WILDFLOWER SEASON by Michelle Major

Emma Cantrell is new to Magnolia, North Carolina, and pretty worried. She had a comfortable job working for the family foundation, but a divorce from a man she should never have married, then leaving her job, means she is disowned by her controlling mother. Having bought a large family house in need of renovation to open Wildflower Inn, she had to sit through the storm of the century and pick up pieces of roof. And that’s just the opening of WILDFLOWER SEASON.

Holly Adam is a hopeful bride in need of help. Her wedding plans have gone awry. I don’t see it as plausible that Holly will sit at a bar and pour out her story to a total stranger, who could be a journalist, a political twitter user or terrorist. Holly claims to be marrying into the family of a Senator from Massachusetts, who is twelve years her senior, and from a family of considerable standing. Holly agrees that this stranger with no relevant hospitality experience can host and cater her wedding in six weeks, in an inn that hasn’t opened and hasn’t issued an estimate, and won’t (I imagine) be approved in time by the county inspectors or the Senator’s security team. Talk about a triumph of optimism over experience.

The intrepid Emma then goes around town calling on everyone who isn’t running a business that she needs, and telling them they will be perfect for her work. Start with Cameron Mitchell, Holly’s moody brother, a local fishing charter guide. Holly tells Emma he used to be a woodworking craftsman and carpenter, giving that up when his wife died in a road accident. This first book in the ‘Carolina Girls’ series also introduces other ladies to help Emma and Holly; a florist, dress designer and Italian caterer. If someone could present an estimate and schedule, that would help, but they each first need to be persuaded to stop doing what they do. I really can’t see this as a recipe for success, nor a chance that should be taken with a major wedding in only a few weeks. Emma is supposed to be good at admin; she should be creating a spreadsheet of materials, costings, taxes, trade discounts and so on. Instead, she takes days off to go fishing with the hunky carpenter.

I love the optimism, location and wealth of talent, I really do. Michelle Major lives in Colorado and probably knows many individuals of the sort she describes. If this improbable story – well that does sustain the tension – and a contemporary romance growing from proximity and respect, appeal to you, go for it. WILDFLOWER SEASON might well inspire you to just pick up work you love and start a new career.

She always followed the path of least resistance…until it leads her to a small town where she can follow her dreams.

When Emma Cantrell’s marriage imploded, she learned a fast and painful lesson about trusting her heart. Then, on a visit to Magnolia, North Carolina, to see her brother, an elegant, if dilapidated, mansion for sale presents the opportunity to start over. Risking everything on her dream of opening the Wildflower Inn, Emma buys the house…just as the storm of the century hits, severely damaging the structure. But a chance meeting with Holly, a bride-to-be in desperate need of a new venue, gives her hope…and the name of a contractor who’ll work fast and cheap, allowing Emma to repair the inn in time to host the wedding and save her investment.

A furniture builder who hasn’t picked up a tool in the five years since his wife died, Cameron Mitchell has no intention of agreeing to help this beautiful—and, he’d guess, entitled—woman insisting that he fix her inn. Until he learns that Emma was sent by Holly, the little sister of his late wife. Grudgingly, Cameron agrees to do the work, with one condition: that he be left completely alone. But the more time they spend together, the more Emma touches a part of his heart he was sure died long ago, forcing him to try making peace with his past.