Love in the Afternoon: A Dove Pond eNovella (Dove Pond)

by Karen Hawkins

A woman with a legendary green thumb, a man living in an emotional desert, and a small boy unable to connect with others. Can the three of them, with a little help from the charmed town of Dove Pond (and a pesky ghost), turn a nightmare into a fairytale and forge their own happily ever after?

Young widow Sofia Rodriquez has just accepted the position of greenhouse manager for Ava Dove’s booming herbal tea business. Sofia is delighted to have found a job that will make use of her gardening skills and allow her to spend time with her son, Noah, who has been diagnosed with Asperger’s. Adding to her joy is the charming farmhouse she’s renting on the edge of Dove Pond.

The only cloud on Sofia’s horizon is her next door neighbor, Jake, whose yard is a thorny jungle worthy of Sleeping Beauty. Soon enough, Sofia discovers that Jake himself is just as thorny and unpleasant as his yard.

After his fiancé left him, work-from-home IT whiz and game developer Jake Klaine has gone from Prince Charming to complete hermit. But Jake isn’t really alone; he’s living with a ghost: a (formerly) hairy man named Doyle who’s a fan of bad puns and who refuses to leave Jake’s bathtub. This is nothing new for Jake, as he’s been talking to ghosts since he was a boy. He finds real people harder to deal with, like the kid next door who won’t stop bugging him about the new game he’s developing.

Sofia and Jake know all too well that life isn’t a game. They’ve both lost the person they loved most. But under the watchful eye of the ghostly Doyle and Sofia’s new friend Ava, who has abilities of her own, Jake and Sofia decide to take a chance and let in an outsider. Soon they discover that, with a little magic, even the thorniest walls are no match for the innocent trust of a lonely child and the fierce determination of a woman wielding a razor-sharp pruner and a heart big enough to make even the most stubborn flower bloom.

• ISBN10: 1982105585
• ISBN13: 9781982105587
• Publish Date: 17 June 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Gallery
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 147
• Language: English

Reviews

[thebookdisciple]

Love in the afternoon is a sweet romance with bits of magic sprinkled in. Jilted man becomes grumpy curmudgeon meets widow with son on the spectrum. Oh, and the grumpy curmudgeon also talks to ghosts; specifically the ghost of his dead neighbor.

Sofia is a wonderful heroine! She has realistic views on her previous marriage. She realizes she jumped for a guy who was all about the BIG show, but not about the daily grind. He loved the grand gesture, but couldn't handle the day to day of having a child and a wife. Jake realizes that he wanted to not be alone more than he actually loved his former fiancee. These two had real life happen and it was such a refreshing read. Noah, her son, was portrayed realistically as a child with ASD (autism spectrum disorder). He has his tantrums, he has his hyper focused attention, he has the struggle with physical contact.

Jake and Sofia were so perfect for each other I wish this wasn't a novella. I must admit, I am curious about the Dove family and their special skills. I don't know that I would have picked up this series independently, but I am so glad Gallery Books approached me about this series. The touches of magical realism were delightful! Overall, Love in the Afternoon is a book I didn't expect but am so glad to have read.

COYER: features gaming in some way (Jake is a video game creator and teaches Noah)