Well finished this one early, pretty proud of myself to be honest. I guess my speed has increased a little, maybe mama is getting her reading groove back!
Title: Meet Me at the Lake
Author: Carley Fortune
Number of Pages: 306
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Adult
My Rating: 💋💋💋💋💋
Book Summary:
Fern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter. She spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the aggravatingly attractive and idealistic artist, a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in the city. The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable: they shared every secret, every dream, and made a pact to meet again one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn’t.
At thirty-two, Fern’s life doesn’t look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern’s back home, running her mother’s lakeside resort, something she vowed never to do. The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend is the manager, and Fern doesn’t know where to begin.
She needs a plan – a lifeline. To her surprise, it come in the form of Will, who arrives nine years late, suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern’s going through. But how can she possibly trust this expensive suit-wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago? Will is hiding something, and Fern’s not sure she wants to know what it is.
But ten years ago, Will Baxter rescued Fern. Can she do the same for him now?
My thoughts:
If you like heartfelt, cheesy romance this is the book for you! This is the first Carley Fortune novel I’ve read and I can say without a shadow of a doubt I enjoyed it immensely.
No spoilers, but I love how the author wrote it, using what I consider the beloved past and future writing. It makes the story have a bit more substance in my opinion, especially when the main characters already have history.
The main characters are lovable in their perspective ways, however Will is sometimes the typical frustrating male lead. Fern is a hard-working, determined and spirited female lead that you embrace almost instantly, I wanted to be her friend – if only she were real! She leaves her city life to come home to a place she really didn’t want to end up running. An unfortunate series of events leaves her with a life changing decision. You silently cheer for every move she makes as you turn the pages of this book. My only gripe with her, I don’t like the name Fern or Fernie as she is sometimes referred to. I don’t know why, it just doesn’t sit well with me. Otherwise a very lovable and relatable character.
Will on the other hand is a mystery at the start, but by the end he becomes this incredible complex work of art you just want to admire. See what I did there? He has his own trials and tribulations to contend with, but ultimately achieves exactly what he needs and wants in his life, especially with Fern.
I will say the intimacy portions in the book were tame and a bit boring at times, it could have used a little more spice for my liking. But it doesn’t take away from the over all story.
Ultimately the book is great and worth a read. It kept me engaged and wanting to keep the pages turning to find out the end result. It almost reminded me of Dirty Dancing, which is heavily referenced in the book. For good reason. This would be a great summer time read if you get the chance.
My next novel that I’ve already started is called The Island by Natasha Preston. She is a new author I discovered on my favourite site ever, Bookoutlet.ca, and it seems intriguing. Review to follow once I’ve finished!
Ciao!
Mama on the Move 
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