Story for the Week
My sister-in-law Stephanie got married this past Friday. 👰🤵💒🥰
When she told me the date a couple of months ago, I almost immediately ordered a dress. We were sitting in the bleachers at the high school football game scrolling through dresses. (We were only there to watch Corinne in the marching band, after all.) When I showed Stephanie the options I was considering, she laughed and asked why I was getting something fancy since they were getting married at the courthouse. I told her that it’s been a tough couple of years with two hugely significant losses, and we could all use a happy event to get excited about for a change.
The courthouse ceremony was short and sweet. It was just Stephanie and Jorman (who we call J), Rodolfo, Corinne, my dad, and me. We stopped briefly at home and then went for dinner at Texas de Brazil, a Brazilian steakhouse that is an amazing all-you-can-eat “meat fest” where they bring a huge variety of meat and poultry items that they slice directly at your table. Stephanie and Rodolfo spent a number of years living in Brazil, so they were completely in their element when it came to the choices. It also turned out that our waiter was from Rio de Janeiro, so they spent quite a bit of time sharing stories with him in Portuguese. The food tasted fantastic, Stephanie and I split a pitcher of sangria, and we all ate more than we should have, but it was a wonderful way to celebrate Stephanie and J’s special day. And Stephanie was really excited that it snowed. ❄❄❄❄❄
After dinner, I hung the first of our Christmas decorations—new personalized Christmas stockings—because Stephanie loves Christmas as much as (her brother) my husband Dennis did and listened to Christmas music. I’ve been telling her since Halloween that I won’t decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but I was excited to have a place to hang stockings this year. I told her that I was hanging them for her on her special day, but I secretly wanted to put them up. 🤫 Everything else will go up after Thanksgiving.
Yesterday, we looked at two apartments while Corinne was at a speech tournament. After Corinne arrived back at school, we went to her favorite restaurant (The Patio) for dinner, and we came home and watched Love, Actually. Well, truth be told, Stephanie and I watched Love, Actually, and Corinne fell asleep in the recliner since she had gotten up at 5 a.m. to be at school to leave for the tournament at 6.
Today, Stephanie and J put down a deposit on one of those apartments and then went “shopping” in my garage. Stephanie and J moved to the States in August, so they’ve been staying with us until Stephanie could get settled in a full-time job. I’m happy that they’ve been able to make a home with us. I’m glad that they have family in Corinne and me and Stephanie’s brother Rodolfo, who also lives with us, even though Dennis isn’t here. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and Rodolfo and Stephanie both came to stay with us at different but equally difficult times in our lives. All three of them (Rodolfo, Stephanie, and J) have been a blessing.
But for a couple, especially newlyweds, sleeping on an air mattress in my home office isn’t what anyone would consider a long-term solution. I had intended to have a garage sale this summer, and with everything going on, I never got around to it. As we walked through the apartment again today, I kept thinking of things I have have in my garage that I don’t use (a coffee maker, chairs they can put on the balcony, a set of dishes, curtains, a salad bowl and utensils, and a number of other things). Stephanie and J now have a small pile of boxes to move into their new place in December. Good thing I never got around to that garage sale because it’s a nice start to their life together in the U.S. 😁
After the last couple of years we’ve had, this was a VERY good weekend (and a good excuse for why this post is publishing so late on Sunday 😏).
There’s a book I read a few years ago, and the title sums up the mood from this weekend—My Kind of Forever. 💜
Book Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐
4 Stars for My Kind of Forever by Tracy Brogan
269 pages
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Publication Date: January 22, 2019
I originally received an advance copy of this title from NetGalley and Montlake Romance in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher’s Description
As the youngest mayor Trillium Bay has ever elected, Brooke Callaghan wants to prove she’s up to the challenge. She’s stepping out of her practical teacher flats and into her sister’s treacherously high heels…with disastrous results. But if she’s going to (literally) stumble her first day on the job, why not fall into the arms of a handsome stranger?
Leo Walker is a rarity on Wenniway Island. Not only handsome, he’s also single, funny, and—most importantly—interested in Brooke. Unfortunately, his reasons for being on the island are temporary, so in spite of the undeniable chemistry between them, he’s not a forever kind of guy.
When a private investigator arrives with news of a jewel thief hiding on the island, Brooke finds herself dealing with one kerfuffle after another, and Leo proves to be a delicious distraction. What does she really know about him, though? And the biggest question of all? Does this short-term romance hold the possibility of long-term love?
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My Kind of Forever by Tracy Brogan is a quick sweet read for anyone who loves a fun romance. It is the second in a trilogy but held its own as a complete stand-alone.
Brooke Callaghan is schoolteacher turned new mayor of the small touristy community of Wenniway Island (think Mackinac Island in Michigan). The island doesn’t allow automobiles, is known for its fudge, and has one grand hotel called the Imperial Hotel. The locals who live on the island year-round are like a family and everyone is in everyone else’s business (like I said…family).
Leo Walker is the new bartender in town. He’s charming and good-looking, and he recently left a private security firm and came to the island to basically decompress and has decided he wants to write a book. He sets his sights on Brooke, and while she hesitates to get involved with him (cue back story), she can’t help but be attracted to this charismatic newcomer even though she’s pretty sure his stay on the island is temporary.
Anyone who reads romance novels on a regular basis knows the formula. Boy and girl meet, flirt, get together, have some conflict that breaks them up, and come back together. What continues to draw us to romance novels is the interaction of the characters, the back story that creates the conflict, and the execution of the reconciliation.
The story of Brooke and Leo is solid. Brooke has a believable past that makes her gun-shy about relationships. When the jewel thief story is introduced, we know it can’t be Leo because he’s too young, but we also know that his appearance on the island at the same time can’t be a coincidence. Something will be revealed about him. We just don’t know what.
I like the way the story unfolded, and I like the way it concluded. Brooke and Leo will definitely make you smile, sometimes make you laugh, and always make you want to root for them.
While there were a few F-bombs that seemed a little out of character for Brooke, there wasn’t anything explicit in the romance department, kind of like when parental warnings for PG-13 movies say sex is implied but nothing is shown. Same here. Sex is implied but not described in detail, so it’s a clean read if you’re not a fan of the explicit novels.
This was the first novel I had read by this author, and I’ll definitely be reading her again.
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