Rosie’s #BookReview Team #RBRT #RomCom LOVE, LOOK AWAY by @LisetteBrodey

Today’s team review is from Cathy, she blogs here https://betweenthelinesbookblog.wordpress.com/

Cathy has been reading Love, Look Away by Lisette Brodey

Impressively named Godiva Genevieve Jones entered Sage Gordon’s life, and gift shop, at exactly the right time. The fact that Godiva managed to get rid of an angry customer and step into a very recent job opening worked just fine for Sage. Godiva was perfect for the store, calm and professional, totally unlike her predecessor.

Sage has resolved to turn her back on love and concentrate on running her store. Jimmy, the boy she grew up with and her first love, disappeared suddenly and without a word. All her attempts to trace him failed and she struggles to come to terms with not knowing why Jimmy disappeared and where he is. That, combined with the deception by her fiancé and best friend which left her shell shocked has put her off romance. She and Godiva have a lot in common and become fast friends. Sage is content with good friendships, her cats and her dog, Rufus.

““I’m so sorry they both hurt you, honey. And I’m even more sorry you never found Jimmy.”

Sage fiddled with the leather-studded bracelet on her wrist. “It doesn’t seem logical that we can meet people that we love so much, only to find out that it’s not meant to be. It’s happened to me twice. I just don’t understand. I’ve been ‘in like’ several times, but that’s not the same. It doesn’t tear your heart into pieces when you part ways.””

Despite her best efforts to make love look away, two very different men stir up emotions Sage would prefer not to feel. Adam Canoga, an old friend and Australian Benton Bradley, over on business, both make their interest in Sage plain, while she does her best to keep things on a ‘just friends’ level.

Love, Look Away was a lighthearted change from the grittier reads I’m more accustomed to. The town of Swansea, although fictional, was a charming setting. I love shops like Sage Earth Gifts and enjoyed descriptions of the items on sale. The characters are well defined, giving an immediate sense of their personalities and, even if one or two are a little over the top with some not quite realistic dialogue, they were likeable.

The story moved along at a steady pace, with lots of detail which added to the imagery. Love, Look Away is an enjoyable romantic comedy.

Twenty-nine-year-old Sage Gordon has had it with love. When she’s not busy running her metaphysical gift shop in the old-money town of Swansea, New York, she’s content with the company of her dog and two cats.

Years ago, the boy she thought she’d marry some day disappeared in the middle of the night and was never heard from again. Haunted by the loss of Jimmy, she remains wary about love, until she is set up with a gorgeous NYC marketing executive. Love moves quickly, and she finds herself engaged — but if only he had betrayed her before she sent out the save-the-date cards.

Sage reverts to her former mindset: love, look away. Forever. Despite her best efforts, though, two completely different yet wonderful men enter her life. Still haunted by the past, can she let romance back into her life?

AmazonUk | AmazonUS

Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #RomCom LOVE, LOOK AWAY by @LisetteBrodey #TuesdayBookBlog

Today’s team review is from Sandra, she posts her reviews here http://www.firthproof.co.uk/index.php/book-reviews

Sandra has been reading Love, Look Away by Lisette Brodey

Set in Swansea (New York not Wales), like her previous novel Molly Hacker is Too Picky!, this is the story of Sage Gordon who owns the gift shop, Sage Earth Gifts. It is not a sequel but does feature some of the same characters. We see the world through Sage’s eyes, and at the start of the book she is not in a good place.

The book opens with a ‘difficult’ customer causing a scene and introduces the other main character, Godiva Genevieve Jones. The two women bond over their recent romantic troubles and become firm friends really quickly. Running through the story is the mystery of Sage’s childhood friend, Jimmy, who just disappeared in the night and was never heard from again. She has tried and failed to trace him, and it’s almost like she can’t move on until she finds out what happened to him. All I’ll say is that it seems like we’ll never know, but in a wonderful, dramatic movie-style ending the truth is finally revealed.

While the new-agey theme of the shop is not to my taste, anyone who has ever worked in retail will recognise the ‘difficult’ customers; unlike real life these ones are also very funny. In fact, there is a lot of humour to lighten the heartbreak, often involving the dogs, Rufus and Vizzy; two cats live above the shop with Rufus but are never seen, which is a shame. The characters are well-written and believable, though some are a bit full-on. The only slight criticism I have is that the dialogue is a bit stilted in places, not quite the way real people speak. Overall Love, Look Away is a very enjoyable read and I look forward to the next instalment of life in Swansea.

Twenty-nine-year-old Sage Gordon has had it with love. When she’s not busy running her metaphysical gift shop in the old-money town of Swansea, New York, she’s content with the company of her dog and two cats.

Years ago, the boy she thought she’d marry some day disappeared in the middle of the night and was never heard from again. Haunted by the loss of Jimmy, she remains wary about love, until she is set up with a gorgeous NYC marketing executive. Love moves quickly, and she finds herself engaged — but if only he had betrayed her before she sent out the save-the-date cards.

Sage reverts to her former mindset: love, look away. Forever. Despite her best efforts, though, two completely different yet wonderful men enter her life. Still haunted by the past, can she let romance back into her life?

AmazonUk | AmazonUS