December 4, 2017
Anderson’s fourth Mystic Creek contemporary makes good use of its lengthy word count as it explores the familial connection and separate love lives of Crystal Malloy and her grandfather, Tuck Malloy. Tuck’s friend Tanner Richards, a handsome single father, sneaks beer and tobacco into Tuck’s assisted living community at Tuck’s request, but the cantankerous administrator catches him and threatens to kick Tuck out. Under duress, Crystal reluctantly files a complaint against Tanner with the courier company he works for, but he quickly forgives the apologetic Crystal after she stands up for Tuck at the center. Tuck, who’s only at the facility while he recovers from an injury, is eager to break free of the “prison,” with its bad food and nosy staff, but when he meets regal, down-to-earth, and beautiful Essie Childers, a fellow resident, his opinion of the place changes. Crystal believes she’s unworthy of love, but Tanner fights for a future with her. Meanwhile, Essie’s greedy son threatens her newfound happiness with Tuck, but Essie’s a formidable opponent to his schemes. Delightful characters (including Tuck’s intelligent dog, Rip) and amusing dialogue will make readers anxious to revisit charming Mystic Creek, Ore.
December 1, 2017
Crystal Malloy truly loves her grandfather, Tuck, but he is working her last nerve. She is doing her best to find him a new home, but for the moment she is counting on him remaining in the assisted-care facility. So when Crystal gets a snippy phone call from the director of the facility informing her that she is about to boot Tuck out for having chewing tobacco and beer in his room, Crystal is determined to read Tuck the riot act. Now the only way Crystal can appease the director is by finding out who smuggled in the contraband. However, once Crystal discovers the culprit is Tuck's good friend Tanner Richards, who works as a driver for a local delivery service, can she really make his life difficult by filing a complaint against him? No one does poignantly sweet love stories with realistic and easily relatable characters quite like Anderson, and the latest addition to her exceptional Mystic Creek series, following Mulberry Moon (2017), delivers a generous measure of much-needed literary balm for romance readers' souls.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)