From the author of “Lovelight Farms” comes the second installment of her latest bestselling series about two meteorologists who don’t let a pesky blizzard keep them from true love
Hello, hello! Welcome to yet another Wednesday; this time in the month of March! Soon winter will shake off her snowy coat and the flowers and gardens will bloom once more. I’ve started some beefsteak tomatoes about a month ago – still growing indoors with some grow lights – and I’m anxious to get them planted outside. Even though I’m in Florida, there’s still a good chance of freezing overnight temps in the next couple of weeks, so I’m holding off bringing them outside until then. I’ll be damned if I let them die now.
Anyhow! Today I’m talking about the latest release from bestselling author B.K. Borison. She’s the author of another heartwarming romance series, “Lovelight Farms,” which I’ve read previously. It’s a fun series with small-town charm, centered around a Christmas tree farm. Hits the spot for cute romance. The series this latest novel is part of, “Heartstrings,” is based in Baltimore, so no small-town charm, but still has a cozy feel to it. Especially the book I’m about to talk about, because there’s a huge snow storm coming in and our protagonists travel to a small town to cover it. Snowy shenanigans ensue!
But first, a synopsis: Jackson Clark is the meteorologist for Baltimore’s local radio station, 101.6 LITE FM, the same station where Aiden and Lucie from the previous “Heartstrings” novel met and fell in love. Delilah Stewart is the meteorologist for Baltimore’s local news station, YBAL News. They both have a passion for the weather, but that’s where their similarities end. Jackson’s all about order and planning, being on-time and having structure in his life. Delilah’s all about having fun and adventure. Every time they have run-ins with each other, it always ends in disaster and someone having some sort of gelatinous food substance spilled on their person. They try to avoid each other as much as possible.
When a “storm of the century” is set to come to Baltimore, it’s all hands on deck for the duo. They’ve been tasked to work together to cover the big storm, and it’s up to them to figure out how to work together and get out of this assignment – and blizzard – unscathed. Can they learn to work together, or will those pesky feelings get in the way?
My star rating: 4 out of 5 snow-flurried stars.
I’m always a fan of B.K. Borison’s work because she writes stories that really calm me and my mind down. There’s something about her novels, especially her “Lovelight Farms” series, that makes me smile and be giddy for the main characters. It’s low-stakes and charming, and with everything going on in the world, sometimes that’s all I want.
There’s all kinds of tropes sprinkled in this book: enemies (but not really) to lovers, forced proximity (the lengths the book had to go to succeed in this is borderline laughable), opposites attract… Tropes that I would roll my eyes at if done poorly. But B.K. Borison manages to do them in such an almost soft, charming way, I tend to forgive her.
I really appreciated Jackson’s character. I feel like books that had a character with this type of personality 10-15 years ago would be written off as harsh and rude, but in this book he comes off as a bit rough around the edges, but then turns out to be a giant marshmallow when you get to know him. He has his routine, his way of doing things. He likes the weather more than people. He’d rather talk about different pressure systems over any type of small talk (unless it’s about the weather, ironically enough). He’s terrified of improvisation, on radio and on TV. He wants to look at his maps and his weather models and be left alone. Yet through the course of the book, he’s realizing that he not only needs to be more than that – especially for his twin sisters who are 15 and in his custody – but he can be more than that, and with the right person, he would love to be more than that. It was so sweet and heartwarming to see him open up more and more for Delilah, but also for his sisters. I think Jackson’s my favorite because I can relate to him the most. I felt it in my bones when something didn’t go the way he was expecting or preparing for and he doesn’t know what to do. Delilah helped him get out of his own head about things, and it’s moments like that where they fit so well.
Jackson’s teenage twin sisters are also a great addition to the story. While Jackson can be rigid and “set in his ways” about things, he did everything he could to get custody of those kids when his mother failed them. He wanted them to have the life he never had with his mother, who was flaky and flighty and overall not a good parent for Jackson or his sisters, hence him getting custody and her just… not caring. I think he overcompensated with that and made sure they had structure and order in the house, right down to the little whiteboard on the fridge that had the week’s meal plan on it. (I’m a sucker for a good meal plan.) He was so desperate to have them taken care of that some things that are deemed “softer” got lost among the shuffle. He loves his sisters dearly and he shows it in certain ways. The big thing that made my heart swell was how the girls knew that about him and didn’t hold anything against him.
There’s a scene later on in the book where the girls, Penelope and Adeline, manage to get on a phone call with Delilah while Jackson was distracted so they could grill her about her intentions with Jackson. My heart nearly burst when one of them asked Delilah, “Will you be patient with him?” I thought that was such a sweet thing to ask, because it’s such an important thing to have with Jackson, especially when someone’s not used to someone like him. His needs and overall personality can so easily be brushed off. Plus it shows how much the twins really understand their brother. Then it’s followed up with them asking, “And will you help us take care of him? He’s not great at accepting help, so you have to be sneaky about it.” UGHHHH my heart.
I also liked Delilah because she is patient and kind with him, but is also wary of her feelings for him because, hello, it all happens so fast! I don’t blame her for being worried about not only her feelings, but Jackson’s too. They travel to a small town hours away from Baltimore, are forced to sleep in the same hotel room due to “unforeseen circumstances,” and eventually get snowed in by the giant storm they’re supposed to be covering. It’s a secluded situation, away from all the eyes and ears of Baltimore. A Winter Wonderland of Love and Feelings, if you will. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment. Jackson’s supposed to be an attractive, authentic human with adorable glasses… Hell, I’d get swept up in all that nonsense too. I also loved the moments when it’s just the two of them in the hotel room and they really get into the nitty-gritty of their lives: Jackson’s insecurity of not being good enough for his sisters and his worry about whether it’s the best idea to keep their mother away from them. Delilah’s insecurity of not being taken seriously at her job, and needing to nail the coverage of the storm so her bosses and the people of Baltimore don’t see her as just the girl who wears silly costumes all the time. They both tell each other their deepest secrets and the other handles them with such care. Like, “Please give me your heart and soul, I promise to cradle it gently in my hands.” Swoon on both their sides!
This would’ve been a 5-star read for me if the “conflicts” weren’t created by a cartoonishly lame antagonist of a man. Yep, that’s right, folks: a man is insecure – once again – and needs to take it out on a woman. While that is something that happens a lot in the real world, it can be tiresome to see in novels over and over again. But in the end, the evil is vanquished, and they get to live Happily Ever After, which is what I need to see sometimes. Overall, this was a sweet, heartfelt, authentic book with tender moments from a man that can be misconstrued as being harsh and grumpy, but is really a big ol’ sweetie.
Have you read “And Now, Back to You”? How did your feelings match (or not match) with mine? What did you think about it? Let me know down in the comments, I’d love to hear from you!
Until next time, my lovelies!
monicareadsthrough.com 