in life, does she stand to lose much more than just her heart - or will she gain something to cherish forever?
I have to say that once again, Ms. Nolfi has written a wonderful book. In my opinion, the story was fast-paced and well-developed. I appreciated that while this was the second book in the series, both stories were actually easily differentiated from each other. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would definitely give it a strong A! I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
A! - (90-95%)
May you read well and often
