I’D RATHER KISS YOU GOODNIGHT by Christine Columbus

Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Mature Adults

4****

Blurb:  has sworn off relationships. At forty-seven, she finds herself stuck in a rut and feels as if she’s going nowhere. Until her mother needs help to fix up her house, now Sally spends her weekends driving three hours to plaster and paint walls. Ty is also lending a hand with the repairs, and their attraction simmers just beneath the surface. As the house takes on a new life, so does Sally’s heart. By day, they work on the house, but in the evenings, they escape to a local campground, overlooking river sunsets and diving into a summer romance. What does Sally do when summer fades to fall, and Ty prepares to leave?

THOUGHTS: This story started off really slow for me and I wasn’t sure I was going to like it, but I’m glad I stayed with it because by the time it finished, I was really rooting for Sally and Ty. And for her mom too (even though she was not a likeable character at first). In this story, Sally’s mother’s boyfriend of ten years has passed away and his sons want to sell the house she lives in. But she doesn’t want to move and even if they do put it up for sale, it needs significant remodeling. Sally gets her to agree to move once the renovations are done and spends her summer weekends driving three hours to help with the remodeling and grows closer with the oldest brother Ty. Back at work during the week, she’s in a dead-end job that is draining her. Her two friends convince her to have a summer fling with Ty, but Sally was burnt by a crooked ex and is leery about getting into another relationship. But she does and has the time of her life during the weekends, and finds herself falling for Ty. But come the end of summer, he’ll be leaving for a life on the road in a big trailer. When he invites her to go with him, she isn’t sure she should take the chance.

The characters were well-done and the setting was beautiful with campfires, starlight (and yes, mosquitoes!). But the beginning was slow for me and Sally’s wishy-washy attitude got to me a bit. Still, by the end, she did find a backbone and go for the HEA instead of a boring life. And I really enjoyed the bits of humor scattered throughout – especially what happened to Sally’s ex at the end (not saying because you should get to enjoy the laugh). A satisfying HEA will make you smile.

Recommended.