http://witandsin.blogspot.com/2016/12/review-marry-me-on-main-street-by-luann.html

 

Marry Me on Main Street is a super cute romance that’s sure to get you in the holiday spirit. LuAnn McLane’s eleventh Cricket Creek novel is a fast-paced, cheerful addition to the series and it’s a book that’s perfect to curl up with when you’re in the mood for something uplifting.

Danny is one of my favorite Cricket Creek heroes. He’s so kind, generous, patient, and warm-hearted that you wish he were real so you could snap him up. Danny’s biggest flaw is that he’s almost too giving, sacrificing his dream of woodworking in order to run his parents’ business and help his siblings run their own. Lately it’s been starting to wear on him and he feels like he doesn’t have his life together. For me, Danny’s internal struggle – whether to stay the course and not rock the boat or to go for his dreams – was the highlight of the book. It was relatable, interesting, and had me invested in the story from beginning to end. As for Susan, she’s a likeable heroine who is a little shy, somewhat insecure, and a bit slapstick klutzy. Susan didn’t grab my attention the way some other Cricket Creek heroines have, which was a pity because when I like a hero as much as I liked Danny, I want to be equally intrigued by their heroine. That’s not to say the romance was bad – far from it. After the first third of the book, Danny and Susan have a fast-paced, sweet romance. The only drama that comes in is manufactured by Susan, and it did make me want to shake her a couple of times. Given that Danny is the kind of hero who wears his feelings openly, Susan’s fears and avoidance tactics didn’t feel organic. Still, while I had a couple of issues, their romance is charming and lively for the most part, and by the end of the book the two of them had me grinning.

As with all of the Cricket Creek stories I’ve read, there’s a secondary romance, this one involving Susan’s friend and employee, Betsy, and the handsome former-lawyer-turned-deli-owner, John. Betsy and John’s romance was lovely and understated, but sometimes felt a bit too similar to the main love story. Both of them had interesting potential backstories that – had they been better fleshed out – would have made them shine and stand apart from the younger couple.

Marry Me on Main Street is a story of facing your fears and taking a chance on love. And what better, safer place can there be to do so than in Cricket Creek? The idyllic small Kentucky town is a character in and of itself in this series and it’s always a delight. If the town and its residents sometimes come off as too good to be true, then that’s okay. Once in a while it’s nice to take a break from the real world and enjoy something sweet, and Marry Me on Main Street fits the bill perfectly.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

 

 

 

In her small shop on Main Street, Susan Quincy sells handmade gifts and repurposed items. But she can’t part with the beautiful rocking chair she bought at an estate sale when its maker turns out to be Danny Mayfield.

 

Even years later, Susan still cringes over how her handsome, popular high school crush only asked her to prom out of pity—or so she thinks...
 
Danny doesn’t know why Susan has avoided him for years, especially after the electric kiss they shared the night of prom.

 

So when he learns that she wants him to craft more rocking chairs to sell at her shop, Danny can’t resist the chance to work on his passion and charm shy, beautiful Susan again—and this time, make it last.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cricket Creek continues to be a favorite slow soft hearted sweet heart town kind of read for me. Which is sort of perfect around the holidays because you can curl up with your mug of coffee and disappear in a blanket and the Creek for awhile in complete comfort.

Cricket Creek kind of reminds me of a General Hospital small town everyone is connected, lots of love possibilities, everyone has ties to the town and its history and you always land with small time drama in the past that finds its way into the present where we find Susan and Danny.

I loved everything about both of them and I loved them together.I loved the smiles, I loved the sweetness, I loved the whole pull you in and make a home feeling Creek gives me.

I loved this book, it totally won my heart.

Side note: I loved the cover art on this book. Looks like a Thomas Kinkade painting. Beautiful.

 

Heartbroken handyman Avery Dean can’t get away from his ex—who just happens to be the maid of honor in his sister’s upcoming wedding. As the best man, Avery has to grin and bear his sister’s misguided attempts to get them back together, until the perfect excuse presents itself in a pretty out-of-towner.
 
With her time in Cricket Creek, Kentucky, coming to an end, hair stylist Sophia Gordon can’t deny the town’s charms, or her attraction to Avery Dean. That’s why she finds herself saying yes to dinner, and then, a wedding date.
 
