Book 10 Shamrocks Are a Girl’s Best Friend

 

Shamrocks are Girls Best Friend by Lucinda Race fulfilled the prompt “Book Published in 2021” for the PopSugar 2021 Reading Challenge.

I have a special treat. Shamrocks is a St Patrick’s Day book, and today is St Patrick’s Day. I refused to wait for tomorrow and have you miss this great story. It was released on Monday. I buckled down and did some serious reading. I wanted to share this new book by one of my favorite authors in a timely fashion. Hence a Thursday blog.
Shamrocks Are a Girl’s Best Friend is a strangers to friends to lovers trope. It’s a sweet look at a couple of Irish Americans on a magical island. Both are learning to heal their hearts and bodies. Smokejumper Tric (short for Patrick and an appropriate nickname for this jokester) comes to Last Chance Beach to recover from an accident in Alaska wildfire. He ends up in the same cottage as Kelly O’Malley, who lives at her uncle’s rental because her house burned down.

Ironic? Not really.

These characters had sparks from the beginning. This is what I like about romance books like Ms. Race’s. I saw the connection immediately between the two. No messing around with long-drawn-out “will they or won’t they?” storylines. Not to mention the hesitancy of two people who are friends but are scared to move to the next level.

The other thing I liked about this novel, even though it was short, was how the big conflict loomed over the entire story. The sparks absolutely flew between them, but also the truth about his job. They wanted to be together, but eventually, he planned to go back to Alaska to jump into wildfires again. Could he give it all up for her? Could she give up everything to be with a man who left her for six months at a time? And don’t forget how dangerous his job is. Oh, and let’s not forget they just met. The novella compacted the conflict so well in such a short time.

I won’t spoil, but we always have happy endings in romance books so…

Let me throw in a note about the setting. It being March here in Upstate NY, with all the cold and snow, it was lovely to read a beach book. And not just any beach. Last Chance Beach has a magical quality about it. Ms. Race didn’t go overboard with that idea, merely left us some hints along the way. There’s something wonderful about sunset on the ocean. Ms. Race captured it perfectly.
I give Shamrocks Are a Girl’s Best Friend by Lucinda Race Five Giant Green Shamrocks for St Patty’s Day and a beautiful friends-to-lover story.