A Little More Love by Kendra Leigh Castle (Harvest Cove #5)
Contemporary Romance
September 6, 2016
Berkley
Reviewed by Helyce
From Goodreads: Kira Andersen’s professional instinct for a story has never led her wrong. So when she learns of a famous writer hiding in plain sight in a tiny New England town, she can’t resist following the trail. The only problem is everyone in Harvest Cove seems intent on keeping her from tracking down the elusive author—especially a handsome distraction who’s making it very hard to focus on the job…
Henry “Fitz” Fitzroy has no intention of letting a nosy reporter uncover his alter-ego as superstar writer Malcolm Roy. Only Kira’s persistence is hard to deny—as is his own attraction to her. The more time he spends with her, the more he discovers he’d give almost anything to keep her in his life. But as work and play become inexorably entwined for Kira and Fitz, they realize that getting what they want for their careers might mean losing everything their hearts desire.
In the fifth and final book in the Harvest Cove series, we finally see Fitz fall in love. A character on my radar from the beginning, he’s intrigued me and I wondered how the author would bring him out of hiding and merge his two personas. The heroine, Kira, was a welcome surprise having “met” her in previous books because she is the twin sister of Seth, the hero in book #2. Unfortunately, Kira plans to visit her brother in his new hometown come with an ulterior motive.
Kira is a journalist attempting to get back in the game after her relationship with a co-worker ended badly and she felt her only option was to quit. Forced to move in with her parents, once again, Kira begins writing for an on-line paper with some success. When she learns that an author she loves, but who is super mysterious and anonymous, might live in the very town that her brother Seth has made his new home, she packs a bag and heads there hoping to get the interview that could make her career.
What I loved about this story is that the reader knows exactly who’s who from the get go, but that doesn’t take away the intrigue or mystery dynamic in the least. If anything, it added another layer of interest as we watch this pseudo triangle of Fitz, Kira and Malcolm Roy dance around each other. Kira, though, has no clue that the person she is looking for, is right under her nose. Fitz finds a way to communicate with Kira as Malcom, using email and while I knew it had to blow up in his face at some point, it provided a way for Kira to get to know both sides of Fitz before his secrets were actually revealed.
Of course, there has to be a bad guy and he shows up in the form of Kira’s ex. He arrives in Harvest Cove to do exactly what Kira is there to do, snag a first ever interview with the elusive Malcolm Roy. This could have gone so many ways, and I was thrilled at how the author handled Fitz’s big reveal. Any other choice, for me, would have ruined the story.
Ms. Castle does an excellent job of giving us the story of Kira and Fitz, while including all the previous couples and giving us updates on their lives without once pushing our H/H to the background. I’ve loved Fitz from the beginning. His quiet nature while at the same time being very funny and providing much laughter endear him to the reader immediately. At the same time, Kira is ‘real’. She is happy and comfortable in her skin and is not trying to be anything or anyone but herself. I adored Kira! She was the perfect choice for Fitz and this really was a perfect ending for this series.
As a long time fan of Ms. Castle, I have to say that I’m a bit sad to see this series come to an end. I’ve read each installment, so this, the last book in the Harvest Cove series, was a little bittersweet. Having previously written mostly in the paranormal genre, this switch to contemporary was somewhat of a risk for this author; but in my opinion it was a roaring success! I am a huge fan of contemporaries, especially those set in small towns where the characters share a big sense of family and community. It’s a beautiful escape from the hustle and bustle of real life. I highly recommend this series.
Rating: A
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