October 9, 2023
With this gentle second-chance romance, Griffin returns to the bucolic hamlet of Sweet Home, Alaska (last visited in Once upon a Cabin). High school teacher and baker Lolly Crocker never stopped loving her high school sweetheart, Shaun Montana—but her controlling mother, not wanting Lolly to get tied down so young, urged her to break up with Shaun and play the field in college. Three failed engagements later, Lolly’s back in Sweet Home for good—and back to pining for the only man she’s truly loved. Computer programmer Shaun, for his part, is in town to care for his mother after a health scare, and he’s determined to protect his heart by keeping his distance from Lolly, whose reasons for ending things he has never known. Still, after Lolly loses her job due to budget cuts, Shaun is there to comfort her and encourage her to take a chance on opening her own bakery. Given Shaun’s resolve not to fall back in love and Lolly’s guilt over the past, it will take almost losing each other yet again to get these two to face their feelings. Griffin’s characters feel three-dimensional and the emotional roadblocks to their relationship ring true. Lovers of small-town romances will eat this up. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary.
March 1, 2024
Aspiring bakeshop owner Lolly Crocker is known as "love 'em and leave 'em Lolly" because she always knows when to break it off with the man she is dating. She has left a string of broken hearts in her wake, including her high school sweetheart Shaun Montana. Shaun was the one person who made Lolly feel whole, but her mother told her that she was too young for such a commitment, spurring Lolly to break up with him the night before heading to college. When Shaun visits his Alaskan hometown as an adult, he falls madly in love with Lolly all over again. But they'll have to get over the past in order to find love again. Griffin's third "Sweet Home, Alaska" novel (following Once Upon a Cabin) is charming. Kirsten Potter narrates the quirky cast of characters, deftly switching between uncertain Lolly and heartbroken Shaun as they navigate their reconciliation. VERDICT Will appeal to listeners seeking a tender, small-town, second-chance romance with a gently inspirational bent. It's a cozy listen for series fans but equally good as a stand-alone.--Elyssa Everling
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