Publisher: Jove
Publication date: September 30th 2014
My rating: 3 stars
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A novel of small-town hearts and big dreams...
Molly Burnett dreads returning to her hometown of Hope for her sister’s wedding, especially knowing she’ll have to endure a weekend with the one man she never wants to see again. It’s only a couple of days, so Molly will try to forget her painful past with high school sweetheart Carter Richards. Because despite the bitter memories, she still can’t forget what they once meant to each other.
But when Molly is forced to extend her stay, Carter sees this as his second chance to do things right, to start over again with the only woman he’s ever loved. This time, he isn’t going to let Molly run. Together they’re going to confront the past and put it behind them, and hope for a future as bright as the flame that still burns hot between them.
My
Thoughts:
I was excited to get my hands on Hope Burns because I’ve
been wondering what went wrong with Molly and Carter. The past books in the series have featured
mysterious references to a romance that didn’t end well and residual feelings
on both sides.
Molly has been gone from Hope for the last twelve years,
moving from town to town when the mood strikes her. She claims to have this
wanderlust, but the truth of the matter is that a bad breakup with her high
school sweetheart, Carter, sent her running.
Now that her sister, Emma is getting married and she’s the maid of
honor, Molly has no choice but to go back and face her past. She ends up having
to stay longer and help care for her mother when she’s injured.
Carter suspects Molly has been absent from Hope all these
years because of their breakup, but he’s never found out for sure. He’s gone on with his life and dated but no has
ever really measured up to Molly. Seeing her again brings that all back, but he
knows she’ll be moving on as soon as she gets the chance. When her mother’s injuries force her to stay,
Molly and Carter can no longer ignore the ever present chemistry and longing between
them and so they start up again. Carter won’t pressure Molly into defining what
they have because he senses her hesitancy and feels like she could bolt out of
town with the slightest pressure.
I was worried that Hope Burns would be a constant back and
forth between Carter and Molly, with Molly giving in and then pushing him away
every other chapter. I was thankful that
wasn’t the case for the most part, and this story was more like a journey back
to each other. What happened in the past was sad, but it was something that
probably could’ve been worked through had they been more mature or if Molly
hadn’t taken off. Such is young love.
The spark and magnetism they shared back then came back to
life immediately and their relationship becomes passionate, but comfortable as
well. Those years they spent together in
the past were because they got along so well and had that special something
that just made them click. This made
their years of separation even sadder to me because it just felt like a colossal
waste of time. I was happy that they were getting a second chance at something
that seemed meant to be.
I was a little miffed at Molly because she neglected her
relationship with her family and sister.
She hurt herself more than anyone with her decision to leave and stay
away, but she also hurt her family. The fact Molly blew back into town without
sharing in Emma’s wedding more and taking on the normal maid-of-honor duties
ticked me off. She was fortunate Emma didn’t hold her selfish behavior against
her.
I wished there was more communication with Molly and Carter. Molly denies her desires for long term because
she didn’t want to be hurt again. Carter never gave any indication he didn’t want
more with her, so I didn’t get why Molly held back when things were so amazing between
them. Also, I wished Carter would’ve
shared his feelings on the past, how he hurt as well, instead of ignoring the
elephant in the room. His feelings about
the past were barely touched on and only just brought up at the very end.
One thing I did appreciate is the fact that there was very
little angst or drama and any frustrations I felt were short lived. Carter and Molly drew closer and closer until finally acknowledging
what they knew deep down all along.
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6 comments:
Sounds like you enjoyed the book, even if you didn't particularly love it. :)
I don't think I would enjoy this book very much. I especially think Molly would really grate on my nerves. I can't believe what she does to her family. That's is just really awful, especially if these were loving parents and siblings.
I also dislike lack of communication between couples. I think I'm going to skip this one, Rachel.
Thanks for the lovely review! :)
Molly really annoyed and stressed me, too. Carter was awesome enough to make this enjoyable. Lovely review, Rachel!
Burton has the best covers but somehow her books always manage to have a liiitle something missing for me. It's unfortunate but I haven't had too much luck with her yet and I don't think this is the best place to travel to next with her novels. Wonderful review, though, Rachel!(:
The whole will-they-won't-they thing is exhausting to me too, so I'm glad Molly wasn't one to change her mind constantly. That sort of thing makes me want to stop reading. This sounds like a very nice journey, my kind of romance, actually.
Too much push-pull can take the joy out of a story for me, too. I can't believe that when she cut ties, she cut ties with her family , too! I'd have a hard time forgiving her for that.
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