By Chloe Holiday
Publication Date: April 24, 2022 (PB edition); May 5, 2022 (Kindle edition)
292 Pages
Chloe Holiday delivers another great novella as part of the All American Boy Series. One reason I adore her work is because her characters are always resilient. There’s no shrinking violet waiting for a knight to save her in Holiday’s books. This one was no exception.
Here’s the set up: Tricia Carlisle returns to her hometown of Deacon, TX after the death of her grandmother, only to find her inheritance, Carlisle Orchards, in foreclosure. She wasn’t planning on staying in Deacon; she has a burgeoning photography career in Chicago. But the town grows on her and the longer she stays, the more she wants to save the orchard. Of course, the proximity of the boy who broke her heart has nothing to do with her decision.
Travis Walker has the unearned reputation of being the local bad boy. Only Nana Carlisle understood him and, he once thought, Tricia did too. But now all that’s behind him and he’s only too ready to leave Deacon in the past as well. Once he buys Nana’s crop duster, he’s taking his plane and heading west. The only problem is, he and Nana had a handshake deal and there’s no guarantee Tricia will honor it.
So, I don’t want to get into too many plot details because finding out how both Tricia and Travis overcome their personal and financial obstacles is, of course, the fun of reading the book. Like most of Holiday’s novels, their plans are ingenious and require a tremendous amount of dedication and thinking outside of the box.
But there was something special about this novella. Was it the fabulous supporting characters? I’ve not seen a character deserve his comeuppance more than the baddie in Fly Boy. Beula Mae Jenkins is fabulous. And there’s a spin-off couple that appears in a different All American Boy book – I might have to check that one out.
I gave it a bit of thought as to why this particular Chloe Holiday book resonated with me and I think I put my finger on it – it’s wholesome. If you’re a huge romance fan, please keep reading because I don’t mean boring. I mean wholesome in the same sense as The Love Hypothesis is wholesome. Yes, there’s sex but it’s not slutty romance. The chemistry is intense, obvious, and adorable (so are the baby goats). And that appeals to me. By the end of the book, I found myself teary-eyed at least once and rooting for both Tricia and Travis (to my cat’s continued irritation) at the outcome.
I really hope there’s a spin-off. Deacon, TX grew on me and I’d love to see another story set there (with Beula Mae, of course).
I guess there’s nothing left to do except rate this one 5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to BookSirens for providing the ARC copy of this book. I have left my review voluntarily and honestly.
Until next time, thank you for visiting.
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Ann Dudzinski 