Shay Benson adored her younger brother. She did all she could to keep Caden on the straight and narrow. But one day her best intentions got Shay into the worst trouble of her life. By protecting Caden, Shay sacrificed herself.
Drew Douglas adored his wife. But since losing Katie, all he could do was focus on their two beautiful children; everything else came a distant second.
Shay and Drew are each in need a fresh start, and when they meet by chance it’s an unexpected blessing for them both. Drew helps Shay to get back on her feet, and she reignites his sense of purpose.
But when a devastating secret is uncovered, Shay and Drew’s new lives are threatened. It will take all of their strength, faith and trust to protect the bright future they dream of.
I've been reading Debbie Macomber books for as long as I can remember, and loved her Blossom Street, Cedar Cove and Rose Harbour series for their sense of community spirit where friends and neighbours look out for one another, so was eagerly anticipating that her latest book Any Dream will Do would be filled with the same community spirit I've come to expect in her stories.
Any Dream Will Do is a story about second chances; a time for Shay Benson to put her past mistakes behind her and start afresh in a new city, and for widower Drew Douglas to start living his life again rather than just existing for the sake of his young children. A chance encounter brings Shay into Drew's church where he recognises a kindred soul in need and helps Shay find somewhere to live and work.
Told in alternate chapters from the perspectives of both characters, we follow their stories as their paths cross on a regular basis and a friendship blossoms. But as expected in life, and a romance novel, nothing is ever quite straight forward and they have more than their fair share of dramas to deal with.
I have to confess that despite being invested in what was going on with Shay and Drew, it was his children Sarah and Mark who stole my heart as it was obvious they were missing their mother and struggling without a female role model in their lives despite plenty of older women in their church community being around for them. There was one particular storyline with regards to Sarah and her hair that really struck me, something so small but it obviously meant such a big deal to her to ask Shay to do as it was something that her father struggled to do for her.
Even though Any Dream Will Do was not the typical community spirit style of novel I've come to expect from Debbie Macomber, her wonderful, heartwarming storytelling drew me in until before I knew it I'd finished reading the book in a single sitting. I'll be interested to see what's in store for us next, more standalones or whether we're in for a treat and the start of a new series.
I'd like to thank Becky at Arrow for sending me a copy of Any Dream Will Do for review.
No comments:
Post a Comment