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Fifth Book in the Destiny Novel Series
Toni Blake
Avon Books/HarperCollins
Publishers
July 2012 / 978-0062024619
Contemporary Romance
Amazon
Reviewed
by Leslie Halpern
In a modern-day
story inspired by Jane Austen's Emma, Destiny resident and town
matchmaker Amy Bright runs her little bookstore and takes care of
her cats while attempting to fix up all the eligible bachelors and
bachelorettes with their perfect mates. Although she usually misses
the mark, she keeps trying anyway. While not exactly mousy, Amy
does nothing to enhance her appearance or find her own mate. She
feels most comfortable helping others, arranging matches, or reading
a book.
All that changes when she visits her life-long friend Logan, who
has fallen into a deep depression following a tragic accident while
working as a firefighter. In a weak moment, he passionately kisses
Amy and awakens all kinds of feelings she didn't realize existed
within her. Not only does Logan ignite these feelings, but he also
inspires them. So now Amy's thirty-something years of pent-up lust
and love come unleashed with Logan as the main attraction.
Lacking confidence, cute clothes, and any sexual experience, Amy
launches a secret admirer campaign with increasingly erotic love
letters to Logan. Being a clueless commitment-phobe coming out of
a depression, he naturally assumes his admirer is the most beautiful
woman in town, the lovely and exotic Anna, and never suspects it's
his good friend, freckle-faced Amy.
As the fifth book in the Destiny series, this one fits in nicely
with the collection. Many of the same characters appear again, not
as background scenery, but with ever-evolving stories that swirl
around the relationship between Amy and Logan. I enjoyed meeting
these "old friends” again, although the story itself falls
short in a couple of areas.
Fans of the series may enjoy Toni Blake's latest offering as well,
but this time I found the two main characters less likable than
previous lovers in Blake's stories. Amy could be a poster child
for co-dependent behavior and Logan comes across as a self-absorbed
jerk much of the time. In addition, the frequent references to radio
songs coming on the radio at the perfect time to echo the exact
sentiments of the characters pushed the limits of believability.
While an enjoyable read overall, Willow Springs offers the least
appealing lovers in the otherwise charming Destiny Series.
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