STARTING OVER by Stacy Finz: Review

Posted September 3, 2015 in Reviews / 0 Comments

STARTING OVER by Stacy Finz: ReviewStarting Over by Stacy Finz
Series: Nugget #4
Published by Lyrical Shine
Publication Date: August 18th
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
Goodreads
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Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.

The mountain town of Nugget, California, may be tiny, but with its breathtaking scenery, fresh air, and lovable locals, it has everything. Not to mention it’s the perfect setting for firsts—and seconds—of all kinds…

On the day of her glitzy New York City wedding, society girl Samantha Dunsbury ditches her Wall Street groom, and hops in her convertible. Her only plan is to head west. But when a pit stop lands her at a lovely Victorian inn in Nugget, she doesn’t want to leave. And when the innkeeper needs someone to fill in, Sam is thrilled to take the job—her first! For once, she’s going to do what makes her happy. She just has to figure out what happy looks like. She never expects it to look like her surly new boss…

The last thing Nate Breyer needs is a debutante dilettante mucking up his business. How his sister—and co-owner—could’ve hired Sam is beyond him. Nate’s known women like Sam before—he was engaged to one once. With no options, he’ll just have to keep his eye on her while also keeping his distance. But to his surprise it turns out Sam’s got a knack for the job, and for putting folks at ease—including Nate. As business—and pleasure—heat up their relationship, Nate finds himself ready to do anything to persuade the runaway-bride to stay permanently gone…

 

Review

Samantha Dunsbury was all set for her glittery society wedding to the scion of a prominent family, in spite of her misgivings, when she found out the day before the wedding that her groom had been less than honest with her all along and had no plans to be faithful to her after the big event. Determined to get away from everything, she got in her car and drove off, landing in the picturesque mountain town of Nugget, California. With its beautiful scenery and friendly locals, Sam doesn’t want to leave and the perfect opportunity arises when the innkeeper of the Lumber Baron, the town’s Victorian Inn, needs someone to fill in while she’s away on maternity leave. Sam is used to organizing big society events, a skill she puts to use in her position at the inn with great success. Sam enjoys everything about her job except one: her disagreeable boss, Nate Breyer.

Nate does not want a society princess from back east destroying his business. He knows all about Sam’s kind of woman, having been engaged to one before and is just waiting for her to throw in the towel and move on to something more interesting but to his surprise, Sam has a talent for the job and enjoys it. However, he’s not willing to let his guard down around her.

STARTING OVER was fun to read, with an interesting story, likable characters and above all, a very quaint location. I loved Sam. She wanted to be valued for more than her last name. For a socialite, she was refreshingly down to earth and very courageous in leaving all that was familiar and starting over across the country. Her fun and outgoing personality made her the perfect fit for her job and I liked seeing how her confidence grew with every success she racked up at her job.

I’m all for learning from past experiences but I think that Nate took his lessons too far and was a jerk to Sam. Even his love and caring for his family and friends was not enough to redeem him much.  A lot of the drama comes from Nate’s determination to dislike Sam for all that she represented, even though he was attracted to her and in spite of the fact that she had shown through her behavior that she was different from his ex and he really annoyed me with his stubbornness. But he did not count on Sam’s tenacity and her resolve to prove that he had the wrong opinion of her.

One issue I had with this story was that most of their interactions revolved around work and I would have looked more personal time between them. Also, their lack of communication was quite irritating and was responsible for the turbulence of their relationship. In spite of these issues, STARTING OVER was entertaining and enjoyable. I especially love the small town community and the close ties between family and friends.

 

 

About Stacy Finz

Stacy Finz is an award-winning journalist. After more than seventeen years covering notorious serial killers, naked-tractor-driving farmers, fanatical foodies, aging rock stars and weird Western towns for the San Francisco Chronicle, she figured she finally had enough material to launch a career writing fiction. In 2012 she won the Daphne du Maurier Award for unpublished single-title mystery/suspense. She lives in Berkeley, California with her husband.


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