Sophia agrees to be Avery’s pretend girlfriend until the big day is over, but when their make-believe fling shows signs of real passion, Sophia starts to wonder if staying in Cricket Creek could make all her wishes come true.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Review:

Cricket Creek kind of reminds  me of Macombers series. You follow the characters of the town and each of them has a story and as a reader you get to explore the town and their lives and how they all kind of mingle or take place on their own but each of them is fairly different despite using the predictable formulas these kind of stories follow. I like the characters and I like getting to be in the world that the author creates.

 

 

 

My Rating:

 

 

 

 

 

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Disclaimer:
Krissys Bookshelf Reviews received a print copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.

Source:
Received a print copy in exchange for an honest review from Berkley Publishing.

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If any of Krissys Bookshelf Reviews has been helpful please stop by to like or let me know what you think! Thank you!

 

http://witandsin.blogspot.com/2016/05/review-wish-upon-wedding-by-luann-mclane.html

 

Return to the lovely small town of Cricket Creek, Kentucky with Wish upon a Wedding. LuAnn McLane’s tenth Cricket Creek novel doesn’t lack charm, but it also doesn’t meet its full potential.

Sophia and Avery make an adorable couple. They both obviously like one another, but between Sophia not wanting to open herself up and face potential rejection and Avery having been burned by love once before, the two have been constantly dancing around each other. A pretend relationship that should put a stop to Avery’s sister’s attempts to get Avery back with his ex is the much-needed push for Sophia and Avery to realize their attraction is mutual. Fake relationships becoming real is a fun romance trope I always enjoy, and I was looking forward to seeing how it worked out in this book. Unfortunately, I felt like Ms. McLane fell into the trap of telling instead of showing. To me, there was very little on-page development for Sophia and Avery, and this was such a pity, for they had good chemistry and their love story could have been excellent.

All of the Cricket Creek novels that I’ve read have featured a secondary romance, and Wish upon a Wedding is no exception. Avery’s uncle, Easton, and Sophia’s friend, Carrie Ann, are an endearing couple with a far more realized storyline than the supposed primary couple of the tale. Despite the book’s blurb, Carrie Ann and Easton seemed like the main couple of this book, and theirs was a delightful love story with the message that it’s never too late to face your fears, take a risk, and find your own happily ever after.

Wish upon a Wedding is a case of missed opportunity, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad book. I still liked it as fluffy entertainment, but this really wasn’t the strong installment of the Cricket Creek series. I really wanted to love Wish upon a Wedding, but I was a bit frustrated we only skimmed the surface of Avery and Sophia’s relationship. Even with this disappointment, I’m still looking forward to the next Cricket Creek novel.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Written in the Stars (Cricket Creek #9) by Luann McLane


No one is more shocked than Grace Gordon when her cosmetics line makes her a millionaire in need of new investments. Bailing out Mason Mayfield’s Cricket Creek craft brewery seems like the perfect solution. It doesn’t hurt that the sexy country boy makes her weak in the knees…
Sure, Mason is grateful to Grace for saving his brewery. But her upscale marketing plans for his down home business are driving him crazy. She needs a good man to reel her in, and he happily takes the job—especially since it’ll involve some time behind the brewery’s closed doors.
Unfortunately, Grace has never been good at staying in one place. And now that she’s thinking about leaving, Mason has to convince her to call Cricket Creek home—and admit their love was written in the stars


My Review:
Written in the Stars is one of those slow mosey romances I read when I'm in the mood for those drag out not a whole lot of common sense type reads on quiet days. Grace and Mason struck me as a wish washy couple without much meat to their relationship that in reality wouldn't last very long simply because neither of them felt as if they were actually engaging in it. They spent too much time tip toeing and dancing around the elephant in the room on most pages and just as soon as you got to the next page they couldn't stand to be in the same room before the next page came and they were head over hills. It got a little confusing but I continued on because I can relate to the reluctant lovers scenario so it wasn't difficult to over look the timid grade school crush kind of dynamic to their budding romance. A topic of note that I wish had really blossomed more than it did was "moms" story. I had more piqued interest in her journey than I did Grace's but you'll have to read for yourself to find out about that.
Written in the Stars didn't win a full five star rating but I still liked the story and I'd pass it on to others so 4 stars is still a win in this case.
Note: Written in the Stars can be read in order or alone however I would suggest reading it in order simply because we have carry over characters that are a part of previous books.


My Rating:
4 Stars


Reviewed By: Krissy's Bookshelf Reviews
http://kkmalott.booklikes.com/


Note: I received a print copy in exchange for an honest review from Berkley/NAL/Penguin