I recently finished reading an ARC of Forever My Home by Roxie Clarke. It officially comes out tomorrow, but you can preorder the novella. This is the third novella in the series. While I have read the first one, Forever and Always, I have not read the middle story. In this novella, Lettie, a woman in her 40s, inherits her great-aunt’s cottage rental business. Unfortunately, the cottages aren’t in great shape anymore.
Intro to the Main Characters and the Cottages
This was a cute, enjoyable novella. I really like the interaction between Lettie and Henry. Both are the sort of people who are willing to help their family and friends without any expectation of a reward.
Lettie is from a small town around Portland, Oregon. The last few years have been hard for her. Her ex took off with the RV they bought together, leaving her with the bill. Then someone bought out the business where Lettie had been the manager for 20 years, revamping the company and leaving her jobless.
When Lettie inherits her great-aunt’s cottage rental business in Tyler Creek, there’s really nothing holding her back from moving. I don’t think the actual state for Tyler Creek is mentioned, but it’s somewhere in the South.
Henry’s from Tyler Creek. He’s lived there his whole life. He’s burnt out on dating the Tyler Creek women, so when Lettie moves in next door, he’s happy for someone new to get to know.
Throughout the novella, Henry helps Lettie repair the eight cottages Lettie inherited from her great-aunt. Issues with the cottages involve things as minor as simply needing to be cleaned and repainted to needing new roofs and other serious renovations.
Other Thoughts
As I mentioned earlier, this story is the third in the series. I read and enjoyed the first one. As I started reading this one, I realized I hadn’t read the second one. I still might do that. Each novella can be read on its own. The previous characters only play a small part in this story, as in I think the couple from the first book is in two scenes total. The story is mostly just Lettie and Henry.
How Clean Is It?
This book doesn’t have any swearing. It does have what some people refer to as “replacement swear words,” such as “darn.” There’s no sexual content or violence. Based on information about Lettie and her ex-boyfriend, I’m assuming they were living together, but it’s never clearly stated.
I would recommend not judging this book by its cover. The cover does look a little sexual considering this is a clean novel.
Final Thoughts
My only real complaint is that I want more. This is often the case with novellas, though. I especially want to understand more of Lettie’s background. She mentions an ex who cheated her out of a lot of money. I’d like to at least know more of that story. I would also like a better idea of what drew Lettie and Henry together.
I’d give this novella 4.5 stars. I’m rounding up because it really was an enjoyable read. I finished the whole thing in one day. I think it only took a little over an hour.
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