Tempting Mr. Weatherstone

I love this series where ‘lingering on the shelf’ women are finally united with the love of their life, and this story brings all of the heart from other installments in a wonderfully created novella that works perfectly as a stand-alone, or gives more impetus to read the other titles in the series. Lorret takes her time in developing this relationship: Penelope and Ethan have a solid friendship, their families are close, they know everything about each other in that ‘no secrets’ way. What is astonishing is that neither had ventured into what if territory, even as both are scratching at the confines of their lives. Penelope is tired of doing the ‘expected’ and wants an adventure, her best friend Ethan thinks it is a horrible and terrible idea, and he realizes that leaving his ordered and comfortable life to keep Pen safe may be his only choice. Ethan is a wonderfully “dull” hero – he loves his ledgers and his Momma, and Pen, and is the solid stand-up sort of man who needs a touch of adventure and some ‘new’ in his life to keep him from being old before his time. Pen is just the opposite, she rails against doing what is expected, even though her sense of obligation has her following through. She’s exuberant, loves life, Ethan and the excitement that comes from change and new. Watching these two come to realize their own feelings for one another, with minimal conflict that is all because Ethan is so comfortable in his ‘place’ that he is near clueless as to what could be. They are masters at getting in their own way, whether because the idea never occurred, or they fear losing one another. A perfectly delightful friends to lovers story with a wonderful happy ending. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.