Florist Lara Williams gave up on love the day her soulmate rode off on his motorcycle into the sunset. Since then, she’s been living vicariously through her clients. As the owner of Stems, the leading florist for theme weddings in Beloved, Colorado, she’s responsible for making other’s dreams come true. Lara ’s resigned to live a life without love, but when Grayson rolls back into town, their relationship is full of thorns. Can an abandoned garden be brought back to life or is it destined to be fallow forever?

Tattoo artist Grayson Greer has everything he could possibly want. He always has. As the owner of the hottest tattoo parlor in Southern California, he’s living the dream. There is no end to the string of beautiful women lining up for a chance to be with him, but his heart belongs to another. When he’s summoned back to Beloved by his mother, he comes face to face with Lara, the one he left behind over a decade ago. He never meant to be gone forever, and now that he’s back, he’s determined to remind her what they once shared.

Will Grayson bring life back to a heart that wilted years ago? Or will Lara’s pain from the last time he left be as permanent as tattoo ink?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

While she trimmed the apricot colored roses for the bride’s bouquet, she thought back to the silliest names she’d come across in her career. There was a Fister, a Wacko, and a Loser, but the worst had to be the Shittles. Poor Dorothy had waited forty years for the man of her dreams, and he turned out to be a shit— well, a Shittle.

She loved Aidy— her life-long best friend— but she would describe her as a gossipaholic. If there was something new to be learned, someone new in town or some tidbit of gossip to share, Aidy was all over it… Lara wasn’t a gossipmonger. She listened to Aidy as a public service… Lara was afraid if she didn’t let Aidy have her ear for at least five minutes, poor Aidy would suffer elevated blood pressure or an information aneurysm.

Couldn’t let you go. You’ve always been with me, Lara… You’re like a dormant virus.

She was coming to his house because his mother invited her. This was like seeing an eclipse of a blood moon. Something profound and rare was in the works.

My Review:

This was the start of a new duet series featuring a second chance romance for a couple who had been high school sweethearts in a small-town. The plot and storylines were entertaining and easy to follow with a colorful cast of somewhat vexatious characters who, like most people I know, were not always likable. Their first romance had ended suddenly and dramatically, which remained a source of angst and resentment for Lara, as she was still bitter and angry at being cast aside over a decade ago as Grayson was on his way out of town.

Grayson had become a successful businessman and only returned to his small hometown after being summoned back by his ailing mother. Grayson deserved several well-placed kicks to the pants for being such an indulged and oblivious mama’s boy. The narrative alternated between angst, humor, and a few steamy delights. Comic relief was frequently provided by Lara’s over-exuberant best friend Aidy, who thrived on gossip and rumor in much the same way that I require my daily allotments of wine and cheese.