Adult Contemporary Romance
Published by Omnific Publishing
Fender Barnes profits from an
institution he doesn’t believe in marriage. He’s a talented designer, but a
reluctant jewelry store owner, thanks to his pop’s retirement. He’s cynical,
he’s jaded, he’s not entirely certain about the concept of love, but he’s happy
to sell an eager young guy an engagement ring for his fiancée to be—until
moments after the transaction when that eager guy is hit by a car and killed,
and Fender’s conscience pays a rare visit.He retrieves the ring and decides to find the woman his customer intended to marry. That woman turns out to be Ginger Stevens, twenty-something ski instructor, who—despite being full of guilt and self-doubt after the death of her boyfriend—is someone Fender finds he quite enjoys being around. He’s smitten.
Which is all well and good, except that after he meets her, Fender can’t do it. Though it’s right there in his pocket, he can’t tell her about the ring. Instead, he embarks on a long, ridiculous quest to find a way to tell her the truth he knows she deserves. Aided by advice from Pop and the antics of his best friend Sam, Fender tries desperately to juggle his budding romance with the reality he knows could ruin it.
Will he find love or foul it up? Can Ginger move out of the past to embrace what the future has to offer? Meet this unlikely pair in Beck Anderson’s heartfelt and fabulously funny second novel, The Jeweler.
Add to your Goodreads list!
Review
This book was a surprise, in the best way. I didn't read any other reviews before I read it. I don't know why but I expected Fender to be completely different to what he turned out to be. I expected someone slight slick and maybe a little sleazy. Well, he does make his money from romance and love when he doesn't believe the hype.
He was actually a fairly regular guy and much easier to relate to than I thought he would be.
Ginger I took to straight away. I could really relate to a woman who is almost married but isn't quite sure how she got there or how much of herself she lost along the way.
The writing flows. It's descriptive but compact, allowing for the story to zip by without feeling forced and giving all the characters plenty of time to develop naturally. This is good. I was pulled in quickly and knew who I was dealing with quickly.
Ginger's grief and guilt is weaved throughout and at times seems an insurmountable challenge for Fender to get through.He starts off on the wrong foot and just keeps stepping wrong. I was rooting for these too.
I can recommend this book for anyone who loves romance with emotional substance.
5 stars
Beck Anderson loves to write about love and its power to heal and grow people past their many imperfections. She is a firm believer in the phrase "mistakes are for learning" and uses it frequently to guide her in writing life and real life.
Beck balances (clumsily at best) writing novels and screenplays, working full-time as an educator, mothering two pre-teen males, loving one post-40 husband, and making time to walk the foothills of Boise, Idaho, with Stefano DiMera Delfino Anderson, the suavest Chihuahua north of the border.
Excellent review, Carol! <3
ReplyDelete