2 Bloggers 1 Series - Currant Creek Valley (Hope's Crossing #4)

 

Being the holiday month, Stormi and I decided to go with something "light" for a buddy read and we landed on the next installment of the Hope's Crossing series.  These books are pretty much quick reads for us, so it made total sense to work it into this crazy month.  So read on for my thoughts and then hop over to Storm Reads and see what Stormi thought.

 

TITLE: Currant Creek Valley (Hope's Crossing #4)

AUTHOR: RaeAnne Thayne

PUBLISHER: HQN Books

PUBLISHING DATE: January 1, 2013

PAGES: 320   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: If you build it, love will come…to Hope's Crossing. 

Alexandra McKnight prefers a life of long workdays and short-term relationships, and she's found it in Hope's Crossing. A sous chef at the local ski resort, she's just been offered her dream job at an exclusive new restaurant being built in town. But when it comes to designing the kitchen, Alex finds herself getting up close and personal with construction foreman Sam Delgado…. 

At first glance, Sam seems perfect for Alex. He's big, tough, gorgeous—and in town for only a few weeks. But when Sam suddenly moves into a house down the road, Alex suspects that the devoted single father of a six-year-old boy wants more from her than she's willing to give. Now it's up to Sam to help Alex see that, no matter what happened in her past, together they can build something more meaningful in Hope's Crossing.

MY THOUGHTS: When I first started this series, I was looking for something similar in tastes to the Virgin River series.  While that will always remain a favorite to me, this series overall is similar in theme and quite enjoyable.

This installment focuses on Alex, a sibling to some of the characters featured in the prior books. Alex is a trained chef and is getting ready to open a new restaurant in Hope's Crossing backed by her sister's husband. This is finally Alex's opportunity to have her own kitchen.  When the contractor gets delayed, Brodie calls upon Sam, a professional he has used for jobs in another city, to come finish the job.  Sam is thrilled as he is looking for a quieter town where he and his son, 6-year-old Ethan to settle down. When Sam and Alex meet sparks fly.  However, both have some previous baggage to overcome and while Sam is willing to take a risk, Alex isn't.  Can Sam and Ethan change her mind.

I have to admit this is probably my least favorite of the series so far, but it was still good. I loved Sam and Ethan and enjoyed some of the side characters, especially the elderly lady Alex checks in on daily to provide food and assistance. Yet Alex was rather annoying and while her behaviors made sense in the end, I wish I had an idea earlier what had happened to make her such a player with the men in her life. Also, early on in the book, Alex finds a stray chocolate lab she names Leo running loose in town.  She takes the dog in and tries to find his owners but has no luck.  Leo plays a pretty big role in the majority of the book, which was a pleasant surprise and let's be honest, definitely bumped my rating up a star/paw.  

There are four more books in this series and I'm hoping I can conclude this series in 2026.  They are great to throw in here and there among some of my heavier, darker reads and I look forward to picking them up.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS (because of Leo)