chez_jae | Book 86, 2024

Midsummer Lightning by Kate Ivers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This evening I finished reading my "spare" book: Midsummer Lightning by Kate Ivers. It's a contemporary romance, and the main characters are Kelly Sullivan and Conor O'Meara.

American Kelly Sullivan works for a high-powered hotel conglomerate, and she's on track to be named VP. If she can clinch the sale of Whitlock Castle in County Cork, Ireland, the promotion is as good as hers. Kelly arrives in Ireland, intent on her job. However, the more time she spends at Whitlock Castle, the more she falls in love with the enchanting old edifice. There's also the handsome owner, Conor, to contend with. Soon, Kelly is remembering how she used to enjoy the more hands-on job of running a hotel and wishing she didn't have to return to her stressful job in Chicago. When she learns her boss wants to gut the castle and turn it and the grounds into a medieval theme park, Kelly will have her work cut out for her to save Whitlock, her job, and her sanity.

I seldom read contemporary romance any longer, but this was a delightful story. Characters were portrayed well, from Kelly and Conor to Conor's aunts, his father, and even his ex-girlfriend. There were several odious characters introduced, from Kelly's smarmy boss to her chief rival, and even her snooty parents. The plot was a tad on the choppy side; it would have benefitted from smoother transitions between chapters. What I found most disappointing is that all along you could see that Kelly was going to give up her high-powered job in Chicago to be with her love in Ireland. Very romantic and Hallmark-y, yeah? But, it seems that the plots of far too many books (and Hallmark movies!) employ that same trope: career-oriented city girl comes to small village, falls in love with a local, and gives up everything for him--her career, her life in the city, her dreams. Can't the country boy give up his life and join her in the city, instead? Meh. One other thing that disappointed me was the slapdash ending. It came across as if the author was tired of the story and just rushed the last part. The final line in the book was utterly inane.

Favorite line: Her heart had recognized this place at once.

What to score this? I'd like to give it 3.5 stars. It was better than average, but the ending really soured me. I'll be generous and bump the score up to a four.